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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Device and method for detecting presence of a wireless communication device

A device and method for detecting presence of a wireless communication device having an antenna with intrinsic characteristics includes a transmitter, a receiver, a memory element, and a processing element. The transmitter may send a first signal to the antenna of the wireless communication device. The receiver may receive a second signal from the antenna of the wireless communication device, the second signal being a first portion of the first signal that is reflected by the antenna based on intrinsic characteristics of the antenna. The memory element may store intrinsic characteristic information for the antenna. The processing element may determine presence of the wireless communication device by analyzing the second signal against the intrinsic characteristic information stored in the memory element.

Allnutt, Daniel↗
DOE OSTI2016

Potential applications of industrial wireless technologies in the future HTR - 18505

High Temperature Reactor (HTR) is a kind of promising nuclear reactor for supplying electricity and heat with inherent safety. The High Temperature Reactor-Pebble bed Modular reactor (HTR-PM) in China is equipped with the Distributed Control System (DCS) where wired network is applied mainly based on fiber. Considering the difficulty and cost of implementation, the flexibility of network configuration and maintenance, the industrial wireless network might be potential for some cases in the network of the next generation of HTR. Nowadays, there are several technologies available for choice, such as wireless HART, WIA-PA and ZigBee. Characteristics of these technologies are introduced. The most important factors for choice of the technology of network are the required reliability and latency tolerance of communication. Analysis and classification of the communications needed in the network of the HTR are carried out, and a comparison of popular industrial wireless technologies, including the reliability, the latency, the communication distance, and the difficulty and cost of implementation is made. Generally speaking, considering the low latency, high reliability and the compatibility with HART devices, wireless HART is promising. WIA-PA could be applied if redundant gateway is required. ZigBee might show its advantages in power consumption and cost. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Detecting Unclassified Electromagnetic Signals for Secure Wireless Communication Using Open Set Recognition

We developed multiple machine learning methods for the detection and classification of new wireless communication waveforms, which is critical for targeted attacks in wireless networks and electronic warfare. Our machine learning models are capable of dynamically detecting security threats in near real time through our advanced open set recognition (OSR) approach. This model has demonstrated significant improvements in the detection of unknown waveforms, thereby enhancing the security and reliability of mission critical communications. Our approach to detecting uncertain security threats is novel; we advanced OSR techniques by incorporating domain knowledge of wireless signals. Specifically, we combined time and frequency domain model features to enhance the model’s performance. Utilizing an OSR approach eliminates the need for training data to be distributed similarly to the deployment environment and removes the requirement for the training set to contains all possible threat classes. This is crucial because it is often infeasible to determine and characterize all potential security threats in advance. Our model were trained on simulated data, generated in partnership with the University at Albany, State of New York. The data set contained a diverse array of wireless signals, including those with additive white Gaussian noise and multipath signals, with and without line of sight. This comprehensive training set allowed us to optimize our models to detect unknown waveforms under various challenging scenarios, such as low signal-to-noise ratios. By training on various waveforms, varying signal-to-noise ratio, and different sample sizes under normal conditions, our models were fine tuned to perform effectively in challenging environments.

99 - GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2019

A 50-kW Three-Phase Wireless Power Transfer System Using Bipolar Windings and Series Resonant Networks for Rotating Magnetic Fields

