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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 1,549 records · Page 86
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Prioritization of Early-Stage Research and Development of a Hydrogel-Encapsulated Anaerobic Technology for Distributed Treatment of High Strength Organic Wastewater

This study aims to support the prioritization of research and development (R&D) pathways of an anaerobic technology leveraging hydrogel-encapsulated biomass to treat high-strength organic industrial wastewaters, enabling decentralized energy recovery and treatment to reduce organic loading on centralized treatment facilities. To characterize the sustainability implications of early-stage design decisions and to delineate R&D targets, an encapsulated anaerobic process model was developed and coupled with design algorithms for integrated process simulation, techno-economic analysis, and life cycle assessment under uncertainty. Across the design space, a single-stage configuration with passive biogas collection was found to have the greatest potential for financial viability and the lowest life cycle carbon emission. Through robust uncertainty and sensitivity analyses, we found technology performance was driven by a handful of design and technological factors despite uncertainty surrounding many others. Hydraulic retention time and encapsulant volume were identified as the most impactful design decisions for the levelized cost and carbon intensity of chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal. Encapsulant longevity, a technological parameter, was the dominant driver of system sustainability and thus a clear R&D priority. Ultimately, we found encapsulated anaerobic systems with optimized fluidized bed design have significant potential to provide affordable, carbon-negative, and distributed COD removal from high strength organic wastewaters if encapsulant longevity can be maintained at 5 years or above.

Anaerobic Treatment↗
DOE OSTI2013

ON THE MEASUREMENT OF THE {sup 13}C(α, n){sup 16}O S-FACTOR AT NEGATIVE ENERGIES AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THE s-PROCESS

The {sup 13}C(α, n){sup 16}O reaction is the neutron source for the main component of the s-process, responsible for the production of most of the nuclei in the mass range 90 ∼< A ∼< 208. This reaction takes place inside the helium-burning shell of asymptotic giant branch stars, at temperatures ∼< 10{sup 8} K, corresponding to an energy interval where the {sup 13}C(α, n){sup 16}O reaction is effective in the range of 140-230 keV. In this regime, the astrophysical S(E)-factor is dominated by the –3 keV sub-threshold resonance due to the 6.356 MeV level in {sup 17}O, giving rise to a steep increase in the S-factor. Its contribution is still controversial as extrapolations, e.g., through the R-matrix and indirect techniques such as the asymptotic normalization coefficient (ANC), yield inconsistent results. The discrepancy amounts to a factor of three or more precisely at astrophysical energies. To provide a more accurate S-factor at these energies, we have applied the Trojan horse method (THM) to the {sup 13}C({sup 6}Li, n {sup 16}O)d quasi-free reaction. The ANC for the 6.356 MeV level has been deduced through the THM as well as the n-partial width, allowing us to attain unprecedented accuracy for the {sup 13}C(α, n){sup 16}O astrophysical factor. A larger ANC for the 6.356 MeV level is measured with respect to the ones in the literature, (C-tilde{sub α{sup 1}{sup 3}C}{sup 17O(1/2+)2} = 7.7 ± 0.3{sub stat} {sub -1.5}{sup +1.}|6 norm fm{sup –1}, yet in agreement with the preliminary result given in our preceding letter, indicating an increase of the {sup 13}C(α, n){sup 16}O reaction rate below about 8 × 10{sup 7} K if compared with the recommended values. At ∼10{sup 8} K, our reaction rate agrees with most of the results in the literature and the accuracy is greatly enhanced thanks to this innovative approach.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

