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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 OSTI2021

ASASSN-14ko is a Periodic Nuclear Transient in ESO 253-G003

We present the discovery that ASASSN-14ko is a periodically flaring active galactic nucleus at the center of the galaxy ESO 253-G003. At the time of its discovery by the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN), it was classified as a supernova close to the nucleus. The subsequent 6 yr of V - and g -band ASAS-SN observations revealed that ASASSN-14ko has nuclear flares occurring at regular intervals. The 17 observed outbursts show evidence of a decreasing period over time, with a mean period of P 0 = 114.2 ± 0.4 days and a period derivative of . The most recent outburst in 2020 May, which took place as predicted, exhibited spectroscopic changes during the rise and had a UV bright, blackbody spectral energy distribution similar to tidal disruption events (TDEs). The X-ray flux decreased by a factor of 4 at the beginning of the outburst and then returned to its quiescent flux after ~8 days. The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite observed an outburst during Sectors 4–6, revealing a rise time of 5.60 ± 0.05 days in the optical and a decline that is best fit with an exponential model. We discuss several possible scenarios to explain ASASSN-14ko’s periodic outbursts, but currently favor a repeated partial TDE. The next outbursts should peak in the optical on UT 2020 September 7.4±1.1 and UT 2020 December 26.5±1.4.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗
DOE OSTI2026

Ecohydrology of urban environments

Urban watersheds include a gradient of highly managed to unmanaged ecosystems that vary in vegetation cover, built and natural drainage systems, and impervious cover. A distinct difference to undeveloped ecosystems is the dominance of material and energy import and export, the disruption of natural catenae, the covariation of soils, terrain and canopy conditions. In this chapter, we discuss the distinct characteristics of urban ecohydrology compared to non-urban systems. We also investigate emergent principles of unmanaged watersheds that underscore the promotion of ecohydrological resilience, and the need to abstract and adapt these principles to support the goal-oriented restoration of impaired urban ecosystems.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Demonstrating magnetic field robustness and reducing temporal T1 noise in transmon qubits through magnetic field engineering

The coherence of superconducting transmon qubits is often disrupted by fluctuations in the energy relaxation time (T1), limiting their performance for quantum computing. While background magnetic fields can be harmful to superconducting devices, we demonstrate that both trapped magnetic flux and externally applied static magnetic fields can suppress temporal fluctuations in T1 without significantly degrading its average value or qubit frequency. Using a three-axis Helmholtz coil system, we applied calibrated magnetic fields perpendicular to the qubit plane during cooldown and operation. Remarkably, transmon qubits based on tantalum-capped niobium (Nb/Ta) capacitive pads and aluminum-based Josephson junctions (JJs) maintained T1 lifetimes near 300 μs even when cooled in fields as high as 600 mG. Both trapped flux up to 600 mG and applied fields up to 400 mG reduced T1 fluctuations by more than a factor of two, while higher field strengths caused rapid coherence degradation. We attribute this stabilization to the polarization of paramagnetic impurities, the role of trapped flux as a sink for non-equilibrium quasiparticles (QPs), and partial saturation of fluctuating two-level systems (TLSs). These findings challenge the conventional view that magnetic fields are inherently detrimental and introduce a strategy for mitigating noise in superconducting qubits, offering a practical path toward more stable and scalable quantum systems.

Abdisatarov, Bektur [Fermilab; Jefferson Lab]↗
NASA NTRS1993

Collisions and close encounters between massive main-sequence stars

Smooth-particle hydrodynamics is used to investigate collisions and close encounters between two massive main-sequence stars. Approximate scaling relations and fitting formulas are given for the amount of mass loss and for the critical impact parameters for capture or merging. The more massive stars, which have smaller ratios of specific binding energy to the square of escape velocity, are more easily disrupted in collisions. As the relative velocity increases, the orbital energy of the colliding stars can only be dissipated by shock heating, and the critical capture radius decreases much faster than predicted by linear theory. The average fractional mass loss per collision in a cluster is found not to depend sensitively on the stellar velocity dispersion.

