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At least 343 records · Page 19

An Approach to High-Performance Affordable Housing Using Point-Source Space Conditioning

In cooperation with the Building America Program, The Levy Partnership explored a variety of options to reduce space-conditioning energy consumption, working with partners to design, manu- facture, and build test homes in three states. The Levy Partnership tested the use of minisplit ductless heat pumps in combi- nation with small through-wall transfer fans to provide space conditioning in small single-story homes, including manufactured homes and homes built by Habitat for Humanity. The team set out to achieve 50% less energy consumption, compared to the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code, while maintaining home afford- ability and thermal comfort. The strategy also included a highly efficient thermal envelope to reduce space-conditioning loads.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗

Ruthenium/Carbon Nanocomposites for Efficient Hydrogen Electrocatalysis: Impacts of Halide Residues

Ruthenium has emerged as a promising substitute for platinum toward the hydrogen evolution/oxidation reaction (HER/HOR). Herein, ruthenium/carbon composites are prepared by magnetic induction heating (300 A, 10 s) of RuCl3, RuBr3 or RuI3 loaded on hollow N-doped carbon cages (HNC). The HNC-RuCl3-300A sample consists of Ru nanoparticles (dia. 1.96 nm) and abundant Cl residues. HNC-RuBr3-300A possesses a larger nanoparticle size (≈19.36 nm) and lower content of Br residues. HNC-RuI3-300A contains only bulk-like Ru agglomerates with a minimal amount of I residues, due to reduced Ru-halide bonding interactions. Among these, HNC-RuCl3-300A exhibits the best HER activity in alkaline media, with a low overpotential of only -26 mV to reach 10 mA cm-2, even outperforming Pt/C, and can be used as the cathode catalyst for anion exchange membrane water electrolyzer (along with commercial RuO2 as the anode catalyst), producing 0.5 A cm- 2 at 1.88 V for up to 100 h, a performance markedly better than that with Pt/C. HNC-RuCl3-300A also exhibits the best HOR activity, with a half-wave potential (+18 mV) even lower than that of Pt/C (+35 mV). These activities are ascribed to the combined contributions of small Ru nanoparticles and Ru-to-halide charge transfer that weaken H adsorption.

Yu, Bingzhe↗

An Approach to High-Performance Affordable Housing Using Point-Source Space Conditioning

This project explored the use of minisplit ductless heat pumps in combination with small through-wall transfer fans to provide space conditioning in small single-story homes including manufactured homes and homes built by Habitat for Humanity. The objectives were to reduce space conditioning energy consumption by 50% compared to the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code while maintaining home affordability and thermal comfort. The strategy to achieve this goal also included a highly efficient thermal envelope to reduce space conditioning loads.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Enhancing heat pump water heater performance with embedded phase change materials thermal energy storage: First hour rating improvement and demand response operation

The increasing global emphasis on energy efficiency and sustainability has put heat pump water heaters (HPWHs) in the spotlight as an energy-efficient alternative to traditional water heating systems. However, their widespread adoption is limited by challenges such as insufficient First Hour Rating (FHR), suboptimal control mechanisms, and limited flexibility for demand response operations. Here, to address these limitations, this study proposes an innovative HPWH system integrated with embedded phase change material (PCM)-based thermal energy storage (TES). The research introduces a novel design and control strategy that leverages optimized PCM integration to enhance thermal storage capacity, improve hot water delivery during peak demand, and increase load-shifting potential. A combination of system modeling, performance simulation, and demand response control strategy evaluation was employed to quantify the benefits of PCM integration. Results demonstrate that the proposed PCM-TES HPWH system significantly enhances FHR, with an optimal 7.0 lb. of PCM increasing FHR by over 26 %—from 62 to 78 gal—for a standard 50-gal HPWH. Additionally, under advanced demand response operation using a preheat strategy, the system reduces the percentage of control temperature out-of-band time from 65 % (conventional HPWH) to just 11.6 %, enabling a more stable and efficient hot water supply. This research contributes a novel PCM-embedded HPWH design and control framework that addresses both performance and grid-interactivity challenges. The findings offer a viable pathway to enhancing the operational efficiency, flexibility, and grid responsiveness of residential water heating systems.

