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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Gasification of Coal and Biomass: The Route to Net-Negative-Carbon Power and Hydrogen

One promising process that is a candidate for meeting the goals of the US Department of Energy’s 21st Century Power Plant initiative is to gasify a mixture of coal and biomass to yield a syngas, which can have CO2 removed and then be used to produce hydrogen as well as an off-gas that can be used to flexibly produce power. This concept would overall be carbon net-negative and readily meet the 21st Century Power Plant initiative targets of smaller scale MW generation, high ramp rates and turndown, feedstock flexibility, and high efficiency—at a reasonable cost. Moreover, adding the large-scale production of “ultra-green” hydrogen yields a system tailored for the coming hydrogen economy, providing long-term energy storage and an attractive co-product for sale. The objective of the work being led by the Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. (EPRI), with support by Bechtel Corporation (Bechtel), Gas Technology Institute (GTI), Hamilton Mauer International, Inc. (HMI), Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD), NexantECA, Inc. (Nexant), and Wärtsilä, is to perform a front-end design and engineering (FEED) study on an oxygen-blown gasification system coupled with water-gas shift, pre-combustion CO2 capture, and pressure-swing adsorption working off a coal/biomass mix to yield high-purity hydrogen and a fuel off-gas that can generate power. Several designs are being considered that will be capable of producing 50 MW net from a flexible generator, over 8500 kg/hr of hydrogen, and net-negative CO2 emissions, at an efficiency of 50% net HHV. The plant would be hosted at an NPPD site, where opportunities for enhanced oil recovery and sequestration have been investigated and the need for low-carbon power and hydrogen is imminent. The principal biomass to be used is corn stover—prevalent in Nebraska where the plant will be located—mixed with Powder River Basin (PRB) coal, necessitating a gasifier that can use this feedstock and be flexible to allow other types. Waste plastics will also be reviewed for use. Two oxygen-blown gasifiers have been identified as candidates that have done testing with biomass including corn stover: the GTI gasifier—a high-pressure, fluidized-bed type—and HMI’s, a lower pressure moving-bed type. Both have relative advantages that are being investigated in the Phase I design study, with a resultant down select of one system for which the FEED will be performed in Phase II. The technical tasks for the proposed project are: • Design Development: Completion of design activities necessary to provide inputs for the FEED study. Multiple design cases will be assessed with the selection of the optimal one for the FEED. • Investment Case Preparation: Development of the draft investment case for the proposed process with business cases performed for the proposed host site and two other locations. • Host Site Selection: Evaluation of the two potential host sites within NPPD’s portfolio to select the preferred candidate based on technical, economic, and environmental considerations. • Environmental Information Volume (EIV) Development: Completion of the EIV for the host site. • FEED Study: Completion of a FEED study based on the design selected in Phase I. A Greenhouse Gas Life Cycle Analysis will also be performed for the process. • Update Investment Case: Finalization of the investment case based on findings from the FEED. The advantages of the proposed project are significant. Having an engaged U.S. power utility willing to provide a host site that will produce energy from coal plus a deep and experienced team is critical; the process meets all the goals of DOE’s 21st Century Power Plant initiative at an estimated total plant cost of ~$880M and a production cost of hydrogen of ~$2/kg-H2 while producing net-negative carbon power. If developed, this process has real commercial potential in the United States—supported by EPRI’s initial review of the considerable interest from selected U.S. utilities—and elsewhere around the globe. The process has fewer environmental hurdles compared to other concepts, lowering regulatory and protest risks—providing a pathway to preserving the viability of a critical indigenous energy source by transforming its use to match a changing world. This presentation will outline the motivation for the effort, summarize project plans, work completed to date, results of the Design Development task, and detailed work scope for the remainder of the project.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2022

Challenges and Opportunities for the Development of Commercial Maritime Surface Vessel Nuclear Propulsion (CMNP)

Maritime transport and trade are currently responsible for producing nearly 1 billion metric tons of CO2 emissions annually, representing 2.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. While maritime shipping is acknowledged as the most efficient carrier of goods in terms of its costs and carbon intensity, the sector relies overwhelmingly on the use of heavy fuel oil (HFO). This fuel source currently is unmatched in terms of its global availability, safety, security of supply, price, and energy density. Combined, these characteristics are responsible for the outsized contribution of the sector to the global economy: roughly 90% of all transported goods spend time at sea. Commercial maritime nuclear propulsion provides opportunities to transition maritime trade to clean energy but also comes with challenges. Both are covered in this report based on 60+ interviews with professionals from the maritime and nuclear energy sectors.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Gasification of Coal and Biomass: The Route to Net-Negative-Carbon Power and Hydrogen

