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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 451 records · Page 25
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1993

Reflection-Type Oil-Film Skin-Friction Meter

Oil-film skin-friction meter for both flight and wind-tunnel applications uses internal reflection and is self-contained, compact unit. Contained in palm-sized housing, in which source of light, mirrors, and sensor mounted rigidly in alignment. Entire unit mounted rigidly under skin of aircraft or wind tunnel, eliminating any relative vibration between optical elements and skin of aircraft or wind tunnel. Meter primarily applicable to flight and wind-tunnel tests, also used in chemical-processing plants.

Bandyopadhyay, Promode R.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Liquid Alkaline Water Electrolyzers: Comparing Performance across Design, Operation, and End-of-Life Scenarios

Liquid alkaline water electrolysis (LAWE) is a demonstrated technology for hydrogen production, yet a comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) of their deployment is lacking. Research leading to improvements to the core component, the electrochemical stack, along with auxiliary system materials and dynamic operation of stacks from variable electricity supply offers new data that allows for detailed modeling and evaluation. Here, we present an LCA of two facility designs based on the current state-of-the-art stack and an advanced stack with zero-gap between electrodes, and capture dynamic electricity use from solar, wind, and hybrid sources and stack recycling strategies. We present life cycle impact factors characterizing the production of 1 kg of hydrogen across 12 environmental, human health, and resource impact categories (TRACI and ReCiPe) in the contiguous United States. As expected, the source of electricity will drive impacts (e.g., 83-94% of carbon intensity); however, we find that operating using wind electricity can lower hydrogen leakage and the overall carbon intensity (1.03 kgCO 2 e/kgH 2 ) relative to solar electricity (2.57 kgCO 2 e/kgH 2 ) at matched 1:1 capacity between LAWE and the electricity source. The deployment of the advanced design and stack recycling lowers impacts across all life cycle stages. We highlight opportunities to further reduce potential impacts, including the balance of plant materials and operation cycles associated with the use of variable wind and solar electricity that result in hydrogen leakage.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2025

Resource Adequacy and Capital Cost Considerations Pertaining to Large Electric Grids Powered by Wind, Solar, Storage, Gas, and Nuclear

The capacity and generation of wind, solar, storage, nuclear, and gas are estimated for large, idealized copper-plate electric grids. Wind and solar penetrations of 30% to 80% are considered together with different storage systems such as vanadium and lithium-ion batteries, pumped hydroelectric, compressed air, and hydrogen. In addition to a baseline dispatchable fleet without wind/solar, two bounding cases with wind/solar are analyzed: one without storage and one where the whole wind/solar fleet is connected to the storage system, hence providing a buffer between the wind/solar fleet and the grid. The reality will likely be somewhere between these bounding cases. The viability of a power grid with a large wind/solar penetration and no storage is not guaranteed but was nonetheless considered to provide a lower-bound capital cost estimate. Overall, the options that rely strongly on wind, solar, and storage could be significantly more capital-intensive than those that rely strongly on nuclear, depending on the amount of storage necessary to ensure grid stability. This is especially true in the long run because wind, solar, and storage assets have shorter lifetimes than nuclear plants and, consequently, need to be replaced more frequently. More analyses (e.g., grid stability and public acceptance) are necessary to determine which option is most likely to provide the path of least resistance to powering a clean, affordable, and reliable grid in a timely manner. Depending on the priorities, the path of least resistance may not necessarily be the one that is less capital intensive.

adequacy↗
DOE OSTI2021

Wind and Structural Loads on Parabolic Trough Solar Collectors at Nevada Solar One

Wind loading is a main contributor to structural design costs of Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) collectors, such as heliostats and parabolic troughs. These structures must resist the mechanical forces generated by turbulent wind. At the same time, the reflector surfaces must exhibit the necessary rigidity to maintain their optimal optical performance in windy conditions. Over two years, NREL conducted comprehensive field measurements of the atmospheric turbulent wind conditions and the resulting structural wind loads on parabolic troughs at the Nevada Solar One (NSO) plant. The measurement set-up included meteorological masts and structural load sensors on four trough rows. Additionally, we commissioned a lidar scanning the horizontal plane over the trough field. This data set catalogs the high-resolution data set characterizing the complex flow field and resulting structural loads on parabolic trough collectors. By providing this first-of-its-kind data set to the CSP community, we aim to enhance the community's understanding of wind-loading experienced by CSP collector structures. This data set will also help design next-generation solar collectors and photovoltaic trackers.

