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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 163 records · Page 9

Collateral benefits: River flow normalization for endangered fish enabled riparian rejuvenation

Abstract Like most rivers worldwide, the transboundary North American Kootenay/i River has experienced multiple impacts including watershed developments, river channelization, and floodplain clearing, draining, and diking. Construction of Libby Dam was authorized by the 1964 Columbia River Treaty (CRT) between the United States and Canada, and in 1975 began regulating downstream flows for flood risk management and hydropower generation. Following cumulative impacts, the endemic Kootenai River White Sturgeon population collapsed and was designated as endangered in 1994 (U.S. Endangered Species Act). Subsequent Biological Opinions from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service prescribed Libby Dam operations to provide springtime flow pulses for sturgeon spawning. These provided the unanticipated benefit of substantial seedling recruitment of native and introduced riparian cottonwoods and willows. The regulated flow regime was further adaptively managed to provide a more normative (natural) regime, to balance ecological functions with flood risk management and hydropower generation. The broadened ecological considerations would be consistent with the proposed priorities for the modernization of the international CRT. The observed responses revealed that (1) diverse aquatic and riparian organisms are dependent on common river flow characteristics; (2) a normalized flow regime provided substantial ecological benefits; and (3) due to multiple influences, hybrid ecosystems develop along regulated rivers, with a blending of natural and altered processes and communities. For other regulated rivers, we recommend that (1) high springtime flows be allowed, as feasible; (2) followed by the gradual post‐peak recession; and (3) the maintenance of sufficient flows through the warm and dry interval of mid to late summer.

Rood, Stewart B.↗

Potential Adoption and Benefits of Co-Optimized Multimode Engines and Fuels for U.S. Light-Duty Vehicles

Exploring a diverse portfolio of technologies for decarbonization is crucial to understanding the potential impacts of different technological solutions and their associated environmental implications. Using high-octane, high-sensitivity biofuel blends in co-optimized multimode engines can increase engine efficiency and reduce vehicle emissions. Here, the multimode engine research focuses on the benefits of light-duty vehicle engines, which can operate in multiple modes depending on the vehicle's load. Low-temperature combustion can improve efficiency and reduce emissions (such as those from oxides of nitrogen and particulate matter) during low-load operation, while spark ignition performance is maintained in high-load operation. These advanced engines can be optimized to run on blends of biobased fuels. This analysis models scenarios for potential market adoption of co-optimized multimode vehicles fueled by three different bioblendstocks: ethanol, isopropanol, and isobutanol. An integrated modeling approach is used to forecast the energy and environmental impacts of the deployment of co-optimized multimode vehicles and fuels in the light-duty sector over the 2020-to-2050 time horizon. The multidisciplinary approach combines vehicle sales modeling, system dynamics modeling of the biorefining industry, and life cycle assessment to estimate the emissions and energy benefits. The models consider market forces such as consumer preferences for vehicle attributes, biofuel supply and demand dynamics subject to biorefinery capacity build-out and bioresource constraints, and forecasted changes to the U.S. bulk energy system over time. Market adoption of co-optimized vehicles is evaluated across a wide parameter space for incremental vehicle cost and engine efficiency improvement. This analysis reveals that the deployment of co-optimized multimode fuels and vehicles results in up to a 5% reduction in annual sector-wide life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, relative to a business-as-usual scenario, but is also indicates environmental trade-offs, such as higher life cycle water-use. Emission benefits could potentially increase beyond 2050, as the new technologies penetrate the market and gain a foothold. Results also show that, under certain circumstances, vehicles with engines co-optimized for use with high-octane, high-sensitivity biofuel blends can be cost-competitive with conventional gasoline, while reducing GHG emissions. Our modeling results indicate that co-optimized multimode fuels and engines can be strategically leveraged in tandem with electrification to decarbonize the light-duty sector. Co-optimized vehicles could play a role in the early years of the time horizon, while electric vehicles (EVs) could become more competitive in the later years, highlighting the complementary benefits of these technologies for GHG reductions.