One promising process that is a candidate for meeting the goals of the US Department of Energy’s 21st Century Power Plant initiative is to gasify a mixture of coal and biomass to yield a syngas, which can have CO2 removed and then be used to produce hydrogen as well as an off-gas that can be used to flexibly produce power. This concept would overall be carbon net-negative and readily meet the 21st Century Power Plant initiative targets of smaller scale MW generation, high ramp rates and turndown, feedstock flexibility, and high efficiency—at a reasonable cost. Moreover, adding the large-scale production of “ultra-green” hydrogen yields a system tailored for the coming hydrogen economy, providing long-term energy storage and an attractive co-product for sale. The objective of the work being led by the Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. (EPRI), with support by Bechtel Corporation (Bechtel), Gas Technology Institute (GTI), Hamilton Mauer International, Inc. (HMI), Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD), NexantECA, Inc. (Nexant), and Wärtsilä, is to perform a front-end design and engineering (FEED) study on an oxygen-blown gasification system coupled with water-gas shift, pre-combustion CO2 capture, and pressure-swing adsorption working off a coal/biomass mix to yield high-purity hydrogen and a fuel off-gas that can generate power. Several designs are being considered that will be capable of producing 50 MW net from a flexible generator, over 8500 kg/hr of hydrogen, and net-negative CO2 emissions, at an efficiency of 50% net HHV. The plant would be hosted at an NPPD site, where opportunities for enhanced oil recovery and sequestration have been investigated and the need for low-carbon power and hydrogen is imminent. The principal biomass to be used is corn stover—prevalent in Nebraska where the plant will be located—mixed with Powder River Basin (PRB) coal, necessitating a gasifier that can use this feedstock and be flexible to allow other types. Waste plastics will also be reviewed for use. Two oxygen-blown gasifiers have been identified as candidates that have done testing with biomass including corn stover: the GTI gasifier—a high-pressure, fluidized-bed type—and HMI’s, a lower pressure moving-bed type. Both have relative advantages that were investigated in the Phase I design study, with a resultant down select of one system for which the FEED will be performed in Phase II. The technical tasks for the project are: • Design Development: Completion of design activities necessary to provide inputs for the FEED study. Multiple design cases will be assessed with the selection of the optimal one for the FEED. • Investment Case Preparation: Development of the draft investment case for the proposed process with business cases performed for the proposed host site and two other locations. • Host Site Selection: Evaluation of the two potential host sites within NPPD’s portfolio to select the preferred candidate based on technical, economic, and environmental considerations. • Environmental Information Volume (EIV) Development: Completion of the EIV for the host site. • FEED Study: Completion of a FEED study based on the design selected in Phase I. A Greenhouse Gas Life Cycle Analysis will also be performed for the process. • Update Investment Case: Finalization of the investment case based on findings from the FEED. The advantages of the proposed project are significant. Having an engaged U.S. power utility willing to provide a host site that will produce energy from coal plus a deep and experienced team is critical; the process meets all the goals of DOE’s 21st Century Power Plant initiative at an estimated total plant cost of ~$880M and a production cost of hydrogen of ~$2/kg-H2 while producing net-negative carbon power. If developed, this process has real commercial potential in the United States—supported by EPRI’s initial review of the considerable interest from selected U.S. utilities—and elsewhere around the globe. The process has fewer environmental hurdles compared to other concepts, lowering regulatory and protest risks—providing a pathway to preserving the viability of a critical indigenous energy source by transforming its use to match a changing world. This presentation outlines the motivation for the effort, summarizes project plans, work completed to date, results of the Phase I effort and, and detailed work scope for the remainder of the project in the Phase II FEED effort.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2023

Enrichment of H2 to CO2 ratio using formic acid as a hydrogen carrier - CRADA 581 (Abstract)