The mass and volume of wireless power transfer (WPT) systems for charging electric vehicles are directly related to the rated power of the system. The difficulties of high-power wireless charging are exacerbated by the need to meet the same practical constraints associated with vehicle integration as lower power systems. Therefore, more advanced techniques are necessary to improve power density and specific power of wireless charging systems for high-power applications. This article presents theory and analysis of three-phase inductive WPT systems with bipolar phase windings. Magnetic coupler topologies and the theoretical and practical aspects of series three-phase resonant compensation networks are discussed. The systems under consideration are designed to utilize rotating magnetic fields to achieve a power transfer characteristic that is temporally smoother than single-phase systems. Other benefits associated with rotating magnetic field based WPT, including reduced ferrite mass, filter component requirements, and electromagnetic field emissions, are discussed. Experimental results of a prototype system are presented in both aligned and misaligned configurations. The system is demonstrated transferring 50 kW with 95% dc-to-dc efficiency over a 150-mm airgap in the aligned case. On a per-pad basis, the magnetic couplers achieve a power density of 195 kW/m 2 and a specific power of 3.65 kW/kg. Finally this article is accompanied by a video of the rotating magnetic field produced by a simulated three-phase WPT system.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2016

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Wireless Charging of Electric Vehicles - CRADA Report

Wireless power transfer (WPT) is a paradigm shift in electric-vehicle (EV) charging that offers the consumer an autonomous, safe, and convenient option to conductive charging and its attendant need for cables. With WPT, charging process can be fully automated due to the vehicle and grid side radio communication systems, and is non-contacting; therefore issues with leakage currents, ground faults, and touch potentials do not exist. It also eliminates the need for touching the heavy, bulky, dirty cables and plugs. It eliminates the fear of forgetting to plug-in and running out of charge the following day and eliminates the tripping hazards in public parking lots and in highly populated areas such as shopping malls, recreational areas, parking buildings, etc. Furthermore, the high-frequency magnetic fields employed in power transfer across a large air gap are focused and shielded, so that fringe fields (i.e., magnetic leakage/stray fields) attenuate rapidly over a transition region to levels well below limits set by international standards for the public zone (which starts at the perimeter of the vehicle and includes the passenger cabin). Oak Ridge National Laboratory s approach to WPT charging places strong emphasis on radio communications in the power regulation feedback channel augmented with software control algorithms. The over-arching goal for WPT is minimization of vehicle on-board complexity by keeping the secondary side content confined to coil tuning, rectification, filtering, and interfacing to the regenerative energy-storage system (RESS). This report summarizes the CRADA work between the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Toyota Research Institute of North America, Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America (TEMA) on the wireless charging of electric vehicles which was funded by Department of Energy under DE-FOA-000667. In this project, ORNL is the lead agency and Toyota TEMA is one of the major partners. Over the course of the project, ORNL and Toyota TEMA worked closely on the vehicle integration plans, compatibility, and the interoperability of the wireless charging technology developed by ORNL for the vehicles manufactured by Toyota. These vehicles include a Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid electric vehicle, a Scion iQ electric vehicle, and two Toyota RAV4 electric vehicles. The research include not only the hardware integration but also the controls and communication systems development to control and automate the charging process for these vehicles by utilizing a feedback channel from vehicle to the stationary unit for power regulation.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Development of Wireless Power Technology for Use in Electrochromic Window Retrofit Applications

Electrochromic (EC) windows, often referred to as smart windows, have the ability to adjust their tint in response to electrical signals, thereby controlling the amount of sunlight and heat entering a building. This dynamic modulation can lead to significant energy savings by reducing the reliance on artificial lighting and minimizing the load on heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. However, the widespread adoption of electrochromic window technology, especially in existing buildings, faces challenges, particularly concerning the installation cost associated with the need for electrical wiring to power and control the EC glass (tinting). In this project, GuRu Wireless demonstrated that it’s mmWave-based wireless power energy transfer technology can provide the necessary power for operation of electrochromic windows, wirelessly, and address the wiring challenges of electrochromic windows in retrofit applications.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2025

River Dissolved Oxygen Prediction Using Machine Learning Models and Wireless Sensor Measurements

