Innovative modeling and simulation of membrane-based dehumidification and energy recovery equipment
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42 ENGINEERING↗
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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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Energy efficient supercritical water desalination using a high-temperature heat pump: A zero liquid discharge desalination
Supercritical water desalination (SCWD) is zero liquid discharge technology that can potentially control the solubility of different electrolytes. However, SCWD is an energy-intensive process and requires high-quality thermal heat (> 450 °C). This study proposes the integration of a high-temperature heat pump to reduce the SCWD energy requirement. The integrated system energy consumption improves by 36% for 3.5% feed concentration and 14% for 20% feed, and the distillate cost reduces by 15% and 10%. Another benefit of the proposed integration is the system can be operated using only electricity as a heat source, as is the case with commonly used high-recovery thermal desalination technology. The integrated SCWD-heat pump system shows superior performance compared to the commercially used brine concentrator and crystallizer system. It is approximately 20% more energy-efficient for 25% feed concentration and 8% cheaper. Hence, the integrated SCWD-heat pump has the potential to outperform the pre-existing high-recovery desalination technology.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Transportability of exogenous microbial community correlates with interwell connectivity in deep aquifers
Subsurface resource engineering operations often utilize continuous injection of externally-sourced water into geological reservoirs for formation pressure maintenance, resource recovery or energy/waste storage. Such injected water generally contains naturally occurring microbes. Little is known, however, about how the injectate microbes transport through geological media as a community, how such transportability is affected by injector-producer connectivity, and whether such knowledge can be utilized for flowpath characterization. In this study, we analyzed daily-to-weekly timeseries microbial community data from the injected- and produced-fluids of a ten-month flow test at a deep, well-characterized engineered aquifer. We found that the injectate microbial community was distinct from the indigenous community at the amplicon sequence variant (ASV) level, and that the transportability of injectate community towards a given producer, quantified by an “nASV-Overlap” metric we propose, had strong and significant positive correlation with known injector-producer connectivities at our site. This suggests that the better the connectivity, the higher the probability for more injectate species to flow through the interwell region and arrive at a producer. Because interwell connectivity is an important yet usually unknown parameter in subsurface resource engineering, such correlation in turn points to nASV-Overlap as a useful indicator of interwell connectivity for aquifer characterization and long-term monitoring. Based on our findings, an nASV-Overlap-based microbial tracing approach was developed for characterizing and monitoring the relative connectivities across multiple producers with a given injector. A side-by-side comparison between the new nASV-Overlap approach and traditional artificial tracer methods is presented, and their respective strengths and limitations are discussed.
Deep biosphere↗
Effect of Lithium Doping on MgO Hydroxylation and Carbonation
Recovery of magnesium from brines can potentially be used to source MgO (periclase) as a CO 2 sorbent or for Mg-based cements. However, it is not clear how common impurities in brines, such as lithium, affect the resulting MgO reactivity. Here, to test the effect of lithium incorporation on MgO reactivity for hydration and carbonation, we combined computational simulations with experiments. Experimentally altered (Mg,Li)O with a low dopant concentration (0.012 ± 0.002% w/w Li) was characterized using synchrotron-based X-ray scattering and high-resolution electron microscopy to measure reaction layer formation on (Mg,Li)O. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of (Mg,Li)O demonstrates that the incorporation of lithium leads to the formation of oxygen vacancies. The presence of vacancies is likely causing faster hydroxylation rates as predicted by ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. However, the faster hydroxylation rates likely lead to faster passivation of the surface because we observe thinner reaction layers on (Mg,Li)O samples both over short time periods (30 days) and over long time periods (28 years). After 28 years, the reaction layer on the (Mg,Li)O sample was less than one-third of the thickness of that of the pure MgO sample. In addition, over 30 days, reaction layers on (Mg,Li)O samples primarily formed at steps rather than on terraces, in contrast to our previous observations on MgO. Based on our results, naturally occurring impurities in MgO modify its reactivity even at very low concentrations and need to be considered for accurate reaction rate prediction for application of MgO as a CO 2 sorbent or in cements.