The collaboration between PNNL and OCOchem will investigate approaches to enhance the hydrogen (H2) content from a stream of H2 and carbon dioxide (CO2) gases produced in the catalytic decomposition of aqueous formic acid (FA85). OCOchem uses an electrochemical process to generate FA85 from captured CO2 using electricity from renewable resources. The FA85 is a liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC) that provides the opportunity to transport and store hydrogen, in liquid form, at volumetric densities significantly greater than compressed H2 gas, i.e., 50 grams H2/liter FA. PNNL has developed and tested catalytic reactors to release H2 from LOHCs like FA and aqueous formate salts (FS). The H2 released from the LOHC can be oxidized in a proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEM-FC) to generate electricity with water as the only by-product. The purpose of the proposed project is to increase the purity of the hydrogen released from the LOHC to enhance the operation efficiency of the PEM FC. The PEM FC in combination with the LOHC provides an approach to demonstrate a portable generator that utilizes hydrogen as the energy carrier instead of conventional diesel generator. The ‘hydrogen generator’ can be used to supply emergency backup power and significantly reduce CO2 emissions relative to a diesel generator.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Abstract for CRADA between National Energy Technology Laboratory and United States Steel Corporation

The United States Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (DOE-NETL) is committed to developing practical carbon capture solutions for reducing CO2 emissions from fossil fueled industrial sources, including steel manufacturing, cement manufacturing, and others. To address this need, NETL has developed a new ultra-high permeance polymer membrane that is optimized to reduce the cost of post-combustion carbon capture. NETL will partner with the U. S. Steel to demonstrate the effectiveness of this gas separation membrane technology using waste gas from a blast furnace at a steel production plant. Systems analysis will be conducted to understand the potential benefits for full scale implementation of the technology for steel manufacturing.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Surface Roughness Effects from Additive Manufacturing in High Efficiency Gas Turbine Combustion Systems

In the past, clean combustion systems were characterized by high system development costs due to growing complexity and escalating manufacturing costs from conventional manufacturing processes. As a result, high efficiency concepts are difficult to design and more difficult to be cost-effectively manufactured. In recent years, with the introduction of additive manufacturing (AM) technologies, the rapid prototyping and mass production processes of clean combustion systems are promising to be significantly simplified with significant reduction in terms of engine manufacturing cost and engine energy cost. Compared with conventional manufacturing built parts, the AM process enabled a simpler design to be adopted for the nozzle, reducing the number of required braze and weld joints from twenty-five to just five. The resulting nozzle was 25% lighter and five times more durable and contributed to a 15% reduction in fuel burn in comparison with the previous model produced. Applying these improvements to a fleet of 5,000 turbofan engines at 150 kN thrust would result in fuel cost savings of $ \$ $6B annually (at $ \$ $5/gallon Jet-A fuel price, 700 gallon/hour fuel consumption rate, and 2,300 operational hours per year), and reduce CO2 emissions by more than 25 million tons per year. These advances support core Department of Energy (DOE) missions in energy efficiency, improving productivity, and environmental sustainability. Maximizing the benefit of these new capabilities will require high prediction capability of high speed turbulent flow with wall modeled Large Eddy Simulation (LES). GE Aviation maintains that advanced simulation technology and supercomputing is required in order to provide the appropriate boundary conditions to realize the maximum potential of AM and Ceramic Matrix Composite to reduce cooling flow, a first order penalty on the Brayton cycle. The algorithm developed using the ANSYS/Fluent software would provide the foundation for entirely new avenues of research and development with potential multi-billion dollar impact to the US economy, and significant reduction in carbon based emissions across the aerospace and power generation industries. The formulation of this iWLES (integral wall model for LES) is generic and allows to capture the changes in flow dynamics that have a significant impact on the wall bounded flow characteristics, such as swirler effective area, bulk swirl number, local pressure distribution, exit velocity profile, and turbulence kinetic energy profile. A periodic channel flow with rough flat plate is simulated using LES (Wall-Adapting Local Eddy-viscosity) model to verify the implementation of iWLES in the Fluent User Defined Function (UDF). As the flow fields are highly sensitive due to surface roughness of the wall bounded flows in the combustion systems, there is significant potential to conduct further LES studies focusing on the turbulence boundary layer interaction. Accurately capturing near wall physics will elucidate the impact of rough surfaces on combustor flow and aero-thermal interactions.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Surface Roughness Effects from Additive Manufacturing in High Efficiency Gas Turbine Combustion Systems