Simultaneous flooding&heat and droughts&heat events can potentially destabilize hydro-meteorological conditions to deteriorate the water quality of Neches River. Machine learning (ML) models utilizing wireless sensor measurements have been applied to predict water quality and optimize various water management strategies. This study aims to develop ML models to predict dissolved oxygen (DO) prediction under various hydro-meteorological conditions and enhance water management decision-making. Wireless sensor measurements of DO, water temperature, sample depth, conductivity, turbidity, and pH, along with discharge from the United States Geological Survey stations, are collected for model inputs at the Pine Island Bayou C749 station (PIB-C749) and Neches River Saltwater Barrier (SWB). Multilayer perceptron neural networks, recurrent neural networks, long short-term memory (LSTM), and bidirectional LSTM (BiLSTM) with and without attention mechanism (AT) are tested to determine the best model, which is applied the rolling forecast method to predict 14-day DO. Traditional and recurrent transfer learning (TL and RTL) methods are adopted to overcome insufficient data at the SWB. The input feature importance analysis using the integrated gradients (IG) algorithm is applied to determine dominant inputs. The results show LSTM-based models are capable handling long sequential data. AT-BiLSTM and RTL-LSTM demonstrate the best performance at the PIB-C749 (RMSE=0.054) and the SWB (RMSE=0.028), respectively. TL and RTL methods significantly improve model performance at the SWB. DO, temperature, and pH show higher importance, consistent with hydrodynamics and water chemistry. Both best models are applied to predict 14-day DO and demonstrate reasonable performance for decision-making. Hydro-meteorological conditions of 2017 flood and 2012 drought events are simulated and reveal that possible hypoxia occurs after flooding due to increasing temperature and turbidity, and DO concentration decreases significantly under heat and drought conditions. In conclusion, LSTM-based models utilizing wireless sensor data can be a timely and effective approach to make appropriate decisions on water resource management.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Experimental Test Bed to Enable Realistic Evaluations for Direct Transfer Trip Relaying via Private Wireless LTE Communications

Increasing penetration levels of inverter-based distributed energy resources (DERs) in distribution systems are creating challenges in system operation. Currently, wired or proprietary wireless communications are used by advanced distribution management systems (ADMS) to detect the state of the system and control the DERs for optimal operation. Wireless communications are an alternative solution that can enable connectivity between the dispersed assets used in distribution system applications. This paper demonstrates an experimental test bed to enable the realistic evaluation of communications system characteristics for direct transfer trip (DTT) relaying of a photovoltaic inverter system using a private 900-MHz spectrum wireless LTE network. Private LTE network communications can be deployed to many remote DERs and other grid-edge devices to prevent costly infrastructure upgrades across distribution systems. In addition, this paper provides a framework for evaluating the impact of signal strength and network traffic in communications systems. The results shown develop a better understanding of the best practices for using LTE communications systems across multiple utility applications, such as protective relaying, voltage regulation, and supervisory control and data acquisition system messages.

900-MHz LTE network↗
DOE OSTI2020

Static Strain Modelling, Calibration, and Measurements for High-Temperature Wireless SAW Resonator Operation

Static strain measurements are relevant for Integrated System Health Monitoring of civil structures, aircrafts, power plants and advanced manufacturing equipment, with implications for safety, process efficiency, and maintenance costs. Wireless strain sensing is highly desirable where the presence of wires poses significant safety concerns, increases maintenance, and thus overall costs, or where they are not feasible, such as in applications which contain moving parts. This paper presents wireless interrogation of surface acoustic wave resonators (SAWRs) fabricated on langasite (LGS) along Euler angles (0°, 138.5°, 32.9°) and aimed at the detection of static strain at hightemperature (HT, above 100°C). Both commercial HT strain gauges and finite element analysis (FEA Abaqus software) were used and compared for SAWR strain calibration from room temperature (RT) to HT. In addition, this work investigated a compromise between high temperature operation vs. sensitivity based on the thickness of ceramic adhesive used. For instance, a reduction in the adhesive thickness from about 150 μm to 135 μm, resulted in a 39% increase in sensitivity at RT. It was also observed that the sensitivity dropped up to 34% from RT to 200°C. Furthermore, wireless operation, calibration, and increase in sensitivity constitute important advances in the use of LGS SAW devices to monitor static stress in high-temperature harsh environments.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