Oke, Doris↗

Portable, heterogeneous ensemble workflows at scale using libEnsemble

libEnsemble is a Python-based toolkit for running dynamic ensembles, developed as part of the DOE Exascale Computing Project. The toolkit utilizes a unique generator–simulator–allocator paradigm, where generators produce input for simulators, simulators evaluate those inputs, and allocators decide whether and when a simulator or generator should be called. The generator steers the ensemble based on simulation results. Generators may, for example, apply methods for numerical optimization, machine learning, or statistical calibration. libEnsemble communicates between a manager and workers. Flexibility is provided through multiple manager–worker communication substrates each of which has different benefits. These include Python’s multiprocessing, mpi4py, and TCP. Multisite ensembles are supported using Balsam or Globus Compute. We overview the unique characteristics of libEnsemble as well as current and potential interoperability with other packages in the workflow ecosystem. We highlight libEnsemble’s dynamic resource features: libEnsemble can detect system resources, such as available nodes, cores, and GPUs, and assign these in a portable way. These features allow users to specify the number of processors and GPUs required for each simulation; and resources will be automatically assigned on a wide range of systems, including Frontier, Aurora, and Perlmutter. Such ensembles can include multiple simulation types, some using GPUs and others using only CPUs, sharing nodes for maximum efficiency. We also describe the benefits of libEnsemble’s generator–simulator coupling, which easily exposes to the user the ability to cancel, and portably kill, running simulations based on models that are updated with intermediate simulation output. We demonstrate libEnsemble’s capabilities, scalability, and scientific impact via a Gaussian process surrogate training problem for the longitudinal density profile at the exit of a plasma accelerator stage. In conclusion, the study uses gpCAM for the surrogate model and employs either Wake-T or WarpX simulations, highlighting efficient use of resources that can easily extend to exascale.

Dynamic ensembles↗

A call to standardize metrics for monitoring baleen whales near marine construction activities

Effective monitoring is necessary to protect marine mammal species during the construction of offshore infrastructure. The tools for detecting or monitoring marine mammals span traditional (e.g., visual observers, optical cameras), to newer (e.g., passive acoustic monitoring, infrared cameras, tags), and emerging (e.g., satellite imagery, environmental DNA, dimethyl sulfide concentration) technologies. Some are better suited for use during offshore development; however, peer-reviewed literature does not typically evaluate and report on the performance of these various technologies. We define a minimum set of metrics related to efficacy (i.e., confusion matrix, precision and recall, probability of missed mitigation), detection range (i.e., maximum and reliable detection range, spatial resolution), and data delivery (i.e., detection latency, system reliability, temporal resolution) that we recommend are needed to assess the utility of monitoring technologies for this purpose. Following a literature review of relevant studies, we highlight which publications reported these metrics and used multiple technologies to compare relative performance. We also emphasize the benefits of multi-modal approaches and recommend performance assessments through modeling or large-scale collaborative field testing. These metrics will standardize data collection, reporting, and analysis; promote consistent and comparable results; and foster collaboration among developers, regulatory agencies, and scientists. This may lead to the co-development of technology that achieves multiple goals, has greater application, and can answer research questions while collecting data to fulfill permitting requirements. These metrics may also inform decisions on what systems regulatory agencies might consider using and reduce monitoring costs, which is critical to support the marine sector's rapid growth alongside marine mammal conservation.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Multi-year analysis of physical interactions between solar PV arrays and underlying soil-plant complex in vegetated utility-scale systems