In the past, clean combustion systems were characterized by high system development costs due to growing complexity and escalating manufacturing costs from conventional manufacturing processes. As a result, high efficiency concepts are difficult to design and more difficult to be cost-effectively manufactured. In recent years, with the introduction of additive manufacturing (AM) technologies, the rapid prototyping and mass production processes of clean combustion systems are promising to be significantly simplified with significant reduction in terms of engine manufacturing cost and engine energy cost. Compared with conventional manufacturing built parts, the AM process enabled a simpler design to be adopted for the nozzle, reducing the number of required braze and weld joints from twenty-five to just five. The resulting nozzle was 25% lighter and five times more durable and contributed to a 15% reduction in fuel burn in comparison with the previous model produced. Applying these improvements to a fleet of 5,000 turbofan engines at 150 kN thrust would result in fuel cost savings of $6B annually (at $5/gallon Jet-A fuel price, 700 gallon/hour fuel consumption rate, and 2,300 operational hours per year),and reduce CO2 emissions by more than 25 million tons per year. These advances support core Department of Energy (DOE)missions in energy efficiency, improving productivity, and environmental sustainability. Maximizing the benefit of these new capabilities will require high prediction capability of high speed turbulent flow with wall modeled Large Eddy Simulation (LES). GE Aviation maintains that advanced simulation technology and supercomputing is required in order to provide the appropriate boundary conditions to realize the maximum potential of AM and Ceramic Matrix Composite to reduce cooling flow, a first order penalty on the Brayton cycle. The algorithm developed using the ANSYS/Fluent software would provide the foundation for entirely new avenues of research and development with potential multi-billion dollar impact to the US economy, and significant reduction in carbon based emissions across the aerospace and power generation industries. The formulation of this iWLES (integral wall model for LES) is generic and allows to capture the changes in flow dynamics that have a significant impact on the wall bounded flow characteristics, such as swirler effective area, bulk swirl number, local pressure distribution, exit velocity profile, and turbulence kinetic energy profile. A periodic channel flow with rough flat plate is simulated using LES (Wall-Adapting Local Eddy-viscosity) model to verify the implementation of iWLES in the Fluent User Defined Function (UDF). As the flow fields are highly sensitive due to surface roughness of the wall bounded flows in the combustion systems, there is significant potential to conduct further LES studies focusing on the turbulence boundary layer interaction. Accurately capturing near wall physics will elucidate the impact of rough surfaces on combustor flow and aero-thermal interactions.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Midwest Industrial Assessment Center (Final Technical Report)

The Midwest IAC’s prime center was at the University of Missouri (MU) and the satellite center was at Wichita State University, Kansas. During the 5-year period we conducted at least 96 energy assessments, with recommended energy cost savings of $10.3 million of which $6.5 million was implemented savings. The implemented energy savings were 0.63 Terra BTU and CO2 emissions reduction was 400,000 tons. Thirty-five students completed requirements for a certificate of completion from DOE. IAC students received training in cybersecurity basics and application to manufacturing, fundamentals of energy efficiency, ISO50001, smart manufacturing.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2024

High Performance Metal-Supported SOFC System for Range Extension of Commercial Aviation

The DOE ARPA-E REEACH program [1] has enabled this Phase 1 study that conceptualizes a commercial 154 passenger electric aircraft using renewable aviation fuel for range extension while meeting similar mission performance levels as current commercial aircraft. Commercial aviation accounts for about 2.5% of global CO2 emissions, and close to 5% of overall anthropogenic climate change due to the added accounting of contrail’s effects [2]. The sector has adopted a goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 [3]. 110 nations, and recently the new US administration, have embarked on work to address this important challenge. The US DOE has released a roadmap to enable the further development of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in the hopes that it could meet all of aviation’s fuel needs by 2050 [4]. However, SAF fuel price and sufficient future feedstock availability remains a concern [5]. Considering the first commercial biofuel flight demonstration 14 years ago [6] and that SAF still only comprises less than 0.1% of jet fuel use, the question arises as how it can ramp up to 100% use in the next 27 years. One option that has the potential to substantially reduce the need for SAF is to implement light-weight Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) that can efficiently utilize SAF or other sulfur-free hydrocarbon fuels. As opposed to lower temperature PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) fuel cells that can use high-purity hydrogen, SOFC’s fuels are very flexible, ranging from low cost liquefied natural gas (LNG), renewable liquefied natural gas (RLNG), to SAF, to generate clean electrical power for use in aviation propulsion and auxiliary power units [7] [8]. Research progress is needed to enable SOFCs to achieve 3.0 kW/kg power density, making them viable for aviation [9]. The DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) has therefore initiated an aviation SOFC R&D program that is anticipated to dramatically reduce aircraft fuel use though the implementation of “Range Extenders for Electric Aviation with low Carbon and High efficiency” (REEACH) [1] for medium range commercial aircraft. This report summarizes the progress during phase 1 of the REEACH program.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2024

