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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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This overview summarizes four case studies which highlight different approaches to energy equity taken by Hawaii, Illinois, Virginia and Wisconsin. They have started in varying places on equity integration and taken unique approaches. The case studies assess structural themes across the four states and examine common and foundational energy equity actions.
This case study reviews South Africa’s experience in considering the impacts of climate change action on development goals, focusing on the South African energy sector and development impact assessments (DIAs) that have and could be used to influence energy policy or inform the selection of energy activities. It includes a review of assessments—conducted by government ministries, technical partners, and academic institutes and non-governmental organizations (NGOs)—that consider employment, health, and water implications of possible energy sector actions, as well as multi-criteria impact assessments.
This case study provides cost and performance estimates for a solvent-based direct air capture (DAC) system at varying scales. The performance of the DAC system is largely based upon vendor performance while the costs of the system were developed as independently as possible. This study is representative of an example DAC system configuration and is not an optimized design.
This case study and generalization quantify benefits made possible through improved weather forecasting resulting from the integration of SEASAT data into local weather forecasts. The major source of avoidable economic losses to shipping from inadequate weather forecasting data is shown to be dependent on local precipitation forecasting. The ports of Philadelphia and Boston were selected for study.
A case study of the ocean radar backscatter dependence on near-surface wind and wind stress is presented using the data obtained on February 18, 1986 during the Frontal Air-Sea Interaction Experiment. The particular wind-wave conditions and their variations across a sharp sea surface temperature front are described. The small change in wind speed across the front cannot account for the large change in wind stress implying significant changes in the drag coefficient and surface roughness length. The results strengthen the hypothesis that radar backscatter is closely correlated to wind stress, and therefore, could be used for remote sensing of the wind stress itself over the global oceans.
This case study highlights a new technology called a high rotor pole switched reluctance (HRSR) motor that can help grocers improve the efficiency of their refrigeration systems.
This case study spotlights Washington, D.C.'s successful implementation of DOE’s Unique Building ID (UBID) tool to leverage building-related datasets in support of their sustainability policies.
This case study describes an advanced lighting controls replacement project across multiple healthcare facilities, recognized as part of DOE's Integrated Lighting Campaign.
This case study highlights the strategies Denver Water used at its Administration Building for integrating HVAC and lighting systems. They employed advanced lighting controls, integrated with building automation systems, as well as lighting system occupancy sensors integrated with HVAC controls. The project was recognized by DOE's Integrated Lighting Campaign.
This article presents and discusses the lessons learned from the monitoring of 25 integrated daylighting and electric lighting international case study projects. The case studies consist of real occupied buildings that have been monitored as part of the International Energy Agency (IEA) SHC Task 61/EBC Annex 77 Programme. The general goal of the case studies was to balance lighting energy use with occupants’ visual and non-visual requirements. This was achieved using innovative solutions for daylighting and electric lighting with advanced controls, but also implementing simple and out-of-the-box strategies. The findings suggest that energy demands for lighting can significantly be reduced by combining sensible daylight provision, efficient lighting sources, and advances in controls. Yet, the effective achievement of project goals requires adequate monitoring, fine-tuning, and verification. The findings also suggest that the adoption of “integrative” lighting – that is, lighting systems that address both visual and non-visual responses – is getting increasingly popular. Catering to non-visual requirements will likely drive further innovation in lighting technology. Currently, there is limited investment available for developing daylighting systems for integrative lighting, and the current related electric strategies often come at the risk of energy rebound effects. Overall, providing daylighting and understanding user requirements are fundamental steps towards achieving quality projects, with potential benefits beyond saving energy.
Here, this case study presents findings from an analysis of the emergency preparation and response for Hurricane Irma, the most recent hurricane impacting the Tampa Bay region. The Tampa Bay region, in particular, is considered one of the most vulnerable areas in the United States to hurricanes and severe tropical weather. A particular vulnerability stems from how all petroleum fuel comes to the area by marine transport through Port Tampa Bay, which can be (and has been in the past) impacted by hurricanes and tropical storms. The case study discussed in this paper covers previous fuel challenges, vulnerabilities, and lessons learned by key Tampa Bay public agency fleets during the past 10 years (mainly as a result of the most recent 2017 Hurricane Irma) to explore ways to improve the area’s resilience to natural disasters. Some of the strategies for fuel-supply resiliency include maintaining emergency fuel supply, prioritizing fuel use, strategically placing the assets around the region to help with recovery, investing in backup generators (including generators powered by alternative fuels), planning for redundancies in fuel supply networks, developing more efficient communication procedures between public fleets, hurricane preparedness-planning, and upgrading street drainage systems to reduce the threat of local flooding.
The goal of this research is to continue the development of a comprehensive approach to software safety and to evaluate the approach with a case study. The case study is a major part of the project, and it involves the analysis of a specific safety-critical system from the medical equipment domain. The particular application being used was selected because of the availability of a suitable candidate system. We consider the results to be generally applicable and in no way particularly limited by the domain. The research is concentrating on issues raised by the specification and verification phases of the software lifecycle since they are central to our previously-developed rigorous definitions of software safety. The theoretical research is based on our framework of definitions for software safety. In the area of specification, the main topics being investigated are the development of techniques for building system fault trees that correctly incorporate software issues and the development of rigorous techniques for the preparation of software safety specifications. The research results are documented. Another area of theoretical investigation is the development of verification methods tailored to the characteristics of safety requirements. Verification of the correct implementation of the safety specification is central to the goal of establishing safe software. The empirical component of this research is focusing on a case study in order to provide detailed characterizations of the issues as they appear in practice, and to provide a testbed for the evaluation of various existing and new theoretical results, tools, and techniques. The Magnetic Stereotaxis System is summarized.
