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At least 415 records · Page 23
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Emerging Technologies Review: Pumped Storage Hydropower

The Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC) has tasked Pacific Northwest National Laboratory with investigating emerging technologies to inform the Air Force’s understanding of the technology and to guide key considerations for implementing technologies that are resilient and alternative sources to the traditional methods used in the Air Force today. This report explores pumped storage hydropower. Pumped storage hydropower (PSH) currently provides 93% of grid-scale storage capacity (MW) and 99% of electrical energy storage (MWh) in the United States. PSH exploits the potential energy that can be stored by pumping water to higher elevations or pressures to be dispatched when needed. In its simplest form, PSH uses energy to pump water to an upper reservoir for storage, then releases this water through a turbine and generator into a lower reservoir when needed for energy generation. This report provides a thorough technology description, technical considerations, siting considerations, economic/funding considerations associated with the technology. A Regulatory overview and risks associated with the technology are also included in the report.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Closed Loop Pumped Storage Hydropower Resource Assessment of the United States

The data includes a geospatial and spreadsheet representation of a resource analysis for closed loop pumped storage systems across the Continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. The data includes energy storage potential, water volume, distance from source to storage, hydraulic head, dollars per kilowatt of storage, and transmission spurline cost for each pumped storage hydropower (PHS) reservoir. Each reservoir represented in this dataset is represented on potential 10 hour storage duration PSH system comprised of two reservoirs. Units of measure are laid out in the dataset. Pumped storage hydropower (PSH) represents the bulk of the United States' current energy storage capacity: 23 gigawatts (GW) of the 24 GW national total (Denholm et al. 2021). This capacity was largely built between 1960 and 1990. PSH is a mature and proven method of energy storage with competitive round-trip efficiency and long life spans. These qualities make PSH a very attractive potential solution to energy storage needs, particularly for longer-duration storage (8 hours or more); such storage will be crucial to bridge gaps in electricity production as variable wind and solar production continue to comprise an ever-larger portion of the United States' energy portfolio. This study seeks to better understand the technical potential for PSH development in the United States by developing a national-scale resource assessment for closed-loop PSH. For more information, please refer to the Closed Loop Pumped Storage Hydropower Resource Assessment for the United States linked in the resources.

Array↗
DOE OSTI2023

Self‐Propelling Macroscale Sheets Powered by Enzyme Pumps

Nanoscale enzymes anchored to surfaces act as chemical pumps by converting chemical energy released from enzymatic reactions into spontaneous fluid flow that propels entrained nano‐ and microparticles. Enzymatic pumps are biocompatible, highly selective, and display unique substrate specificity. Utilizing these pumps to trigger self‐propelled motion on the macroscale has, however, constituted a significant challenge and thus prevented their adaptation in macroscopic fluidic devices and soft robotics. Using experiments and simulations, we herein show that enzymatic pumps can drive centimeter‐scale polymer sheets along directed linear paths and rotational trajectories. In these studies, the sheets are confined to the air/water interface. With the addition of appropriate substrate, the asymmetric enzymatic coating on the sheets induces chemically driven, buoyancy flows that controllably propel the sheet's motion on the air/water interface. The directionality and speed of the motion can be tailored by changing the pattern of the enzymatic coating, type of enzyme, and nature and concentration of the substrate. This work highlights the utility of biocompatible enzymes for generating motion in macroscale fluidic devices and robotics and indicates their potential utility for in vivo applications.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Techno-economic evaluation of industrial heat pump applications in US pulp and paper, textile, and automotive industries

Industrial process heat decarbonization through electrification could contribute significantly to climate change mitigation efforts. In the US industry, thermal processes accounted for more than two-thirds of the total final energy demand in 2021. Cross-cutting electrification technologies like industrial heat pumps are suitable for the process heat supply to several industrial unit operations in a sustainable way while also improving overall energy efficiency. This study employs a bottom-up approach to investigate the techno-enviro-economic potentials of deploying high-temperature and steam-generating heat pumps in US textile, pulp and paper, and automotive sectors in different timeframes. The results show that the annual technical potential energy and CO 2 savings by electrifying heat supply are 310 PJ (or 36% of the projected energy demand) and 28 MtCO 2 (or 71% of the projected CO 2 emissions) in 2050 respectively, however, these incur additional costs in each sector (ranging between 5 and 18 $\$$/GJ). The required heating capacity of industrial heat pumps is estimated at 15 GW, which translates roughly into a market of over 6000 heat pump units and an investment volume of $\$$7 billion in the studied processes. Although there may be individual cost-effective opportunities for electrifying heat supply in specific industrial sites, the overall costs are estimated to be high in the three industrial sectors due to the large disparity between electricity and natural gas prices and low heat source temperatures. To overcome the identified techno-economic barriers, comprehensive action plans for different stakeholders are also given. This study provides novel insights that should inform policymakers’ and executives’ decisions about the electrification of the current and future US industrial heat supply in relevant industrial sectors.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2023