MgO↗
Multiple lensing of the cosmic microwave background anisotropies
We study the gravitational lensing effect on the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropies performing a ray-tracing of the primordial CMB photons through intervening large-scale structures (LSS) distribution predicted by N-Body numerical simulations with a particular focus on the precise recovery of the lens-induced polarized counterpart of the source plane. We apply both a multiple plane ray-tracing and an effective deflection approach based on the Born approximation to deflect the CMB photons trajectories through the simulated lightcone. We discuss the results obtained with both these methods together with the impact of LSS non-linear evolution on the CMB temperature and polarization power spectra. We compare our results with semi-analytical approximations implemented in Boltzmann codes like, e.g., CAMB. We show that, with our current N-body setup, the predicted lensing power is recovered with good accuracy in a wide range of multipoles while excess power with respect to semi-analytic prescriptions is observed in the lensing potential on scales ℓ ∼> 3000. We quantify the impact of the numerical effects connected to the resolution in the N-Body simulation together with the resolution and band-limit chosen to synthesise the CMB source plane. We found these quantities to be particularly important for the simulation of B-mode polarization power spectrum.
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
Constraining the CMB optical depth through the dispersion measure of cosmological radio transients
The dispersion measure of extragalactic radio transients can be used to measure the column density of free electrons in the intergalactic medium. The same electrons also scatter the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) photons, affecting precision measurements of cosmological parameters. We explore the connection between the dispersion measure of radio transients existing during the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) and the total optical depth for the CMB showing that the existence of such transients would provide a new sensitive probe of the CMB optical depth. As an example, we consider the population of FRBs. Assuming they exist during the EoR, we show that: (i) such sources can probe the reionization history by measuring the optical depth to sub-percent accuracy, and (ii) they can be detected with high significance by an instrument such as the Square Kilometer Array.
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
4.3.1.1 TCF: Recovery of Lithium from Geothermal Brine with Lithium-Aluminum Layered Double Hydroxide Chloride Sorbents
Lithium has gained importance as a near-critical element for various energy storage applications, and efforts are ongoing to develop simple and cost-effective methods for lithium recovery. For instance, in a typical 50 MW geothermal power plant in the Salton Sea, United States, approximately 15,000 metric tons of Li 2 CO 3 or LiOH salts can be produced annually by recovering and converting LiCl from geothermal plant waste solutions. Currently, approximately 390 MW of geothermal power is generated in the Salton Sea Known Geothermal Resource Area, which corresponds to potential Li 2 CO 3 production of approximately 120,000 metric tons per year. This makes lithium recovery from geothermal brines a promising, potentially low-cost source of lithium, contributing significantly to the global supply chain.
15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
Comparison of wind-farm control strategies under realistic offshore wind conditions: wake quantities of interest
Wind-farm control strategies aim to increase the efficiency, and therefore lower the levelized cost of energy, of wind farms. This is done by using turbine settings such as the yaw angle, blade pitch angles, or generator torque to manipulate the wake that negatively affects downstream turbines in the farm. Two inherently different wind-farm control methods have been identified in the literature: wake steering (WS) and active wake mixing (AWM). As one of two companion papers focused on understanding practical aspects of these two wind-farm control strategies using large-eddy simulation (LES), we below analyze the wake quantities of interest for a single wind turbine performing WS and AWM, while the companion article (Frederik et al., 2025) focuses on turbine quantities of interest including power and structural loads for the same computational setup and also includes two-turbine arrays with full and partial wake overlap. The simulations, which are based in the LES solver AMR-Wind, are tailored to have inflow conditions representative of measurements from a site off the East Coast of the US, including with strong veer and low turbulence. The turbine, which is modeled in OpenFAST and coupled to the LES, is the IEA 15 MW, an open-source offshore design. After presenting an overview of the wake recovery for the different wake-control cases, the analysis probes the fluid-dynamic causes for the different performance of the arrays reported in the companion article by examining control volumes around the wakes and the budget of the mean-flow kinetic energy (MKE) within these volumes. In the high veer environment considered, the MKE recovery is dominated by mean convection, and this is shown to especially benefit the WS strategy when a neighboring turbine is directly downstream: there is ≈65 % more available power for a downstream turbine than in the baseline case, and this power is gained primarily through mean convection on the left-tip and top-tip faces of the control volume. However, the case with imperfect knowledge of the exact wind direction favors the pulse-type AWM strategy, largely because of ≈9 % increased turbulent entrainment from aloft versus the baseline that could be related to an apparent resistance to skewing in the pulsed wake. The general reduced effectiveness of helix-type and other individual-pitch-based AWM strategies for inflow with high veer and low turbulence as reported in the companion paper is due, in part, to low magnitudes of phase-averaged turbulent entrainment. Two main findings of this study are thus that veer has a significant impact on the effectiveness of different wake-control strategies and that pulse-type AWM may be a useful strategy when the objective is power maximization in realistic, offshore flow environments with imperfect knowledge of the exact wake overlap position on the downstream turbine.