This slide presentation shows several case studies for fault protection. The cases involve a discovery-class mission to excavate material from a comet, rendezvous with two asteroids and develop a prototype system for a next-generation Deep Space Network consisting of ndca large array of small antennas.
The Global Hydrology and Climate Center and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center conducted a fact-finding case study for the Data Management Working Group (DMWG), now referred to as the Data and Information Working Group (DIWG), of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) to determine the feasibility of an interagency National Environmental Change Information System (NECIS). In order to better understand the data and information needs of policy and decision makers at the national, state, and local level, the DIWG asked the case study team to choose a regional water resources issue in the southeastern United States that had an impact on a diverse group of stakeholders. The southeastern United States was also of interest because the region experiences interannual climatic variations and impacts due to El Nino and La Nina. Jointly, with input from the DIWG, a focus on future water resources planning in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) River basins of Alabama, Georgia, and Florida was selected. A tristate compact and water allocation formula is currently being negotiated between the states and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) that will affect the availability of water among competing uses within the ACF River basin. All major reservoirs on the ACF are federally owned and operated by the U.S. Army COE. A similar two-state negotiation is ongoing that addresses the water allocations in the adjacent Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa (ACT) River basin, which extends from northwest Georgia to Mobile Bay. The ACF and ACT basins are the subject of a comprehensive river basin study involving many stakeholders. The key objectives of this case study were to identify specific data and information needs of key stakeholders in the ACF region, determine what capabilities are needed to provide the most practical response to these user requests, and to identify any limitations in the use of federal data and information. The NECIS case study followed the terms of reference developed by the interagency DIWG. The case study "lessons learned" and "key findings" offer guidelines and considerations to the DMWG for the development and implementation of a NECIS that would support the data and information needs of policy and decision makers at the national, state, and local level.
The purpose of this smart buildings case study is to showcase a leading example of a GEB renovation project in the federal buildings space and provide key information on the technology and control upgrades, costs, and energy and utility bill savings. This case study also provides information and recommendations for selecting energy conservation measures (ECMs) and choosing energy and cost reduction strategies from the energy management team at the site. The findings from this successful GEB project can be used to help pave the way for additional GEB retrofits in the future. The Carl T. Hayden Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona, demonstrates that GEB strategies and technologies can be realistically deployed today across buildings with substantial energy and cost savings. The project implemented both ECMs and grid-interactive technologies and controls strategies, making it a leading example of a smart, sustainable, and efficient commercial building.
This case study provides a review of National Aeronautics and Space Administration s (NASA's) involvement in system safety during research and evolution from air breathing to exo-atmospheric capable flight systems culminating in the successful Project Mercury. Although NASA has been philosophically committed to the principals of system safety, this case study points out that budget and manpower constraints-as well as a variety of internal and external pressures can jeopardize even a well-designed system safety program. This study begins with a review of the evolution and early years of NASA's rise as a project lead agency and ends with the lessons learned from Project Mercury.
The purpose of this smart buildings case study is to showcase a leading example of a GEB renovation project in the federal buildings space and provide key information on the project roles, processes, costs, and benefits. The findings from this successful GEB project can be used to help pave the way for additional GEB-ready retrofits in the future. The General Services Administration’s (GSA’s) Oklahoma City (OKC) Federal Building, located in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, demonstrates that GEB-ready strategies and technologies can be realistically deployed today across buildings with minimal investment. The project team implemented nine energy conservation measures (ECMs) and/or smart building technologies, making it a leading example of a smart, sustainable, and efficient commercial building. The case study highlights the challenges and the lessons learned throughout the project design and execution in addition to some of the best practices and considerations when implementing GEB technologies.
Developing and refining methods for teaching systems engineering is part of Systems Engineering grand challenges and agenda for research in the SE research community. Retention of systems engineering knowledge is a growing concern in the United States as the baby boom generation continues to retire and the faster pace of technology development does not allow for younger generations to gain experiential knowledge through years of practice. Government agencies, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), develop their own curricula and SE leadership development programs to "grow their own" systems engineers. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) conducts its own Center-focused Marshall Systems Engineering Leadership Development Program (MSELDP), a competitive program consisting of coursework, a guest lecture series, and a rotational assignment into an unfamiliar organization engaged in systems engineering. Independently, MSFC developed two courses to address knowledge retention and sharing concerns: Real World Marshall Mission Success course and its Case Study Writers Workshop and Writers Experience. Teaching case study writing and leading students through a hands-on experience at writing a case study on an SE topic can enhance SE training and has the potential to accelerate the transfer of experiential knowledge. This paper is an overview of the pilot experiences with teaching case study writing, its application in case study-based learning, and identifies potential areas of research and application for case study writing in systems engineering education.