Upgrade of the mechanically pumped CO 2 two-phase cooling system for the alpha magnetic spectrometer on the international space station

This study describes the successful upgrade of a mechanically pumped CO 2 two-phase cooling system in space by designing a new pump module for the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-02 on the International Space Station. Key factors for mission success are emphasized, including achieving high coolant filling accuracy within 10% of the target and maintaining system stability within ±1 °C. The impact of adding radiators to improve cooling efficiency is examined, and it is found that operating multi-radiators out-of-phase does not significantly affect system reliability. The centrifugal pump design is shown to allow for better lubricant circulation, while the in-house designed controller incorporates protective measures to prevent cavitation, overheating, and over-current. Further, this research advances the understanding of circulation loop systems and their upgrades in space and demonstrates the potential for extending the lifetime of space-borne mechanically pumped two-phase cooling systems.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Carbon and energy cost impacts of electrification of space heating with heat pumps in the US

In order to meet climate goals, it will be necessary to significantly reduce the greenhouse gases emitted by homes. A key factor in the US is to reduce the on-site combustion of fossil fuels for heating end-uses and to replace this with use of electric heat pump technologies connected to a low-carbon grid. The replacement of natural gas furnaces with electric heat pumps is a key home decarbonization strategy. However, the potential for space heating electrification to reduce greenhouse gas emissions depends on the carbon dioxide equivalent (CO 2 e) content of the electricity used by the heat pump. This varies considerably depending on the source of electricity, with large state to state variability. Furthermore, household energy costs are likely to be impacted by the electrification of space heating, because retail energy prices for both natural gas and electricity in each state vary by factors of seven and four, respectively. Contractors, energy programs, government and building code officials, as well as consumers need clear indications of the likely CO 2 e and energy cost impacts of proposed electrification projects, because these will affect decarbonization choices and rationales around scaled heating electrification. Government and utility programs also need to be aware of the likely outcomes of any supported/incentivized measures. Here, in this paper, we investigate these effects by looking at new metrics to analyze the change in CO 2 e emitted and the cost to meet home heating loads when switching from a natural gas furnace to a heat pump for the contiguous 48 states of the mainland US.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2024

Performance evaluation of underground thermal storage integrated dual-source heat pump systems

The increasing demand for electricity stresses the existing electric grids. Buildings consume 73% of all U.S. electricity and are responsible for 30% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Integrating thermal energy storage (TES) in building heating/cooling systems, which consume considerable electricity, can mitigate the challenges to electric grids. Here, this study reports on a novel thermal energy storage device integrated heat pump system to reshape the building electricity demand profile while maintaining thermal comfort. The annual performance of the proposed system has been evaluated through a dynamic system simulation with high fidelity in the Modelica platform. The dynamic model of the novel hybrid component named ‘dual purpose underground thermal battery’ was developed and validated. It was then incorporated into the system model. Given a time-of-use tariff, a rule-based control strategy was designed to shift the electric demand and switch the heat pump source for a typical single-family house in different climate zones of the United States. The system performance of the new TES-integrated dual-source heat pump was compared with that of a conventional air-source heat pump system. The results indicate that the proposed system can reduce the annual HVAC electricity cost by up to 52% while saving 45.2% on electricity consumption. In the Northern areas, the annual peak load of the HVAC system can be reduced by 64.9%. However, this reduction is less in the Southern areas as the system’s higher efficiency in winter dominates the overall energy-saving potential.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Development and field demonstration of residential air source integrated heat pump using a three-stage compressor

