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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 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Use of Hardware-in-the-Loop to De-Risk Field Deployment of Hydrogen Assets

Grid-forming assets are required in microgrids to act as voltage-frequency masters. These grid-forming assets can operate in two modes of operation: grid-following mode and grid-forming mode. In grid-following mode of operation, these assets will follow real power and reactive power setpoints and in grid-forming mode of operation these assets will follow voltage and frequency setpoints. Traditionally, diesel generators or natural gas-based generators are widely used to act as a voltage-frequency master. However, many utilities are aiming to replace generators with grid forming-inverters supplied by solar photovoltaics (PV), batteries or fuel cells. Since grid-forming assets need a long-term reliable energy source, fuel cells are a reasonable and viable choice to supply the grid-forming inverters, but some of the challenges facing the wide deployment of grid-forming fuel cell inverters need to be addressed. Specifically, in our proposed work, we aim to focus on the interconnection and interoperability requirements of grid-forming fuel cell inverters. Currently, state-of-the-art fuel cell inverters follow the general interconnection requirements of distributed energy resources (DERs) and general interoperability requirements of DERs, but these requirements were built with PV and battery systems in mind. Fuel cells have different operational requirements, and therefore these requirements need to be appropriately modified for the grid operators to use. These additional steps add to the investment and operational cost to the grid operators. Through the ARIES platform, this proposed project aims to bridge this gap and use power hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) and controller hardware-in-the-loop (CHIL) experiments to inform the creation of open-source interconnection and interoperability information that can aid in faster and cheaper installation and operation of grid-forming fuel cell inverters.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2023

Systems and methods for controlling an industrial asset in the presence of a cyber-attack

Systems and methods are provided for the control of an industrial asset, such as a power generating asset. Accordingly, a cyber-attack model predicts a plurality of operational impacts on the industrial asset resulting from a plurality of potential cyber-attacks. The cyber-attack model also predicts a corresponding plurality of potential mitigation responses. In operation, a cyber-attack impacting at least one component of the industrial asset is detected via the cyber-attack neutralization module and a protected operational impact of the cyber-attack is identified based on the cyber-attack model. The cyber-attack neutralization module selects at least one mitigation response of the plurality of mitigation responses based on the predicted operational impact and an operating state of the industrial asset is altered based on the selected mitigation response.

D'Amato, Fernando Javier↗
DOE OSTI2025

A Knowledge Graph Approach to Analyze Systems and Assets Health

Nuclear power plants collect large amounts of equipment reliability data elements that contain information on the statuses of component, assets, and systems. All these data elements precisely record asset and system performance and health throughout the lifecycle of those assets and systems. However, several challenges have proved to be roadblocks to this process. While some of these challenges are technical in nature (i.e., data are often distributed over several physical servers or databases), others are conceptual in nature (i.e., data elements come in different formats, numeric or textual), and measured values have different scales (e.g., vibration spectra and oil temperature). This paper directly focuses on the integration of numeric and textual data elements in order to assist plant system engineers in analyzing equipment reliability data. This task begins with preprocessing the data by extracting knowledge from textual data via natural language processing methods and quantifying system, asset, and component health based on numeric data. We then employed model-based system engineering (MBSE) models of systems and assets to identify their architecture and functional (i.e., cause and effect) relations. Data elements were then associated with a single MBSE graph element, based on their nature. This bonding of MBSE models and data elements constitutes a first-of-its-kind knowledge graph of a nuclear power plants system, with data elements being organized in a structured manner that enables system engineers to identify cause-effect trends in data elements and carry out appropriate actions in response.