High speed automated microtomography of nuclear emulsions and recent application

The development of high-speed automatic scanning systems was the key-factor for massive and successful emulsions application for big neutrino experiments like OPERA. The emulsion detector simplicity, the unprecedented sub-micron spatial resolution and the unique ability to provide intrinsically 3-dimensional spatial information make it a perfect device for short-living particles study, where the event topology should be precisely reconstructed in a 10-100 um scale vertex region. Recently the exceptional technological progress in image processing and automation together with intensive R&D done by Italian and Japanese microscopy groups permit to increase the scanning speed to unbelievable few years ago m{sup 2}/day scale and so greatly extend the range of the possible applications for emulsion-based detectors to other fields like: medical imaging, directional dark matter search, nuclear physics, geological and industrial applications.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Structure of the virulence-associated protein VapD from the intracellular pathogen Rhodococcus equi

VapD is one of a set of highly homologous virulence-associated proteins from the multi-host pathogen Rhodococcus equi. The crystal structure reveals an eight-stranded β-barrel with a novel fold and a glycine rich ‘bald’ surface. Rhodococcus equi is a multi-host pathogen that infects a range of animals as well as immune-compromised humans. Equine and porcine isolates harbour a virulence plasmid encoding a homologous family of virulence-associated proteins associated with the capacity of R. equi to divert the normal processes of endosomal maturation, enabling bacterial survival and proliferation in alveolar macrophages. To provide a basis for probing the function of the Vap proteins in virulence, the crystal structure of VapD was determined. VapD is a monomer as determined by multi-angle laser light scattering. The structure reveals an elliptical, compact eight-stranded β-barrel with a novel strand topology and pseudo-twofold symmetry, suggesting evolution from an ancestral dimer. Surface-associated octyl-β-d-glucoside molecules may provide clues to function. Circular-dichroism spectroscopic analysis suggests that the β-barrel structure is preceded by a natively disordered region at the N-terminus. Sequence comparisons indicate that the core folds of the other plasmid-encoded virulence-associated proteins from R. equi strains are similar to that of VapD. It is further shown that sequences encoding putative R. equi Vap-like proteins occur in diverse bacterial species. Finally, the functional implications of the structure are discussed in the light of the unique structural features of VapD and its partial structural similarity to other β-barrel proteins.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2018

A Critical Review of Existing Criteria for the Prediction of Pyrochlore Formation and Stability

Depending on intrinsic (e.g., radius ratio rule r Ln / r Zr ) and extrinsic factors (e.g., processing conditions), pyrochlore-type Ln 2 Zr 2 O 7 oxides achieve variable degrees of structural disorder. In this paper we report on a systematic study of the structural and microstructural characteristics of the Gd 2– x Ln x Zr 2 O 7 system, exploring the effect of replacing Gd with a wide range of homovalent lanthanide ions (Ln = Nd, Sm, Dy, Ho, Y, and Er; x = 0.20 and 0.80). All compositions were prepared via a mechanochemical reaction between the corresponding oxides and characterized by X-ray diffraction (standard and synchrotron sources) using the Rietveld method, as well as by Raman spectroscopy. Irrespective of chemical composition, this study reveals that all compositions exhibit a fluorite-like structure. Furthermore, by firing each sample at 800 and 1400 °C, we are able to analyze the transition to pyrochlore-like structures, featuring different degrees of disorder, in all but Gd 1.20 Y 0.80 Zr 2 O 7 , which retains the fluorite structure even after heating. The structural data are used to assess the existing criteria for predicting the formation and stability of the pyrochlore structure; according to this analysis, the simple radius ratio rule ( r Ln / r Zr ), provides a useful and sufficiently robust criterion. Because the pyrochlore structure has a strong tendency to disorder, it is not possible to define an empirical index similar to the Goldschmidt tolerance factor for perovskite.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS1974

Earth Observatory Satellite system definition study. Report no. 5: System design and specifications. Part 2: Ground system element specifications

The Ground System requirements for the Land Resources Management (LRM) type-A and type-B missions of the Earth Observatory Satellite (EOS) program are presented. Specifications for the Thematic Mapper data processing are provided (LRM A mission). The specifications also cover the R and D instruments (Thematic Mapper and High Resolution Pointable Imager) data processing for the LRM type-B mission.

