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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 325 records · Page 18
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

DEEPEN: Newberry Volcano MT and Gravity Data - 2022 and 2023 Acquisition and Processing

As part of DEEPEN (DE-risking Exploration of geothermal Plays in magmatic ENvironments), a 3D play fairway analysis (PFA) was conducted at Newberry Volcano in Central Oregon for multiple play types (conventional hydrothermal, superhot EGS, and supercritical). For use in this PFA, combined full tensor broadband magnetotelluric (MT) and gravity data were acquired, processed, and inverted by Enthalpion Energy LLC (Enthalpion) with support from NREL staff. The data collection efforts took place from June 19th to July 24. Data were collected with the goal of gaining an improved understanding of the South Flank and the extent of the magma chamber. This GDR submission includes the raw data, single inversions, joint inversions, resolution matrices, and a report on these processes. More detailed information about the folder structure of the datasets included in this submission may be found on pages 94-97 of Magnetotelluric and Gravity Survey Report.pdf below.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

ALFA Oscillating Water Column Device Testing

Data from Phase 1 testing of a single ALFA Oscillating Water Column (OWC) device at the O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory (HWRL) at Oregon State University in Fall of 2016. Contains two zip files of raw data, one of project data, and a diagram of the device with dimensions. A "readme" file in the project data archive under "Docs" explains the project data.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2015

Pacific Marine Energy Center benthic physical conditions, macrofauna, and groundfish abundances

From 2010 to 2015, box core grabs were collected at permanent stations around the Pacific Marine Energy Center - North Energy Test Site (PMEC-NETS) off Newport, Oregon. At each box core station a conductivity, temperature, depth (CTD) cast was conducted. These data include the CTD from the bottom of the cast, sediment grain size analysis, total organic carbon and nitrogen analysis (for the first 3 years only) and macrofaunal organism abundances as retained on a 1 mm mesh sieve. From 2012 to 2015, additional box core grabs were collected around two of the anchors deployed at PMEC-NETS to assess potential changes to sediment conditions and/or organism abundances. From 2013 to 2015, box core samples also were collected in and around the South Energy Test Site (PMEC-SETS). The CTD, grain size, and organism abundances are included. Additionally from 2010 to 2015 beam trawls were conducted at 9 stations (a subset of the box core stations) around PMEC-NETS and CTD casts were conducted before the start of each trawl. Again the CTD data from the bottom of the cast are included. Organism data are fish densities based on the estimated number of meters covered by the trawl. No trawls were conducted at PMEC-SETS.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2020

FOSWEC v2: System identification and control testing at Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory

This report summarizes the design and execution of a wave tank test of the floating oscillating surge wave energy converter (FOSWEC) in the O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory Directional Wave Basin at Oregon State University. This device, which uses two "flaps" that pivot about a central platform when excited by waves, has a natural frequency within the range of the waves by which it is excited. The FOSWEC was originally considered to be a 1:33 scale device, however, for the current tests, no fixed relative scale is used (i.e., the WEC is considered to be scaled for the basin’s wave environment in which it operates). The primary goal of this test was to assess the degree to which previously developed modeling, experimentation, and control design methods could be applied to a broad range of wave energy converter designs. Testing was conducted to identify a dynamic model for the impedance and excitation behavior of the device. Using these models, a series of closed loop tests were conducted using a causal impedance matching controller. This report provides a brief description of the results, as well as a summary of the device and experimental design. The results show that the methods applied to this experimental device perform well and should be broadly applicable. The data collected during testing is compressed into FOSWEC.zip. Please refer to Appendix C (pages 61-63) of the test report for descriptions of each test ID corresponding to the compressed files.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2024

Laboratory Upgrade Point Absorber (LUPA) CAD Files

The Laboratory Upgrade Point Absorber (LUPA) is an open-source wave energy converter designed and tested by Oregon State University. The computer-aided design (CAD) files are provided here in two forms: the original SOLIDWORKS (2021) model as "LUPA SOLIDWORKS.zip" and as a STEP file "LUPA-A1000.step". The bill of materials is provided as an Excel file with assemblies (LUPA-Axxx), part numbers (LUPA-Axxx-Pyyy), part descriptions, manufacturers, and manufacturer part numbers. This comprehensive CAD model represents LUPA as it was deployed in Fall 2022 testing at the O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory. The mass properties including mass, center of gravity, and moments of inertia have been overridden for some parts and assemblies to match the physical device properties as determined from experiments. This appears as "overridden by user" when viewing mass properties in SOLIDWORKS. The LUPA-A1000.SLDASM file from the LUPA SOLIDWORKS.zip folder is the topmost assembly, open this file to see the entire model as one assembly. See "PMEC Page", "OpenEI Wiki Page", and the "Signature Project Page" resources below for more information on LUPA.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2011