Demand response control↗

Design, Analysis, Comparison, and Experimental Validation of Insulated Metal Substrates for High-Power Wide-Bandgap Power Modules

Direct bonded copper (DBC) substrates used in power modules have limited heat spreading and manufacturing capability due to ceramic properties and manufacturing technology. The ceramic and copper bonding is also subject to high mechanical stress due to coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch between the copper and the ceramic. For wide-bandgap (WBG) devices, it is of interest exploring new substrate technologies that can overcome some of the challenges of direct bonded copper substrates. In this technical paper, the design, analysis, and comparison of insulated metal substrates (IMSs) for high-power wide-bandgap semiconductor-based power modules are discussed. This paper starts with technical description and discussion of state-of-the-art DBC substrates with different ceramic insulators such as aluminum nitride (AlN), Al 2 O 3 , and Si 3 N 4 . Next, an introduction of IMSs and their material properties, and a design approach for SiC (silicon carbide) metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET)-based power modules for high-power applications is provided. The influence of dielectric thickness on the power handling capability of the substrate are also discussed. The designed IMS and DBC substrates were characterized in terms of steady-state and transient thermal performance using finite element simulation. Finally, the performance of the IMS and DBC are validated in an experimental setup under different loading and cooling temperature conditions. We report the simulation and experimental results showed that the IMS can provide high steady-state thermal performance for high-power modules based on SiC MOSFETs. Furthermore, the IMS provided enhanced transient thermal performance, which provided a reduced junction temperature when the module is operated at low fundamental output frequencies in traction drive systems.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Physically Realistic Estimates of Electric Water Heater Demand Response Resource

Multiple grid integration studies have examined the value of demand response, including from water heaters, to bulk power systems. Common shortcomings of these studies include physically unrealistic assumptions. For example, studies often assume that all electric water heater load can be shed for up to an hour to provide capacity or contingency service, that all electric water heater load is shiftable, and that round-trip efficiencies for shifting service are 100%. Another issue is that simply summing up estimates of individual water heaters' flexibility bounds, an attractive idea for constructing the MW-scale resources necessary for direct inclusion in grid investment and operational models, can result in significant overestimates of actual resource, because, e.g., a water heater with the ability to reduce load may not be able sustain the reduction for as long as the aggregate model suggests is possible. This presentation demonstrates the impact of estimating the flexibility of electric water heaters with physically realistic models suitable for grid service analysis. Electric water heater flexibility representations are constructed based on ResStock simulations of New England. Specifically, we examine contingency resource (related to capacity, shed, and contingency reserve services) and energy shifting resource from electric resistance and heat pump water heaters. Different estimation methods are compared; and the surrogate models' event responses are validated against events directly simulated in EnergyPlus. We also demonstrate the impact of using electric water heaters for contingency reserves and energy shifting in detailed models of possible future ISO New England power systems.

building energy modeling↗

Development of Numerical Model of Metal Foam with PCM for the Estimation of Effective Thermal Conductivity