97 - MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Quantifying the regional stranded asset risks from new coal plants under 1.5 °C

Momentum to phase out unabated coal use is growing globally. This transition is critical to meeting the Paris climate goals but can potentially lead to large amounts of stranded assets, especially in regions with newer and growing coal fleets. Here we combine plant-level data with a global integrated assessment model to quantify changes in global stranded asset risks from coal-fired power plants across regions and over time. With new plant proposals, cancellations, and retirements over the past five years, global net committed emissions in 2030 from existing and planned coal plants declined by 3.3 GtCO 2 (25%). While these emissions are now roughly in line with initial Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement, they remain far off track from longer-term climate goals. Progress made in 2021 towards no new coal can potentially avoid a 24% (503 GW) increase in capacity and a 55% ($520 billion) increase in stranded assets under 1.5 °C. Stranded asset risks fall disproportionately on emerging Asian economies with newer and growing coal fleets. Recent no new coal commitments from major coal financers can potentially reduce stranding of international investments by over 50%.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Grid Utility Asset Vulnerability Assessment (GUAVA) Software Tool

Increasing demand and changes in generation portfolios is pushing power grid to operate towards the limit. However, due to lack of analytical tools for understanding various scales of impact on grid, it is becoming more vulnerable to wide scale power outages and blackouts. A vulnerable grid operating at its limit can be easily disrupted by asset failures caused by devastating hurricanes which has been known to damage transmission and distribution lines along its track. In this direction, researchers have focused on determining these assets by conducting Monte Carlo simulations of hurricanes with uncertainties and collected a large set of simulation data. To determine the infrastructure updates necessary for mitigating wide scale impact of hurricanes on the grid, we propose a software tool named “Grid Utility Asset Vulnerability Analysis” (GUAVA) framework. GUAVA presents a novel data-driven probabilistic analytical approach to (1) post-process hurricane failure scenarios, (2) identify/rank assets that are most vulnerable and critical to failing and are associated with highest impact/risk, and (3) to inform system upgrade decisions & prioritization. Based on the observed results and employed data-driven methodology, it is expected GUAVA can be adapted to provide power system planners with a recommendation engine for making informed decisions to improve resilience of grid.

Mahapatra, Kaveri↗
DOE OSTI2022

Enabling Principles for Dual Participation by Energy Storage as a Transmission and Market Asset

Because the electric transmission system is sized to meet the highest levels of customer demand, much of its designed capacity goes unused during average operating conditions. As a uniquely flexible and scalable asset capable of providing multiple grid services, energy storage can be deployed to support the transmission system and then also provide services to energy markets when not needed for transmission. This paper reviews the technical barriers in transmission planning practices and energy market design that prevent the realization of dual-use energy storage projects that provide both regulated transmission and competitive market services. Current practices create barriers against the identification of energy storage in the transmission planning process and against the participation of a regulated transmission asset in competitive energy markets. A review of regional transmission plans identifies best practices for including energy storage in the planning process by directing planners to proactively identify such projects or by providing clear mechanisms for stakeholders to propose them. Creating a market participation model for dual-use energy storage assets requires establishing when an asset will be allowed to participate in the market, how it will participate in the market, and where it will recover its costs. In answering these questions, key principles must be satisfied, such as prioritizing reliability, incrementally building on existing market design, and balancing competing objectives. Several policy options exist for satisfying those principles, giving grid operators and stakeholders significant flexibility in developing a dual-use participation model in accordance with regional policies and conditions. By objectively framing the issue and identifying policy options, this paper may inform subsequent proceedings on dual-use energy storage and be a resource to regional market operators, utilities, developers, regulators, policymakers, and other stakeholders as they collectively work on this complex issue.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2026

Financing Storage as a Transmission Asset: Initial Considerations for an Emerging Use Case

Deploying energy storage as an electric transmission system asset is a unique use case that, despite a body of policy and regulatory support, has received little attention or investment in the United States. The benefits of using storage on the transmission system—and the remaining barriers to that use—have been explored elsewhere. This paper complements that body of research by exploring the finance implications of using energy storage as a transmission asset (SATA). Because transmission infrastructure in the U.S. is generally subject to rate-of-return regulation, in which asset owners receive both a return of their invested capital and a return on that capital, storage assets deployed for that use are not subject to market volatility and have a much lower risk profile overall. That lower risk profile would, in theory, correspond to lower interest rates and other more favorable financing terms relative to a storage project deployed in a market setting. This paper draws from corollaries in other markets to estimate the expected finance impacts of SATA projects.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2026

