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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 OSTI2024

Vertically Resolved Analysis of the Madden-Julian Oscillation Highlights the Role of Convective Transport of Moist Static Energy

We simulate the Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO) over an aquaplanet with uniform surface temperature using the multiscale modeling framework (MMF) configuration of the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM-MMF). The model produces MJO-like features that have a similar spatial structure and propagation behavior to the observed MJO. To explore the processes involved in the propagation and maintenance of these MJO-like features, we perform a vertically resolved moist static energy (MSE) analysis for the MJO (Yao et al., 2022, https://doi.org/10.1175/jas-d-20-0254.1). Unlike the column-integrated MSE analysis, our method emphasizes the local production of MSE variance and quantifies how individual physical processes amplify and propagate the MJO's characteristic vertical structure. We find that radiation, convection, and boundary layer (BL) processes all contribute to maintaining the MJO, balanced by the large-scale MSE transport. Furthermore, large-scale dynamics, convection, and BL processes all contribute to the propagation of the MJO, while radiation slows the propagation. Additionally, we perform mechanism-denial experiments to examine the role of radiation and associated feedbacks in simulating the MJO. We find that the MJO can still self-emerge and maintain its characteristic structures without radiative feedbacks. This study highlights the role of convective MSE transport in the MJO dynamics, which was overlooked in the column-integrated MSE analysis.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Flexible User-Defined Domain Decomposition in Kilometer-Scale E3SM Land Model Simulation

The Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) Land Model (ELM) has been extended to kilometer-scale (km-ELM) resolutions, enabling high-fidelity simulations of terrestrial processes at 1 km x 1 km grid spacing. In ELM, domain decomposition partitions the computational domain across processors, ensuring efficient parallel execution. Currently, round-robin decomposition is applied, providing a straightforward way to distribute computational workload. As ELM continues evolving at the kilometer-scale (km-scale), particularly with integrating lateral flow modeling, decomposition strategies must also account for the increased workload and data movement. This paper introduces a flexible user-defined domain decomposition framework, allowing users to customize domain partitioning based on application requirements. The impact of different decomposition strategies is evaluated across various applications concerning computation, communication, and I/O. Results demonstrate that while 1D partitioning yields superior I/O performance, k-nearest neighbors (KNN) clustering effectively reduces inter-process communication overhead. This study lays the groundwork for scalable partitioning in large-scale land surface simulations, enhancing next-generation Earth system modeling.

Wang, Dali [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000168065108)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Cosmology with second- and third-order shear statistics for the Dark Energy Survey: Methods and simulated analysis

We present a new pipeline designed for the robust inference of cosmological parameters using both second- and third-order shear statistics. We build a theoretical model for rapid evaluation of three-point correlations using our fastnc code and integrate it into the cosmosis framework. We measure the two-point functions 𝜉 ± and the full configuration-dependent three-point shear correlation functions across all auto- and cross-redshift bins. We compress the three-point functions into the mass aperture statistic ⟨ℳ$^{3}_{ap}$⟩ for a set of 796 simulated shear maps designed to model the Dark Energy Survey Year 3 data. We estimate from it the full covariance matrix and model the effects of intrinsic alignments, shear calibration biases and photometric redshift uncertainties. We apply scale cuts to minimize the contamination from the baryonic signal as modeled through hydrodynamical simulations. We find a significant improvement of 83% on the figure of merit in the Ω m − 𝑆 8 plane when we add the ⟨ℳ$^{3}_{ap}$⟩ data to 𝜉 ± . Here, we present our findings for all relevant cosmological and systematic uncertainty parameters and discuss the complementarity of third-order and second-order statistics.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Mitigating urban climate-energy feedback with citywide building-integrated photovoltaics implementation

Urban heat islands (UHIs) intensify cooling demands, whose waste heat further exacerbates UHI, creating a self-reinforcing feedback loop. Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) can break this cycle by generating electricity and altering urban climate-energy interactions, yet its net impact remains unresolved. Using a cross-scale modeling framework for 118,521 buildings in Hong Kong, we demonstrate that BIPV glazing reduces cooling demand through improved insulation and lower solar heat gain, while inducing diurnal thermal asymmetry of daytime warming (up to +1.9°C) and nighttime cooling (up to −2.5°C). This microclimate regulation indirectly contributes to a 0.6% reduction in citywide building energy use. Cumulative savings from electricity generation and reduced energy use reach 4.7% (2,060.2 GWh) and 10.1% (4,401.3 GWh) under low- and high-coverage deployment, respectively, with building-level savings of −20.1% ± 11.7% (mean ± SD) at high coverage. We establish BIPV as a configurable climate-energy regulator that enables net-zero, heat-resilient planning and quantifies deployment trade-offs in cooling-dominated cities worldwide.

Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV)↗
NASA NTRS1975

High energy solar beam testing in the JPL 25-ft space simulator

Modifications to the individual components in the solar simulation system to improve performance and reduce costs are described. The improvements include: an increase in lamp power from 20 KW to 30 KW; a family of solar beams from 8 to 18.5 feet in diameter at intensities related to beam size with a maximum intensity of 12 solar constants over a 9 ft. diameter; and up to 1.1 megawatts of simulated solar energy in the lamp array.

Harrell, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Energy Analysis Method for Hidden Damage Detection

A method of detecting internal defects in composites or other multilayer materials includes generating a wavefield on a surface of the material. Wavefield data is collected from the wavefield on the surface, and the measured wavefield data is processed to provide measured energy data. The method may include generating simulated or predicted energy data for the multilayer material that is compared to the simulated energy data to determine if the multilayer material has internal defects or damage below the surface. The method can be utilized to detect and/or quantify damage or other defects that are "hidden" by damage that is closer to the surface of the material.

Campbell Leckey, Cara A.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Multiphysics and Multiscale Simulation Methods for Electromagnetic Energy Assisted Fossil Fuel to Hydrogen Conversion (Final Scientific/Technical Report)

This report summarizes the technical accomplishments of the four-year research project “Multiphysics and Multiscale Simulation Methods for Electromagnetic Energy Assisted Fossil Fuel to Hydrogen Conversion” (Award No. DE-FE0032092), conducted at Howard University and the University of Houston (subawardee) from September 2021 to August 2025. The project successfully achieved all four major objectives: 1. 3D Structural Characterization – Developed 3D optical imaging and mechanical sectioning methods to characterize catalyst distribution and support morphology in nickel foam substrates. Successfully reconstructed 3D geometries and imported them into COMSOL Multiphysics for electromagnetic simulations. 2. EM Hotspot Simulation – Created all-frequency stable electromagnetic formulations and 3D nodal discontinuous Galerkin (NDG) methods for coupled electromagnetic-thermal-fluid problems in multiscale catalytic media. Demonstrated stable solutions from DC to microwave frequencies. 3. Multiphysics Coupling – Developed multiscale simulation methods coupling FEM electromagnetic solvers with thermal transport equations. Reactive molecular dynamics (ReaxFF MD) simulations were performed to investigate catalytic reaction mechanisms at the atomistic level. Demonstrated electromagnetic-thermal co-simulation capabilities for porous catalyst structures. 4. System Optimization – Designed and optimized EM-assisted catalytic systems using nickel foam and carbon foam structures, demonstrating significant temperature increases due to microwave heating. Observed and characterized plasma generation in carbon fiber catalysts. Investigated multiple reaction chamber geometries for improved microwave energy deposition. The project produced significant scientific contributions including 15+ peer-reviewed publications, trained multiple Ph.D. students and undergraduate researchers, and advanced the understanding of microwave-assisted hydrogen production from fossil fuels.

08 HYDROGEN↗
NASA NTRS1974

Digital computer simulation of inductor-energy-storage dc-to-dc converters with closed-loop regulators

The simulation of converter-controller combinations by means of a flexible digital computer program which produces output to a graphic display is discussed. The procedure is an alternative to mathematical analysis of converter systems. The types of computer programming involved in the simulation are described. Schematic diagrams, state equations, and output equations are displayed for four basic forms of inductor-energy-storage dc to dc converters. Mathematical models are developed to show the relationship of the parameters.

Ohri, A. K.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Particle-in-cell simulations of expanding high energy density plasmas with laser ray tracing

The design and analysis of high energy density (HED) laser experiments typically rely on radiation hydrodynamics simulations. However, some laser–plasma interaction regimes are not collisional and cannot be adequately modeled with hydrodynamics. For example, strongly driven magnetic reconnection and magnetized collisionless shock experiments possess extended hydrodynamic or even kinetic properties, necessitating first-principles kinetic simulations. In this paper, we present the benchmarking and first results obtained with a laser-ray-tracing and inverse bremsstrahlung absorption module implemented in the particle-in-cell code PSC. The simulation results are compared to radiation hydrodynamic simulations using the FLASH code as well as analytical estimates. We successfully benchmark the energy deposition model and overall hydrodynamic evolution of the systems. We also consider possible kinetic effects that may be expected from laser-target ablation in the HED regime, including non-local transport and two-temperature effects.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Effectiveness of denoising diffusion probabilistic models for fast and high-fidelity whole-event simulation in high-energy heavy-ion experiments