High-Temperature Wireless Sensor Platform Powered by Energy Scavenging

This paper reports on the development of key components required for a self-powered oscillator unit designed to wirelessly transmit its signal under full insertion in high-temperature (HT) harsh-environments (HE), such as those present in power plants and industrial settings (metallurgic, oil extraction, molding, and aerospace). The oscillator employed a silicon carbide (SiC) power transistor and HT passive components on a screen-printed alumina circuit board capable of operation beyond 300 °C. The HT oscillator circuit was powered solely by in-situ energy scavenging thermoelectric generator (TEG) modules using passive cooling, eliminating the need for an external power supply or active cooling. In addition, a silicon-based external booster circuit was used to achieve the required TEG voltage regulation to test the TEG-powered HT oscillator circuit. The TEG-powered oscillator circuit was tested inside a non-metallic furnace from room temperature to over 300 °C for transmission of a wireless signal, which was detected outside the furnace at 11 ft (3.4 m). Such a wireless transmitting system powered only by in-situ TEGs, with no requirement for external power or active cooling, is very attractive for flexible, mobile stand-alone control and sensor units targeted for operation in HT HE conditions found in power plants and industrial settings.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Pyroelectric Energy Scavenging Techniques for Self-Powered Nuclear Reactor Wireless Sensor Networks

Recent advances in technologies for harvesting waste thermal energy from ambient environments present an opportunity to implement truly wireless sensor nodes in nuclear power plants. These sensors could continue to operate during extended station blackouts and during periods when operation of the plant s internal power distribution system has been disrupted. The energy required to power the wireless sensors must be generated using energy harvesting techniques from locally available energy sources, and the energy consumption within the sensor circuitry must therefore be low to minimize power and hence the size requirements of the energy harvester. Harvesting electrical energy from thermal energy sources can be achieved using pyroelectric or thermoelectric conversion techniques. Recent modeling and experimental studies have shown that pyroelectric techniques can be cost competitive with thermoelectrics in self powered wireless sensor applications and, using new temperature cycling techniques, has the potential to be several times as efficient as thermoelectrics under comparable operating conditions. The development of a new thermal energy harvester concept, based on temperature cycled pyroelectric thermal-to-electrical energy conversion, is outlined. This paper outlines the modeling of cantilever and pyroelectric structures and single element devices that demonstrate the potential of this technology for the development of high efficiency thermal-to-electrical energy conversion devices.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Distributed Wireless Antenna Sensors for Boiler Condition Monitoring

Monitoring the operational conditions of coal-fired boilers is an important task that could bring tremendous benefits, including in-situ process control, real-time health assessment of structural components, improved heat transfer efficiency, reduced downtime, etc. Moreover, in-situ distributed sensing of the boiler conditions would provide large scale in-situ measurement data that will help us gain fundamental understandings of the combustion and heat transfer processes as well as enable the developments of new simulation tools, which could eventually lead to better design and more efficient operation of the boilers. The objectives of this research were to (a) develop wireless passive antenna sensors without electronics; (b) demonstrate multi-modality sensing using a signal antenna sensor; and (c) fabricate the antenna sensor from high-temperature materials. In this project, we have demonstrated that an antenna sensor or sensor array without any electronics can be wirelessly interrogated from a distance. In addition, a low-cost compact wireless sensor interrogator was developed for dynamic interrogation of the passive antenna sensor. We validated that a dual-frequency antenna sensor is capable of simultaneous strain and temperature measurements or temperature and ash accumulation measurements; all parameters are relevant to boiler condition monitoring. By measuring the temperature and ash accumulation height simultaneously, the dielectric constant of the ash as well as its temperature dependency can also be characterized. This capability could lead to potential applications of the antenna sensor for combustion process monitoring based on the ash composition. We also investigated different techniques of fabricating the antenna sensor using high-temperature materials such as alumina substrate and platinum paste and characterized the thermal response of the antenna sensor. A linear relationship between the antenna resonant frequency and the temperature change was validated.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Data Acquisition in Wireless Router Link Testbed using GNU Radio Companion