Challenges and Opportunities for Electric Utility Modeling and Asset Valuation Frameworks: Case Study on Valuing New Pumped Storage Hydropower

Asset valuation by electric utilities is becoming increasingly difficult in the rapidly changing electric sector. Rapid deployment of variable generation and inverter-based storage systems along with uncertain demand growth, climate, policies, and other factors create a challenging environment for understanding the value proposition of a new potential asset. This report describes an effort between the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and three U.S. Department of Energy laboratories to perform a detailed review of utility modeling and analysis practices for asset valuation and identify challenges and opportunities for advancing its methods into the future. It focuses on a case study of new potential pumped storage hydropower (PSH) because of growing interest in new PSH capacity to provide energy balancing, firm capacity, and a range of ancillary services. Staff from the DOE labs conducted systematic interviews about current practices in capacity expansion modeling, production-cost modeling, hydrological modeling, and transmission stability modeling while also discussing how scenario analysis is conducted and how models and data are integrated. The effort resulted in a set of model, integration, and scenario recommendations that could be valuable to TVA, other utilities, system operators, and other stakeholders conducting integrated grid analysis. Individual model recommendations suggest exploring computational tradeoffs with detail and resolution across spatiotemporal structure, supply- and demand-side details, transmission overlays, market interactions, and ancillary services. Automated processes to pass data between models and conduct larger scenario suites could also enhance valuation practices by enabling a more consistent study of asset value across a broader range of uncertain future grid conditions where PSH could be particularly valuable. TVA and other industry stakeholders can learn from and adapt applied research-grade methods developed by DOE laboratories and other research institutions to improve decision making and accelerate progress towards a reliable, economic, sustainable energy system.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Interconnection and Interoperability Requirements of Hydrogen Assets to Enable Grid Integration

Traditionally, the inverters used for distributed energy resources (DERs) including solar, energy storage and hydrogen fuel cells are grid following assets. Grid following assets track real power and reactive power setpoints decided by either a local autonomous controller or a remote controller like a microgrid controller. In the past five years, multiple challenges have increased the need for grid forming inverters that can interface to a wide variety of energy resources. These grid forming inverters are becoming critical assets for power systems to enable the replacement of existing rotational machines and provide grid services such as grid resiliency services and black-start. Hydrogen assets (fuel cells) have the potential to successfully replace rotating machines and act as voltage and frequency master by leveraging the long-duration and seasonal energy storage capabilities of hydrogen technologies. This poster presents the progress made in budget period 1 of the proposed work. We will leverage an existing ARIES platform experimental setup to run power-hardware-in-the-loop and controller-hardware-in-the-loop experiments with grid forming fuel cell inverters to develop and document the standardization requirements.

electrolyzer↗
DOE OSTI2023

Energy Assets Transformation Web Mapping Application

This submission contains the link and geospatial materials used in the Energy Assets Transformation Web Mapping Application. The zip file contains 19 geospatial layers in a file geodatabase called EAT.gdb to be grouped in the following categories. 1. Industrial Assets: Coal Generation Units Retirements 2012-2040 (EIA); Examples of Repurposing Projects (32 projects in total); Abandoned Coal Mines (CORD, SkyTruth); Abandoned or Orphaned Wells (for ten states only). 2. Energy Transition Communities: 48C (e) Tax Credits - Designated Energy Communities (IRA); Index of Deep Disadvantage; Local Energy Action Program (LEAP); EJ Index for Proximity to Hazardous Waste (EPA). 3. Regional Landscape: State-Level Funding Programs (relevant to repurposing projects, for 2022 and 2023 only); Coal Flows from Mine to Plant 2021 (EIA), Variable Renewable Energy Shares (Wind and Solar, 2021, EIA). 4. Supporting Infrastructure: Railroads (HIFLD), Electric Power Transmission Lines (HIFLD), Major Highways (NHPN, DOT), Major Ports (National Atlas of the U.S.); Independent System Operators (HIFLD), NERC Regions and Subregions (HIFLD).