17 WIND ENERGY↗
Changes of neutral composition in the thermosphere
An overview is given of the changes in neutral composition that occur in the upper thermosphere during geomagnetic storms. Emphasis is given to solar EUV radiation, upward propagating tides and gravity waves, and coupling between magnetosphere and the ionosphere/thermosphere as the sources of the compositional changes. Present understanding of the poststorm recovery is summarized.
Burns, A. G.↗
The double oval UV auroral distribution. 1: Implications for the mapping of auroral arcs
During the later stages of the auroral substorm the luminosity distribution frequently resembles a double oval, one oval lying poleward of the normal or main UV auroral oval. We interpret the double oval morphology as being due to the plasma sheet boundary layer becoming active in the later stages of the substorm process. If the disturbance engulfs the nightside low-latitude boundary layers, then the double oval configuration extends into the dayside ionospheric region. The main UV oval is associated with the inner portion of the central plasma sheet and can rapidly change its auroral character from being diffuse to discrete. This transition is associated with the substorm process and is fundamental to understanding the near-Earth character of substorm onset. On the other hand, the poleward arc system in the nightside ionosphere occurs adjacent to or near the open-closed field line boundary. This system activates at the end of the optical expansion phase and is a part of the recovery phase configuration in substorms where it occurs. These two source regions for nightside discrete auroral arcs are important in resolving the controversy concerning the mapping of arcs to the magnetosphere. The dayside extension of this double oval configuration is also investigated and shows particle signatures which differ considerably from those on the nightside giving clues to the magnetospheric source regions of the aurora in the two local time sectors. Near-Earth substorm onsets are shown to be coupled to processes occurring much further tailward and indicate the importance of understanding the temporal development of features within the double oval. Using 'variance images,' a new technqiue for the investigation of these dynamics is outlined.
Elphinstone, R. D.↗
The Origin and Evolution of Deep Plasmaspheric Notches
Deep plasmaspheric notches can extend over more than 2 RE and 3 hours MLT in the magnetic equatorial plane. They can last for days and exhibit varying structure. In this presentation, the low L-shell portion of the recovery-time plasmaspheric convection plume will be explored as the source for these deep evacuations in density. Interactions with the ring current will be explored as the source of features observed in these density depletions.
Gallagher, D.↗
Correlation between Mechanical Behavior and Actuator-type Performance of Ni-Ti-Pd High-temperature Shape Memory Alloys
High-temperature shape memory alloys in the NiTiPd system are being investigated as lower cost alternatives to NiTiPt alloys for use in compact solid-state actuators for the aerospace, automotive, and power generation industries. A range of ternary NiTiPd alloys containing 15 to 46 at.% Pd has been processed and actuator mimicking tests (thermal cycling under load) were used to measure transformation temperatures, work behavior, and dimensional stability. With increasing Pd content, the work output of the material decreased, while the amount of permanent strain resulting from each load-biased thermal cycle increased. Monotonic isothermal tension testing of the high-temperature austenite and low temperature martensite phases was used to partially explain these behaviors, where a mismatch in yield strength between the austenite and martensite phases was observed at high Pd levels. Moreover, to further understand the source of the permanent strain at lower Pd levels, strain recovery tests were conducted to determine the onset of plastic deformation in the martensite phase. Consequently, the work behavior and dimensional stability during thermal cycling under load of the various NiTiPd alloys is discussed in relation to the deformation behavior of the materials as revealed by the strain recovery and monotonic tension tests.