Global warming due to climate change is a threat to humankind. Nuclear energy is one of the promising solutions to reduce fossil fuel usage. Nuclear energy can handle the base load, compensating for the volatility of renewable energy. If nuclear energy could achieve load following capability, the combination with renewable energy would be more suitable. Thermal energy storage (TES) is one of the options for enabling load following of nuclear reactors. The TES makes it possible to store surplus nuclear thermal energy and release it later as needed. In Idaho National Laboratory (INL), a new concept of latent heat TES integrated with high-temperature heat pipe has been proposed and is under development, which is called Heat pipe-Integrated Thermal Battery (HITB). HITB exchanges thermal energy between the reactor system and TES via heat pipe. The heat transferred to TES medium, made of phase change material (PCM), stores energy as sensible heat and/or latent heat. As PCM typically has poor thermal conductivity, however, various heat transfer enhancement techniques are required to achieve a rapid charging cycle. There are many techniques to enhance the heat transfer ability of TES medium such as disk, fin, and metal foam. Among them, metal foam is an appropriate option to enhance the heat transfer because it maximizes the heat transfer area through metal wicks. Metal foam is a lightweight metal structure that has a high porosity of over 0.9. The typical materials for metal foam are Aluminum, Copper, Nickel, and Silicon Carbide (SiC). Metal foam not only enhances heat transfer via conduction but also increases contact surface area. In the HITB design , the metal foam is being considered as one of the options to enhance the heat transfer of TES medium (PCM) [1]. To predict the enhanced thermal performance of TES, one should properly estimate the effective thermal conductivity of metal foam combined with PCM material or calculate heat transfer in distributed model. There are many experimental works that provides effective thermal conductivity of metal foam with various PCM [2,3]. Also, many theoretical models were developed based on the unit cell model of metal foam [4,5]. With a distributed model, on the other hand, detail heat transfer characteristics between metal foam and PCM material can be analyzed considering the geometry or buoyancy effect. However, due to the complex geometry of metal foam pores, the computational cost for three-dimensional modeling highly increases. Therefore, if metal foam structure can be modeled in simple and repetitive design, the computational cost would decrease Among the various metal foam models [2], lattice model is one of the simple and extendable design. The porosity and pores per inch (PPI) can be characterized by the size and spatial distance of lattice structure. If the three-dimensional metal foam model consists of lattice structure could properly estimate the heat transfer, which is characterized by effective thermal conductivity, it would be a good option to assess the thermal performance of metal foam with PCM. In this study, a three-dimensional numerical model was developed to simulate conductive heat transfer between metal foam and PCM. The three-dimensional lattice structure of square pillars was selected as a basic structure of the metal foam. The calculation result was characterized by the effective thermal conductivity of the whole domain. A sensitivity study was conducted for mesh size, domain size, and PPI to check whether the calculation result gives a converged result or not. Lastly, the effective thermal conductivity from the lattice model was compared with existing experimental data to validate the model result

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Evaluation of the Thermal and Moisture Performance of Insulating Shades

Heat transfer through windows accounts for a significant percentage of a building’s energy use and adds substantially to the peak heating and cooling loads of a home. Over the past 20 years, residential window attachment retrofit technologies have been developed that significantly increase the number of options available to home builders, homeowners, and utilities when considering upgrades of overall window performance. Within the interior window attachments category, honeycomb cellular shades typically have the highest R-values because of their layered or concentric designs. During the winter when the window is fully covered, however, the added insulation reduces the amount of warm indoor air that reaches the window surface, thereby lowering the temperature of the window glass and frame and increasing the potential for condensation to collect on the interior surface of the window. The degree to which this potential is realized depends on the indoor and outdoor conditions as well as the overall thermal resistance of the window and the shades. To examine the condensation buildup potential on the interior surface of the window and the conditions under which this occurs, this report describes experimental research conducted by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in collaboration with Hunter Douglas, using a a controlled environmental test chamber at the Hunter Douglas facility in Broomfield, Colorado. The results will be used to inform the Attachments Energy Rating Council, which provides energy performance information on all rated window attachments products.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

An economic and technical feasibility analysis of a dual-source heat pump using both the air and the ground

The study investigates the economic and technical performance of a novel dual-source heat pump (DSHP) compared with that of air-source heat pumps (ASHPs) and ground-source heat pumps (GSHPs). The DSHP can use both ambient air and the ground as a heat source or heat sink. It uses ambient air when its temperature is favorable for efficient heat pump operation. When the ambient temperature is too hot or cold, the ground source is used to retain high-efficiency heat pump operation. Since the DSHP can alternately use either the ground heat exchanger (GHE) or ambient air to meet the thermal load, the required size of GHE can be smaller than those of GSHPs. This study models the DSHP using a whole building energy simulation tool (EnergyPlus) coupled with a Python plug-in and Heat Pump Design Model (HPDM) to simulate its heating and cooling performance for a typical single-family home in 15 US climate zones. The required GHE size of the DSHP system is determined through simulations and compared with that of GSHPs. DSHP deployment can reduce electricity use compared to ASHPs, especially in cold climates where it shows a reduction of around 50%. When compared to GSHPs, DSHPs use 20%–40% more electricity in warm climates but consume around the same amount in moderate and colder climates. Since the DSHP can use air source when the ambient temperature is mild, the GHE size needed for the DSHP is about 40% less than that needed for GSHPs in hot climates and about 25% less in cold climates. In conclusion, the life cycle cost analysis shows that the DSHP is economically more feasible than ASHPs in colder regions and economically more feasible than GSHPs in hot and cold regions.

