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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

Cold Climate Integrated Heat Pump with Energy Storage for Grid-Responsive Control

An air-source integrated heat pump (ASIHP) is a multifunctional unit, capable of space cooling, space heating, and water heating. We developed a packaged cold climate ASIHP, using a multi-stage compressor, capable of working down to -25°C, and providing 100% rated capacity down to -15°C with a heating COP > 2.2. An innovative system configuration and related controls were developed to solve charge balance in the integrated heat pump, smooth charge migration, and mode transition among multiple working modes. Extensive laboratory investigations for individual modes were performed to verify the performance. Its integrated heating capability provides speedy water heating to meet domestic hot water use and store heating energy in a phase change material ceiling/panel. The heating energy storage can be used to shift the load when the electricity price is high. Based on the performance data and a calibrated model from the laboratory testing, we conducted building energy simulations driven by a model predictive control, using EnergyPlus in one U.S. cold climate zone to investigate the grid-responsive control strategy and estimate the utility cost reduction potential.

Shen, Bo↗
DOE OSTI2022

Low-Carbon District Heating: Performance Modeling of Hybrid Solar, Heat Pump, and Thermal Storage Systems for District Thermal Energy in the United States

District heating requires thermal energy in the temperature range of 40 degrees C - 120 degrees C. Typically, the thermal energy input for these systems has largely been met through fossil energy. However, the temperature range is low enough that it presents an opportunity for low-carbon technologies such as solar thermal and electrified thermal generators like heat pumps to decarbonize the heat generation. In this paper, a heat pump model was applied to estimate the performance and economics of a real-world low-carbon district heating substation. This system is comprised of a flat plate solar collector field paired with a mechanical vapor compression heat pump and hot water thermal storage, augmented by gas-fired boilers. Plant data was used to tune the model and estimate the system's benefits in terms of both standard financial metrics (IRR and payback), and environmental metrics, including avoided CO2 emissions. The model is subsequently employed to estimate the technical and economic potential of solar + heat pump + ther-mal storage hybrid systems as retrofits for district heating systems in eight US Markets.

district heating↗
DOE OSTI2022

Model Predictive Control for a Grid-interactive Efficient Thermal Storage-integrated Heat Pump System

Building heating and cooling systems can be used to overcome the mismatch between the intermittent supply of renewable power and the fluctuating demand for electricity. A novel underground thermal energy storage integrated with a dual-source heat pump has been proposed to mitigate the mismatch while meeting the thermal demand of buildings efficiently. Conventional thermostat control with heuristic rules cannot provide intelligent decisions to maximize the thermal efficiency and flexibility of the proposed system. Advanced control strategies like model predictive control (MPC) have provided a new paradigm for grid-interactive efficient building operation with the advancement of computation and sensing. This study developed an MPC for the proposed system to provide grid service for Demand Side Management and minimize the operating cost of building owners. A control-oriented dynamic model of the proposed system has been developed. Given an objective function and proper constraints, an optimization problem is formulated to determine the optimal control strategy of the system. Dynamic Programming is adopted to solve the optimization problem. A rule-based control (RBC) is also developed to achieve similar goals. Short-term simulations are conducted to compare the system performance resulting from the two controls. The simulation results indicate that the MPC performs more intelligently than the RBC in charging thermal energy storage and selecting heat pump sources by taking advantage of the predicted cooling demands of the building and the performance of the integrated system. As a result, the MPC could save energy and reduce operating costs compared with the RBC. A case study shows that, for a 3-day operation, the MPC saves 36.9% energy and reduces 38.5% operating cost compared with the RBC.

Shi, Liang↗
DOE OSTI2024

Innovating the next generation of commercial smart building software

Nearly 30% of commercial building energy use is wasted due to equipment faults and HVAC controls problems. The result is increased emissions, compromised comfort and productivity, and less reliable coordination of building power needs with a clean grid. The energy impact alone represents $17 billion in potential savings. Today’s smart building software provides a robust solution to address these operational deficiencies. Energy management and information systems (EMIS) are saving up to 9% on average, with two-year paybacks. They are being incorporated into energy management processes, commissioning services, and utility programs. As effective as they are, two barriers prevent even deeper benefits; limited personnel to fix problems once they are identified, and the expense and time to manually implement changes in control systems. In partnership with the research community, the EMIS industry is developing new capabilities to overcome these barriers. Moving beyond siloed products for either fault detection and diagnostics, or optimal control, these new capabilities empower users to not only automatically identify faults, but also to push corrective action, and control improvements to their buildings. In this paper, several areas for enhancements are documented: ‘one-time’ correction of faults such as setpoints, schedules, and economizer lockouts; short-term active testing for automated proportional integral derivative (PID) loop tuning and functional testing; and continuous supervisory control for demand flexibility and year-round efficiency. Results are presented from a pair of partner implementations out of a dozen providers integrating these enhancements into their products, including field tests from across the country, and insights into operator acceptance and integration into operations and maintenance practices.

