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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 OSTI2025

Findings on subtask 1.6 – basin electric carbon storage research project: novel monitoring techniques

The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) led a study to validate novel and emerging technologies as commercial monitoring techniques for application in carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) injection operations. This applied research was conducted at Basin Electric Power Cooperative’s (Basin Electric’s) active CO 2 -injection operations in Beulah, North Dakota, in two phases. The EERC previously completed a set of baseline (preinjection) activities in Phase 1, which included 1) design of an automated, integrated, modular (AIM) monitoring station; 2) time-lapse electromagnetic (EM) field surveys; 3) drone-based surveillance studies; 4) time-lapse monitoring with seismic methods; and 5) advanced wellbore-monitoring methods.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Time-Lapse Electromagnetic Methods for Monitoring Plume Development in a Carbon Storage Reservoir

Conference presentation at International Meeting for Applied Geoscience & Energy (IMAGE), Houston, Texas, August 25–28, 2025. The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) is leading applied research on electromagnetic (EM) monitoring methods at an active carbon storage site in North Dakota. Injection operations at the site began in February 2024, with a permitted injection rate of up to 2.7 million tonnes of CO 2 annually using six injection wells. CO 2 is captured on-site and injected into the Broom Creek Formation, a predominantly sandstone reservoir and saline aquifer located at a depth of approximately 1800 meters. The EERC led acquisition of multiple active- and passive-source EM techniques between August and October of 2024 to provide a thorough understanding of the resistivity profile at the site.

02 PETROLEUM↗
DOE OSTI2025

Phase II Field Demonstration at Lansing Smith Generating Plant, Southport, Florida (Final Report)

The Final Technical Report: Field Test Design and Pressure Management Strategies for Phase II Field Demonstration of Optimal Pressure Control, Plume Management, and Produced Water Strategies presents the culmination of multi-year efforts under the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brine Extraction and Storage Test (BEST) program, led by EPRI in partnership with Gulf Power at the Plant Smith site near Panama City, Florida. The project was designed to evaluate and demonstrate the technical feasibility of managing subsurface pressures and fluid movement associated with large-scale CO₂ injection, using low-salinity water as a proxy fluid. Through a combination of field injection testing, reservoir modeling, and optimization studies, the research team developed and refined active and passive brine extraction strategies aimed at controlling injection-induced pressure buildup, mitigating risks of fault activation, and managing plume migration. The field demonstration incorporated a new injection well (TIW-2), a new monitoring/extraction well (TEMW-A), and an existing well (TIW-1) repurposed for passive pressure relief. Complementary geophysical monitoring was designed to track plume development and evaluate the effectiveness of pressure management strategies. The report details the integrated workflow encompassing wellfield development, regulatory permitting, model calibration, and survey design. It includes a comprehensive electromagnetic (EM) modeling and inversion study used to develop a cost-effective, time-lapse geophysical monitoring plan capable of imaging the evolving low-salinity plume within the highly saline Lower Tuscaloosa formation. Reservoir simulation results guided the design of the 17-month injection program and the timing of active extraction to maintain formation pressures below a hypothetical fault reactivation threshold. Supporting analyses evaluated potential injectivity risks related to clay fines migration and geochemical incompatibility, identifying practical mitigation measures such as salinity and pH control. The final design recommends a series of crosswell EM surveys—conducted before, during, and after injection—as the most effective and economical approach for plume imaging, supplemented by continuous downhole pressure and flow monitoring. Collectively, the study provides a field-ready framework for cost-effective pressure management and monitoring in support of future CO₂ storage projects.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2024

Utilizing 3D Mechanical Earth Models for Calibration and Validation in a Large-Scale Carbon Capture and Storage Project in North Dakota

Conference paper presented at 17th International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies (GHGT-17), Calgary, Alberta, Canada, October 20–24, 2024. Three-dimensional (3D) mechanical earth models (MEMs) are pivotal in assessing geological sites for carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) storage and mitigating potential risks associated with storage and injection. The Energy & Environmental Research Center is exploring innovative carbon storage monitoring techniques at a CO 2 storage site near Beulah, North Dakota. These methods aim to provide lower-impact, faster feedback for commercial carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects. The research includes monitoring CO 2 injection using various approaches: 1) an automated, integrated modular monitoring station; 2) time-lapse electromagnetic (EM) field surveys; 3) drone-based surveillance; 4) time-lapse seismic techniques; and 5) advanced wellbore monitoring.