Artificial intelligence (AI) generative models, such as generative adversarial networks (GANs), variational autoencoders, and normalizing flows, have been widely used and studied as efficient alternatives for traditional scientific simulations. However, they have several drawbacks, including training instability and inability to cover the entire data distribution, especially for regions where data are rare. This is particularly challenging for whole-event, full-detector simulations in high-energy heavy-ion experiments, such as sPHENIX at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and Large Hadron Collider experiments, where thousands of particles are produced per event and interact with the detector. This work investigates the effectiveness of denoising diffusion probabilistic models (DDPMs) as an AI-based generative surrogate model for the sPHENIX experiment that includes the heavy-ion event generation and response of the entire calorimeter stack. DDPM performance in sPHENIX simulation data is compared with a popular rival, GANs. Results show that both DDPMs and GANs can reproduce the data distribution where the examples are abundant (low-to-medium calorimeter energies). Nonetheless, DDPMs significantly outperform GANs, especially in high-energy regions where data are rare. Additionally, DDPMs exhibit superior stability compared to GANs. The results are consistent between both central and peripheral centrality heavy-ion collision events. Moreover, DDPMs offer a substantial speedup of approximately a factor of 100 compared to the traditional Geant4 simulation method.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1988

Simulation of proton-induced energy deposition in integrated circuits

A time-efficient simulation technique was developed for modeling the energy deposition by incident protons in modern integrated circuits. To avoid the excessive computer time required by many proton-effects simulators, a stochastic method was chosen to model the various physical effects responsible for energy deposition by incident protons. Using probability density functions to describe the nuclear reactions responsible for most proton-induced memory upsets, the simulator determines the probability of a proton hit depositing the energy necessary for circuit destabilization. This factor is combined with various circuit parameters to determine the expected error-rate in a given proton environment. An analysis of transient or dose-rate effects is also performed. A comparison to experimental energy-disposition data proves the simulator to be quite accurate for predicting the expected number of events in certain integrated circuits.

Fernald, Kenneth W.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Primary defect production from molecular dynamics simulations of high-energy displacement cascades in NbMoTaW alloys

In this work, we report on large-scale molecular-dynamics (MD) simulations of displacement cascades in equiatomic NbMoTaW alloys at PKA energies ranging from 0.15 to 150 keV. We find defect production to be strongly dependent on recoil energy, scaling sublinearly up to 10 keV, and linearly thereafter. We find the sublinear regime to be defined by low values of surviving Frenkel pairs, typically found as isolated point defects or small defect clusters, while at higher recoil energies dense cascades become more frequent, leading to splitting into subcascades and the production of relatively large prismatic-dislocation loops with ⟨111⟩ and ⟨001⟩ Burgers vectors. These loops immobilize large fractions of defects, leading to a rapid growth of the number of surviving defects in the linear regime. We also anneal post-cascade defect configurations using object-kinetic Monte Carlo (OKMC) simulations to account for intracascade recombination on time scales not accessible to MD simulations. Cascade annealing is strongly temperature dependent, with the OKMC simulations only showing significant recovery at 1000 K but not below. Our results are in general agreement with existing published data for refractory concentrated alloys.

Zhou, Xinran [Lawrence Berkeley National Laborator↗
NASA NTRS1977

A simulation model for wind energy storage systems. Volume 1: Technical report

A comprehensive computer program for the modeling of wind energy and storage systems utilizing any combination of five types of storage (pumped hydro, battery, thermal, flywheel and pneumatic) was developed. The level of detail of Simulation Model for Wind Energy Storage (SIMWEST) is consistent with a role of evaluating the economic feasibility as well as the general performance of wind energy systems. The software package consists of two basic programs and a library of system, environmental, and load components. The first program is a precompiler which generates computer models (in FORTRAN) of complex wind source storage application systems, from user specifications using the respective library components. The second program provides the techno-economic system analysis with the respective I/O, the integration of systems dynamics, and the iteration for conveyance of variables. SIMWEST program, as described, runs on the UNIVAC 1100 series computers.