Casillas, Armando↗
DOE OSTI2026

Investigation of a thermocapacitive cycle by aqueous supercapacitors for multifunctional heat pump and energy storage

Thermocapacitive cycles are promising thermal and energy storage cycles using supercapacitors, which can achieve thermal efficiencies over 50% of the Carnot limit. There is a lack of work investigating the use of thermocapacitive effects in practical heat pumps. Here, this paper explores the design of thermocapacitive cells with higher temperature changes to be better suited for heat pumping applications. To evaluate the cell designs on temperature changes, pouch type cells are prototyped and modeled, and tested using a micro-calorimeter. A peak adiabatic temperature span of a LiCl aqueous cell is 2.7 °C. By arranging the cells in a cascade manner, the projected adiabatic temperature span can reach up to 12 °C with a heating density of 15 kW m −3 and an energy storage density of 0.83 kWh m −3 . Models predict that this could be increased to 30 °C and 1.65 kWh m −3 through improvements to cell capacitance and thermopower. Incorporating the energy storage capabilities into heating and cooling devices can be beneficial to building thermal management as energy storage becomes increasingly important for energy system integration.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Use of Systems Engineering in Repurposing Coal-Fired Power Plants with Malta Pumped Thermal Energy Storage System

he electric sector across North America is facing a transition. Both economics and policy decisions have pointed towards a broad retirement of fossil assets across markets. Owners are facing the problem of how to evolve the base of the electric sector from fossil asset to greener alternative. Coal-fired power plants built the modern electricity grid. Their rotating machinery are the beating heart of the grid, providing essential resiliency and reliability services. Power plant retirements are disruptive to plant workforces and cause outsized impacts on surrounding communities. The transition from thermal power plants that use rotating machinery to generate electricity (e.g., coal- and gas-fired plants) to variable, inverter-based generation (e.g., solar and wind) is affecting the reliability of the electric grid. Grid operators and national regulators have issued warnings about known and anticipated risk. In 2021, Malta Inc. was awarded a Department of Energy (DOE) grant to study how to integrate a Malta 100MW Pumped Heat Energy Storage (PHES) system with a retiring coal-fired power plant to meet emissions requirements, retain plant workforces, preserve communities, and maintain grid reliability. This presentation provides a summary of this study, focusing on how systems engineering approach was used to arrive at a proposed design concept that met multiple objectives and requirements. There will be three main parts for this presentation. The first part of the presentation will focus on how different systems engineering was applied for this work. In particular, the following areas: stakeholder engagement, site selection process, developing requirements and use cases for the integrated system, defining the system and its boundary, coming up with different system architecture/option, performing a techno-economic analysis to compare the different options and down selection of the preferred option, will be discusses. For these areas, discussion on the decisions on how much breadth and depth to go into each area will be provided. These discussions provide good insights into how to apply systems engineering. The second part of the presentation will provide a deeper dive into the two recommended integration options that repurpose coal-fired power plants with Malta PHES system. The comparison of the two options and general guidance of how to choose an option will be provided. This is particularly useful for utilities who are facing coal-plant retirements. The two options will be compared based on its performance (such as power output, efficiency), complexity, and cost. The social impact on local communities of the two options will also be discussed. The final part of the presentation will discuss the impact that this work has had, including Malta Inc. being invited to the White House to discuss progress and outcomes of this work with the Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization. In summary, this presentation aims to provide a showcase of how sy

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Demand reduction and energy saving potential of thermal energy storage integrated heat pumps [Réduction de la demande et potentiel d'économie d'énergie des pompes à chaleur avec stockage d'énergie thermique intégré]