Lai, Dong↗
DOE OSTI2021

3D simulations of vertical displacement events in tokamaks: A benchmark of M3D-C 1 , NIMROD, and JOREK

In recent years, the nonlinear 3D magnetohydrodynamic codes JOREK, M3D-C1, and NIMROD developed the capability of modeling realistic 3D vertical displacement events (VDEs) including resistive walls. In this paper, a comprehensive 3D VDE benchmark is presented between these state-of-the-art codes. The simulated case is based on an experimental NSTX plasma but with a simplified rectangular wall. There are differences between the physics models and numerical methods, and the VDE evolution leads to sensitivities on the initial conditions that cannot be avoided as can be done in edge localized modes (ELM) and sawtooth simulations (due to the non-cyclical nature of VDEs). Nonetheless, the comparison serves to quantify the level of agreement in the relevant quantities used to characterize disruptions, such as the 3D wall forces and energy decay. The results bring confidence regarding the use of the mentioned codes for disruption studies, and they distinguish aspects that are specific to the models used (e.g., reduced vs full MHD models). Here, the simulations show important 3D fea- tures for a NSTX plasma, such as the self-consistent evolution of the halo current and the origin of the wall forces. In contrast to other reduced MHD models based on an ordering in the aspect ratio, the ansatz-based JOREK reduced MHD model allows capturing many aspects of the 3D dynamics even in the spherical tokamak limit considered here.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Runaway electron beam dynamics at low plasma density in DIII-D: energy distribution, current profile, and internal instability

Parameters of the post-disruption runaway electron (RE) beam in the collisionless background plasma achieved after deuterium injection are investigated in DIII-D. The spatially resolved RE energy distribution function is measured for the first time during the RE plateau stage by inverting hard X-ray bremsstrahlung spectra. It has maximum energy up to 20 MeV and a non-monotonous feature at 5{6 MeV observed only in the core of the beam supporting the possibility of kinetic instabilities. The RE current profile is reconstructed for the first time using the spatially resolved RE energy distribution. It is found to be more peaked than the pre-disruption plasma current, with higher internal inductance, suggesting preferential formation of REs in the core plasma or potentially a radially inward motion of the REs. The accessed relatively low-current (180 kA) RE beam is found stable, likely due to its elevated q profile. From this base stable equilibrium, instability is accessed by ramping the solenoid current. Under a large applied accelerating loop voltage an internal kink mode is observed. The kink mode leads to sawtooth-like relaxation of the RE current profile, but drives no RE loss. Under conditions of a large decelerating voltage, chirping Alfvénic instabilities driven by REs during the RE plateau stage are observed for the first time. The low-frequency (0.1{7 MHz) Alfvénic instabilities, supposedly compressional Alfvén eigenmodes, are found to be correlated with a RE loss signal. Finally, this provides novel plasma conditions to study these instabilities and investigate opportunities to utilize them for RE control. Bifurcated electron cyclotron emission (ECE) spectrum is measured during the collisionless RE plateau, with a break point at ≈100 GHz suggesting resonant absorption of the ECE at low frequencies.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Disruption modelling for engineering and physics design of ST-E1 fusion power plant

Plasma disruptions represent a critical challenge for high-performance tokamak operations, as they can compromise machine integrity and reduce operational availability. Although future fusion devices essentially need to incorporate strategies to minimise disruption occurrence, complete avoidance remains unattainable. Consequently, assessing and characterising unmitigated disruption consequences is fundamental for the design and qualification of next-generation fusion power plants. This work supports the pre-conceptual design of ST-E1, a low aspect-ratio Tokamak Fusion Power Plant developed by Tokamak Energy Ltd., by presenting a comprehensive disruption modelling approach applied across different design stages. The methodology integrates both physics and engineering considerations to evaluate the impact of disruptions on machine performance and structural integrity. From an engineering perspective, several ST-E1 layout options were analysed to investigate the electromagnetic response of key components under disruption-induced loads, enabling comparison between alternative design solutions. On the physics side, a broad set of disruption scenarios was explored, scanning operational space parameters, plasma-material interactions, and associated thermal loads. Furthermore, the study examined variations in disruption behaviour arising from different reference equilibria, focusing on a range starting from Double Null to Single Null configurations, reflecting the increasing up-down asymmetry consequences. The results reveal significant contrasts in plasma dynamics and structures electromagnetic behaviour between configurations, highlighting the importance of disruption modelling in guiding design choices. These analyses have proven instrumental in shaping ST-E1 development, offering critical insights for mitigating risks and optimising future fusion power plant designs.