An IEEE80-2.11g WLAN wireless-router link test-bed is under development at the Idaho National Laboratory-Wireless Research Center. The project objective is to generate repeatable, high-quality, controlled-noise wireless transmissions for software-defined radio (SDR) analysis and research. Signal acquisition for the data link will include both and Ettus X310 (with GNU Radio Companion) in parallel with a Tektronix RSA 306a spectrum analyzer. The integration and validation of the SDR is described. Preliminary results indicate the router test-bed comprised of readily-available WiFi and RF hardware will provide low-noise and repeatable signal captures.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Passive Wireless Sensors for Realtime Temperature and Corrosion Monitoring of Coal Boiler Components Under Flexible Operation (Final Technical Report)

Researchers at West Virginia University (WVU) propose to demonstrate inexpensive wireless, high-temperature sensors for real-time monitoring of the temperature and corrosion of metal components, which are commonly used in coal-fired boilers. This study presents the development of cost-effective wireless high-temperature sensors for real-time temperature and corrosion monitoring in coal-fired boilers' metal components. The focus is on fabricating and evaluating chipless radio-frequency identification (RFID) sensors capable of operating between 25-1300 ºC. Efforts were directed towards designing passive RFID sensor and interrogator antenna with a broad frequency range, optimizing a microstrip patch antenna sensor integrated into a "peel-and-stick" format for efficient application to various metal specimens without altering their geometry. Additionally, this research aimed to assess the sensor responses under accelerated high-temperature conditions, correlating corrosion and cracking mechanisms with sensor data. An investigation of through-wall data acquisition techniques was also planned, facilitating unobtrusive monitoring of sensor responses housed within metal enclosures. Ultimately, this work sought to establish a robust passive wireless sensor system for the continuous health monitoring of metal components in operational settings, thereby contributing to enhanced safety and efficiency in coal-fired power plants.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2022

A Wireless Underground Sensor Network Field Pilot for Agriculture and Ecology: Soil Moisture Mapping Using Signal Attenuation

Wireless Underground Sensor Networks (WUSNs) that collect geospatial in situ sensor data are a backbone of internet-of-things (IoT) applications for agriculture and terrestrial ecology. In this paper, we first show how WUSNs can operate reliably under field conditions year-round and at the same time be used for determining and mapping soil conditions from the buried sensor nodes. We demonstrate the design and deployment of a 23-node WUSN installed at an agricultural field site that covers an area with a 530 m radius. The WUSN has continuously operated since September 2019, enabling real-time monitoring of soil volumetric water content (VWC), soil temperature (ST), and soil electrical conductivity. Secondly, we present data collected over a nine-month period across three seasons. We evaluate the performance of a deep learning algorithm in predicting soil VWC using various combinations of the received signal strength (RSSI) from each buried wireless node, above-ground pathloss, the distance between wireless node and receive antenna (D), ST, air temperature (AT), relative humidity (RH), and precipitation as input parameters to the model. The AT, RH, and precipitation were obtained from a nearby weather station. We find that a model with RSSI, D, AT, ST, and RH as inputs was able to predict soil VWC with an R 2 of 0.82 for test datasets, with a Root Mean Square Error of ±0.012 (m 3 /m 3 ). Hence, a combination of deep learning and other easily available soil and climatic parameters can be a viable candidate for replacing expensive soil VWC sensors in WUSNs.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Field-Deployable Wireless Data Acquisition System for Ground-Test Arrays