Demonstration of LED Retrofit Lamps in the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art

The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art in Eugene, Oregon, houses a remarkable permanent collection of Asian art and antiquities, modern art, and sculpture, and also hosts traveling exhibitions. In the winter and spring of 2011, a series of digital photographs by artist Chris Jordan, titled “Running the Numbers,” was exhibited in the Coeta and Donald Barker Special Exhibitions Gallery. These works graphically illustrate waste (energy, money, health, consumer objects, etc.) in contemporary culture. The Bonneville Power Administration and the Eugene Water and Electricity Board provided a set of Cree 12W light-emitting diode (LED) PAR38 replacement lamps (Cree LRP38) for the museum to test for accent lighting in lieu of their standard Sylvania 90W PAR38 130V Narrow Flood lamps (which draw 78.9W at 120V). At the same time, the museum tested LED replacement lamps from three other manufacturers, and chose the Cree lamp as the most versatile and most appropriate color product for this exhibit. The lamps were installed for the opening of the show in January 2011. This report describes the process for the demonstration, the energy and economic results, and results of a survey of the museum staff and gallery visitors on four similar clusters of art lighted separately by four PAR38 lamps.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2015

NEAMS-Funded University Research in Support of TREAT Modeling and Simulation, FY15

This report summarizes university research activities performed in support of TREAT modeling and simulation research. It is a compilation of annual research reports from four universities: University of Florida, Texas A&M University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Oregon State University. The general research topics are, respectively, (1) 3-D time-dependent transport with TDKENO/KENO-VI, (2) implementation of the Improved Quasi-Static method in Rattlesnake/MOOSE for time-dependent radiation transport approximations, (3) improved treatment of neutron physics representations within TREAT using OpenMC, and (4) steady state modeling of the minimum critical core of the Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT).

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Residential Building Energy Efficiency Field Studies: Low-Rise Multifamily

In recent years, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has conducted a series of research studies to validate energy efficient building technologies in the field. Much of the work has focused on single-family construction, and some has also addressed commercial energy codes. The work detailed in this DOE-funded study (EE0007616) focuses on low-rise multifamily buildings (three stories or fewer above grade) in various regions of the United States, and reports on how state-level building codes are being implemented, both in terms of observed characteristics and also in terms of estimated energy impacts. Nearly 100 buildings across four states—Illinois, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington—were sampled, which represent a range of climate types from mild temperature to very cold continental. Both common entry and outdoor entry buildings were included, and a parallel research project evaluated envelope air tightness and current still-evolving air tightness testing methods. Finally, a set of structured interviews of building designers and other relevant professionals was carried to out to gain more insight into this market. To the greatest extent possible, the methodology developed under the project for low-rise multifamily buildings mirrored the approach established by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for single-family residential buildings (https://www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/downloads/residential-building-energy-code-field-study). This included the general approach to sampling, recruitment, and data collection, as well as data analysis and presentation. The range of permitting dates for the sites encompassed two energy code cycles in most regions. All states in the study had adopted a variation of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) for the structure of their state code. The low-rise multifamily occupancy presents a hybrid building type: most of the building’s conditioned floor area was covered by the residential chapter of the code while portions of the building (such as corridors and common spaces) fell under the commercial code chapter. The key items assessed in this work were: Building Shell—exterior wall insulation, ceiling insulation, foundation insulation, windows. Common Areas—HVAC and lighting. Living Units—lighting, ventilation. A few items were not assessed in detail, given their relative paucity in this occupancy type; these included duct leakage, pipe insulation, and hot water circulation controls. Building characteristics were collected via a combination of architectural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing plan reviews and field inspections, and entered into a spreadsheet-based tool that was later queried to build a database. Data went through quality control both upon arrival and via a later semi-automated review and assurance process. Most of the data are presented graphically so that the reader can quickly assess compliance with the applicable energy codes (both by state and by code year). As a final step, EnergyPlus™ simulations were created for all buildings in the study to estimate both the as-found energy use intensity (EUI) and the energy and CO 2 that could be saved if features that were found to not meet code minimums were brought up to code. The savings estimates were tabulated for each of the four states in the study. The research team found that the single-family approach was largely applicable to low-rise multifamily buildings. This applies to both the data collection and the prototype EUI analysis. Most of the occupied space is living units and falls under residential energy codes, and many characteristics use similar envelope construction and relatively straightforward mechanical systems and lighting. One of the most challenging aspects of this work was to build an effective spreadsheet-based data collection instrument that could allow efficient collection of both building plan and field data. The research team is of the view that other methods could be equally effective if the work is done carefully with diligent quality control. The primary findings for the work center around the thermal envelope and mechanical systems and lighting at the sites: For thermal envelope components, the majority of buildings met or were better than the prescriptive code.This suggests that building designers and builders are aware of code requirements. In some cases, surveyed buildings were designed to qualify for energy efficiency certification programs. These buildings made up at least 20% of sampled buildings in each state. Almost all buildings met mechanical system efficiency requirements (for both living units and common areas). In some cases, sites employed systems that were considerably more efficient than required by the applicable energy code. Dwelling units had a majority of high-efficacy lighting, often in excess of the state’s residential code requirements. While high-efficacy fixtures were also typical in common areas (corridors and stairwells), lighting power densities (LPDs) in these areas were sometimes higher than levels dictated by the applicable part of the state commercial energy code. The simulation models run on a series of low-rise multifamily prototypes, informed by a composite of the field data collected, calculated annual EUIs of between 20 and 50 kBtu/ft2-yr, with the range representing the effects of both building characteristics and building location (climate zone). A detailed process (based on simulations of prototype buildings) was used to estimate the amount of avoided energy use that would occur if 100% adherence to energy codes were attained. The results indicated modest savings are attainable for items such as window thermal performance and common area lighting. The result is overall only a modest potential for additional energy savings, averaging about 10% of EUI.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Integration of a Concentrating Solar Steam Topping Turbine to an Existing Geothermal Binary Power Plant (CRADA CRD-17-700 Final Report)

