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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 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Process intensification education contributes to sustainable development goals. Part 1

In 2015 all the United Nations (UN) member states adopted 17 sustainable development goals (UN-SDG) as part of the 2030 Agenda, which is a 15-year plan to meet ambitious targets to eradicate poverty, protect the environment, and improve the quality of life around the world. Although the global community has progressed, the pace of implementation must accelerate to reach the UN-SDG time-line. For this to happen, professionals, institutions, companies, governments and the general public must become cognizant of the challenges that our world faces and the potential technological solutions at hand, including those provided by chemical engineering. Process intensification (PI) is a recent engineering approach with demonstrated potential to significantly improve process efficiency and safety while reducing cost. It offers opportunities for attaining the UN-SDG goals in a cost-effective and timely manner. However, the pedagogical tools to educate undergraduate, graduate students, and professionals active in the field of PI lack clarity and focus. This paper sets out the state-of-the-art, main discussion points and guidelines for enhanced PI teaching, deliberated by experts in PI with either an academic or industrial background, as well as representatives from government and specialists in pedagogy gathered at the Lorentz Center (Leiden, The Netherlands) in June 2019 with the aim of uniting the efforts on education in PI and produce guidelines. In this Part 1, we discuss the societal and industrial needs for an educational strategy in the framework of PI. The terminology and background information on PI, as it relates to educational implementation in industry and academia, are provided as a preamble to Part 2, which presents practical examples that will help educating on Process Intensification.

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

Chemical Safety and Security Education in ACS-Approved Chemistry Programs

To date, chemical security education practices in postsecondary institutions are poorly understood. The purpose of this study is to provide an initial understanding of the practices, attitudes, and barriers toward chemical security education for undergraduate and graduate programs in the United States (US) by surveying representatives of American Chemical Society (ACS)-approved programs. All programs with ACS-approved undergraduate chemistry programs (n = 691) were contacted for participation: 21% (n = 148) fully completed and 6% (n = 41) partially completed the survey for a combined total of 27% complete and/or partially complete surveys (n = 189). We observed that most programs currently teach chemical safety (undergraduate >99%, graduate 73%); however, only about one-third of programs teach chemical security at any education level (undergraduate 32%, graduate 34%). We also observed that safety education is provided more frequently than security education. Further, ACS-approved programs reported that their chemical safety culture was stronger than chemical security culture and felt that safety should be taught differently than security. The overwhelming majority of respondents (96%) indicated that chemical safety should be mandatory at some level, while only about half of respondents (57%) indicated that chemical security should be mandatory at some level. More efforts are needed by the chemistry community to raise awareness of the importance of chemical security education so that more institutions commit to training their faculty and students on the topic. The authors suggest that adoption of chemical security education could be increased if ACS were to advocate for chemical security by including it in its guidelines for educational program approval.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Research Connections: Career and Research Journeys from the SMP Community. Association for Women in Mathematics Series

This book aims to provide perspectives on important questions that undergraduate and graduate students in mathematics ask themselves. Each chapter gives readers a taste of a different mathematician’s work, presented with enough background material that an advanced undergraduate or early graduate student can understand the key ideas of the research. Each mathematical contribution is prefaced by a short biography of the mathematician who wrote the chapter, to give the reader a connection to the author and provide examples of paths from undergraduate education, through graduate school and beyond.

mathematics, research, biographies↗
DOE OSTI2022

Nuclear Forensics

Nuclear forensics is a key part of the nuclear security strategy for the United States and the international community. The NACS Division is central to the leadership role that LLNL has had in nuclear forensics over the past 25 years. Our current nuclear forensic program includes conducting R&D on provenance and attribution signatures, collaborating with international partners, training the next generation of nuclear forensic experts, developing test materials for verification and validation exercises, and providing expert advice to national and international policy makers. Key to our success in these areas has been the strong and continuing involvement in nuclear forensic casework obtained through law enforcement and intelligence channels as well as our outstanding analytical capabilities. NACS must continue to conduct forward-thinking R&D in nuclear forensics that supports operational programs and addresses intelligence gaps. To maintain leadership in nuclear forensics, we must attract, develop, and retain the best talent. The NNSA has a central leadership role in developing educational initiatives for nuclear forensics. In concert with the Glenn T. Seaborg Institute, the NACS Division will continue to participate in all nuclear forensic educational initiatives (undergraduate, graduate, postdoctoral) and incorporate LLNL’s D&I vision into its student and postdoc recruitment efforts. We will continue to build formal relationships with key academic partners and institutions with active and emerging nuclear forensic research interests. We will also strengthen relationships with NNSA DNN and SSAA funded university consortia (e.g. NSSC, ACE, CNEC, CVT, ETI, MTV), helping them conduct research of interest and relevance to nuclear forensics, while at the same time evaluating and recruiting promising talent from these programs.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Syracuse University Industrial Assessment Center (Final Report)