A heat pump (HP) moves heat from a low-temperature source to a high-temperature sink with an input of energy. Often, one temperature body fluctuates with time (e.g., diurnal ambient temperature), causing the HP efficiency to vary. Integrating thermal energy storage (TES) into a HP system adds a third temperature body, enabling the HP to be advantageously coupled to any two: the application, the ambient, or the TES at strategic times. Although TES integration with HPs is an important emerging technology to lower energy consumption and decrease energy demand during critical times, the favorable circumstances for TES integration are poorly understood. Here, this paper establishes the energy reduction and demand reduction potential of TES-integrated HPs with both analytical and numerical HP models. All possible temperature arrangements are considered for HP-TES systems with two fixed temperature bodies (application and TES) and one variable temperature (ambient). Results show that overall energy savings are most attainable when the TES temperature is near the application temperature, whereas a large temperature difference between the TES and the application leads to the most peak demand reduction. The potential for overall energy savings increases as the magnitude of ambient temperature fluctuations increases.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Preliminary Assessment for the Electric Load Shifting Potential of Integrating Thermal Energy Storage with Heat Pumps in Residential Buildings in Texas of United States

The widespread adoption of electric-driven heat pumps for heating and cooling is expected to significantly increase electric demand. Cooling electric demand will result in an increase in peak hours electric loads, placing additional strain on the grid during peak hours. This challenge, combined with the current rapidly increasing demand from data centers, exacerbates the electric demand duck curve problem. Integrating thermal energy storage (TES) with heat pump can shift electric use for heating and cooling from peak to off-peak hours of the electric grid, which can help flatten the daily electric demand profile of a building. This paper presents a novel design that integrates heat pump with TES (HP-TES), which uses phase change materials (PCM). Heat pump charges TES by melting or freezing PCM during off-peak hours when there is no thermal demand from the building. TES is then discharged (i.e., by freezing or melting PCM) during peak hours to provide a more favorable heat source or heat sink for the heat pump to meet the thermal demand of the building with lower electricity use than conventional air-source heat pumps. Computer simulations were developed to predict the performance of HP-TES applied to a typical single-family house in the US. The building-level simulation results were scaled up to preliminarily assess the aggregated impacts of deploying HP-TES across all single-family houses in Texas of the United States, including reduction of peak demand of the electric grid.

Anees, Fady [ORNL]↗
DOE OSTI2017

Collaborative Modular Pumped Hydro Energy Storage Design Study

In May of 2017, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) through the Applied Engineering Technology Division, Jemez Mountain Electric Cooperative Inc. (JMEC), and Northern New Mexico College (NNMC) agreed to enter into a small, joint, non-binding Modular Pumped Hydro (MPH) design study related to grid level energy storage to begin a process of collaboration. Los Alamos National Laboratory's mission is to solve national security challenges through scientific excellence. The mission of Northern New Mexico College is to ensure student success by providing access to affordable, community-based learning opportunities that meet the educational, cultural, and economic needs of the region. Jemez Mountain Electric Cooperative Inc. is the largest electric co-op in the State of New Mexico providing affordable and reliable electricity to customers in the five counties of Rio Arriba, Santa Fe, San Juan, McKinley and Sandoval.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

A Propane Hydronic Heat Pump with Energy Storage

Propane is an environment-friendly refrigerant, having a 20-year GWP (global warming potential) of 0.072 and a 100-year GWP of 0.02, as compared to R-410A having a GWP > 2000. It has superior thermodynamic cycle performance and heat transfer characteristics. However, propane is classified as a A3 refrigerant, which is highly flammable, and not allowed to be used indoor if the system charge is higher than 150 grams. It is a challenge to use propane in residential applications requiring a rated capacity larger than 10 k Watts. A hydronic heat pump, i.e., containing propane in an outdoor unit and distributing the cooling and heating capacity through a hydronic coil to the indoor space addresses the flammability issue, while maintaining a high efficiency. We developed a hydronic heat pump with propane, it uses a two-stage compressor, a brazed plate indoor heat exchanger, and a microchannel outdoor heat exchanger. It achieves a rated cooling capacity larger than 10 k Watts, and a cooling SEER (cooling seasonal energy efficiency rating) > 16.0 (cooling seasonal COP > 4.7) and a heating HSPF (heating seasonal performance factor) > 9.5 (heating seasonal COP > 2.78), while requiring a system charge < 1200 grams. Additionally, the hydronic heat pump was evaluated in a laboratory water heating loop to heat a 50-gallon water tank in a full condensing mode. Experiments of heating the tank water from 58F(14.4°C) to 150F(65.6°C) were conducted under ambient temperatures from 17F(-8.3°C) to 75F(23.9°C), at the compressor high and low stages.