This paper describes the development, characterization, and deployment of a field-deployable wireless data acquisition system for ground-test arrays, applicable in noise-source localization or beamforming measurements such as those encountered during airframe noise flyover measurement tests. The system design is enabled by commercially available, low-power Internet of Things (IoT) processors and Wi-Fi communication components. Time is synchronized across the array wirelessly by leveraging the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) time provided by the Global Positioning System (GPS). Initial laboratory characterization of the system demonstrated its ability to meet acoustic bandwidth, dynamic range, time synchronization, environmental, and battery life requirements for typical ground-test array deployments. A successful system deployment at NASA Langley was performed that included measurement of a suspended elevated static noise source, and Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) vehicle measurements using a quadcopter operated both in hover mode and forward flight. Beamform analysis of the acquired data showed an excellent ability of the array to extract accurate sound pressure levels from the suspended source. Synchronization of the array and vehicle GPS timecodes allowed the ability to extract acoustic signatures from the UAS vehicle during hover and forward flight maneuvers over the array. These results validate that the use of a high channel count wireless array is advantageous in airframe and propulsion noise flyover test campaigns.

wireless↗
DOE OSTI2016

SELF-POWERED WIRELESS SENSOR NODE POWER MODELING BASED ON IEEE 802.11 COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL

Design and technical advancements in sensing, processing, and wireless communication capabilities of small, portable devices known as wireless sensor nodes (WSNs) have drawn extensive research attention and are vastly applied in science and engineering applications. The WSNs are typically powered by a chemical battery source that has a load dependent finite lifetime. Most applications, including the nuclear industry applications, require WSNs to operate for an extended period of time beginning with their deployment. To ensure longevity, it is important to develop self-powered WSNs. The benefit of self-powered WSNs goes far beyond the cost savings of removing the need for cable installation and maintenance. Self-powered WSNs will potentially offer significant expansion in remote monitoring of nuclear facilities, and provide important data on plant equipment and component status during normal operation, as well as in case of abnormal operation, station blackouts or post-accident evaluation. Advancements in power harvesting technologies enable electric energy generation from many sources, including kinetic, thermal, and radiated energy. For the ongoing research at Idaho National Laboratory, a solid-state thermoelectric-based technology, the thermoelectric generator (TEG), is used to convert thermal energy to power a WSN. The design and development of TEGs to power WSNs that would remain active for a long period of time requires comprehensive understanding of WSN operational. This motivates the research in modeling the lifetime, i.e., power consumption, of a WSN by taking into consideration various node and network level activities. A WSN must perform three essential tasks: sense events, perform quick local information processing of sensed events, and wirelessly exchange locally processed data with the base station or with other WSNs in the network. Each task has a power cost per unit tine and an additional cost when switching between tasks. There are number of other considerations that must also be taken into account when computing the power consumption associated with each task. The considerations includes: number of events occurring in a fixed active time period and the duration of each event, event-information processing time, total communication time, number of retransmission, etc. Additionally, at the network level the communication of information data packets between WSNs involves collisions, latency, andretransmission, which result in unanticipated power losses. This paper presents stochastic modeling of power demand for a schedule-driven WSN utilizing Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, IEEE, 802.11 communication protocols. The model captures the generic operation of a schedule-driven WSN when an external event occurs, i.e., sensing, following by processing, and followed by communication. The results are verified via simulation.

IEEE 802.11 Protocol↗
DOE OSTI2016

Data Acquisition in Wireless Router Link Testbed using GNU Radio Companion

An IEEE 802.11g WLAN wireless-router link test-bed is under development at the Idaho National Laboratory-Wireless Research Center. The project objective is to generate repeatable, high-quality, controlled-noise wireless transmission for software-defined radio (SDR) analysis and research. Signal acquisition for the data link will include both an Ettus X310 (with GNU Radio Companion) in parallel with a Tektronix RSA 306a spectrum analyzer. The integration and validation of the SDR is described. Preliminary results indicate the router test-bed comprised of readily-available WiFi and RF hardware will provide low-noise and repeatable signal captures.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