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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 343 records · Page 19

Life Cycle Assessment and Techno-Economic Assessment of Lithium Recovery from Geothermal Brine

Lithium-ion batteries (LIB) play an essential role in the electrification of the transportation sector, and battery demand for lithium compounds will see a significant increase in the coming decades. This has raised concerns on the supply of lithium, and as a result, technologies are being developed to process unconventional lithium sources. One promising technology is to extract lithium from geothermal brine using lithium-aluminum-layered double hydroxide chloride (LDH) sorbent and forward osmosis. A combined life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic assessment (TEA) is conducted to evaluate the environmental and economic performance of this technology. It is assumed that the lithium extraction unit is an add-on to a 50 MW geothermal power plant located in California. The analysis is based on lab-scale experimental data and stoichiometry while considering the economy of scale for an industrial system. LCA results suggest that, compared with conventional LiOH and Li 2 CO 3 production pathways, the new technology achieves 1–95% reduction in environmental impacts. Even higher reduction can be achieved for LiOH produced via electrolysis. This add-on unit for lithium extraction could achieve a payback period of less than 1 year and reach net present values of $454M and $315M and internal rates of return of 792 and 1130% for LiOH and Li 2 CO 3 production pathways, respectively. The favorable environmental and economic performance suggests that LDH sorption coupled with forward osmosis has great potential to enable the domestic production of battery lithium compounds and that further development should be carried out.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

A Modular Mechanism for Downhole Weight-on-Bit and Torque Reaction in Small Diameter Boreholes

Drilling systems that use downhole rotation must react torque either through the drill-string or near the motor to achieve effective drilling performance. Problems with drill-string loading such as buckling, friction, and twist become more severe as hole diameter decreases. Therefore, for small holes, reacting torque downhole without interfering with the application of weight-on-bit, is preferred. In this paper, we present a novel mechanism that enables effective and controllable downhole weight on bit transmission and torque reaction. This scalable design achieves its unique performance through four key features: (1) mechanical advantage based on geometry, (2) direction dependent behavior using rolling and sliding contact, (3) modular scalability by combining modules in series, and (4) torque reaction and weight on bit that are proportional to applied axial force. As a result, simple mechanical devices can be used to react large torques while allowing controlled force to be transmitted to the drill bit. We outline our design, provide theoretical predictions of performance, and validate the results using full-scale testing. The experimental results include laboratory studies as well as limited field testing using a percussive hammer. These results demonstrate effective torque reaction, axial force transmission, favorable scaling with multiple modules, and predictable performance that is proportional to applied force.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

Analysis of Gaps in Techno-Economic Analysis to Advance Heliostat Technologies for Concentrating Solar-Thermal Power

The Heliostat Consortium (HelioCon) was launched in 2021 to advance heliostat technology. One of its first efforts was to do a detailed analysis of gaps in technology and capabilities in the heliostat industry and complete a roadmap study describing high-priority gaps. HelioCon gathered gaps through a series of outreach activities with representatives and experts from industries and research institutes. Here, this paper discusses the gap analysis for the techno-economic analysis (TEA) topic. One of the main objectives of the TEA topic is to relate the cost and performance of heliostats and heliostat components to the overall system performance. In this study, we limit the scope of this topic to the heliostat field, tower, and receiver and do not consider downstream applications or uses of thermal energy. We conducted a thorough review of existing models and compiled a list of the state of the art in open-source tools currently available to researchers. We collected an initial list of gaps for the TEA of heliostats from industry developers and experts. Each gap is briefly described, and the heliostat development cycle stages that the gap impacts are indicated. We ranked the initial list of TEA gaps into tiers depending on their potential impact. For TEA, most of the gaps identified are related to developing models or data. Strictly speaking, none of these gaps are essential for heliostat development, but all would aid in the heliostat development process.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Utah FORGE: Data for 3-D Model Development - Lithology, Temperature, Pressure, and Stress

This submission comprises two downloadable .zip archives. Each archive contains spreadsheets with 3-D data and a .txt document describing the data. The Mesh Files .zip download contains data regarding the lithologic contacts of the granitoid and overlying sedimentary basin fill. The Initial Conditions .zip download contains data regarding temperature, pressure, and stress. These data were generated during Utah FORGE Phase 2 and exported from Seequent Leapfrog Geothermal. They are intended for use in 3-D earth modeling.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

EGS Collab Experiment 1: 3D Seismic Velocity Model and Updated Microseismic Catalog from Double-Difference Seismic Tomography