Array↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

APH Experiments: Germination and Seedling Establishment Methods

Plant experiments during ground studies were conducted in the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) Science Carrier (SC) for ensuring high germination rates and vigorous seedling establishment. The methods constitute a mixture of environmental and planting factors that control moisture and humidity during early seedling establishment. The APH uses granular media that is fertilized with slow release fertilizer pellets. Seeds were sanitized and their germination was tested prior to use in the SC. Seeds were glued in place with guar gum in different wicking materials. It was found that seedlings establishment was reduced if the chamber was too dry or if salt buildup near the seeds was permitted. Thus, germination was carried in media that was flooded and drained, in a chamber held at 80% relative humidity at a low wind speed of 0.3 m/s. After a week the humidity was lowered to 60% RH and wind speed was increased to 0.6 m/s. The germination of different plant species were found to respond differently to germination wicks or to gauze, as well as fertilization rates. Several methods for growing Arabidopsis, wheat, radish and peppers in the APH SC will be presented

O Monje↗
NASA NTRS1997

Remotely Sensing Larval Population Dynamics of Rice Field Anophelines

The primary objective of both studies was to determine if RS and GIS techniques could be used to distinguish between high and low larval-producing rice fields in California. Results of the first study suggested that early-season green-up and proximity to livestock pastures were positively correlated with high larval abundance. Based on the early-season spectral differences between high and low larval-producing fields, it appeared that canopy development and tillering influenced mosquito habitat quality. At that time, rice fields consisted of a mixture of plants and water, a combination that allowed An. freeborni females to lay eggs in partial sunlight, protected from both predators and wind. This established a population earlier in the season than in other, 'less-green' fields where tillering and plant emergence was too minimal for ovipositioning. The study also indicated the importance of the distance that a mosquito would have to fly in order to take a bloodmeal prior to ovipositing. These associations were fully explored in an expanded study two years later. The second study confirmed the positive relationship between early season canopy development and larval abundance, and also demonstrated the relationship between abundance and distance-to-pasture. The association between greenness (as measured using NDVI), distance-to-pasture, and abundance is illustrated. The second study also indicated the siginificance of the landscape context of rice fields for larval production. Fields that included opportunities for feeding and resting within the flight range of the mosquito had higher abundances than did fields that were in a homogeneous rice area.

Beck, Louisa R.↗
DOE OSTI2023

NSO Processing Scripts (NSO wind loading data set processing scripts) [SWR-23-86]

NREL conducted comprehensive field measurements of the atmospheric turbulent wind conditions and the resulting structural wind loads on parabolic troughs at the Nevada Solar One plant from October 2021 to June, 2023. The measurement set-up included meteorological masts and structural load sensors on four trough rows. Additionally, NREL commissioned a lidar scanning the horizontal plane over the trough field. The high-resolution data set, characterizing the complex flow field and resulting structural loads, is available at https://data.openei.org/submissions/5938. The processing routines published here were used to create the data from the instruments' raw data.

Egerer, Ulrike↗
DOE OSTI2025

Tree architectural characteristics and stem and leaf functional traits for 17 individuals in the Central Amazon

Given recent increases in tree mortality rates in the Amazon forest following extreme drought and wind events, we tested if lower wood density and acquisitive plant functional traits were associated with increased growth and mortality for common co-occurring trees in the Central Amazon. Research was conducted at the ZF2 Research Station located north or Manaus, Brazil, managed by the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA). Seventeen trees of different species with similar sizes but a range in wood density (WD) and wood traits were felled, then assessed for 27 different individual functional parameters, including whole tree architecture, stem xylem anatomical and hydraulic traits and leaf traits. Wood logs were collected at DBH, 50% stem length and at 100% stem length (at the base of the canopy). For wood anatomy samples, n=3-6 subsamples from each height. For leaf samples, 30 leaves were collected from the upper sunlit canopy. The methodology is detailed in the accompanying manuscript. The trait data are summarized in this file: "Trait_Summary.CSV". Summary Trait code abbreviations and units are described in this file: "Sample_Info_Traits_Summary.CSV". Stem traits measured along the bole from the base of the tree (DBH, diameter breast height), mid-stem, and base of the canopy are described in these files: "Sapwood_Area_height.CSV"; "Species_Info_height.CSV"; "Sample_Info_height.CSV"

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1980

Thermal Pollution Mathematical Model: Verification of One-Dimensional Numerical Model at Lake Keowee - Volume 2