Borowiec, Katarzyna [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000335911739↗
DOE OSTI2020

Simulation of MHD instabilities with fluid runaway electron model in M3D- C 1

Runaway electrons are generated in a tokamak during the start up, during normal operation and during a plasma disruption. During a disruption, runaway electrons can be accelerated to high energies, potentially damaging the first wall. To predict the consequences of runaway generation during a disruption, it is necessary to consider resonant interactions of runaways with the bulk plasma. Here we consider the interactions of runaways on low mode number tearing modes. We have developed a fluid runaway electron model for the 3D MHD code M3D-C1[Jardin,et al. J Comput. Sci Discovery 6 014002 (2012)]. To benchmark, we have reproduced the MHD linear tearing mode results (with runaway electrons) in a circular cylinder presented in previous analytic studies[[Helander, P., et al, Phys. Plasmas 14 144102 (2007)] and extended here with a numerical eigenvalue calculation. Furthermore, we find that the low mode number tearing mode has a rotation caused by the MHD - runaways interaction, and the toroidal current scale length is much smaller with runaways than that for without and decreases as the runaway speed increases.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Energy Security and Resilience (ESR) Initiative

Central to achieving reduced carbon emissions and sustained economic recovery from the COVID pandemic is a national energy system based on low-carbon technologies and resistant to disruption from severe weather events and human attacks. NREL’s Energy Security and Resilience (ESR) Initiative applies NREL’s expertise in the design and operation of clean, highly distributed energy systems to the most pressing security and resilience challenges.

cybersecurity↗
DOE OSTI2026

Innovations Driven by Advanced Characterization to Strategize Critical Mineral Production and Beneficial Reuse from Fossil Energy Waste

Critical minerals (CM), such as rare earth elements (REE), cobalt, nickel, and lithium, have important uses in modern electronics and advanced manufacturing, yet are vulnerable to potential supply chain disruptions. Relatively abundant and readily available fossil energy (FE) wastes, such as coal combustion ash, acid mine drainage (AMD) and treatment solids (AMD solids), and Oil and Gas (O&G) drilling wastes (drill cuttings and produced waters) are under consideration as CM feedstocks. The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) has studied CM resources for various FE wastes as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s mission of bolstering the domestic CM supply, and makes the data available to the public on EDX at sites such as the NEWTS group. Advanced characterization utilizing synchrotron x-ray techniques coupled with laboratory extractions has been performed to identify CM hosting phases in these FE wastes to inform CM recoverability mechanisms. Novel methods to selectively recover CMs while co-producing other valuable byproducts have been developed. Successful examples discussed here include: (1) The identification of REE/Co/Ni/Sc binding and hosting phases in select FE waste (coal combustion ash and AMD solids), resulting in the development of a patented CM step-extraction process, (2) coupled production of functional sorbents from these extraction wastes and for CM recovery. A pilot-scale testing to evaluate the patent’s technical feasibility for extracting REE from coal ash on a barrel scale has been successfully performed. Additionally, (3) evaluation and measurements of brine geochemistry from U.S. O&G produced waters has informed a high Li recovery potential from Marcellus Shale produced water. NETL researchers have been developing tailored pre-treatment processes, an innovative and highly durable lithium sorbent, and geochemical model guided precipitation to accelerate Li production from the Marcellus Shale produced waters. These innovations driven by characterization are integral for maximizing and advancing the potential for CM recovery while offsetting the cost and environmental footprint for FE waste management.

critical mineral processing↗
DOE OSTI2022

Measuring Societal Infrastructure Service Burden

Social Infrastructure Service Burden (abbr. Social Burden) is defined as the burden to a population for attaining services needed from infrastructure. Infrastructure services represent opportunities to acquire things that people need, such as food, water, healthcare, financial services, etc. Accessing services requires effort, disruption to schedules, expenditure of money, etc. Social Burden represents the relative hardship people experience in the process of acquiring needed services. Social Burden is comprised of several components. One component is the effort associated with travel to a facility that provides a needed service. Another component of burden is the financial impact of acquiring resources once at the providing location. We are applying Social Burden as a resilience metric by quantifying it following a major disruption to infrastructure. Specifically, we are most interested in quantifying this metric for events in which energy systems are a major component of the disruption. We do not believe this is the only such use of the Social Burden metric, and therefore we will also be exploring its use to describe blue-sky conditions of a society in the future. Furthermore, while the construct can be applied to a dynamically changing situation, we are applying it statically, directly following a disruption. This notably ignores recovery dynamics that are a key capability of resilient systems. This too will be explored in future research.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Threat Hunt Guide for BESS Environments