To promote decarbonization and all electrification at residential sectors, it is necessary to use air source heat pumps (ASHPs) to replace natural gas for space heating and water heating. ASHPs are widely utilized for residential space cooling, heating, and water heating due to their simplicity and cost-effectiveness. However, their performance can be compromised in cold climates, where they may experience reduced heating capacity. A multi-functional heat pump, using a single compressor, to meet all home space conditioning and water heating demands, is an emerging technology. To address this limitation, we have developed and demonstrated an air source integrated heat pump to fulfill comprehensive home comfort requirements. This system employs a three-stage compressor and a single set of heat exchangers and valves, optimizing functionality while minimizing costs. The performance of the developed system was rigorously evaluated in both laboratory and field settings. In laboratory conditions, the system achieved a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio of 17.0 (average COP of 4.98) and a Heating Seasonal Performance Factor of 11.0 (3.22). Additionally, in its most efficient operational mode—combining space cooling and water heating—the unit attained a total energy efficiency exceeding 7.0 seasonal COP in the field and could heat a 189-liter tank of water in just 25 min. The field study corroborated the laboratory findings, validating the system’s performance in real-world conditions. Here, this integrated heat pump represents an ideal solution for decarbonizing homes in northern climates by providing efficient space heating and water heating, thereby replacing the need for natural gas.

Integrated heat pump↗
DOE OSTI2022

On the operational characteristics and economic value of pumped thermal energy storage

Pumped thermal energy storage (PTES) systems use an electrically-driven heat pump to store electricity in the form of thermal energy, and subsequently dispatch the stored thermal energy to generate electricity using a thermodynamic heat engine. Optimal day-ahead operational scheduling and annual value of a PTES system based on Joule-Brayton thermodynamic cycles and two-tank molten salt hot thermal storage is evaluated in this work. Production cost models, which simultaneously optimize commitment and dispatch schedules for an entire set of generators to minimize the cost of satisfying electricity demand, are employed to determine system-optimal operation and day-ahead energy value of the PTES system within each of six hypothetical near-future grid scenarios intended to approximately represent the U.S. Western Interconnection or the Texas Interconnection. Sensitivity to grid scenario (including the contribution of variable renewable energy sources), thermal storage capacity, relative heat pump and heat engine capacities, and startup/shutdown cycling costs are evaluated. PTES energy value and heat engine annual capacity factor increase strongly as the contribution of variable renewable resources increases, heat pump capacity increases relative to heat engine capacity, or PTES cycling costs decrease. Grid scenarios in which the contribution of variable renewable energy is dominated by solar photovoltaics (PV) vs. wind produce inherently different PTES operational patterns. Annual PTES energy value within PV-dominated scenarios increased with storage capacity only up to approximately seven hours of full-load discharge capacity, whereas that within wind-dominated scenarios exhibited a continual increase with storage duration up to at least 16 hours.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Thermalization of the Kerr index of refraction in acetone and methanol using femtosecond pump-probe scattering spectroscopy

Femtosecond time-resolved pump-probe scattering is used to temporally investigate the index thermalization Δn(t) of the molecular motions associated with the Kerr nonlinear index n 2 . This is done using an intense 300 fs 1034 nm pump pulse and temporally probed by a 517 nm and supercontinuum pulse in acetone and methanol. The optically pumped molecular states change the index of refraction and through the processes of Raman and Rayleigh scattering are shown to engage in a 4-step energy relaxation process. Here, the pump first initiates the Kerr effect as well as populate resonant vibrational molecular motions, which act as a “mother” energy state. The electronic component of the Kerr effect is shown to couple with these vibrational modes through the process of Born-Oppenheimer coupling, which can be measured through the Raman scattering of the probe. The “mother” coupled state then decays into “daughter” anharmonic non-resonant states, which then further decay into “granddaughter” and thermal bath states. The population of these states alter the index of refraction in time, Δn(t), and can be measured through the changing in the probe beam’s Rayleigh scattering. This thermalization process takes ~5.5 ps in acetone and ~3.7 ps in methanol. The scattering signals from each Δn(t) thermalization stage in the localized region, (“mother”, to “daughter”, to “granddaughter”, to the bath states, to the ground state), are fitted to theoretical decay equations that show the rise and fall times of the energy decay routes.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Metastability exchange optical pumping of 3 He at low pressure and high magnetic field

We report systematic studies on metastability exchange optical pumping of 3 He nuclei have been performed at Jefferson Lab using a 1-torr sealed cell at magnetic fields from 2 to 4 T. The effects of the discharge intensity, pump laser power and pumping transition schemes on achievable nuclear polarization and pumping rate have been investigated. A maximum steady-state nuclear polarization of about 75% has been obtained. This work provides a baseline for the development of the novel polarized 3 He target for CLAS12 at Jefferson Lab.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2022