U.S. Geothermal Inc. is a publicly traded leading renewable energy company focused on the development, production, and sale of electricity from geothermal energy with operating generation facilities at Raft River, Idaho; San Emidio, Nevada; and Neal Hot Springs, Oregon. (U.S. Geothermal was acquired by Ormat Technologies, Inc. since the execution of this project). This project will evaluate the integration of a concentrating solar steam topping cycle with a geothermal bottoming binary cycle. This hybrid plant configuration will enable high efficiency conversion of the solar heat to electrical power, while simultaneously increasing the power output of the bottoming cycle. Such a design has the potential to reduce the cost of electrical power from concentrating solar power (CSP) and geothermal plants, and a viable design could be deployed at existing geothermal plants that have experienced resource productivity decline as well as in greenfield projects. This analysis will examine US Geothermal’s Raft River power plant for implementation of this concept. INL and NREL have previously collaborated in the analysis of geo-solar hybrid power plants. These two labs will again work together to model the solar field, steam-topping, and geothermal bottoming cycles in order to investigate the performance of the proposed cycle. This analysis will provide US Geothermal with technical information including equipment specifications and estimated power generation necessary to advance the concept toward implementation. A successful project outcome has two parts: One would be for US Geothermal to have a process flow diagram (heat and mass balance), and performance parameters for the major pieces of equipment. US Geothermal could then use this information evaluate the techno-economic feasibility of the hybrid power cycle, and serve as the basis for subsequent detailed equipment design, purchase, and installation of the cycle. The second would be for the developed solution to be published by DOE for use by other geothermal developers both to retrofit underperforming plants and to lower the LCOE of new developments.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Western USA Assessment of High Value Materials in Geothermal Fluids and Produced Fluids