Dual-source heat pumps↗

Fast and accurate reduced-order modeling of a MOOSE-based additive manufacturing model with operator learning

One predominant challenge in additive manufacturing (AM) is to achieve specific material properties by manipulating manufacturing process parameters during the runtime. Such manipulation tends to increase the computational load imposed on existing simulation tools employed in AM. The goal of the present work is to construct a fast and accurate reduced-order model (ROM) for an AM model developed within the Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) framework, ultimately reducing the time/cost of AM control and optimization processes. Our adoption of the operator learning (OL) approach enabled us to learn a family of differential equations produced by altering process variables in the laser’s Gaussian point heat source. More specifically, we used the Fourier neural operator (FNO) and deep operator network (DeepONet) to develop ROMs for time-dependent responses. Furthermore, we benchmarked the performance of these OL methods against a conventional deep neural network (DNN)-based ROM. Ultimately, we found that OL methods offer comparable performance and, in terms of accuracy and generalizability, even outperform DNN at predicting scalar model responses. The DNN-based ROM afforded the fastest training time. Furthermore, all the ROMs were faster than the original MOOSE model yet still provided accurate predictions. FNO had a smaller mean prediction error than DeepONet, with a larger variance for time-dependent responses. Unlike DNN, both FNO and DeepONet were able to simulate time series data without the need for dimensionality reduction techniques. Finally, the present work can help facilitate the AM optimization process by enabling faster execution of simulation tools while still preserving evaluation accuracy.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Modeling of a Generic Pebble Bed High-temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (PB-HTGR) with SAM

This report presents the modeling of the core of a generic pebble-bed reactor (PBR) at the system level using the System Analysis Module (SAM) code. This work is an extension of a previous work by the authors (Ooi et al. (2021)) that used the so-called 2-D ring model approach to model the PBMR-400. With the new approach, the pebble bed of the reactor is modeled with multiple PBCoreChannel components with spherical heat structures which allows the code to calculate thermal fluid parameters with built-in closure relations. The new core-channel approach is an improvement to the 2-D ring model approach as it does not introduce geometric distortions to the model and thus reduces the uncertainties of the predictions. In addition to thermal fluid simulations, point kinetics (PKE) are included to the model. Simulations are performed under a steady-state normal operation condition and a load-following transient scenario. This particular transient scenario is chosen as it tests both the thermal fluid and neutronics aspects of the model. The predicted results from both the steady-state and transient scenarios are compared with the results by Stew- art et al. (2021) who performed similar simulations with a Griffin-Pronghorn coupled tool. Despite the differences between the codes, with SAM being a system-analysis code and Pronghorn being a porous-medium code, both sets of results compare favorably. The over- all profiles and trends of the predicted temperatures and reactivities from the SAM and Griffin/Pronghorn simulations are similar, with some differences in their predicted values. The first part of the report covers the significance of a relatively fast-running approach that is capable of modeling the pebble bed reactor at the system-level while simultaneously capturing the radial thermal behavior of the core. Then, the modeling approach used in this work is discussed in details. Lastly, the results and comparisons with the Griffin/Pronghorn simulation are presented.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Using Additive Manufacturing to Repair Gas Turbine Hot Section Components