A one dimensional model for studying the thermal dynamics of cooling lakes was developed and verified. The model is essentially a set of partial differential equations which are solved by finite difference methods. The model includes the effects of variation of area with depth, surface heating due to solar radiation absorbed at the upper layer, and internal heating due to the transmission of solar radiation to the sub-surface layers. The exchange of mechanical energy between the lake and the atmosphere is included through the coupling of thermal diffusivity and wind speed. The effects of discharge and intake by power plants are also included. The numerical model was calibrated by applying it to Cayuga Lake. The model was then verified through a long term simulation using Lake Keowee data base. The comparison between measured and predicted vertical temperature profiles for the nine years is good. The physical limnology of Lake Keowee is presented through a set of graphical representations of the measured data base.

Lee, S. S.↗
DOE OSTI2020

The impact of wind, solar, and other factors on the decline in wholesale power prices in the United States

Across multiple organized wholesale power markets in the United States, annual average prices declined by 19–64 dollars per MWh between 2008 and 2017 while retirements of thermal power plants accelerated. Several prominent changes over the last decade are often discussed as contributors to this decline in prices. These include growth in wind and solar, a reduction in the price of natural gas, and weakened load growth. Here we construct a fundamental supply curve model for each of seven organized wholesale market regions and use counterfactual simulations to assess the degree to which wind and solar—among other factors—have influenced wholesale electricity prices. We find that growth in wind and solar since 2008 reduced average annual wholesale electricity prices by less than 3 dollars per MWh. In contrast the decline in natural gas prices reduced wholesale prices by 7–53 dollars per MWh, depending on the region. This suggests that recent thermal-plant retirements in the U.S. are primarily due to low natural gas prices, not growth in wind and solar. Fully isolating the impact of individual factors, however, is limited by non-linear interactions between factors.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2021

Conceptual design of HTS magnets for fusion nuclear science facility

Second-generation high temperature superconductors (HTS) are available for producing >20 T at the magnet bore compared to 13–16 T for lower temperature superconducting (LTS) toroidal field magnets proposed in recent fusion energy systems studies (FESS) of Fusion Nuclear Science Facility (FNSF). HTS may enable higher fusion power density and smaller device size. High current density cables of multi-layered REBCO tapes have achieved >10 kA at 4–20 K operation in short sample tests for fusion. High current density cables are required for engineering design of FNSF to allow space for interior plasma components. High current density HTS magnets are particularly attractive in reducing the size of a fusion device, beneficial for compact tokamaks, due to their space constraints. Successful HTS magnet development may enable the design of smaller and cheaper fusion pilot plants with a mission of demonstrating net electricity. It may also offer significant cost and performance advantages in non-fusion applicants such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Furthermore, we developed HTS magnet design concepts for a compact FNSF radial build in order to define the coil size, winding pack mechanical loading and engineering requirements. Partnering with vendors in the US, PPPL is also testing high current cable prototypes aiming at enabling low cost cable technology toward 100 A/mm 2 engineering current density over the winding pack desired in high field model coil development for compact fusion pilot plants.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Grand Challenges Revisited: Wind Energy Research Needs for a Global Energy Transition

Wind will be a foundational energy source in the electricity grid at the heart of a future integrated energy system, replacing traditional electricity generators powered by fossil fuels and providing grid reliability services in addition to energy. Future capabilities and functions of the wind energy sector will evolve apace with the future expansion and needs of global energy infrastructure; however, wind turbines designed today will not be able to provide the services needed to form and stabilize the grid as a majority supplier. In 2017, organizers for the IEA Wind Technical Experts Meeting (TEM) #89 Grand Vision for Wind Energy workshop assembled a group of experts to consider the question of how to enable a future in which wind energy supplies more than 50% of global electricity consumption. More than 70 experts representing 15 countries attended the workshop and provided diverse perspectives for the Grand Vision for Wind Energy. The IEA Wind TEM #109 was a subsequent gathering that was convened Feb. 28-March 1, 2023, in Boulder, Colorado, USA. The IEA Wind TEM #109 meeting aimed to bring together the leaders of all working groups and the IEA Wind Technology Collaboration Programme (TCP) to identify gaps in scientific knowledge, design, and deployment practice as well as identify recommendations for collaborative pathways, initiatives, and prioritized long-term research needs that can be addressed by IEA Wind. This report captures the outcomes of this meeting of international experts: five Grand Challenge areas (The Atmosphere, The Turbine, The Plant and Grid, Environmental Co-Design, and Social Science). In addition, meeting participants identified eight crosscutting topic areas that are discusses within this report (Environment-Turbine, Turbine-Atmosphere, Atmosphere-Grid/Plant, Grid/Plant-Turbine, Grid/Plant-Environment, Atmosphere-Environment, Turbine-Social, and Social-Grid/Plant).