Concerns over the land use changes impacts of solar photovoltaic (PV) development are increasing as PV energy development expands. Co-locating utility-scale solar energy with vegetation may maintain or rehabilitate the land's ability to provide ecosystem services. Previous studies have shown that vegetation under and around the panels may improve the performance of the co-located PV and that PV may create a favorable environment for the growth of vegetation. While there have been some pilot-scale experiments, the existence and magnitude of these benefits of vegetation has not been confirmed in a utility-scale PV facility over multiple years. In this study we use power output data coupled with microclimatic measurements in temperate climates to assess these potential benefits. Here this study combines multi-year microclimatic measurements to analyze the physical interactions between PV arrays and the underlying soil-vegetation system in three utility-scale PV facilities in Minnesota, USA. No significant cooling of PV panels or increased power production was observed in PV arrays with underlying vegetation. Fine soil particle fraction was the highest in soils within PV arrays with the vegetation which was attributable to the lowest wind speeds from the compounding suppression of wind by vegetation and PV arrays. Soil moisture and soil nutrient response to re-vegetation varied between PV facilities, which could be attributed to differing soil texture. No statistically significant vegetation-driven panel cooling was observed in this climate. This finding prompts a need for site-specific studies to identify contributing factors for environmental co-benefits in co-located systems.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Flex-PCB Quench Antenna Developments at FNAL

We report flexible printed-circuit-board-based quench antenna arrays have been developed at FNAL since 2017. They proved to be low-noise, low-cost, sensitive, and non-invasive sensors for quench characterization in superconducting magnets, having the potential to extend even to quench detection. Starting with applications of small area sensors of this type, we have explored feasibility for operations at high pressure, and have invested in multi-channel quench antenna arrays covering the complete area of the innermost magnet layer of the conductor. We've also tested and optimized sensor geometry and relative orientations to increase sensitivity and spatial resolution. Beyond developments of warm and cold bore antennas, we've progressed to concepts which attach quench antennas to the conductor surfaces of accelerator magnets. Multiple programs and projects at FNAL and collaborating institutions benefited from this work already and our plans target further extensions of capabilities and applicability of these devices. In this paper we present the logic behind the development steps taken so far, status of our work and direction of near-term research on quench antennas at Fermilab.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

TRISO Particle Isolation and Graphite Removal Using SRNL Vapor Digestion Technology

Tri-structural isotropic fueled reactors are planned to come online in the next decade, but there is not currently a widely agreed upon disposition pathway for this new fuel stream. For long term used nuclear fuel storage, there would be a significant benefit if the waste volume could be reduced or mitigated. Most of the volume from used TRISO fuel contains graphite. SRNL currently has an active patent which describes one pathway to digest the graphite. One benefit in the utilization of this pathway is that multiple cylindrical pieces can be stacked end-to-end in a reaction tube, then nitric acid and water vapor can be flowed through the tube, and the weight change of the individual cores can provide both a reaction profile and overall oxidant use efficiency. The reaction of nitric acid and graphite passes through a series of intermediate products – NO 2 , NO, and N 2 O – from reaction and decomposition to eventually form N2. The data shows that NO2 grows in with increasing temperature between 500-600°C and then decreases by way of either reaction with graphite or decomposition. Nitric oxide, a reaction and thermal decomposition product of NO 2 , exhibits a consistent decline as a function of temperature, which is consistent with the literature. Similarly, the concentrations of N 2 O and N 2 increase as a function of temperature as their reactions with graphite become more favorable.

Advanced Reactors↗

Reimagine fire science for the anthropocene

Fire is an integral component of ecosystems globally and a tool that humans have harnessed for millennia. Altered fire regimes are a fundamental cause and consequence of global change, impacting people and the biophysical systems on which they depend. As part of the newly emerging Anthropocene, marked by human-caused climate change and radical changes to ecosystems, fire danger is increasing, and fires are having increasingly devastating impacts on human health, infrastructure, and ecosystem services. Increasing fire danger is a vexing problem that requires deep transdisciplinary, trans-sector, and inclusive partnerships to address. Here, we outline barriers and opportunities in the next generation of fire science and provide guidance for investment in future research. We synthesize insights needed to better address the long-standing challenges of innovation across disciplines to (i) promote coordinated research efforts; (ii) embrace different ways of knowing and knowledge generation; (iii) promote exploration of fundamental science; (iv) capitalize on the “firehose” of data for societal benefit; and (v) integrate human and natural systems into models across multiple scales. Fire science is thus at a critical transitional moment. We need to shift from observation and modeled representations of varying components of climate, people, vegetation, and fire to more integrative and predictive approaches that support pathways toward mitigating and adapting to our increasingly flammable world, including the utilization of fire for human safety and benefit. Only through overcoming institutional silos and accessing knowledge across diverse communities can we effectively undertake research that improves outcomes in our more fiery future.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Integrated, Coordinated, Open, and Networked (ICON) Science to Advance the Geosciences: Introduction and Synthesis of a Special Collection of Commentary Articles