This report documents the results of investigations dealing with the concentrations and availabilities of strategic, critical and valuable materials (SCVM) in produced waters from geothermal and hydrocarbon reservoirs (50-250° C) in Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, and Utah. Analytical results were obtained for water samples from 47 production wells in 12 geothermal fields. Results were also obtained for samples from 25 oil/gas production wells in the Uinta and Paradox Basins and Covenant oil field, from 14 groundwater wells in the Tularosa play fairway (New Mexico), and from 20 groundwater wells and hot springs in the Sevier Thermal Belt (southwestern Utah). Most SCVM concentrations in produced waters range from <0.1 to 100 ug/kg. Lithium is the only element, which has much higher concentrations and which ranges from 10 to 26,000 ug/kg. Relatively high concentrations of gallium (10-80 ug/kg geothermal; 10-10,000 ug/kg Uinta Basin), germanium (1-70 ug/kg geothermal; 10-500 ug/kg Uinta and Paradox Basins), scandium (0.1-2.0 ug/kg geothermal; 5-10 ug/kg Paradox Basin), selenium (1-100 ug/kg geothermal; 10-20,000 ug/kg Uinta and Paradox Basins), and tellurium (0.1-10 ug/kg geothermal; 1-500 ug/kg Uinta and Paradox Basins) are measured too. Geothermal production waters contain very low concentrations of REEs, below analytical detections limits of 0.01 ug/kg, but the concentrations of some REEs (lanthanum, cerium, and europium) range from 0.05 to 5 ug/kg in Uinta Basin waters. Among the geothermal fields, the Roosevelt Hot Spring reservoir appears to have the largest endowments of germanium (20,000 kg) and lithium (7 million kg), the Patua reservoir appears to have the largest endowments of gallium (25,000 kg), selenium (47,000 kg), and tellurium (2500 kg), and the Raft River reservoir appears to have the large endowment of scandium (700 kg). By comparison, the Uinta Basin has larger inventories of gallium (>100,000 kg). These estimates are provisional, and they were calculated using geologically reasonable values for reservoir volumes and porosities. The concentrations of gallium, germanium, lithium, scandium, selenium, and tellurium in produced waters appear to be partly controlled by reservoir temperature and concentrations of total dissolved salts. The relatively high concentration and large endowment of lithium occurring at Roosevelt Hot Springs appears to be related to hot water interaction with crystalline granitic rocks, which host the reservoir and the hydrothermal system, and elevated concentrations of TDS. Analyses of calcite scales from Dixie Valley show that cobalt, gallium, gold, palladium, selenium and tellurium are depositing at deep levels in production wells due to boiling. Comparisons with SCVM mineral deposits suggest that brines in sedimentary basins or derived from lacustrine evaporites enable aqueous transport of gallium, germanium, and lithium.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Biophysical model of eelgrass and water quality in Coos Bay, OR shows greater mitigation potential for ocean acidification than hypoxia

Seagrass beds provide important ecosystem services and are valued, in part, for their potential to mediate stressors such as ocean acidification and hypoxia (OAH) for sensitive species. However, the susceptibility of seagrasses to anthropogenic impacts and recent declines motivate the need to better understand the drivers of seagrass and the water quality consequences that occur with variation in seagrass abundance. To meet this need, we leveraged existing monitoring data (water quality and seagrass), hydrodynamic circulation model, and biogeochemical model framework with seagrass submodel, to produce a biophysical model of Coos Bay estuary, Oregon, U.S. The model includes biogeochemical processes involving water quality, plankton, seagrass, and sediment-water interactions. Ecosystem models like this are useful for evaluating complex estuarine systems because they allow us to extend our understanding of system dynamics beyond existing observations and perform experiments to identify the processes driving observed patterns. We used the biophysical model of Coos Bay to evaluate the dynamics of water quality and native eelgrass (Zostera marina) under three eelgrass abundance scenarios (zero eelgrass, current extent, and maximum observed extent) to elucidate the relationship between eelgrass and OAH. Including eelgrass in the Coos Bay model produced results that more closely resembled water quality observations - dissolved oxygen (DO) and pH were more dynamic in simulations with eelgrass, often having both higher highs and lower lows. While there were some areas of the estuary where DO improved with the addition of eelgrass to the model there was overall a small net increase in harmful DO conditions (based on a salmon physiological threshold). In contrast, ocean acidification conditions, pH and calcium carbonate saturation state for aragonite (Ω), were improved (based on oyster requirements) with the addition of eelgrass - although the magnitude of improvement differed seasonally and spatially. Our new model represents a useful tool - one which accounts for and controls the relevant physical and biogeochemical processes - to evaluate conditions that confer resilience or enhance vulnerability to OAH in an important Pacific Northwest coastal estuary and results can inform the OAH-related dynamics occurring in other eastern boundary current estuaries.