Warren, A. W.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Energy transfer and constrained simulations in isotropic turbulence

The defining characteristic of turbulent flows is their ability to dissipate energy, even in the limit of zero viscosity. The Euler equations, if constrained in such a way that the velocity derivatives remain bounded, conserve energy. But when they arise as the limit of the Navier-Stokes (NS) equations, when the Reynolds number goes to infinity, there is persuasive empirical evidence that the gradients become singular as just the right function of Re for the dissipation to remain non-zero and to approach a well defined limit. It is generally believed that this limiting value of the dissipation is a property of the Euler equations themselves, independent of the particular dissipative mechanism involved, and that it can be normalized with the large scale properties of the turbulent flow (e.g. the kinetic energy per unit volume u'(exp 2)/2, and the integral scale L) without reference to the Reynolds number or to other dissipative quantities. This is usually taken to imply that the low wave number end of the energy spectrum, far from the dissipative range, is also independent of the particular mechanism chosen to dispose of the energy transfer. In the following sections, we present some numerical experiments on the effect of substituting different dissipation models into the truncated Euler equations. We will see that the effect is mainly felt in the 'near dissipation' range of the energy spectrum, but that this range can be quite wide in some cases, contaminating a substantial range of wave numbers. In the process, we will develop a 'practical' approximation to the subgrid energy transfer in isotropic turbulence, and we will gain insight into the structure of the nonlinear interactions among turbulent scales of comparable size, and into the nature of energy backscatter. Some considerations on future research directions are offered at the end.

Jimenez, Javier↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Energy of Fluid (EOF) Simulation of Large-Scale Densification and Solidification of Hydrogen

The current research develops a finite volume-based Computation Fluid Dynamic (CFD) model utilizing an Energy of Fluid (EOF) approach to generate a simulation of the densification of liquid hydrogen (LH2) in the Integrated Refrigeration and Storage (IRAS) experimental tank for the Ground Operations Demonstration Unit for Liquid Hydrogen Project (GODU-LH2) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The computational code will integrate a commercial software pressure-based model with User Defined Functions (UDF) generated and added to the model. The modified model will solve the energy equation in terms of internal energy and provide temperature and pressure calculations for a given tank geometry. This method will decrease computational time when compared to the built-in commercially available Enthalpy solvers. Currently the research focused on utilizing User Defined Scalars (UDS) compared to the enthalpy model and a lumped node analysis to show the written UDS is as accurate as the built-in solvers, and the models will be verified using known solutions for solidification and validated with the experimental results from the Cryogenics Test Laboratory (CTL) at KSC for the IRAS densification process.

C. Mahony↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA’s Orion Crew Module Seakeeping Simulation and Test Comparisons in Ocean Wave Environments

The NASA Orion Crew Module (CM) post-landing seakeeping and uprighting capabilities are being evaluated across a variety of ocean wave conditions. This paper provides an overview of quarter-scale and full-scale test data and how it compares with the CM seakeeping dynamic simulation results evaluated using Wave Energy Convertor Simulator (WEC-Sim).This includes a discussion of the status of the dynamic modeling effort, correlation of model inputs with the wave field from the test, and a comparison of the results against the physical test data with emphasis on the full-scale results. Analysis in the frequency domain showed similar response characteristics between the model and the test and shows energy peaks corresponding to both the natural response and the forced response due to the wave environment. Time domain comparisons showed that the linear WEC-Sim model under predicted the amplitude of the pitch and roll motion of the test article, with improved matching for smaller, longer crested waves. An attempt was made to correlate the pitch/roll response to incident wave slope to account for a possible delay in the BTA’s response. The results did not show a strong relationship in the response characteristics to incident wave slope, but better correlation was seen by comparing responses in the frequency domain. Evaluation of the simulation’s ability to match test results aided in understanding the current fidelity of the CM model in WEC-Sim and identifying areas for model improvement

Abigail Lockard↗
DOE OSTI2025

Accelerating Innovative Energy Solutions Using Combustion Simulations

Combustion-based transportation, electricity generation, and industrial heating in manufacturing constitute the three largest sectors of energy demand. Some of the recent technology development in these sectors are: switching to low-carbon fuels for the transportation sector, increasing energy efficiency in the power sector, and capturing carbon emissions from conventional power generators. Several teams at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory have been actively advancing research in these areas by leveraging computational modeling of combustion processes across the heavy-duty land based transportation, aviation, and power generation sectors. This article summarizes some of these efforts, demonstrating the potential of advanced computational techniques to generate technological solutions that will transform the global energy system.

08 HYDROGEN↗