The sciences struggle with poor integration across disciplines, the absence of coordination within and across data generation and modeling activities, scarce or disconnected open data, and weaknesses of networks to engage diverse stakeholders within and beyond the scientific community. The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is divided into 25 sections intended to encompass the breadth of the geosciences. Here, we introduce a special collection of commentary articles spanning 19 AGU sections on the challenges and opportunities associated with the use of ICON science principles. These principles focus on research intentionally designed to be Integrated, Coordinated, Open, and Networked (ICON) with the goal of maximizing mutual benefit (among stakeholders) and cross-system transferability of science outcomes. This article summarizes the ICON principles; discusses the crowdsourced approach to creating the collection; and explores insights from across the articles. There were multiple common themes among the commentary articles, including the broad agreement that the benefits of using ICON principles outweigh the costs, but that using ICON principles has important risks that need to be understood and mitigated. It was also clear that the ICON principles are not monolithic or static, but should instead be considered a heuristic tool that can and should be modified to meet changing needs. As a whole, the collection is intended as a resource for scientists pursuing ICON science and represents an important inflection point in which the geosciences community has come together around ICON principles as a unified approach for improving how science is done across the geosciences and beyond.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Options, Initial Design Requirements, Estimated Costs, Reactor Commitments, and Potential Uses of a Graphite Leadout Type Experiment Supporting Various Commercial HTR Vendors

Multiple commercial High Temperature Reactor (HTR) vendors and nuclear graphite suppliers would benefit by collaborating on a new irradiation capsule(s) that would include graphite grades not included within the AGC Experiment. This new irradiation capsule(s) would provide data to answer vendor graphite licensing issues. Rather than spending money (and especially) time in designing separate irradiation capsules for each designer, the capsule(s) would be used for multiple graphite and composite designs to maximize efficiency and promote multiple HTR designs. However, the primary motivation for assisting vendors with this new irradiation capsule(s) is lack of availability in the existing Material Test Reactors (MTRs). Cost reduction is a secondary goal. A common, collaborative, capsule design can be achieved for graphite and composites due to the similarity of different grades. Irradiation, disassembly, shipping, and PIE costs would be cost-shared by all users. It is anticipated that interest would extend across all DOE campaigns (micro-Rx, SMR, GCR, MSR, etc.) due to the similar requirements for all graphite grades.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Photoreversible Color-Switching Cu-Doped TiO2 Nanoparticles for High-Contrast Rewritable Printing

Light-printable rewritable paper that can be used multiple times has attracted extensive attention because of its potential benefits in reducing environmental pollution and energy consumption. Developing rewritable paper with high black-to-colorless contrast, lasting legibility, and a fast response is fascinating but challenging. Here, we integrate the redox chemistry of Cu2+ ions into photoreductive TiO2 nanoparticles to produce Cu-doped TiO2 nanoparticles capable of highly photoreversible switching between colorless and black with excellent contrast and color stability. Incorporating such nanoparticles into hydroxyethyl cellulose produces a rewritable paper with the same appearance as that of conventional paper. More importantly, it demonstrates great features promising for practical applications, including high black-to-colorless contrast, fast light-printing (<20 s), long legible time (>3 days), high reversibility (>50 cycles), high resolution (90 μm), and large scale (A4 size) applicability.