abandoned coal mines↗
DOE OSTI2022

Evolution of Programmatic Asset Lifecycle Planning at MESA

Early on in 2018 Sandia recognized the Microsystems Engineering, Science and Applications (MESA) Programmatic Asset Lifecycle Planning capability to be unpredictable, inconsistent, reactive, and unable to provide strong linkage to the sponsor's needs. The impetus for this report is to share learnings from MESA's journey towards maturing this capability. This report describes re-building the foundational elements of MESA's Programmatic Asset Lifecycle Planning capability using a risk-based, Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) approach. To begin, MESA's decades-old Piano Chart + Ad Hoc Hybrid Methodology is described with a narrative of its strengths and weaknesses. Then its replacement, the MCDA /Analytical Hierarchy Process, is introduced with a discussion of its strengths and weaknesses. To generate a realistic Programmatic Asset Lifecycle Planning budget outlook, MESA used its rolling 20-year Extended Life Program Plan (MELPP) as a baseline. The new MCDA risk-based prioritization methodology implements DOE/NNSA guidelines for prioritization of DOE activities and provides a reliable, structured framework for combining expert judgement and stakeholder preferences according to an established scientific technique. An in-house Hybrid Decision Support System (HDSS) software application was developed to facilitate production of several key deliverables. The application enables analysis of the prioritization decisions with charts to display and provide linkage of MESA's funding requests to the stakeholders' priorities, strategic objectives, nuclear deterrence programs, MESA priorities, and much more.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2023

High Explosives and Energetics Asset Analysis Tool

The High Explosives and Energetics (HE&E) Asset Analysis Tool is a database and reference for LANL facilities, equipment, staffing and financial information pertinent to the HE&E program. The tool is used for the communication of the current state and investment planning for the program assets. Additional analyses can offer more insights into the dependencies and impacts of the assets within the HE&E portfolio. This tool is developed under collaboration with the HE&E Program Office.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗
DOE OSTI2026

SuperLab 2.0 Showcase: Connecting Five Labs to Tackle Grid Complexity and Unlock Unique Grid Asset Potential

SuperLab 2.0 (a five-lab demonstration) is a collaborative, national-scale experiment showcasing the coordination of geographically distributed energy assets in real time. The demonstration integrates 25 physical and digital assets, spanning wind, photovoltaics, batteries, electrolyzers, DC fast chargers, microgrid controllers, building automation systems, small modular reactors, control centers, and gas turbines, across five U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories: National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), Idaho National Laboratory, National Energy Technology Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratories. These assets are unified using Energy Sciences Network (ESnet), a low-latency, high-performance DOE network, and are controlled via a centralized energy controller hosted at NLR's Advanced Research on Integrated Energy Systems facility. The demonstration validates the ability to stress-test hybrid energy systems under dynamic scenarios to de-risk advanced control strategies for greater resilience and flexibility.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2022

Integration of Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) Systems Optimized with Second-Generation, High-Temperature Superconducting (2G-HTS) Technology with a Major Fossil-Fueled Asset

Utility companies and fossil fueled generation assets are seeking combinations of “hybrid energy storage” to allow power to be provided in advance of, and to otherwise complement, peaking natural gas-fired generation. American Maglev Technology of Florida Inc. (AMT) learned during the Phase I program based on interactions with NRG Energy (NRG) that energy storage such as superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) can qualify as a Black Start unit in most markets, ensuring orderly re-start of grid operations and fossil fueled power plants and serving as an important asset of hybrid energy storage technology. In conjunction with the University of Houston (UH), AMT and NRG are working together to scale up low-cost, high- efficiency, second-generation high-temperature superconducting (2G-HTS) technology for deployment across several markets, with a primary focus on the commercial development of utility grid-scale SMES (g-SMES) systems. Ultimately the program confirmed that the novel g-SMES design can meet the performance and financial requirements of the fossil power plant industry, while exhibiting continuous grid-voltage regulation; cost-effective, peak-hour energy storage with almost infinite life; increased input/output efficiency; and the capability to undergo millions of charging cycles, without degradation, representing a significant improvement over lithium ion and other conventional storage technologies. We believe wide scale deployment of this technology is feasible and practical when compared to the higher life cycle cost and relatively short lifespan of chemical batteries. Based on these findings, the future for deployment of SMES at many fossil-fueled power plants exceeding 100MW capability is bright. Further de-risking g-SMES technology would pave the way for the construction of a subscale prototype. Eventually, scaled-down versions of SMES are expected to be competitive with the multi-billion-dollar lithium-ion market for a wide range of commercial, industrial, and transportation uses. There is long-term potential for commercialization and widespread deployment of this disruptive technology, which would spawn a new worldwide supply chain and create domestic, high-tech manufacturing jobs in the green industry.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Domestic Extremism: How to Counter Threats Posed to Critical Assets