The rapid digitalization of the electric grid - driven by the integration of inverter-based resources (IBRs), battery energy storage systems (BESS), and advanced grid control platforms - has significantly enhanced grid efficiency, visibility, and flexibility. However, this evolution also introduces new cybersecurity risks, particularly through supply chain dependencies and operational blind spots at the grid edge. To address these challenges, Idaho National Laboratory (INL), through the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) Rapid Risk initiative, conducted a series of rapid risk assessment engagements with energy organizations across the United States. Drawing on lessons learned from these engagements, INL developed the following threat hunting guide for asset owners and operators (AOOs) to enhance their cybersecurity visibility within BESS and IBR systems. The guide demonstrates how to use passive network monitoring to baseline device behavior, detect adversarial activity, and investigate anomalies without disrupting operations. By implementing these practices, energy sector stakeholders can improve coordination between cybersecurity and operations teams and strengthen the resilience of distributed energy resources (DERs) within the modern power grid. Prior to implementing any network monitoring, packet capture, or threat hunting activity described in this guide, AOOs are strongly advised to review applicable governance frameworks, legal requirements, and organizational policies. This guide is intended for informational and educational purposes only. It does not replace compliance with any federal, state, or local cybersecurity mandates or industry standards. Implementation of described configurations, technologies, or analytic workflows is performed at the discretion and responsibility of the asset owner and operator.

25 - ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2020

PLATFORM for Product Launch

Pecan Street Inc. (PSI) and its partners set out in 2017 to validate the PLATFORM for Product Launch, a new model for improving the effectiveness of investments in clean energy technologies and accelerating market entry of disruptive technologies. In partnership with a newly formed Innovation Advisory Council, PSI recruited fourteen companies with new hardware-based technologies that enable or create clean energy opportunities. Pecan Street carried out product evaluations and conducted market research with stakeholders and target customers to develop recommendations on product optimization opportunities for all companies, and created third party performance evaluation reports that include environmental metrics, such as water and energy savings potential, to assist in creating investment confidence and to unlock additional sources of funding, such as impact investments. Pecan Street set-up the product testing environment, performed small-batch field testing, and provided a verified third-party performance report on the product of twelve companies. PSI Street and its partners leveraged the performance evaluations and insights from the newly formed PRI toolkit to raise over $1.5M across five companies, and garner interest for private sector adoption of the PLATFORM for Product Launch.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2022

The American WAKE experimeNt (AWAKEN): Groundbreaking International Field Research Addresses Wind Farm Atmosphere Interactions

To help provide that understanding, the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) funds the American WAKE experimeNt (AWAKEN). AWAKEN is an international, multi-institutional wind energy field campaign designed to answer the most pressing science questions about the impacts of wind turbine wake effects. From 2022 to 2024, AWAKEN will gather observational data about the atmosphere around and within operational wind farms, validate wind farm models, and advance understanding of wind farm behavior.

AWAKEN↗
DOE OSTI2026

The Ghost Collider: An Innovative Higgs Factory

The Ghost Collider is an innovative proposal for a 550 GeV centre-of-mass, 275 GeV per beam linear collid-er with four interaction regions, each with the design luminosity. The primary innovation is the use of “ghost bunches” containing equal numbers of electrons and posi-trons so they are electrically neutral. In the linacs, energy is transferred between electrons and positrons in the same bunch, decelerating one type of particle and using the energy to accelerate the other: a new class of Energy Re-covery Linacs. At the interaction points, collisions be-tween two neutral ghost bunches occurs with weakened electromagnetic interaction such as the beam-beam effect or disruption, ensuring that the particles and their energy can be recycled with minimal loss. Four “serial IPs” are incorporated, where chromatic errors produced in one IP are cancelled in the following IP. The neutral beam insta-bility at the IP is also addressed. All interaction points have the nominal luminosity per IP of 2.8 x 1034 cm-2s-1 for a facility luminosity of 1.1 x1035 cm-2s-1 @ 100 MW electrical power for the RF systems. The result is a totally original concept for an electron-positron collider.