Syracuse University Industrial Assessment Center (SU-IAC) project is focused on the two primary objectives: (i) educate undergraduate and graduate students in engineering and associated disciplines on the concepts of energy sustainability and to provide hands-on training by performing energy assessment at industrial facilities to become future energy efficiency experts, and (ii) offer energy assessments to small and mid-sized manufacturing companies in SU-IAC 2 the greater New York State region, perform analytical engineering work in support of assessment recommendations, and to report the results of those analyses to the client companies, to DOE, and to Field office personnel Through this project period, SU-IAC successfully trained 77 engineering students who were undergraduate or graduate students at Syracuse University College of Engineering, or at SU- IAC’s satellite center at Clarkson University. Each of these students received comprehensive ‘in-class’ technical training, safety training, and hands-on field training. The students performed various tasks related to energy assessment at the manufacturing facilities, including billing analysis, energy use reduction recommendations, and report preparation. Through this project period, a total of 34 students have completed all requirements of the SU-IAC program and have received the US DoE Certificate on Energy Efficiency, with the remaining students continuing at various stages of field work or training. During this project period, due to Covid-related measures in New York State, Syracuse University campus and most of the manufacturing facilities were completely closed or were under severe restrictions for access, for an extended period from March 2020 through April 2021. The closures affected our project execution, with the project Sponsor offering structured relief to carry-out a modified project during the affected budget periods. During this project period, SU-IAC student teams, led by its Director, completed a total of 77 energy assessments at small- and medium-scale manufacturing facilities located in New York State. For these facilities, SU-IAC prepared and presented details for 569 assessment recommendations (ARs). The facilities implemented a total of 258 of these ARs, realizing annual average energy savings in the range of $\$ $3,300 to $\$ $55,000 per facility. Cumulatively, these facilities have reduced their “first year after implementation” energy use by a total of 4.37 million kwh, and fuel use by a total of 27.7 billion BTU. SU-IAC project has successfully met the two primary objectives (and the associated sub objectives) and helped the manufacturing facilities in New York State achieve quantitative energy use reductions as a result of this project.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2024

In the Mix : A Workshop Merging Computational Chemistry and Electrochemistry Alongside Data Science

As chemistry expands to more complex and interdisciplinary areas, a new generation of diverse researchers must engage with science and learn effective cross-disciplinary collaboration and communication. To these ends, we designed and implemented In the Mix, a graduate student-led, two-day workshop for undergraduate students promoting collaborative science in the context of energy storage innovations. Here, the interactive workshop was designed for future and emerging researchers to gain hands-on experience with data science, computational chemistry, and electrochemistry techniques that are critical for developing materials for battery technologies. Participants also visited commercial renewable energy facilities to help them connect discovery-based research with industry and broader societal considerations. The workshop content and structure ensured that participants experienced the interrelatedness of the fields and understood the importance of collaborative research to yield scientific advances with real-world applications. An external team evaluated the workshop and participants’ perceptions of their experiences. While our research context was energy storage, the workshop goals and outcomes are applicable to other contexts. Interdisciplinary, experiential workshops are a key avenue to broadening participation in science and research, and the ideas presented here can be readily modified for other scientific contexts and/or incorporated as broader impact activities.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Transforming U.S. Particle Physics Education: A Snowmass 2021 Study