02 PETROLEUM↗
NASA NTRS2000

Physiology of a microgravity environment selected contribution: effects of spaceflight during pregnancy on labor and birth at 1 G

The events of parturition (labor, delivery, maternal care, placentophagia, and onset of nursing) were analyzed in female Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) flown on either 11- or 9-day-long spaceflights beginning at the approximate midpoint of their pregnancies. Each space shuttle flight landed on the 20th day of the rats' pregnancies, just 48-72 h before parturition. After spaceflight, dams were continuously monitored and recorded by time-lapse videography throughout the completion of parturition and onset of nursing (days 22 and 23). Analyses of parturition revealed that, compared with ground controls, flight dams displayed twice the number of lordosis contractions, the predominant labor contraction type in rats. The number of vertical contractions (those that immediately precede expulsion of a pup from the womb), the duration of labor, fetal wastage, number of neonates born, neonatal birth weights, placentophagia, and maternal care during parturition, including the onset of nursing, were comparable in flight and ground control dams. Our findings indicate that, with the exception of labor contractions, mammalian pregnancy and parturition remain qualitatively and quantitatively intact after spaceflight during pregnancy.

Non-NASA Center↗
DOE OSTI2025

Integration and Demonstration of Monitoring, Modeling, and Prediction of DV-1 Amendment Performance at the Bench Scale: DV-1 Amendment Demonstration

During fiscal years 2024 and 2025, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hanford Field Office commissioned Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to conduct applied research aimed at reducing the cost, time, and uncertainty associated with in situ treatment of vadose zone contaminants at the Hanford Site. This report outlines the integration of three key research efforts into a meso-scale demonstration designed to advance field-scale solutions that aim to (1) optimize the delivery of chemical amendments to contaminated soils, (2) reduce uncertainty in amendment delivery performance assessment using advanced monitoring techniques, and (3) provide real-time insights into when and where amendment-induced precipitation reactions occur in the subsurface. To achieve these objectives, the tank-scale (~ 1 cubic meter) Geophysical Imaging of Flow and Transport (GIFT) system was developed. GIFT enables experimental testing of amendment delivery while incorporating automated multi-modal monitoring approaches, including pressure measurements, direct fluid sampling, and remote time-lapse geophysical imaging. The data generated from these monitoring techniques will serve as inputs for a generative artificial-intelligence-driven digital twin – a numerical simulation model designed to honor observed data while quantifying uncertainty in simulation accuracy. Using this simulator, researchers will refine an amendment injection strategy to maximize delivery efficiency within a low-permeability soil zone. Monitoring data will be interpreted through simulated outputs to enhance understanding of the injection process. The efficacy of this integrated approach will be evaluated through direct sampling at the conclusion of the experiment.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Microbial Responses to Radiation at the Single-Cell Level

Exploring the biological effects of deep space radiation is crucial for developing protective protocols for humans traveling beyond Earth’s magnetosphere. Saccharomyces cerevisiae, or budding yeast, is an ideal model organism to study the effects of radiation on eukaryotes as it shares several pathways with humans, including DNA repair mechanisms. Here, we used time-lapse imaging of colony growth on agar plates to monitor the effects of radiation exposure on individual yeast cells and their progeny.

Paola J. Maldonado Martinez↗
DOE OSTI2026

lumicap v0.1

Automated HDR luminance imaging system designed for daylighting research and building science. It controls a fisheye-lens camera to capture time-lapse bracket sequences, merges them into calibrated HDR images, and runs a full post-processing pipeline — all unattended. Features: - Scheduled LDR bracket capture via gphoto2 - HDR merging with vignetting, ND filter, and fisheye projection corrections - Illuminance and luminance meter integration (Konica Minolta T-10A, LS-100/150) - Daylight glare probability (DGP) and solar position computation - Automated false-color rendering, JPEG thumbnails, and daily time-lapse video - CSV data logging per timestep Uses: - Long-term monitoring of daylight conditions in buildings - Glare analysis for occupant comfort research - Solar irradiance and sky luminance studies Advantages: - End-to-end automation — capture, calibration, analysis, and archiving run without manual intervention - Built on the proven Radiance toolchain, ensuring photometrically accurate HDR output - Hardware-agnostic meter support via serial auto-detection - Lightweight — no GUI overhead, deployable on a headless Raspberry Pi or similar embedded system