Source record↗
DOE OSTI2011

Status of the Development of In-Tank/At-Tank Separations Technologies for High-Level Waste Processing for the U.S. Department of Energy

Within the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Technology Innovation and Development, the Office of Waste Processing manages a research and development program related to the treatment and disposition of radioactive waste. At the Savannah River (South Carolina) and Hanford (Washington) Sites, approximately 90 million gallons of waste are distributed among 226 storage tanks (grouped or collocated in “tank farms”). This waste may be considered to contain mixed and stratified high activity and low activity constituent waste liquids, salts and sludges that are collectively managed as high level waste (HLW). A large majority of these wastes and associated facilities are unique to the DOE, meaning many of the programs to treat these materials are “first-of-a-kind” and unprecedented in scope and complexity. As a result, the technologies required to disposition these wastes must be developed from basic principles, or require significant re-engineering to adapt to DOE’s specific applications. Of particular interest recently, the development of In-tank or At-Tank separation processes have the potential to treat waste with high returns on financial investment. The primary objective associated with In-Tank or At-Tank separation processes is to accelerate waste processing. Insertion of the technologies will (1) maximize available tank space to efficiently support permanent waste disposition including vitrification; (2) treat problematic waste prior to transfer to the primary processing facilities at either site (i.e., Hanford’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) or Savannah River’s Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF)); and (3) create a parallel treatment process to shorten the overall treatment duration.

High level waste↗
DOE OSTI2012

Studies of the Raman Spectra of Cyclic and Acyclic Molecules: Combination and Prediction Spectrum Methods

A combination of Raman spectroscopy and density functional methods was employed to investigate the spectral features of selected molecules: furfural, 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF), methanol, acetone, acetic acid, and levulinic acid. The computed spectra and measured spectra are in excellent agreement, consistent with previous studies. Using the combination and prediction spectrum method (CPSM), we were able to predict the important spectral features of two platform chemicals, HMF and levulinic acid.The results have shown that CPSM is a useful alternative method for predicting vibrational spectra of complex molecules in the biomass transformation process.

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗
NASA NTRS1993

On the origin of planetary spins

We examine the rate of accretion of mass and spin angular momentum by a spherical solid body ('planet') immersed in a differentially rotating disk of particles ('planetesimals'). If the planet travels on a circular orbit, the accretion process is described by two dimensionless parameters r and s, which measure the ratio of the planet's radius to its Hill radius and the ratio of the rms radial velocity of the planetesimals to the shear across the Hill radius, respectively. Using a combination of analytic arguments and numerical simulations, we derive the mass and angular momentum accretion rates and their scaling with r and s. By introducing an additional parameter, the effective mass of the planetesimals relative to the planet, we can derive the obliquities and spins arising from the stochastic nature of the accretion process. Our results are consistent with those of previous calculations by Lissauer and Kary (1991) wherever there is overlap in parameter space. In particular, we conclude that ordered accretion from a uniform or slowly varying disk of small bodies cannot result in rotation as rapid as that of earth or Mars for any value of the disk velocity dispersion s. The spin rates of these planets are most naturally explained as arising from one or a few 'giant' impacts by planetesimals.

Dones, Luke↗
DOE OSTI2013

Phosphors for LED lamps

A phosphor, a phosphor blend including the phosphor, a phosphor prepared by a process, and a lighting apparatus including the phosphor blend are disclosed. The phosphor has the formula (Ca.sub.1-p-qCe.sub.pK.sub.q).sub.xSc.sub.y(Si.sub.1-rGa.sub.r).sub.zO.su- b.12+.delta. or derived from a process followed using disclosed amounts of reactants. In the formula, (0<p.ltoreq.0.06); 0.ltoreq.q.ltoreq.0.06; 0.ltoreq.r.ltoreq.0.2; and -0.1.ltoreq..delta..ltoreq.0.4. In one embodiment, 3<x.ltoreq.3.1; 2.ltoreq.y.ltoreq.2.15; and 3.ltoreq.z.ltoreq.3.2. Similarly, in another embodiment, 3.ltoreq.x.ltoreq.3.1; 2<y.ltoreq.2.15; and 2.8.ltoreq.z.ltoreq.3.2.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