Supercritical CO2 Heat Pumps and Power Cycles for Concentrating Solar Power

Pumped Thermal Energy Storage (PTES) is a promising technology for electricity storage applications. An electrically driven heat pump moves energy from a cold space to a hot space, thereby creating hot and cold thermal storage. The temperature difference between the hot and cold storage is later used to drive a heat engine and return electricity to the grid. In this article, supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) is chosen as the working fluid for PTES, and results are compared to 'conventional' systems that use nitrogen. Molten salts are used for the hot storage which means that a CSP plant with thermal storage and an sCO2 power cycle could potentially be hybridized with PTES by the addition of a heat pump. This article describes some of the benefits of this combined system which can provide renewable power generation and energy management services. Two methods by which an sCO2 heat pump can be combined with an sCO2 power cycle for CSP are described and techno-economic results are presented. Results indicate that these systems can achieve reasonable technical performance, but that costs are currently high.

carnot battery↗
DOE OSTI2022

Role of the edge stochastic layer in density pump-out by resonant magnetic perturbations

The role of the edge stochastic layer on particle transport is addressed in DIII-D plasmas with applied resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) causing density pump-out (a term used to denote the density reduction at the top of the pedestal due to the applied RMPs). Using an analytical model that adds the stochastic parallel transport of electrons (Harvey et al 1981 Phys. Rev. Lett. 47 102) to the fluid equations, the ambipolar radial electric field and particle flux are calculated simultaneously. In this model the nonambipolar electron particle flux, driven by the stochastic magnetic field, is predominantly balanced by the nonambipolar perpendicular ion flux, driven by toroidal viscosity, across a narrow stochastic layer of order two percent of the plasma radius (0.98 < ψn < 1). The model reproduces the level of density pump-out and its dependence on RMP amplitude near the separatrix for three plasma discharges for which the pedestal foot is at medium to high collisionality $(2\leqslant {\nu }_{\text{sep}}^{\ast }\leqslant 30)$. In this work, the experimentally observed and numerically tested inverse density dependence of density pump-out (Hu et al 2020 Nucl. Fusion 60 076001) is accurately captured by the model: an increase in collisionality with density in the pedestal foot results in a decrease in stochastic diffusivity, and hence a decrease in the level of pump-out.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Spin pumping from antiferromagnetic insulator spin-orbit-proximitized by adjacent heavy metal: a first-principles Floquet-nonequilibrium Green function study

Motivated by the recent experiment on spin pumping from sub-THz radiation-driven uniaxial antiferromagnetic insulator (AFI) MnF 2 into heavy metal (HM) Pt hosting strong spin-orbit (SO) coupling, we compute and compare pumped spin currents in Cu/MnF 2 /Cu and Pt/MnF 2 /Cu heterostructures. Recent theories of spin pumping by AFI have relied on simplistic Hamiltonians (such as tight-binding) and the scattering approach to quantum transport yielding the so-called interfacial spin mixing conductance (SMC), but the concept of SMC ceases to be applicable when SO coupling is present directly at the interface. In contrast, we use a more general first-principles quantum transport approach which combines noncollinear density functional theory with Floquet-nonequilibrium Green's functions in order to take into account: SO-proximitized AFI as a new type of quantum material, different from isolated AFI and brought about by AFI hybridization with adjacent HM layer; strong SO coupling at the interface; and evanescent wavefunctions penetrating from Pt or Cu into AFI layer to make its interfacial region conducting rather than insulating as in the isolated AFI. The DC component of pumped spin current $I_\mathrm{DC}^{S_z}$ vs. precession cone angle $\theta_{\boldsymbol{l}}$ of the Néel vector l of AFI does not follow putative $I^{S_z}_\mathrm{DC} \propto \sin^2 \theta_{\boldsymbol{l}}$, except for very small angles $\theta_{\boldsymbol{l}} \lesssim 10^\circ$ for which we define an effective SMC from the prefactor and find that it doubles from MnF2/Cu to MnF2/Pt interface. In addition, the angular dependence $I^{S_z}_\mathrm{DC}(\theta_{\boldsymbol{l}})$ differs for opposite directions of precession of the Néel vector, leading to twice as large SMC for the right-handed than for the left-handed chirality of the precession mode.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Fingerprinting fractons with pump-probe spectroscopy