Hutton, A. [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Simulation of DIII-D disruption with argon pellet injection and runaway electron beam

Abstract The next generation of large tokamaks, including ITER, will be equipped with a disruption mitigation system (DMS) that can be activated if a disruption is deemed to be imminent. Introducing impurities by pellet (large or shattered) or massive gas injection has been shown to be an effective mitigation mechanism on many tokamaks. The goal of the mitigation is to lessen the thermal and electromagnetic loads from the disruption without generating enough high-energy (runaway) electrons to damage the device. Variations of this mitigation process with impurity injection are presently being tested on many experiments. We have modeled one such impurity injection experiment on DIII-D using the M3D-C1 nonlinear 3D extended MHD code (Jardin et al 2012 Comput. Sci. Discovery 6 014002), The model includes an argon large pellet injection and ablation model, impurity ionization, recombination, and radiation, and runaway electron formation and subsequent evolution, including both Dreicer and avalanche sources. We obtain reasonable agreement with the experimental results for the timescale of the thermal and current quench and for the magnitude of the runaway electron plateau formed during the mitigation. This is the first 3D full MHD simulation with pellets and REs to simulate the disruption process and it also provides a partial validation of the M3D-C1 DMS model.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Design of a Proportional-Control-Based Advanced Control Strategy for Independent Temperature and Humidity Control of a Pre-Cooled Desiccant Air Cooling System

In this study, the control of a desiccant-wheel-based evaporative cooling system with a double-layer dew-point cooler system is emphasized. There are two dew-point evaporative coolers in the system and the air taken inside is subjected to pre- and post-cooling processes. The dehumidification process of the air taken in is carried out by the desiccant wheel after the pre-cooling process. A proportional-based control strategy has been developed to adjust the temperature and relative humidity of the room quickly and robustly with different operation modes for actuators to bring comfort with less energy consumption. In addition, an automatic Stop/Run mode has been added to the control strategy to save extra energy. With the developed control strategy, enabling the actuators to switch between the operation modes, more energy savings are achieved compared to both traditional ON/OFF and proportional controls. The accuracy and applicability of the developed control strategy were analyzed and it was observed that the room comfort reached the desired levels successfully under all disruptive effects. The control inputs and the energies consumed by all the actuators were investigated and it was determined that 21.19% more energy savings are provided by adding the automatic Stop/Run feature. With the multi-mode control strategy, a total of 40.90% less energy consumption is achieved compared to the classical ON/OFF control technique. Thus, it is seen that the controller developed for the desiccant-wheel-based evaporative cooler is a viable method to provide fast and robust comfort conditions with less energy.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Interplay of physically different properties leading to challenges in separating lanthanide cations – an ab initio molecular dynamics and experimental study

Lanthanide elements have well-documented similarities in their chemical behavior, which make the valuable trivalent lanthanide cations (Ln 3+ ) particularly difficult to separate from each other in water. Here, we apply ab initio molecular dynamics simulations to compare the free energies (Δ G ads ) associated with the adsorption of lanthanide cations to silica surfaces at a pH condition where SiO – groups are present. The predicted Δ G ads for lutetium (Lu 3+ ) and europium (Eu 3+ ) are similar within statistical uncertainties; this is in qualitative agreement with our batch adsorption measurements on silica. This finding is remarkable because the two cations exhibit hydration free energies (Δ G hyd ) that differ by >2 eV, different hydration numbers, and different hydrolysis behavior far from silica surfaces. We observe that the similarity in Lu 3+ and Eu 3+ Δ G ads is the result of a delicate cancellation between the difference in Eu 3+ and Lu 3+ hydration (Δ G hyd ), and their difference in binding energies to silica. We propose that disrupting this cancellation at the two end points, either for adsorbed or completely desorbed lanthanides ( e.g. , via nanoconfinment or mixed solvents), will lead to effective Ln 3+ separation.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