Ni-based superalloys are used in the hot sections of gas turbine engines due to their excellent high temperature performance. During service the material degrades due to exposure at high temperature and mechanical loads. Hence, utility provides often inspect, service, and repair components in gas turbine engines to ensure safe operation. A major challenge, however, is that the most heat-resistant alloys are generally considered ‘non-weldable’ rendering them difficult to repair via welding operations. In these cases components are often scrapped and then replaced by parts which must be re-manufactured. This burdens utilities with additional cost and supply chain issues can result in long term outages or reduced operating limtis. In this work EPRI and ORNL investigated a proposed repair strategy for gas turbine hot section components. Hot section superalloy GTD-111 was selected as a candidate repair material system and AM material ABD-900 the repair material. Sandwich structures were fabricated via electron beam melting additive manufacturing (EBM-AM) producing tensile bars with gage sections consisting of dissimilar ABD-900 / GTD-111 / ABD-900 material. Metallography revealed that the interface exhibited no deleterious phases or processing defeats. Creep rupture experiments on heat treated material demonstrates that the emulated repair coupons exhibit creep resistance between GTD-111 and ABD-900. This study demonstrates that the proposed EBM-AM repair strategy presents a viable opportunity towards enabling AM repair of gas turbine engine components.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

Using Additive Manufacturing to Repair Gas Turbine Hot Section Components

Ni-based superalloys are used in the hot sections of gas turbine engines due to their excellent high temperature performance. During service the material degrades due to exposure at high temperature and mechanical loads. Hence, utility provides often inspect, service, and repair components in gas turbine engines to ensure safe operation. A major challenge, however, is that the most heat-resistant alloys are generally considered ‘non-weldable’ rendering them difficult to repair via welding operations. In these cases components are often scrapped and then replaced by parts which must be re-manufactured. This burdens utilities with additional cost and supply chain issues can result in long term outages or reduced operating limits. In this work EPRI and ORNL investigated a proposed repair strategy for gas turbine hot section components. Hot section superalloy GTD-111 was selected as a candidate repair material system and AM material ABD-900 the repair material. Sandwich structures were fabricated via electron beam melting additive manufacturing (EBM-AM) producing tensile bars with gage sections consisting of dissimilar ABD-900 / GTD-111 / ABD-900 material. Metallography revealed that the interface exhibited no deleterious phases or processing defeats. Creep rupture experiments on heat treated material demonstrates that the emulated repair coupons exhibit creep resistance between GTD-111 and ABD-900. This study demonstrates that the proposed EBM-AM repair strategy presents a viable opportunity towards enabling AM repair of gas turbine engine components.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Preshaping clear glass at low temperatures

Advances in available glass chemistries and glass processing methods have accompanied and enabled some of the biggest technology revolutions, from the development and mass production of light bulbs to low-loss fiber optics and durable smartphone touchscreens. An emerging generation of low-temperature processing technologies aims to continue this important trend and make a broader array of glass components mass producible. In the issue, Mader et al. (1) describe one such innovation in glass processing—the use of low-temperature injection molding to preshape silica particle–filled composites that can later be transformed into transparent fused silica glass objects. Traditionally, transparent glass objects are manufactured in high volume from molten or softened glass, which is floated, drawn, blown, cast, or blow-molded to a desired shape (see the figure, top). The glass composition and processing technique dictate the working temperature, which is usually quite high (near 1000°C) and often restricts the choice of compatible equipment or limits the choice of glass composition. Because geometry-specific capital investment is required for production, drastic or frequent component design changes or small batches may be cost prohibitive. Alternatively, transparent glass components can also be shaped at ambient temperature from solid glass by a series of subtractive processes, including cutting or multiple stages of grinding, followed by slower processing steps, such as polishing or etching. This approach is somewhat less amenable to mass production, and certain geometries containing tool-inaccessible regions cannot be fabricated in this way. Several emerging glass-shaping technologies aim to reduce the required manufacturing temperatures and still provide access to a broader range of glass compositions and component geometries (see the figure). These approaches use a three-step process. First, a desired shape is preformed at low temperature from a glass-forming, organic-inorganic composite. Next, the preform is dried, and organic materials used to bind particles are removed. Finally, the preform is heated (sintered) well below the glass-melting temperature to densify to transparent glass. Although the second and third steps do occur at increased temperatures, only standard, geometry-agnostic driers and furnaces are required. This strategy builds on the well-studied sol-gel approach to forming monolithic glass, where silica network–forming chemical solutions are poured into molds, slowly dried, and condensed into dense glass without melting (2). In a departure from the sol-gel process, these new technologies use solvents, cross-linkers, and polymers to formulate organic-inorganic composites tuned for compatibility with a particular shaping process, with formats ranging from photocurable liquids to shear-thickening pastes to solids. The composite inorganic loadings are also typically higher than those in the pure sol-gel approach, which drastically reduces shrinkage in comparison.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Overall chilled water system energy consumption modeling and optimization