Bigelow, Glen S.↗
Ground Testing of the EMCS Seed Cassette for Biocompatibility with the Tardigrade, Hypsibius dujardini
The European Modular Cultivation System, EMCS, was developed by ESA for plant experiments. We performed ground testing to determine whether ARC EMCS seed cassettes could be adapted for use with tardigrades for future spaceflight experiments. Tardigrades (water bears) are small invertebrates that enter the tun state in response to desiccation or other environmental stresses. Tardigrade tuns have suspended metabolism and have been shown to be survive exposure to space vacuum, high pressure, temperature and other stresses. For spaceflight experiments using the EMCS, the organisms ideally must be able to survive desiccation and storage in the cassette at ambient temperature for several weeks prior to the initiation of the experiment by the infusion of water to the cassette during spaceflight. The ability of tardigrades to survive extremes by entering the tun state make them ideal candidates for growth experiments in the EMCS cassettes. The growth substratum in the cassettes is a gridded polyether sulfone (PES) membrane. A blotter beneath the PES membrane contains dried growth medium. The goals of our study were to (1) determine whether tardigrades survive and reproduce on PES membranes, (2) develop a consistent method for dehydration of the tardigrades with high recovery rates upon rehydration, (3) to determine an appropriate food source for the tardigrades that can also be dehydrated/rehydrated and (4) successful mock rehydration experiment in cassettes with appropriate food source. We present results that show successful multigenerational growth of tardigrades on PES membranes with a variety of wet food sources. We have successfully performed a mock rehydration with tardigrades and at least one candidate food, protonema of the moss Polytrichum, that supports multigenerational growth and whose spores germinate quickly enough to match tardigrade feeding patterns post rehydration. Our results indicate that experiments on the ISS using the tardigrade, Hypsibius dujardini and other similar species could successfully be performed in the flight verified hardware of the EMCS seed cassettes.
EMCS s↗
Development of High Efficiency Thermoelectric Generators Using Advanced Thermoelectric Materials
Despite their relatively low efficiency, thermoelectric generators are used in a limited number of industrial applications where they are preferred to other energy conversion devices because of their high reliability, low maintenance and long life, in particular when considering harsh environments.
higher↗
Phase shifting algorithms for fringe projection profilometry: A review
The principle of structured light and triangulation is used in a wide range of 3D optical metrology applications, such as mechanical engineering, industrial monitoring, computer vision, and biomedicine. Among a multitude of techniques based on this principle, phase shifting pro lometry (PSP) plays a dominant role due to its high attainable measurement accuracy, spatial resolution, and data density. Over the past few decades, many PSP algorithms have been proposed in the literature in order to achieve higher measurement accuracy, lower pattern count, and/or better robustness to different error sources. Besides, many unconventional PSP codification techniques address the problem of absolute phase recovery with few projected patterns, allowing for high-efficiency measurement of objects containing isolated regions or surface discontinuities. In this paper, we present an overview of these state-of-the-art phase shifting algorithms for implementing 3D surface pro lometry. Typical error sources in phase measure- ment for a phase shifting system are discussed, and corresponding solutions are reviewed. The advantages and drawbacks of different PSP algorithms are also summarized to provide a useful guide to the selection of the most appropriate phase shifting technique for a particular application.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Extraction and Separation of Rare-Earth Elements from Coal Fly Ash and Leachate using a Recyclable Ionic Liquid
Coal fly ash (CFA) can be a promising source for recovering rare-earth elements (REEs), as it contains a broad range of REEs with average concentrations frequently exceeding those in traditional rare earth mines. Recent research from our group has demonstrated that REEs can be preferentially extracted from CFA solids using a recyclable ionic liquid (IL), betainium bis-(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([Hbet][Tf2N]). When CFA was heated with the mixture of IL and an aqueous solution above 65°C, most leached REEs partitioned into the IL phase and were separated from the bulk elements. Subsequent acid stripping of the REE-loaded IL removed the REEs and regenerated the IL for reuse in multiple extraction cycles. This IL-based REE-CFA recovery method has been applied to ten CFA samples derived from different coal sources, including ash recovered from disposal ponds. Analysis of 34 elements confirmed the process consistently achieved high REE recovery efficiency, with strong selectivity over bulk and trace elements across diverse CFA types. In addition to the IL-solid extraction, the performance of [Hbet][Tf2N] in extracting REEs from fly-ash leachates have been evaluated by four commonly used leaching reagents, including HCl, HNO3, H2SO4, and citrate. During the IL-leachate extraction, [Hbet][Tf2N] was mixed and heated with a Class C fly ash leachate generated from each leaching reagent, followed by an acid stripping. It was observed that the partitioning and recovery of REEs increased as the leachate pH increased from 3 to 11. Among the investigated leachates, HCl and citrate proved to be the most compatible with IL extraction, exhibiting a slightly higher REE recovery and a lower non-REE co-extraction compared to the IL-solid extraction. Sc, Y, Nd, Sm, Gd, Dy, and Yb consistently showed a high recovery rate from both CFA solids and leachates. Notably, Pr, Tb, and Ho, which were not previously leached from the CFA solids, were partially recovered from the leachates. Overall, our studies revealed the strong potential of [Hbet][Tf2N] for effectively recovering REEs from leachates, highlighting its applicability as a sustainable strategy for other aqueous REE feedstocks. Furthermore, a techno-economic analysis will be performed to quantify the economic viability of the IL-based REE recovery method and guide future process improvement.