Although facilities with sensitive information, hazardous materials, critical infrastructure, or other sensitive items have security measures in place to protect those critical assets, the threat of domestic extremism (DE) has challenged those security measures in new ways. The project described in this brief report used focus groups to identify best practices, tools, or techniques relevant to preventing or countering DE and sought to identify gaps in security measures. Five focus groups with twenty-two subject matter experts from government, healthcare, and other stakeholder groups were conducted to understand how organizations protect critical assets against the DE threat. The results of the focus groups underscore the importance of organizational culture, codes of conduct, and behavior observation programs in prevention of DE events. In addition, results emphasized the value of multidisciplinary teams, employee assistance programs, and regular threat assessment as resources when responding to DE incidents. However, monitoring of social media and lack of adequate resources remain challenges when attempting to prevent or counter the DE threat.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗
DOE OSTI2023

Emergency Asset Positioning for Resilient Transmission Grid Operation

In this paper we study a problem of hurricane emergency preparedness via placement of emergency storage assets prior to its strike. We present a two-stage stochastic model for choosing locations and quantities of emergency storage to help support the power grid through a hurricane event. The expectation of losses in our two-stage model is estimated using the sample average approximation. We construct damage scenarios for sample average approximation using WIND Toolkit meteorological data and fragility curves of various electric grid components. We demonstrate the efficacy of our two-stage planning model by simulating operations during Hurricane Dolly on the 2000-bus transmission test system. Our model, coupled with our scenario selection strategy, is effective at mitigating loss of load when compared to a model without emergency storage assets placed prior to an extreme event.

emergency preparedness↗
DOE OSTI2024

Markov Decision Processes for Intelligent, Risk-Informed Asset-Management Decision-Making

Advanced nuclear reactors are a promising option for aiding the world in achieving its net-zero carbon emission goals, however, there are significant challenges to attaining and maintaining economic competitiveness with other sources of electricity. To improve the economic competitiveness of advanced reactor designs, a project was initiated to explore the use of Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) to guide asset-management decision-making during advanced reactor operation. MDPs are a powerful tool for optimizing decision-making in complex environments and their application to advanced reactors can aid in planning maintenance and repair activities to minimize downtime and maximize generation. The described approach expands on previous work regarding the use of MDPs for operational decision-making through the direct incorporation of real-time plant information. The integral MDP analysis includes information from online component diagnostic tools and the plant’s real-time generation risk assessment (GRA) and probabilistic risk assessment (PRA), which evaluate plant risk from both an economic and safety perspective. The result is an asset-management optimization framework that is based on real-time data regarding plant component status and the current best-estimate of plant risk. The paper presents an overview of the theoretical framework to incorporate the different information pathways into an integral MDP analysis, along with example analyses.

Grabaskas, David↗
DOE OSTI2021

GMLC 1.5.03: Increasing Distribution System Resiliency using Flexible DER and Microgrid Assets Enabled by OpenFMB (Duke-RDS Final Report)

This is the final project report for the Grid Modernization Laboratory Consortium (GMLC) Resilient Distribution System (RDS) project titled “Increasing Distribution System Resiliency using Flexible DER and Microgrid Assets Enabled by OpenFMB”. The primary goal of this project was to increase the resiliency of distribution systems at utilities around the nation by deploying flexible operating strategies that engage end-use assets as a resource.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