The pursuit of knowledge in particle physics requires constant learning. As new tools become available, new theories are developed, and physicists search for new answers with ever-evolving methods. However, it is the case that formal educational systems serve as the primary training grounds for particle physicists. Graduate school (and undergraduate school to a lesser extent) is where researchers learn most of the technical skills required for research, develop scientific problem-solving abilities, learn how to establish themselves in their field, and begin developing their career. It is unfortunate, then, that the skills gained by physicists during their formal education are often mismatched with the skills actually required for a successful career in physics. We performed a survey of the U.S. particle physics community to determine the missing elements of graduate and undergraduate education and to gauge how to bridge these gaps. In this contributed paper, part of the 2021-22 Snowmass Community Planning Exercise, we report the results of this survey. We also recommend several specific community actions to improve the quality of particle physics education; the "community" here refers to physics departments, national labs, professional societies, funding agencies, and individual physicists.

Bitter, O.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Geophysical Signatures of Crack Network Coalescence in Rocks at Multiple Length Scales

The main goal of the research project was to identify the geophysical signatures of fracture growth in natural rocks by utilizing novel geophysical techniques. The research objectives were to (a) investigate the potential for geophysical methods to determine when cracks initiate, the types and locations of propagated cracks, and the coalescence of networks of cracks in natural rocks at multiple scales, (b) determine how damage at the microscale evolved into damage at the macroscale and then link the microscopic and macroscopic observations, (c) quantify crack coalescence in rocks under realistic stress conditions using coupled mechanical-geophysical-optical visualization, and (d) identify the precursors in geophysical signals to crack coalescence. The following research thrusts were explored to achieve the research objectives: (1) uniaxial compression testing of rock specimens with and without a set of pre‐existing flaws and (2) triaxial compression testing of natural rock specimens. These thrusts allowed for exploring fracturing in rocks under realistic in situ environments and at multiple scales. This project provided educational opportunities for nine graduate and undergraduate students and resulted in 27 peer-reviewed publications. This first research thrust focused on investigating the micromechanics of fractures in rocks through uniaxial compression testing combined with advanced geophysical and imaging techniques, specifically acoustic emission (AE) monitoring, ultrasonic imaging, and 2-dimensional Digital Image Correlation (2D-DIC). By examining damage processes under time-independent and time-dependent loading conditions, insights into damage localization, crack initiation, and fracturing mechanisms were gained. It was observed that the AE signals and the strain-based measurements directly reflect the state of damage in the rock specimen and could be used to identify the cracking levels, such as the crack initiation (CI) and crack damage (CD), and the mode of deformation. A novel calibration apparatus was developed to enhance the accuracy of AE sensors, allowing for the estimation of key parameters such as magnitude, source dimension, stress drop, and radiated seismic energy associated with the fractures. The findings highlighted significant variations in the temporal evolution of AE source parameters during the primary, secondary, and tertiary stages of creep, identifying tensile cracking as the primary deformation mode. The second research thrust focused on enhancing the understanding of fracturing processes in natural rocks through triaxial compression testing, real-time AE monitoring, and ultrasonic monitoring. We investigated the impact of various factors such as fracture propagation regimes, injection parameters, rock types, and pre-existing conditions on the hydraulic fracture (HF) behavior using scaled true-triaxially loaded specimens of Barre granite and Lyons sandstone. Custom sensor housing facilitated concurrent active and passive monitoring to analyze hydro-mechanical responses and microseismicity associated with different HF scenarios. A coupled investigation of passive microseismicity and active signal attributes permitted a detailed comprehension of the various HF processes (aseismic deformation, fracture initiation and propagation, fluid permeation, and leak-off) and their dependence on the specific rock type. The findings of this research demonstrated the effectiveness of AE monitoring techniques in providing valuable insights into the impact of various factors on the behavior and dynamics of HF processes. The advancements in monitoring techniques, offering a more thorough and precise approach, represent a significant step towards optimizing HF practices and ensuring sustainable resource extraction.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Experiments and Project-Based Enhancements for STEM Learning

Motivating K-12 students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is an effort that requires consistent engagement. Throughout the K-12 student timeline, STEM educators need to continuously pivot their teaching and update their educational materials to motivate the next generation of students. Once students begin their undergraduate education, university professors need to encourage them to consider pursuing graduate studies to ensure that a qualified future workforce can be developed for research and teaching. In this paper, we present our work on developing STEM materials for K-12 student engagement. Our K-12 materials target the grid integration of hydrogen assets that are suitable to engage students in the classroom. Our undergraduate materials target hands-on projects and collaboration with industry to connect classroom learning with real-world applications and needs in renewable energy. Our work leverages available open-source models and tools to create projects for undergraduate students and motivate their interest in pursuing research topics in graduate-level education.

ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Experiments and Project-Based Enhancements for STEM Learning: Preprint

Motivating k-12 students to pick a career in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is an effort that requires consistent attention. At different points in time, STEM educators need to pivot themselves and update educational materials to consistently motivate the next generation of k-12 students to enter into STEM careers. Once they enter undergraduate education, universities need to motivate their undergraduates students to consider graduate studies to ensure qualified human resources can be developed for research, and teaching. We present in this paper, our work on developing STEM materials for k-12 students targeting grid integration of hydrogen assets. This paper also presents our work on leveraging open source distribution system model, digital real time simulation tool to create projects for undergraduate students and motivate their interest in research topics, and enter into graduate level education.

electro-magnetic transients↗
DOE OSTI2025

Neutron Scattering Cross Sections: (n,n′), (n,n′γ), and (n,γ) Measurements (Final Technical Report)

This technical report discusses the outcomes from a grant to the University of Dallas in collaboration with the University of Kentucky, the United States Naval Academy and Mississippi State University to measure neutron cross sections and to provide educational opportunities in nuclear science for undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

5G integrated edge computing platform for efficient component monitoring in coal-fired power plants

This project developed a cutting-edge 5G-integrated edge computing framework to enhance operational efficiency and reliability in coal-fired power plants through real-time component monitoring and anomaly detection. The initiative focused on leveraging distributed machine learning, federated learning, and 5G-based dynamic network slicing to support scalable, fault-tolerant monitoring environments to meet the operational requirements in industrial control systems. With a Distributed Edge Computing Service (DECS) orchestration, this project enabled federated learning at edge for condition monitoring and introduced adaptive client selection strategies to minimize communication overhead. Scalable distributed training was achieved using the Horovod framework, thus enhancing performance across edge nodes. In the realm of 5G networking, the project designed and deployed reconfigurable, QoS-aware network slicing tailored for operational technology (OT) environments, integrating software-defined networks to bolster cyber-resilience and enabling dynamic slicing for federated learning workloads. A significant milestone was the development of a virtualized ICS environment with 5G core integration—which allowed elastic and fault tolerant distributed training on real-world datasets such as NASA Bearings, Hydraulic Systems, and TEP. To broaden the impact of the project, a TRL-3 virtualized ICS testbed for research and education was designed. This project engaged several graduate and undergraduate students to conduct research on the cutting-edge technology, and it resulted in one PhD dissertation, one MS thesis, and over 14 peer-reviewed publications. With the support of this project students also participated in national cybersecurity competitions to improve their professional development skills.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2021

The development of yield-based sooting tendency measurements and modeling to enable advanced combustion fuels

This project produced clear evidence that biofuels can reduce particulate emissions from road vehicles compared with petroleum-derived fuels. It also produced fundamental knowledge that can be used to select fuel compositions and engine designs that will maximize this benefit. This information has been disseminated through more than 20 peer-reviewed publications, more than 30 conference presentations, and 5 freely available internet databases and web tools. This project also provided educational opportunities to 17 students at the high school, undergraduate, and graduate levels.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Center for Applied Physics and Superconducting Technologies (CAPST)

Fermi Research Alliance, LLC, as operator of Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) and Northwestern University (Northwestern) have a broad overlap in scientific interests and complementary state-of-the-art facilities in the area of applied physics and technology, in particular physics of superconductivity, materials science, and detector technology. The Center for Applied Physics and Superconducting Technology (CAPST) will provide a mechanism for cross-utilizing capabilities of the two institutions for advances in understanding key scientific problems of mutual interest and opening up broader educational opportunities for students and postdoctoral candidates (postdocs). Northwestern undergraduate students, graduate students and postdocs will be able to perform cutting edge science and technology research in accelerator and detector science and the physics of superconductivity at Fermilab and Northwestern under the joint direction of Fermilab researchers and Northwestern professors. Research program covers three thrusts below, with subtopics detailed in the CRADA: • Vortex dynamics in superconductors • Superconducting devices • New frontiers in microwave instrumentation/techniques.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2023