Wang, Wenshou↗

Generation and control of phase-locked Bessel beams with a persistent noninterfering region

We present, to the best of our knowledge, a novel method for the generation of multiple Bessel-like (Bessel–Gauss) beams with tilted wavefronts whose optical phases can be controlled independently. In the far field multiple field-free regions develop that are persistent to interference effects and the optical phase. The extent of these field-free regions can be controlled through the tilt angle of the wavefront with a theoretical maximum resolution of 0.1 mrad. Experimentally we employ a spatial light modulator, a lens, and an axicon, each suitable for narrow-band (continuous-wave) and broadband operation. Because of the simplicity in the optical elements, the number of noninterfering Bessel-like beams can be scaled on demand for applications that require multiple sources for coherent imaging or multiple intense beams over a controllable region with the added benefit of a field-free region for detection. Here, for reasons of clarity, we characterized two beams.

Rodnova, Zhanna↗

Considerations for using Privacy Preserving Machine Learning Techniques for Safeguards

In international nuclear safeguards, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is tasked with inspecting and verifying nuclear facilities and their activities. Data analytics and machine learning to support inspections require large amounts of data that nuclear facility operators may consider proprietary or sensitive, so the IAEA may not have full access. Allowing computation over private data without compromising its security therefore has value for safeguards inspections and analysis. Privacy-preserving machine learning (PPML) consists of security-focused techniques that allow data analytics and machine learning algorithms to run on sensitive data without revealing it. This includes ideas like homomorphic encryption (HE), secure multiparty computation (SMPC), and secure enclaves. HE allows algorithms and mathematical operations to be conducted directly on the encrypted data instead of first decrypting it. With SMPC, multiple entities collaboratively compute over distributed data such that no party is able to directly view any others’ original data. Secure enclaves allow computation to take place in a separate and heavily blocked-off section of a CPU. Techniques like these allow for several potential use cases in which the security of data is essential. With SMPC, machine learning models can be trained over the input data from multiple entities, resulting in a model that all users can benefit from without leaking the input data from any particular entity. With SMPC or a zero-knowledge proof (ZKP), an algorithm returning some single answer or truth value can be run on someone else’s data without ever needing to see that data, potentially allowing for verification or proof of some underlying question. HE can allow for outsourcing computation on data to a hostile or untrusted environment. Although most of the research in this field resides within the health and financial domains, tools from PPML may have similar applications in nuclear safeguards. Allowing the IAEA to compute over proprietary information, such as process models and raw sensor data using PPML techniques, provides the baseline for running complex analytics without needing direct unencrypted access to the underlying data, maintaining its privacy. Important limitations to consider for these techniques include the efficiency and level of security required. The security of HE and SMPC come at the cost of speed—the significant amount of overhead means that algorithms implemented in these protocols and encryption schemes are slower than when run on plaintext. Additionally, several important parameters determine what techniques or protocols are used based on the security requirements. SMPC protocols may need to be selected for resistance against a party that attempts to deviate from the protocol to distort the result or gain access to additional information, and a protocol secure against these attacks may further increase the overhead of the algorithm.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Responses of a Modular Floating Wind TLP of MarsVAWT Supporting a 10 MW Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

Offshore floating wind foundations supporting a large wind turbine require a large yard facility or significant facility upgrades for their fabrication. To overcome the cost increase associated with facility upgrades, an innovative lightweight modular floating foundation is developed. The foundation comprises multiple modules to enable their assembly on water, offering many benefits and expanding fabrication options for a reduction in the overall cost of the platform. In this paper, the foundation modules and their assembly are briefly described, and an analysis of the platform’s dynamic responses is presented. The modular foundation includes a modular and lightweight tension leg platform (TLP) called “MarsVAWT” which supports a Darrieus 10 MW vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT). The platform is moored with highly pretensioned wire rope tendons. The responses of the platform are analyzed in the time domain in a semi-coupled manner under the turbine operating and parked conditions for an offshore site in the US Northeast. The tower base shear forces and bending moments increase considerably with the combination of wind and waves, compared to those with wind only. The tendon tensions on the weatherside in the operating condition at high wind speeds are comparable to the values of the 50-year extreme (parked). The tendon tension increases are highly correlated to the platform pitch, as well as the horizontal and vertical velocities and vertical acceleration at the tendon porch. The modular platform performances and tendon designs are confirmed to comply with industry standards and practices.