42 ENGINEERING↗
Low-temperature Stirling Engine for Geothermal Electricity Generation
Up to 2700 terawatt-hours per year of geothermal electricity generation capacity has been shown to be available within North America, typically with wells drilled into geologically active regions of the earth's crust where this energy is concentrated (Huttrer, 2001). Of this potential, about half is considered to have temperatures high enough for conventional (steam-based) power production, while the other half requires unconventional power conversion approaches, such as organic Rankine cycle systems or Stirling engines. If captured and converted effectively, geothermal power generation could replace up to 100GW of fossil fuel electric power generation, leading to a significant reduction of US power sector emissions. In addition, with the rapid growth of hydro-fracking in oil and gas production, there are smaller-scale distributed power generation opportunities in heated liquids that are co-produced with the main products. Since 2006, Cool Energy, Inc. (CEI) has designed, fabricated and tested four generations of low-temperature (100°C to 300°C) Stirling engine power conversion equipment. The electric power output of these engines has been demonstrated at over 2kWe and over 16% thermal conversion efficiency for an input temperature of 215°C and a rejection temperature of 15°C. Initial pilot units have been shipped to development partners for further testing and validation, and significantly larger engines (20+ kWe) have been shown to be feasible and conceptually designed. Originally intended for waste heat recovery (WHR) applications, these engines are easily adaptable to geothermal heat sources, as the heat supply temperatures are similar. Both the current and the 20+ kWe designs use novel approaches of self-lubricating, low-wear-rate bearing surfaces, non-metallic regenerators, and high-effectiveness heat exchangers. By extending CEI's current 3 kWe SolarHeart® Engine into the tens of kWe range, many additional applications are possible, as one 20 kWe design produces nearly seven times the power output of the 3 kWe unit but at only 2.5 times the estimated fabrication cost. Phase I of the proposed SBIR program will therefore study the feasibility of generating electricity with one or more 20 kWe or larger Stirling engines, powered by geothermal heat produced by current and possibly some forward-looking borehole extraction methods, and from producing oil and gas wells. The feasibility study will include full analysis of the thermodynamic and heat transfer processes within the engine (necessary to produce optimum theoretical designs and performance maps), the cost of pumping the geothermal heat recovery fluid, and how the system tradeoffs impact the overall system economics. The goal is a geothermal system design that could be demonstrated during a Phase II follow-on program at a field test site.
15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
Impact of Water Recovery from Wastes on the Lunar Surface Mission Water Balance
Future extended lunar surface missions will require extensive recovery of resources to reduce mission costs and enable self-sufficiency. Water is of particular importance due to its potential use for human consumption and hygiene, general cleaning, clothes washing, radiation shielding, cooling for extravehicular activity suits, and oxygen and hydrogen production. Various water sources are inherently present or are generated in lunar surface missions, and subject to recovery. They include: initial water stores, water contained in food, human and other solid wastes, wastewaters and associated brines, ISRU water, and scavenging from residual propellant in landers. This paper presents the results of an analysis of the contribution of water recovery from life support wastes on the overall water balance for lunar surface missions. Water in human wastes, metabolic activity and survival needs are well characterized and dependable figures are available. A detailed life support waste model was developed that summarizes the composition of life support wastes and their water content. Waste processing technologies were reviewed for their potential to recover that water. The recoverable water in waste is a significant contribution to the overall water balance. The value of this contribution is discussed in the context of the other major sources and loses of water. Combined with other analyses these results provide guidance for research and technology development and down-selection.
Fisher, John W.↗