New Matrix Framework to Determine Carbon Storage Technical Viability

Carbon storage is an integral component of reducing CO2 emissions. Research over the past two decades has developed workflows for volume assessments and economic project feasibility, providing necessary and useful tools to progress geologic carbon storage (GCS) projects. These workflows and assessments have focused primarily on determining the in-situ storage resource based on geologic and engineering parameters and do not integrate subsurface characterization with surface conditions, social factors, and environmental factors that may pose a benefit or impediment to the implementation of GCS. Furthermore, the data required to assess the technical viability of GCS are myriad and disparate. There is no current methodology that identifies technical viability criteria and systematically informs how to aggregate these factors for spatial assessments. To address this gap, the National Energy Technology Laboratory has developed a Carbon Storage Technical Viability Approach (CS TVA) Matrix that incorporates a wide variety of factors to inform and accelerate screening for GCS site selection in the United States.

Mulhern, Julia↗
DOE OSTI2024

Technoeconomic Analysis of Kraft Pulp Mill Integration with an Advanced Nuclear Reactor

This study focuses on post-combustion capture and oxy-fuel combustion for the boilers at the mill, as well as steam integration with the nuclear power plant. The primary goal of the research outlined in this report is to design, analyze, and document the integration of industrial-scale HTGR with a reference Kraft Pulp Mill. The purpose is to deliver reliable, cost-effective, and sustainable clean energy alternatives while reducing CO2 emissions. Specifically, this study focuses on 6 different scenarios that include carbon capture equipment and some of them use nuclear power to meet the heat and electricity needs of the reference plant. Also, 2 of these scenarios are created while also producing clean hydrogen through integrated High-Temperature Steam Electrolysis (HTSE). This report offers a detailed techno-economic assessment of different scenarios for a Kraft Pulp Mill, including an analysis of tax credits (section 45V, 45Q, and 48E) provided by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022. The evaluation explores the potential economic benefits and challenges of incorporating different configurations, including nuclear energy, into Kraft Pulp Mill operations, with particular attention to energy efficiency, economic implications, and environmental impact. By assessing both the technical feasibility and economic viability, this analysis aims to identify existing gaps and propose solutions for the successful implementation of nuclear integration. The findings are intended to provide valuable insights for stakeholders considering the adoption of advanced nuclear reactors in the pulp and paper industries.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2024

Two-stage Stochastic Generalized Disjunctive Programming (GDP) Model for Proactive Planning and Reactive Operations of Resilient Power Systems under Disruptions

In this work, we propose a Generalized Disjunctive Programming (GDP) model that optimizes both long-term capacity planning (such as the number and size of dispatchable/renewable generators, batteries, and transmission lines) and hourly operation (such as on/off schedules of dispatchable generators, power output from each generator, and power flow) to maximize power system reliability while minimizing total cost and CO2 emissions.

Cho, Seolhee↗
DOE OSTI2024

Optimization Model and Algorithm for Capacity Planning and Operation of Reliable and Carbon-neutral Power Systems with High Penetration of Renewable Generation

In this work, we propose a Generalized Disjunctive Programming (GDP) model that optimizes both long-term capacity planning (such as the number and size of dispatchable/renewable generators, batteries, and transmission lines) and hourly operation (such as on/off schedules of dispatchable generators, power output from each generator, and power flow) to maximize power system reliability while minimizing total cost and CO2 emissions.

Cho, Seolhee↗
DOE OSTI2024

Evaluating Utility Costs Savings and Resilience: A Case Study in Port Arthur, Texas

This study evaluates the techno-economic feasibility of integrating solar photovoltaics (PV), battery energy storage systems (BESS), and generators to enhance both cost savings and resilience in critical community facilities in Port Arthur, Texas. Using NREL's REopt model, we analyze four facilities: the Golden Triangle Empowerment Center (GTEC), Lamar State College (LSC), Port Arthur Independent School District (PAISD), and Port Arthur Transit (PAT). A key aspect of the analysis is the incorporation of the Value of Lost Load (VoLL) and microgrid upgrade costs to assess the hidden value of resilience during grid outages. While standalone PV scenarios show moderate cost reductions and a 10-15% decrease in CO2 emissions, the inclusion of resilience measures with BESS and generators significantly increases system costs. However, the hidden value of resilience - quantified through avoided outage costs - leads to a substantial improvement in financial outcomes, resulting in positive Net Present Value (NPV) at many sites. The study demonstrates that resilient solar and storage systems offer both economic and resilience benefits, particularly for underserved communities, by balancing energy savings and enhanced operational continuity during outages.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