The emergence of increasingly affordable variable-speed drive technology has changed the approach used to control chilled water systems equipped with these drives. The purpose of this research was to develop an integrated chilled water modeling technique that can determine the optimal system setpoints and estimate the energy saving potential of chiller system. The chiller system equipped with Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) on cooling tower fans and condenser water pumps. To accomplish the objective, physical component models of the centrifugal chiller, cooling tower and condenser water pump were established with the goal of incorporating the system’s condenser water flow rate and cooling tower fan speeds as optimization variables. Furthermore, a cooling load prediction algorithm was developed using a multiple non-linear regression model to approximate the building’s cooling load subject to a range of environmental conditions. The inputs and outputs of the individual component models were linked to estimate how adjusting the cooling tower fan and condenser water pump speed would influence the system’s comprehensive performance. Here, the overall system model was then optimized using a generalized reduced gradient optimization algorithm to determine the potential energy savings through speed control with VFDs and to ascertain a control logic strategy for the building automation system to operate the heating and cooling system. A case-study was performed on a single chiller system at a museum and the model was calibrated according to logged data collected over four months. Results showed that for the system analyzed, the energy saving of optimizing the cooling tower fan system was found to be 12–15%, while the energy saving potential of optimizing the condenser water pump with the cooling tower fan was negligible. Additionally, comparing different cooling tower fan control strategies showed that a wet-bulb approach-based cooling tower control strategy was shown to have the highest correlation to the optimized fan speed with an R 2 of 0.924.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

The impact of non-ideal phase change properties on phase change thermal energy storage device performance

Phase change materials have been known to improve the performance of energy storage devices by shifting or reducing thermal/electrical loads. While an ideal phase change material is one that undergoes a sharp, reversible phase transition, real phase change materials do not exhibit this behavior and often have one or more non-idealities – glide, hysteresis, supercooling – associated with them. Experimental and modeling techniques to characterize these non-ideal properties are reasonably well understood, however, their impact on the performance of a thermal energy storage system is not fully understood. Herein, we analyze the performance of a heat exchanger with a phase change material as a function of the different non-idealities, for a heating and a cooling application. We focus on the impact of these non-ideal behaviors on different modes of operation of the thermal energy storage device, which will serve as a useful guide to researchers on the relative importance of the non-ideal properties, along with the necessary accuracy required during an experimental characterization.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

High-$Q_0$ treatment of CEBAF 1.5 GHz SRF cavities

The Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) was the first large-scale accelerator to employ superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) cavities for continuous-wave operation. Ongoing research and development efforts continue to focus on increasing the intrinsic quality factor (Q 0 ) of these cavities in order to reduce cryogenic losses while maintaining operational gradients. Here, in this work, we report on the application of high-Q 0 surface treatments to single-cell and multicell C100 and C75 style 1.5 GHz niobium cavities used in the CEBAF accelerator. Nitrogen infusion and oxygen alloying via medium-temperature baking were applied under heat-treatment constraints relevant to existing cavity hardware. Both processes yielded substantial improvements in Q 0 at moderate accelerating gradients, achieving values of approximately 2 × 10 10 at 2.07 K and 20 MV/m. The effectiveness of nitrogen infusion at reduced annealing temperatures and the successful extension of oxygen alloying to multicell cavities are demonstrated. These results establish viable pathways for implementing high-Q 0 treatments in CEBAF-compatible cavities and support future integration into cryomodules for reduced operational cryogenic load.

Dhakal, Pashupati [Thomas Jefferson National Accel↗