Shen, Bo↗
DOE OSTI2019

Preliminary Hyde Memorial State Park Modular Pumped Hydro Energy Storage Sizing Study

Hyde Memorial State Park has lost grid supplied power and has been running on a diesel generator for some time now. The powerline that feeds the park is a state owned, 5 mile underground extension from the PNM service connection point. The line has decayed over the past 30 plus years and due to the location (much of it running under the road) the cost of repair and the logistics of closing the road are not good options. In June 2019 through a state contractor, the State of New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department completed a renewable energy microgrid feasibility study to see if it was technically and economically feasible to operate the park without future grid power. The study looked at solar plus battery storage and a propane generator as a possible option. New Mexico State Parks Division has indicated their wish to move forward with the microgrid project which will now go out to one of the state’s energy services performance contractors. The contractor will have to finalize the feasibility study and develop a complete list of construction costs. Given, the lack of long-term O&M data on the battery, as part of the next phase of the project the State of New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department asked Los Alamos National Laboratory to preliminary examine the potential for pumped hydro as an alternative to batteries.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Integrated Pumped Thermal and Liquid Air Energy Storage

Liquid air energy storage (LAES) and pumped thermal energy storage (PTES) are two closely related technologies that employ thermodynamic cycles to store electricity in the form of thermal energy. This chapter describes the integration of PTES and LAES in a single combined cycle (PT-LAES), where the PTES side provides the cold source required to drive the air liquefaction process. This presents several advantages compared to the separate cycles, including the partial or complete removal of cold stores, a higher energy density and the achievement of full air liquefaction. Notably, PT-LAES does not depend on external sources of heat or cold and thus constitutes a stand-alone system. As a result, PT-LAES can also be viewed as an advanced LAES cycle with full liquefaction.

Carnot batteries↗
DOE OSTI2024

System and Component Development of Particle-Based Pumped Thermal Energy Storage

Reliable power supply from variable renewable resources requires energy storage at various scales to overcome resource intermittency. Long-duration energy storage (LDES, 10-100 hours) can improve dispatchability and grid reliability with increasing levels of renewable power supply. Thermal energy storage (TES) has siting flexibility and the ability to store a large capacity of energy, and thus has the potential to meet the LDES need and provide charging and discharging durations beyond the economic capacity of conventional batteries. TES technology has evolved from concentrating solar thermal power (CSP) generation and is recognized as an economic large-scale energy storage method. A standalone electric-thermal energy storage system supporting renewable integration of wind and solar power without CSP solar field can firm renewable generation and boost overall grid resilience and security.

concentrating solar thermal power↗
DOE OSTI2025

Characterization of Inlet Guide Vane Performance for Discharge Compressor Operation near the Dome of an sCO 2 Pumped Heat Energy Storage

Southwest Research Institute® (SwRI®) developed and tested a Variable Inlet Guide Vane (IGV herein) assembly on an integrally-geared sCO 2 compressor (IGC) to demonstrate compressor operation at both the compressor design point and near the dome and to define the operating limits of the compressor by monitoring for two-phase flow, flow turbulence from the IGVs, and compressor choke and surge as the CO 2 inlet temperature is varied. Performance testing was conducted on an existing integrally-geared, two-stage main compressor designed for near-critical-point operation with CO 2 . This testing campaign validated the IGV design and operation, as well as improved the understanding and confidence in operating compressors and predicting performance characteristics near the critical point where fluid properties change rapidly with temperature. In addition to improving the robust operating limits of an sCO 2 compressor, the development of an IGV for the IGC system improved off-design compressor efficiency by 12%.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
NASA NTRS1998

Terrestrial Energy Storage SPS Systems

Terrestrial energy storage systems for the SSP system were evaluated that could maintain the 1.2 GW power level during periods of brief outages from the solar powered satellite (SPS). Short-term outages of ten minutes and long-term outages up to four hours have been identified as "typical" cases where the ground-based energy storage system would be required to supply power to the grid. These brief interruptions in transmission could result from performing maintenance on the solar power satellite or from safety considerations necessitating the power beam be turned off. For example, one situation would be to allow for the safe passage of airplanes through the space occupied by the beam. Under these conditions, the energy storage system needs to be capable of storing 200 MW-hrs and 4.8 GW-hrs, respectively. The types of energy storage systems to be considered include compressed air energy storage, inertial energy storage, electrochemical energy storage, superconducting magnetic energy storage, and pumped hydro energy storage. For each of these technologies, the state-of-the-art in terms of energy and power densities were identified as well as the potential for scaling to the size systems required by the SSP system. Other issues addressed included the performance, life expectancy, cost, and necessary infrastructure and site locations for the various storage technologies.

Brandhorst, Henry W., Jr.↗