This package contains a 3D Seismic velocity model and an updated microseismic catalog obtained for a double-difference seismic tomography study. The 3D_seismic_velocity_model text file contains x (m), y(m), z(m), P-wave velocity (km/s), P-wave velocity quality indicator (1 for well-constrained; 0 for poorly constrained), S-wave velocity (km/s), and S-wave velocity quality indicator (1 for well-constrained; 0 for poorly constrained). The Updated_MEQ_catalog text file contains event origin time, x(m), y(m), z(m), error in x (m), error in y (m), error in z (m), and RMS misfit (millisecond). The 3D_seismic_P-wave_velocity_model animation file shows slices of the 3D P-wave velocity model. The 3D_seismic_S-wave_velocity_model animation file shows slices of the 3D S-wave velocity model. The Interactive_MEQ_location_comparison API file is an interactive visualization of the updated microseismic event locations and the original seismic catalog. The visualization allows users to view and compare the event locations by dragging, rotating, and zooming in. An updated version of 3D_seismic_velocity_model and associated animations were included, which were calculated with a more strict assumption for quality indicators.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

Utah FORGE: Phase 3 Ground Water Level Monitoring Data

Groundwater data around the Utah FORGE site has been collected to determine the piezometric levels and compositional variability. Field measurements in 2020 are designed to obtain and survey new groundwater wells that have been drilled on the distal periphery of the Utah FORGE project area. The spreadsheet included in this submission contains ground water level data from the Utah FORGE site as monitored from wells WOW-2 and WOW-3. The well locations are also provided as UTM, Zone 12, NAD83 coordinates.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

Utah FORGE: Well 16A(78)-32 Drilling Data

This dataset includes survey data, drilling data, daily reports, summaries of daily operations, and rig photos from the drilling of Utah FORGE well 16A(78)-32, which is a highly deviated deep well. It was completed 60 days ahead of schedule. Rig move in began 10/22/2020 and drilling commenced on 10/30/2020, and total depth was reached on 12/18/2020. Drilling was followed by a diagnostic fracture injection test (DFIT), logging, and circulating casing. The rig was released on 1/12/2021. The upper part of the well was drilled vertically through approximately 4,700 feet of sediments before penetrating into high strength, crystalline granite. The well was deviated at a 65 degree angle from vertical after reaching a depth of 6,000 ft. This angle was maintained for the remainder of the well's trajectory. The well ultimately reached a true vertical depth of 8,559 feet, and a total measured depth of 10,987 feet. Preliminary measurements indicate temperatures at the "toe" of the well will exceed 442 degrees F (228 degrees C). Approximately 74 ft of core of the granitic and metamorphic rocks that will form the FORGE reservoir was also recovered.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

Programs and Code for Geothermal Exploration Artificial Intelligence

The scripts below are used to run the Geothermal Exploration Artificial Intelligence developed within the "Detection of Potential Geothermal Exploration Sites from Hyperspectral Images via Deep Learning" project. It includes all scripts for pre-processing and processing, including: - Land Surface Temperature K-Means classifier - Labeling AI using Self Organizing Maps (SOM) - Post-processing for Permanent Scatterer InSAR (PSInSAR) analysis with SOM - Mineral marker summarizing - Artificial Intelligence (AI) Data splitting: creates data set from a single raster file - Artificial Intelligence Model: creates AI from a single data set, after splitting in Train, Validation and Test subsets - AI Mapper: creates a classification map based on a raster file

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

Utah FORGE Well 16A(78)-32 Simplified Discrete Fracture Network Data

The FORGE team is making these fracture models available to researchers wanting a set of natural fractures in the FORGE reservoir for use in their own modeling work. They have been used to predict stimulation distances during hydraulic stimulation at the open toe section of well 16A(78)-32. This is a simplified DFN (discrete fracture network) dataset, that was generated using FracMan, for Utah FORGE well 16A(78)-32. A short, well-illustrated, report describing the data is also included in the provided archive file.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

Report on the deployment of the National Geothermal Data System 2.0

This reports includes a video description of recent upgrades and changes to the National Geothermal Data System (geothermaldata.org) and a text report of its relevant security upgrades. Improvements include a new operating system, implementation of HTTPS, implementation of a standard firewall, PostgreSQL upgrades, an ESRI ArcGIS server, new registration policies, and a non-public API.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

Utah FORGE Groundwater Levels: Updated 2021

Contains Utah FORGE ground water data for wells WOW2 and WOW3. The data was updated on October 5th, 2021 and contains legacy data. Groundwater data includes the level, offset, date, and time for each measurement. Temperature, drift, water elevation and other parameters are recorded. Figures in the data include a water elevation over time plot. Legacy data ranges from year 1976 to 2019 and updated data ranges from year 2019 to 2021.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

Utah FORGE Raw Microgravity Composite Data: Updated 10/2021.