MRCI - Final Technical Report

The objective of the Midwest Regional Carbon Initiative (MRCI) project was to implement a collaborative Regional Initiative to accelerate the deployment of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) in the Midwest-Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic areas of the United States. This area encompasses a 20-state region with much of the country’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The MRCI project is co-led by Battelle Memorial Institute (Battelle) in Columbus, Ohio, and the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS) in Champaign, Illinois, and benefitted from the experience these organizations have acquired over the past 10-plus years leading two Department of Energy (DOE) Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships (RCSPs): the Midwestern Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (MRCSP), led by Battelle, and the Midwest Geologic Sequestration Consortium (MGSC), led by the ISGS.

CCS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Simulation & Analysis of the Hydronic Shell Retrofit System as a Solution for Deep Energy Retrofits and Electrification of Large Multifamily Housing Communities in Cold Climate

Among 32 million multi-family buildings in the United States, approximately 42% have poor or no insulation. Envelope retrofits of these buildings will provide thermal resiliency and enable a pathway to electrification of space heating systems as a result of improved thermal performance. Hydronic Shell (HS) is a technology which combines an insulated retrofit panel with a heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) thus enabling both envelope retrofit and space heating electrification. In this study, we used whole building energy simulation to evaluate energy impact of multi-family building retrofit with hydronic shell system. The simulation was performed for four locations of New York, Syracuse, Chicago and Boston. The results from the simulation showed more than 66% cooling energy reduction and more than 88% heating energy reduction from Hydronic Shell retrofit compared to Baseline building in all four locations. This reduction in energy consumption resulted in up to 219 MT reduction in annual CO2 emission. The cost reduction per floor area achieved from HVAC energy consumption reduction using Hydronic Shell retrofit was 0.66 to 0.99 $\$$/ft 2 . The results also showed higher percentage of heating energy reduction comes from the envelope only retrofit and higher percentage of cooling energy reduction comes from the retrofit HVAC system for the four locations under study.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2025

A Business Case Evaluation of Gas Switching Reforming (GSR) Technology: A Promising Technology for Natural Gas Reforming with Integrated CO2 Capture

Hydrogen is essential in the transition to sustainable energy, and developing low-carbon production methods is a key research focus. Traditional steam methane reforming (SMR) dominates the hydrogen industry but contributes substantially to CO2 emissions. In response, Gas Switching Reforming (GSR) has emerged as a novel process that integrates carbon capture and utilizes process heat more efficiently. Unlike other reforming methods, GSR consolidates oxidation and reduction reactions within a single reactor, which minimizes external energy inputs and simplifies scaling. Like conventional steam methane reforming (SMR), GSR can be integrated with water-gas shift and pressure swing adsorption units for pure hydrogen production. This work presents a comprehensive business case analysis of GSR technology based on experimental results in Technology Readiness Level 3, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Techno-Economic (TEA) evaluation incorporating ASPEN Plus process modeling considering different configurations and energy scenarios. The TEA incorporates data from kinetic experiments from various catalysts to evaluate the GSR process under various conditions. The goal of this work is to evaluate GSR’s potential to serve as a low-carbon alternative to SMR, focusing on global warming potential and additional impact categories to evaluate a wide spectrum of environmental impacts. Comparative assessments were conducted with SMR, chemical loop reforming (CLR), and proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis to explore trade-offs across environmental metrics. The environmental impact assessment of this work encompasses the entire hydrogen production lifecycle from raw material extraction to plant decommissioning, using a cradle-to-gate boundary. Preliminary findings highlight that GSR, when integrated with low-carbon energy sources, could significantly reduce environmental impacts, making it a promising candidate for low-carbon hydrogen infrastructure. The insights from this business case evaluation aim to guide industry in scale-up and commercialization of this promising clean energy technology.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Final Technical Report

The overall objective of the project was to perform the preliminary development work for an integrated CO2 capture project at the Polk Power Station. During the project, the team applied its extensive knowledge base, built from previous Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) studies and recent power generation major construction projects, to complete the conceptual design of a carbon capture system capable of capturing a minimum of 95% of the CO2 emissions.

Dilport, Nathan↗