Wang, Taoning [Lawrence Berkeley National Laborato↗
DOE OSTI2024

CO 2 rock physics modeling for reliable monitoring of geologic carbon storage

Monitoring, verification, and accounting (MVA) are crucial to ensure safe and long-term geologic carbon storage. Seismic monitoring is a key MVA technique that utilizes seismic data to infer elastic properties of CO 2 -saturated rocks. Reliable accounting of CO 2 in subsurface storage reservoirs and potential leakage zones requires an accurate rock physics model. However, the widely used CO 2 rock physics model based on the conventional Biot-Gassmann equation can substantially underestimate the influence of CO 2 saturation on seismic waves, leading to inaccurate accounting. We develop an accurate CO 2 rock physics model by accounting for both effects of the stress dependence of seismic velocities in porous rocks and CO 2 weakening on the rock framework. We validate our CO 2 rock physics model using the Kimberlina-1.2 model (a previously proposed geologic carbon storage site in California) and create time-lapse elastic property models with our new rock physics method. We compare the results with those obtained using the conventional Biot-Gassmann equation. Our innovative approach produces larger changes in elastic properties than the Biot-Gassmann results. Using our CO 2 rock physics model can replicate shear-wave speed reductions observed in the laboratory. Our rock physics model enhances the accuracy of time-lapse elastic-wave modeling and enables reliable CO 2 accounting using seismic monitoring.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Technical Report on Subsurface Monitoring of the Brady Hot Spring Geothermal Site, Nevada, based upon Full Waveform Inversion

Abilities to accurately characterize the subsurface in a geothermal setting is key to assess and support production. An important element of geothermal reservoir monitoring is also the ability to investigate fluid transport within fracture network. This report focuses on improving subsurface imaging and monitoring in geothermal settings using full waveform inversion based on the adjoint method and time-lapse imaging. To assess our method, we rely on a dense seismic dataset collected in 2016 at the Brady Hot Springs geothermal site in Nevada for the DOE-funded project Poroelastic Tomography by Adjoint Inverse Modeling of Data from Seismology, Geodesy, and Hydrology. This dataset captures subsurface changes across four stages of geothermal power plant operations, which involve varying rates of fluid injection and extraction. Two velocity models were previously derived from this dataset using different methods: one based on travel times and another on sweep interferometry. Our first step is to refine these models using adjoint tomography, which has been applied successfully at global and regional-scales but is less common at the reservoir-scale. Two approaches are then explored for time-lapse analysis: directly comparing refined tomographic models from different stages or backpropagating waveform differences relative to a baseline tomographic model. The main take away is that both approaches highlight similar reservoir behaviors, but the latter approach is more computationally effective in capturing small-scale changes in subsurface properties. For this work, we leverage the use of Salvus (www.mondaic.com), an end-to-end seismic imaging solution, relying on the spectral element method to compute forward and adjoint simulations, and developed by Mondaic Ltd. It includes integrated workflow management that handles waveform and metadata, launches simulations, computes waveform misfits and adjoint sources, and iterates for model updates by nonlinear optimization.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Evolution of storage monitoring – update in response to commercial and regulatory drivers

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is in transition from first-of-a kind projects and research-orientated pilots to commercially-motivated applications. Monitoring results from many newly developed and planned large scale commercial projects are limited; however, it is worthwhile to assess their evolution and consider new strategies as part of an effort to assess and document best practices. Commercial monitoring is targeted to activities that comply with regulatory drivers and de-risk investments. Commercial monitoring also supports accounting that storage has occurred and is tied to project financing. It deals with long time frames and large volumes injected into multiple wells and multiple projects in favorable areas. We see developing trends toward reproducible workflows that systematically reduce risks and clarify expectations for oversight and long-term surveillance. Monitoring techniques showing increasing trends include injection zone pressure as a history-matching and compliance tool. To reduce cost and environmental impact of time-lapse seismic data collection, deploying new approaches and tools, such as use of fibre and installed sources are increasingly applied. Concern over the risk of induced seismicity by regulatory bodies and the general public has increased, which has also resulted in increased monitoring. Some techniques used in the early research phases have been sidelined or used only in restricted applications. For example, geochemical analyses in the injection zone as well as the environment are now being deployed less than it was in research-oriented programs, except in the US where it is required by the permitting process. Expectations of frequent area-wide near surface monitoring have also decreased.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Assessing the Value of Seismic Amplitude Versus Offset (AVO) Attributes for CO2 Storage Project Using a Bayesian Network Model for Decision Support

Attributes versus offset (AVO) are a set of measurements to analyze how the characteristics of reflected seismic waves change as a function of the offset. It can be useful for monitoring CO2 storage sites because the presence of leaked CO2 into the overlying aquifer can change the properties of the rocks and pore fluids composition that can alter the way seismic waves reflect and their amplitudes. The time-lapse changes in AVO attributes derived from repeat seismic surveys can help identify anomalies or shifts in the subsurface that could potentially be used as an indicator for CO2 leak detection. Our study leverages multiple seismic attributes derived from synthetic seismic data and Bayesian network model to quantify the probability of leak detection in the overlying aquifer above the storage reservoir. It helps to quantify the value of individual seismic attributes at multiple monitoring periods based upon their sensitivities.