We demonstrate how pump-probe techniques enable specific spectroscopic diagnostics of fracton phases of matter by studying lineon-planon braiding in the paradigmatic X-cube model. Our discussion builds on previous works probing anyonic exchange statistics in conventional spin liquids, but the extension to fracton phases reveals qualitatively different phenomena due to the restricted mobility of fractionalized excitations. A key feature is that nearby planons can form an emergent bound state by accessing different planes via alternative pairing configurations. We show that this bound state qualitatively modifies the long-time linear and nonlinear responses, leading to an asymptotic linear-in-𝑡 behavior for the pump-probe signal 𝜒 𝑍𝑍𝑋 . By contrast, swapping the pump and probe polarizations produces a nonlinear response 𝜒 𝑋𝑋𝑍 that is asymptotically 𝑡 independent. This asymmetry reflects the fact that the two species of fractionalized excitations live in different spatial dimensions. Thus the pump-probe signals studied here are sensitive to (i) nontrivial braiding statistics in three dimensions, (ii) the existence of bound states among fractionalized excitations, and (iii) the one-dimensional mobility of lineons. Furthermore, our results therefore provide spectroscopic signatures that distinguish fracton phases from conventional topologically ordered spin liquids.

braiding↗
DOE OSTI2020

Developing of Quaternary Pumped Storage Hydropower for Dynamic Studies

Quaternary pumped storage hydropower (Q-PSH) technology, as one of the new advanced-PSH technology, has been developed by taking advantage of Conventional-PSH (C-PSH) and Adjustable Speed-PSH (AS-PSH). By combining adjustable-speed pump unit and conventional hydropower turbine unit in the quaternary configuration, Q-PSH has the more competitive capability of providing fast power support in the future high renewable penetrated power system. Acting as energy storage (ES), Q-PSH provides promising power supply to deal with the uncertainty and variability from renewable energy generation. This paper focuses on the dynamic modeling of Q-PSH technology employing full-converter machine and the impact of Q-PSH on the frequency response in a system. The detailed model of Q-PSH is developed and implemented in the IEEE 14-bus system based on GE Positive Sequence Load Flow (PSLF) platform, which captures the dynamic of multiple operation modes, especially hydraulic short-circuit (HSC) operation mode. Several cases are set up to reveal the advantages of Q-PSH technology when power electronic based renewable energy generation is deployed in the system. Sensitivity studies of the controller in pump governor show the impact of parameters in pump response performance. The comparison case illustrates the impact of frequency response provided by the Q-PSH in the system.

dynamic modeling↗
DOE OSTI2024

Evaluation of Mechanical and Thermomechanical Water Vapor Compression Techniques for Enabling High Temperature Lift Hydration-Based Chemical Heat Pumps

Achieving high temperature lifts (>200 K) via a chemical heat pump based on salt hydration/dehydration reactions requires the transport of water vapor from low to high pressure. Alternative compression approaches require condensing of low-pressure water vapor, pumping of liquid water, and subsequent evaporation when the low-side pressure corresponds to sub-ambient water saturation temperatures. Thus, this study compares four steam compression methods for use within a chemical heat pump system based on a reversible calcium oxide hydration/dehydration reaction with a temperature lift from 350 °C heat to >600 °C. Purely mechanical and thermochemical/mechanical compression technologies are considered. A parametric study of maximum allowable temperature, the isentropic efficiency of mechanical compressors, the effectiveness of heat exchangers, and the assumed allowable heat exchanger pressure drop is conducted to determine the mechanical and thermal energy consumed per kilogram of compressed steam. The system complexity in terms of the number of main system components, maximum pressure ratio, and maximum allowable temperature is estimated. Model results show an absorption-based steam compressor has the highest exergetic efficiency for the required chemical heat pump required conditions. As a result, this system configuration was then experimentally demonstrated to illustrate the impact of system performance on component effectiveness.

Advanced reactors↗
DOE OSTI2024

Utah FORGE: Pump and Probe Test on an Intact Westerly Granite Sample

This dataset contains results from a pump and probe experiment conducted on an intact Westerly Granite sample with a diameter of 1 inch and a height of 1 3/8 inches. The experiment was performed within an aluminum triaxial pressure vessel (TEMCO) to investigate the non-linear acoustic parameters of the sample under varying axial pressures. The confining pressure was maintained at 4 MPa, while the axial pressure was incrementally increased from 1 MPa to 17 MPa before being reduced back to 1 MPa. 5 dynamic pressure oscillations of 0.5 MPa were applied over a 10 minute interval. The dataset includes pump controller data, linear variable differential transformer (LVDT) measurements, and acoustic data. The pump controller data tracks the confining and axial pressures, flow rates, and pump volumes. LVDT measurements provide detailed records of the axial displacement of the cell piston. Additionally, acoustic data captured by s-wave transducers is archived in a compressed file.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