Boo, Sung Youn↗

A System-Level Cost Modeling Framework for Design for Remanufacturing: A Case Study of an Agricultural Machine Transmission

Remanufacturing offers significant environmental and economic benefits by restoring end-of-life products to as-new conditions. Although extensive research has been conducted on the topic, the adoption of remanufacturing practices remains limited across various industries. A primary barrier to broader implementation is the substantial upfront investment required, which necessitates reliable cost modeling to justify potential future savings. Most existing models treat components independently and ignore inter-component dependencies. We develop a probabilistic, system-level cost modeling framework that integrates reliability, reusability, and a dependency matrix to capture cascading effects across components over multiple life cycles. Our model identifies those critical components that maximize remanufacturing benefits across a product's many lives. A toy example and an industry case study (John Deere PowrQuad transmission subassembly) illustrate how design alternatives affect cumulative cost. Using a Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) to perform life cycle cost analysis on the system with different design changes, we show the normalized average cost savings after three remanufacturing cycles. Accounting for dependencies meaningfully alters cost projections and ignoring them underestimates accumulated cost by up to 20% in our examples. Furthermore, the results of our study confirm that accounting for component interdependencies is necessary to produce cost estimates that meet industry standards.

Life Cycle Analysis and Design↗

Energy Storage Control Capability Expansion: Achieving Better Technoeconomic Benefits at Portland General Electric's Salem Smart Power Center

This article reports a transformative project aimed at enhancing the control capabilities of a Portland General Electric (PGE) owned 5 MW/1.25 MWh ESS located at Salem Smart Power Center (SSPC), Salem, Oregon, USA toward achieving better techno-economic benefit. Steps for developing a value-driven control capability is illustrated starting from evaluation of economic opportunities that drive the coordination of multiple services to be delivered by an ESS to implementation and testing. Lessons learned during critical processes are identified for the benefit of the ESS industry.

Alam, Md Jan E.↗

Toward nanoscale molecular mass spectrometry imaging via physically constrained machine learning on co-registered multimodal data

Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) plays a pivotal role in investigating the chemical nature of complex systems that underly our understanding in biology and medicine. Multiple fields of life science such as proteomics, lipidomics and metabolomics benefit from the ability to simultaneously identify molecules and pinpoint their distribution across a sample. However, achieving the necessary submicron spatial resolution to distinguish chemical differences between individual cells and generating intact molecular spectra is still a challenge with any single imaging approach. Here, we developed an approach that combines two MSI techniques, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), one with low spatial resolution but intact molecular spectra and the other with nanometer spatial resolution but fragmented molecular signatures, to predict molecular MSI spectra with submicron spatial resolution. The known relationships between the two MSI channels of information are enforced via a physically constrained machine-learning approach and directly incorporated in the data processing. We demonstrate the robustness of this method by generating intact molecular MALDI-type spectra and chemical maps at ToF-SIMS resolution when imaging mouse brain thin tissue sections. This approach can be readily adopted for other types of bioimaging where physical relationships between methods have to be considered to boost the confidence in the reconstruction product.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

A 4 kV/120 A SiC Solid-State DC Circuit Breaker Powered By a Load-Independent IPT System

This article introduces a 4 kV/120 A solid-state dc circuit breaker (DCCB) based on discrete SiC mosfets. The DCCB is designed in a five-layer tower structure. Each layer consists of a circular main conduction branch and an attached gate driver. There are two primary benefits of the proposed DCCB. First, it reduces conduction loss with multiple devices in parallel. Second, it achieves an ultrafast response speed with SiC mosfets. Moreover, the gate drivers of the DCCB are powered by a domino inductive power transfer (IPT) system. It achieves the load-independent constant-voltage output characteristics, which means the outputs are immune to load variations. Additionally, an IPT system prototype is implemented to test the power transfer performance. At 500-kHz frequency, the total output power reaches 15.73 W, which is sufficient to power on five gate drivers, with a peak transfer efficiency of 75.4%. The IPT system is tested to power a 4 kV/120 A DCCB prototype. It validates that the DCCB is effective to turn off 120 A current within 3.5 μs.

42 ENGINEERING↗