FVCOM-ICM↗
DOE OSTI2026

3D Play Fairway Analysis for Examining of Superhot Reservoir Production Scenarios

The DEEPEN (DE-risking Exploration for geothermal Plays in magmatic ENvironments) project was a multi-laboratory, international effort to reduce uncertainty and improve resource characterization in superhot geothermal systems. Building on this foundation, this work advances open-source tools designed to lower the exploration risk and cost of superhot geothermal projects while promoting transparency, reproducibility, and efficiency in exploration workflows. These tools are being tested at two key sites: (1) the Nesjavellir Geothermal Area in Iceland, where the Icelandic Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) will drill its third well, and (2) Newberry Volcano in Oregon, USA, where Mazama Energy will pilot the first superhot enhanced geothermal system (EGS). A major outcome is the creation of a modular, open-source Python framework for play fairway analysis (PFA) in 2D and 3D, called geoPFA. The PFA workflow has been expanded to produce pseudo conceptual models, and will soon be refined to assess reservoir components through integration with the thermo-hydraulic-mechanical-chemical (THMC) simulator TReactMech, to enable iterative coupling between PFA and THMC models, improving characterization of superhot systems. All three of the Icelandic Deep Drilling Project's production scenarios were analyzed via this framework: (1) a superhot deep injection well paired with conventional production wells at Nesjavellir, (2) a superhot deep production well at Nesjavellir, and (3) superhot enhanced geothermal system at Newberry Volcano. This analysis provides useful insights around conceptual modeling of these production scenarios, helping to inform decisions around which scenario is best suited for which types of environments.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS2000

Evolution of thermotolerance in hot spring cyanobacteria of the genus Synechococcus

The extension of ecological tolerance limits may be an important mechanism by which microorganisms adapt to novel environments, but it may come at the evolutionary cost of reduced performance under ancestral conditions. We combined a comparative physiological approach with phylogenetic analyses to study the evolution of thermotolerance in hot spring cyanobacteria of the genus Synechococcus. Among the 20 laboratory clones of Synechococcus isolated from collections made along an Oregon hot spring thermal gradient, four different 16S rRNA gene sequences were identified. Phylogenies constructed by using the sequence data indicated that the clones were polyphyletic but that three of the four sequence groups formed a clade. Differences in thermotolerance were observed for clones with different 16S rRNA gene sequences, and comparison of these physiological differences within a phylogenetic framework provided evidence that more thermotolerant lineages of Synechococcus evolved from less thermotolerant ancestors. The extension of the thermal limit in these bacteria was correlated with a reduction in the breadth of the temperature range for growth, which provides evidence that enhanced thermotolerance has come at the evolutionary cost of increased thermal specialization. This study illustrates the utility of using phylogenetic comparative methods to investigate how evolutionary processes have shaped historical patterns of ecological diversification in microorganisms.

Synechococcus Group/classification/growth & develo↗
DOE OSTI2012

Pacific Coast Tidal Wetlands

A review of the ecology and conservation of coastal wetlands of Washington, Oregon, and California.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2012

New Small Hydropower Technology to be Deployed in the United States

Earth By Design Inc, (EBD), in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Knight Pi sold and Co., and CleanPower AS, has responded to a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) published by the Department of Energy (DOE) in April 2011. EBD submitted a proposal to install an innovative, small hydropower technology, the Turbinator, a Norwegian technology from CleanPower. The Turbinator combines an axial flow, fixed-blade Kaplan turbine and generator in a compact and sealed machine. This makes it a very simple and easy technology to be deployed and installed. DOE has awarded funding for this two-year project that will be implemented in Culver, Oregon. ORNL with the collaboration of CleanPower, will assess and evaluate the technology before and during the manufacturing phase and produce a full report to DOE. The goal of this phase-one report is to provide DOE Head Quarters (HQ), water power program management, a report with findings about the performance, readiness, capability, strengths and weakness, limitation of the technology, and potential full-scale deployment and application in the United States. Because of the importance of this information to the conventional hydropower industry and regulators, preliminary results will rapidly be distributed in the form of conference presentations, ORNL/DOE technical reports (publically available online, and publications in the peer-reviewed, scientific literature. These reports will emphasize the relevance of the activities carried out over the two-year study (i.e., performance, robustness, capabilities, reliability, and cost of the Turbinator). A final report will be submitted to a peer-reviewed publication that conveys the experimental findings and discusses their implications for the Turbinator application and implementation. Phase-two of the project consists of deployment, construction, and project operations. A detailed report on assessment and the performance of the project will be presented and communicated to DOE and published by ORNL.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