This is a microgravity dataset from the Utah FORGE site near Milford, Utah. This composite dataset was updated in October, 2021 and contains data from December 17th, 2018 through September 24th, 2021. The data includes the GPS location of the measurement, date of the measurement, name of the station, relative difference in gravity, and coordinates of the station. This data was generated by the Utah Geological Survey.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

Retrospective Analysis of Geothermal Mineral Recovery and Domestic Resource Assessment - References

This reference database in RIS format contains all of the references that were collected as part of our retrospective analysis of geothermal mineral recovery (REE and Li) activities and domestic resource assessment. The outputs detail the chemistry and molecular processes used in lithium recovery from geothermal brines. The articles included include information about the study including more information on geothermal brines and the technologies used for recovering lithium from geothermal brines.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

Utah FORGE Groundwater Levels: Updated March 2022

This Excel spreadsheet contains Utah FORGE groundwater data for wells WOW2 and WOW3. The data was updated on March 16th, 2022 and contains legacy data. Groundwater data includes the level, offset, date, and time for each measurement. Temperature, drift, water elevation and other parameters are recorded. Figures in the data include a water elevation over time plot. Legacy data ranges from year 1976 to 2019 and updated data ranges from year 2019 to 2021.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

GeoRePORT 2.0 - Protocols and Reporting Tools

Version 2 of the GeoRePORT protocols and excel-based reporting tools. Software allows users to grade the geologic, technical, and socio-economic conditions at a geothermal resource location for both electricity generation and direct-use. Includes tool and protocols for: * Geologic Assessment Tool * Technical Assessment Tool * Socio-Economic Assessment Tool * International Socio-Economic Assessment Tool In addition, GeoRePORT now includes a Resource Size Assessment tool and protocol.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

Foam Fracturing Study for Stimulation Development of Enhanced Geothermal Systems

This is a final technical report for the project: Foam Fracturing Study for Stimulation Development of Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS). The goal is to demonstrate the feasibility of foam fracturing in EGS applications. The project, led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), was conducted in collaboration with Temple University. The report describes the research activities with Task 1 at ORNL: foam fracturing testing system development and experimental study on foam fracturing, and Task 2 at Temple University: foam testing and foam characterization. Main findings are: 1. A foam fracturing test system has been developed at ORNL, which can be used to perform foam fracturing under pressure up to 6,000 psi. The system monitors foam density during fracturing online and is capable of testing materials in both monotonic and cyclic (up to 50 Hz) injections. 2. Foam fracturing tests were carried out on Charcoal black granite specimens with a blind borehole to the middle length. Two diameters of blind borehole were tested; G2 series: 9.53 mm and G3 series: 4.76 mm. N2-in-water foam was used with AOS as a surfactant. 3. There was a hole-size effect on fracture initiation pressure. The effect is smaller in the case of foam, which was influenced by the high penetrability of gas in foam. Breakdown pressure showed a behavior just as that of fracture pressure; namely an increased value for small hole samples, while the effect in water fracture was more impressive than in foam fracture. 4. Water mass was reduced in foam fracturing within similar range of breakdown pressures. In G2 series, it was decreased from 10.44 g for water fracturing to 5.17 g, representing more than 50% water reduction. Therefore, there is the potential to reduce water use in EGS stimulation through foam fracturing. 5. Use of cyclic injection has the potential to reduce the breakdown pressure and seismicity in EGS application. Experiments using 4-s cycle period found that specimens can be fractured with a low number of cycles. The fatigue pressure was approximately 64 - 77% of monotonic breakdown pressure for water fracturing and 58 - 94% of the breakdown pressure for foam fracturing. 6. A foam stability testing system has been developed that can test foam at 220 Deg C to 2,000 psi. Tested components of candidate foams included two gases: N2 and CO2; 4 surfactants: AOS, SDS, NP-40 and CTAC; 5 stabilizing agents: guar, bentonite clay, borate salt, silica NPs, and GO. 7. N2 and AOS provided the most stable performance over the tested ranges. Furthermore, the AOS foam with stabilizing agents of guar and borate salt (crosslinker) offered the highest half-life of 20 minutes at 200 Deg C and 1,000 psi. 8. Arrhenius equation and modified power law have been demonstrated to fit well the half-time vs. temperature and pressure data, respectively. These relations can be useful to provide the suggestion for future foam stability study. This submission contains the supporting data developed during the project: 1) A final technical report 2) Granite fracturing data in monotonic and cyclic injections with water and N2 foam Foam performance data in various temperatures and pressures, including half-time, is submitted separately.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

Foam Fracturing Fluid Half-life Experimental Data

Foam thermal stability was studies at Temple University in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL). The goal of this project is to explore thermally stable foams as hydrofracking fluid media for potential applications in enhanced geothermal system (EGS). Data generated from this project will allow researchers to explore foam as potential fracturing fluid. More than 800 data points on the half-life of foams are recorded in Excel files in the included archive resource (Half-life of Foams with Different Surfactants and Stabilizing Agents). The Excel file within each surfactant folder contains half-life data of the respective surfactant with different stabilizing agents, pressure, and temperature. The respective folders also contains Word files describing the details of the data included in the respective Excel sheet.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