Kumar, Abhash↗
DOE OSTI2024

Revealing complex subsurface dynamics with continuous seismic monitoring: Observations using distributed acoustic sensing and surface orbital vibrators during hydraulic fracturing

Understanding hydraulic fracturing is crucial to improving the stimulation of unconventional reservoirs and increasing fluid production. This study develops a novel seismic monitoring technology using distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) and surface orbital vibrators (SOV) to capture fracture seismic response and mechanical properties at high temporal intervals. We analyze continuous time-lapse vertical seismic profiling (VSP) data acquired every hour during the first nine days of treatment of an unconventional reservoir in the Austin Chalk/Eagle Field Laboratory. The VSP data contain clear seismic signals scattered from the activated fractures. The spatiotemporal changes of the fracture reflectivity revealed by the SOV/DAS data correlate well with the observations of fracture locations inferred from low-frequency DAS data. These results capture the fracture opening and closure processes, as well as highlight potential prestage activations of the fractures due to hydraulic connectivity with preexisting fracture systems. Therefore, analysis of the presented data set provides a unique opportunity to understand fracture initiation and subsequent evolution, not only in the context of unconventional resources but also in enhanced geothermal systems.

Correa, Julia↗
DOE OSTI2025

Electrical Resistivity Tomography data from 2016 to 2018 at the Lower Montane site in the East River Watershed, Colorado

This dataset contains time-lapse Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) data along a transect located on the northeast-facing hillslope at the lower montane site (Pumphouse site) in the upper East River Watershed. The monitoring dataset covers the period from November 2, 2016, to August 6, 2018. In addition, the archive also contains a baseline dataset from October 9, 2016. The ERT transect consisted of 128 electrodes with an electrode spacing of 1.25 m. The acquisition system was located in the middle of the transect, about 50 m on one side, and included an MPT (Multi-Phase Technologies) ERT system, a mini computer, and batteries with solar panels. Acquisition occurred daily under normal circumstances. The first 16 electrodes (from the upper end of the transect) could not be used after the cable was damaged during the 2017–2018 winter. Also, due to multiple failures in the power system, the temporal resolution of the data is much lower in 2018 compared to 2016 and 2017. The data have been processed and used in Dafflon et al., 2023, and the baseline dataset was used in Falco et al., 2019 (see reference list). This archive contains the measurements (ER.zip containing csv files) for each of the 326 acquisition times and a filtered version where only electrodes 17 to 128 are included (ERT_sm.zip containing csv files). The archive also contains the baseline dataset and two acquisitions with full reciprocals (ERT_RB.zip containing csv files), as well as all the raw MPT files (ERT_raw_MTP.zip). The geometry (electrode position and elevation) is provided in Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) 13N Geoid2012AB in the file named ERT_Location.csv. The archive contains 1 *.csv data files, four *.zip files, and three metadata *.csv files. This work was supported by the Watershed Function Science Focus Area at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory funded by the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1974

Study of time-lapse processing for dynamic hydrologic conditions

The usefulness of dynamic display techniques in exploiting the repetitive nature of ERTS imagery was investigated. A specially designed Electronic Satellite Image Analysis Console (ESIAC) was developed and employed to process data for seven ERTS principal investigators studying dynamic hydrological conditions for diverse applications. These applications include measurement of snowfield extent and sediment plumes from estuary discharge, Playa Lake inventory, and monitoring of phreatophyte and other vegetation changes. The ESIAC provides facilities for storing registered image sequences in a magnetic video disc memory for subsequent recall, enhancement, and animated display in monochrome or color. The most unique feature of the system is the capability to time lapse the imagery and analytic displays of the imagery. Data products included quantitative measurements of distances and areas, binary thematic maps based on monospectral or multispectral decisions, radiance profiles, and movie loops. Applications of animation for uses other than creating time-lapse sequences are identified. Input to the ESIAC can be either digital or via photographic transparencies.