A framework for materials informatics education through workshops

The burgeoning field of materials informatics necessitates a focus on educating the next generation of materials scientists in the concepts of data science, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML). In addition to incorporating these topics in undergraduate and graduate curricula, regular hands-on workshops present the most effective medium to initiate researchers to informatics and have them start applying the best AI/ML tools to their own research. With the help of the Materials Research Society (MRS), members of the MRS AI Staging Committee, and a dedicated team of instructors, we successfully conducted workshops covering the essential concepts of AI/ML as applied to materials data, at both the Spring and Fall Meetings in 2022, with plans to make this a regular feature in future meetings. Here, in this article, we discuss the importance of materials informatics education via the lens of these workshops, including details such as learning and implementing specific algorithms, the crucial nuts and bolts of ML, and using competitions to increase interest and participation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

AI-Enabled Robots for Automated Nondestructive Evaluation and Repair of Power Plant Boilers. Final Report

Boiler failure could cause loss of life and safety issues, cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment repairs, property damage and production losses, and drive up the cost of electric power. Boiler maintenance is challenging and risky for inspectors working on scaffolding in confined hazardous spaces inside of a boiler and sometimes the space is hard to access. The operation is also time-consuming due to the large area of vertical structures for inspection and the tremendous effort needed for scaffolding. Recently, the use of robotics (e.g., drones and crawlers) in power plants for maintenance is growing rapidly. However, the existing robotics solutions show two notable technological gaps: no live repair capability, and no Artificial Intelligence (AI) for smart autonomy. The objective of this project is to develop an integrated autonomous robotic platform that is equipped with compact non-destructive evaluation (NDE) sensors to perform live inspection, operates onboard repair devices to perform live repair, and uses AI for intelligent data fusion and predictive analysis for automated and smart spatiotemporal inspection, analysis and repair of the furnace walls in coal-fired boilers. The approach to achieve the objective includes developing NDE sensors with signal processing techniques, designing and evaluating repair devices for robots based on fusion and solid-state technologies, and an autonomous robotic platform that can attach to and navigate on boiler furnace walls using magnetic drive tracks. The robot is also powered by AI to automate data gathering (e.g., 3D mapping and damage localization) and predictive analysis. This project has advanced the state-of-the-art by providing technological breakthroughs including compact NDE and repair tools for robots, AI capabilities for smart autonomy, and a robotic platform for automated boiler maintenance. This project has great potential to result in significant benefits including limiting or eliminating the need to send operators to assess difficult-to-access or hazardous areas, enabling automated live inspection and repair, avoiding time consuming scaffolding (especially for partial maintenance during unplanned outage), collecting comprehensive and well-organized data smartly, and avoiding or limiting the need for onsite or remote piloting technicians. The impacts can be tremendous in terms of the time and cost savings, reducing the risk for human operators, and increasing boiler reliability, usability, and efficiency. In addition, by developing the new technologies on the autonomous inspection and repair robot, by involving multiple undergraduate and graduate students working together with the faculty members on this project, and by generating knowledge and building up collaborations with industrial partners, this effort will significantly update the education capabilities, support long-term fundamental research, and maintain the leadership of Colorado School of Mines and Michigan State University in energy fields.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Real-time Distribution Simulation and Application Development for Power Systems Education

To help bridge the gap between traditional power system engineering instruction and emerging industry needs, a new set of classroom and research tools are needed. Real-time simulation tools emulating power system control room software present an opportunity to introduce students to the array of operational considerations, technical challenges, and decision-making associated with power system operations. The GridAPPS-D platform is proposed to support coursework and academic research as it provides an open-source platform for simulation, application development, and software integration. The GridAPPS-D platform, simulation capabilities, development environment, and interactive training are discussed in the context of lessons-learned from implementation for undergraduate and graduate students in the US and India. A series of potential GridAPPS-D supported academic capabilities are introduced.

Active distribution networks, open educational res↗