NREL's Capabilities in Organism Development and Fermentation Sciences Research and Development (R&D)

NREL is developing robust microbial strains and scalable fermentation technologies for converting biomass sugars to fuels and biochemicals, and one-carbon (C1) gaseous substrates (e.g., CO2, CO, CH4) to high-value products. Core capabilities include: (1) Fermentation optimization of aerobic, microaerophilic, and anaerobic cultivation processes of gas and traditional liquid fermentation R&D; (2) Gas mass transfer R&D and CFD modeling for improved reactor design and gas mixing (3) Metabolic engineering in CRISPR editing tools to improve titer, rates, and yields; (4) Probing and optimizing carbon, redox, and energy flux using transcriptomics and fluxomic techniques; and (5) Consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) using cellulose and hemicellulose directly to minimize pretreatment.

BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES,BIOMASS FUELS,SYNTHETIC ↗
DOE OSTI2014

Influence of hydrogen patterning gas on electric and magnetic properties of perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions

To identify the degradation mechanism in magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) using hydrogen, the properties of the MTJs were measured by applying an additional hydrogen etch process and a hydrogen plasma process to the patterned MTJs. In these studies, an additional 50 s hydrogen etch process caused the magnetoresistance (MR) to decrease from 103% to 14.7% and the resistance (R) to increase from 6.5 kΩ to 39 kΩ. Moreover, an additional 500 s hydrogen plasma process decreased the MR from 103% to 74% and increased R from 6.5 kΩ to 13.9 kΩ. These results show that MTJs can be damaged by the hydrogen plasma process as well as by the hydrogen etch process, as the atomic bonds in MgO may break and react with the exposed hydrogen gas. Compounds such as MgO hydrate very easily. We also calculated the damaged layer width (DLW) of the patterned MTJs after the hydrogen etching and plasma processes, to evaluate the downscaling limitations of spin-transfer-torque magnetic random-access memory (STT-MRAM) devices. With these calculations, the maximum DLWs at each side of the MTJ, generated by the etching and plasma processes, were 23.8 nm and 12.8 nm, respectively. This result validates that the hydrogen-based MTJ patterning processes cannot be used exclusively in STT-MRAMs beyond 20 nm.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
NASA NTRS2015

Center Planning and Development Student Engineer at KSC

This summer I was the Student Trainee (Engineering) Pathways Intern (co-op) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in the Center Planning & Development (CPD) Directorate. CPD works with commercial companies who are interested in using KSC's unique capabilities for spaceflight, spacecraft processing, ground systems and Research & Development (R&D) projects that fall in line with NASA's Mission and Vision. CPD is divided into three (3) groups: (1) AD-A, which works on the Master Planning for the center, (2) AD-B (where I am), which works on project control, management and integration, and (3) AD-C, which works on partnership development. CPD's main goal is to make KSC the world's preeminent multi-user spaceport and maintain the center as a leader in space exploration. CPD is a very diverse group of employees having a wide knowledge of not only the Space Shuttle, but also Expendable Launch Vehicles (ELV). The director of CPD, Scott Colloredo, is on the advisory board for Commercial Space Operations (CSO) and has a degree from ERAU. I worked on a number of different tasks for AD-B, as well as CPD, that includes, but not limited to: reviewing and reissuing engineering documents, weekly notes for CPD and senior management, engineering familiarizations with facilities at KSC, leading a tour for the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Career Services office, and working on actual agreements/proposals that will be used in the partnership process with multiple partners, along with other projects. Most of the work I have done is sensitive information and cannot be disclosed.