Serebreny, S. M.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Where do the fish go in winter? A year of observing seasonal changes in Sequim Bay’s nearshore fish community

The use of environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling has been proposed as a complementary method to monitor fish species in marine environments. eDNA offers a non-invasive, cost-effective, and scalable way to detect aquatic species. It is appealing in environments where traditional methods are limited by access or visibility, especially in complex or sensitive habitats such as tidal channels and other marine energy sites. Before eDNA can be fully relied upon, we must verify its accuracy against established methods, like underwater photography. In this study, we collected eDNA samples and concurrently deployed a 360-degree camera near the floating dock of PNNL-Sequim in the tidal channel of Sequim Bay once a month for twelve consecutive months. During deployments, the camera remained on the seafloor for several hours overlapping slack tide and captured time-lapse photographs at ten second intervals. Counts and identifications of fish species observed in the images were used to calculate monthly Shannon diversity and Pielou evenness indices. These values were compared across the months using a Kruskal-Wallis test paired with a Conover-Iman post-hoc test. Cliff’s Delta was also calculated to quantify the effect size of the monthly differences. No fish were observed from December through April, likely due to seasonal behavior changes within the local fish community. Fish returned to the shoreline in May, with the greatest diversity and evenness recorded in September. These findings reveal substantial seasonal variation in nearshore fish communities. Many monthly comparisons were found to contain statistically significant differences within the diversity and evenness, and even more were found to have large effect sizes, signifying large ecological changes throughout the seasons. The absence of fish observed during the winter months is a key outcome of this survey that will hopefully be reflected in the eDNA results still to come, which would help validate the eDNA approach.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Monitoring the impact of confinement on hyphal penetration and fungal behavior

Through their expansive mycelium network, soil fungi alter the physical arrangement and chemical composition of their local environment. This can significantly impact bacterial distribution and nutrient transport and can play a dramatic role in shaping the rhizosphere around a developing plant. However, direct observation and quantitation of such behaviors is extremely difficult due to the opacity and complex porosity of the soil microenvironment. In this study, we demonstrate the development and use of an engineered microhabitat to visualize fungal growth in response to varied levels of confinement. Microfluidics were fabricated using photolithography and conventional soft lithography, assembled onto glass slides, and prepared to accommodate fungal cultures. Selected fungal strains across three phyla (Ascomycota: Morchella sextalata , Fusarium falciforme ; Mucoromycota: Linnemannia elongata , Podila minutissima , Benniella ; Basidiomycota: Laccaria bicolor , and Serendipita sp.) were cultured within microhabitats and imaged using time-lapse microscopy to visualize development at the mycelial level. Fungal hyphae of each strain were imaged as they penetrated through microchannels with well-defined pore dimensions. The hyphal penetration rates through the microchannels were quantified via image analysis. Other behaviors, including differences in the degree of branching, peer movement, and tip strength were also recorded for each strain. Our results provide a repeatable and easy-to-use approach for culturing fungi within a microfluidics platform and for visualizing the impact of confinement on hyphal growth and other fungal behaviors pertinent to their remodeling of the underground environment.

Guo, Yi-Syuan (ORCID:0000000340142225)↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Building a Bilingual Google Earth Engine Dashboard to Increase Accessibility to Long-term Time Series Remote Sensing Data for Monitoring Saline System Changes in Chile’s Atacama Desert

Saline systems, consisting of salt flats, ponds, and marshes, provide vital water resources to wildlife and communities in northern Chile’s Atacama Desert, one of the driest regions in the world. Mining is extensive in the Atacama, which contains 30% of the world’s lithium reserves and is abundant in potassium and boron. The groundwater that feeds into salt marshes and ponds is extracted in large volumes for mining operations, limiting the availability of water for ecosystems. However, identifying long-term and large-scale environmental impacts from local lithium mining on the saline systems is limited by region inaccessibility and terrain variability. Open access satellite imagery and cloud computing technology has made studying Atacama saline systems feasible and allowed for collaboration across different agencies and countries. The NASA DEVELOP Program partnered with Chile’s la Universidad de La Serena and Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería (SERNAGEOMIN) to create the Saline Analysis Tool (SalT) in Google Earth Engine (GEE). SalT is used to analyze the extent and distribution of remote saline systems in the Atacama from 1986 to the present day. The tool filters Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) and Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) data from GEE’s data catalog and creates a single composite image per year for analysis. Additional output analyses include land cover classification, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) raster images that can be displayed on the map interface or exported. The tool can also generate time-lapse videos and charts displaying NDVI, NDWI, and land cover over time. A key feature of the tool is the use of a bilingual graphical user interface to make analysis accessible and customizable to different users’ needs—SalT provides options to select an analysis area, analysis time period, and outputs to display or export. The tool also incorporates new Earth observations as they are added to GEE’s catalog. The ability to easily visualize and analyze long-term remote sensing imagery will enable SERNAGEOMIN and la Universidad de la Serena to continually monitor changes in these saline systems and inform future land management policy.

NASA DEVELOP↗