Engineer↗
DOE OSTI2014

Geometrical effects on the electron residence time in semiconductor nano-particles

We have used random walk (RW) numerical simulations to investigate the influence of the geometry on the statistics of the electron residence time τ{sub r} in a trap-limited diffusion process through semiconductor nano-particles. This is an important parameter in coarse-grained modeling of charge carrier transport in nano-structured semiconductor films. The traps have been distributed randomly on the surface (r{sup 2} model) or through the whole particle (r{sup 3} model) with a specified density. The trap energies have been taken from an exponential distribution and the traps release time is assumed to be a stochastic variable. We have carried out (RW) simulations to study the effect of coordination number, the spatial arrangement of the neighbors and the size of nano-particles on the statistics of τ{sub r}. It has been observed that by increasing the coordination number n, the average value of electron residence time, τ{sup ¯}{sub r} rapidly decreases to an asymptotic value. For a fixed coordination number n, the electron's mean residence time does not depend on the neighbors' spatial arrangement. In other words, τ{sup ¯}{sub r} is a porosity-dependence, local parameter which generally varies remarkably from site to site, unless we are dealing with highly ordered structures. We have also examined the effect of nano-particle size d on the statistical behavior of τ{sup ¯}{sub r}. Our simulations indicate that for volume distribution of traps, τ{sup ¯}{sub r} scales as d{sup 2}. For a surface distribution of traps τ{sup ¯}{sub r} increases almost linearly with d. This leads to the prediction of a linear dependence of the diffusion coefficient D on the particle size d in ordered structures or random structures above the critical concentration which is in accordance with experimental observations.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

LANL contributions to isoWater R package

The ratio of heavy-to-light stable isotope abundance in water vapor is a tracer of atmospheric processes including evapotranspiration, condensation, mixing, and transport. Measurements of these isotope ratios at the surface, in the atmospheric column, or from satellites provide insights into atmospheric processes that cannot be gained from measurements of water vapor mixing ratios alone. A number of theoretical models for how water vapor isotope ratios should vary in response to atmospheric processes have been developed, and LANL contributions to the isoWater R package provides a simplified interface for calculating expected vapor isotope ratios based on these models and adding them to plots of water vapor isotope ratios.

Fiorella, Richard↗
DOE OSTI2018

Zero-Emission Bus Evaluation Results: County Connection Battery Electric Buses

The U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT's) Federal Transit Administration (FTA) supports the research, development, and demonstration of low- and zero-emission technology for transit buses. FTA funds research projects with a goal of facilitating commercialization of advanced technologies for transit buses that will increase efficiency and improve transit operations. DOT's Research, Development, and Technology Office (OST-R) also has an interest in zero-emission bus (ZEB) technology deployment and commercialization. OST-R is coordinating and collaborating with FTA on the evaluation process and results by providing funding to cover additional evaluations. FTA and OST-R are collaborating with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to conduct in-service evaluations of advanced technology buses developed under its programs. NREL uses a standard evaluation protocol for evaluating the advanced technologies deployed under the FTA programs. FTA seeks to provide results from new technologies being adopted by transit agencies. The eight evaluations selected to date include battery electric buses (BEBs) and fuel cell electric buses (FCEBs) from different manufacturers operating in fleets located in both cold and hot climates. The purpose of this report is to present the results from Central Contra Costa Transit Authority (County Connection) deployment of four BEBs in Concord, California. NREL's evaluation of the BEBs at County Connection was funded by OST-R.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Towards the first high-Q treatments for 800 MHz 5-cell elliptical cavities

High-efficiency, high-velocity, sub-GHz elliptical superconducting RF cavities are a critical enabling technology for multiple upcoming accelerator development projects such as for the Powerful Energy Recovery Linac for Experiments (PERLE), and for the Future Circular Collider s (FCC) Booster, and future realizations of its Collider ring. The ambitious quality factor and gradient requirements of these applications require strong SRF R&D programs aimed at developing and optimizing advanced surface processing techniques for 800 MHz cavities. We report the initiation of the 800 MHz R&D program at Fermilab, with the aim of developing high-performance cavities compatible with PERLE and FCC applications.

McGee, K.↗