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Wind Turbine Design Optimization for Hydrogen Production

To help meet the need for inexpensive green fuels, we are working on wind turbine design optimization specifically for hydrogen production. We have thus far achieved a 1.53% decrease in LCOH as compared to a turbine optimized for LCOE using the same code, design variables, and models. We accomplished this by optimizing some components of the wind turbine tower, rotor, and drivetrain design with hydrogen production and costs in the design loop.

hydrogen↗
DOE OSTI2025

Assessing the levelized cost of energy in South Korea

This study evaluates the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for various energy technologies in the Republic of Korea (Korea) from 2023 to 2050, highlighting cost trajectories and potential crossovers among competing technologies. The analysis projects that, based on our set of assumptions, utility-scale photovoltaic systems achieve lower LCOEs than nuclear by 2030, while fixed offshore wind is expected to become cost-competitive with coal-fired generation around the same time. Floating offshore wind is projected to reach cost parity with coal in the late 2030s. Co-firing with natural gas and green hydrogen is identified as the highest-cost generation option due to high natural gas and green fuel costs and declining capacity utilization. This study further examines the potential for hybrid systems that integrate renewable energy with energy storage to serve as flexible, cost-effective, zero-emission alternatives to green hydrogen-based generation. Spatial LCOE assessments indicate that near-shore offshore wind sites may achieve lower costs despite modest capacity factors, contingent on site-specific factors such as grid integration and social acceptance. The findings indicate that renewable energy technologies are expected to experience continued cost declines, with solar photovoltaic becoming the most competitive energy source in Korea by 2030–2035. Incorporating social costs accelerates this shift from conventional alternatives.

Green hydrogen↗
DOE OSTI2023

AmeriFlux FLUXNET-1F US-Tw4 Twitchell East End Wetland

This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site US-Tw4 Twitchell East End Wetland. This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site US-Tw4 Twitchell East End Wetland produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - The Twitchell East End Wetland is a newly constructed restored wetland on Twitchell Island, CA. This site and the surrounding region are part of the San Joaquin - Sacramento River Delta drained beginning in the 1850's and subsequently used for agriculture. The site was previously a corn field. The wetland was designed to have a mix of vegetated and open water channels and ponds (due to surface elevation differences). Flooding of the wetland was done gradually beginning in January, 2014. Berms wind throughout the wetland to allow vehicle access. Tule and Cattail plant material from a nearby wetland were spread along the berms immediately prior to flooding to facilitate plant establishment and stabilization of the berms from wind/water erosion. The tower was installed on November 25, 2013.

Eichelmann, Elke↗
DOE OSTI2021

Evolving Architectures and Considerations to address Distributed Energy Resources and Non-Wired Alternatives

The electric grid is in the beginning stage of a transformation, driven by a combination of shutdowns of coal-fired plants, commissioning of new natural-gas plants, and tremendous growth in energy supply from renewables such as wind, and solar. As utilities navigate this transformation, their progress is supported by advances in Operational Technologies (OT), and Informational Technologies (IT), such as automation, smart inverters, cloud computing, mobile computing, machine learning, big data analytics, which have the potential to enable advanced capabilities more efficiently and at a lower cost. This white paper focuses on the architectural considerations that will allow the industry to transition in a planned manner. It introduces and formalizes two architectural constructs –the data bus and the control bus. The data bus is responsible for carrying all non-operational models and information necessary to drive utility decisions. In contrast, the control bus is responsible for carrying all operational data and control actions taken at the local level, centralized level, or other levels in-between. The paper reviews those architectural considerations, their requirements and how they will evolve. This paper intends to provide a context for vendors, utilities, and their service providers to review and understand the changes that are coming and get ready for them.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
NASA NTRS1988

Structure of rough-wall turbulent boundary layers

Recent experiments have shown that, in rough-wall turbulent boundary layers, drag varies systematically with the spanwise aspect ratio lambda(z) (span/height) of roughness elements. In this paper, the effect of lambda(z) on turbulence structure has been examined. Based on lambda(z), the roughness in a transversely grooved surface with lambda(z) much greater than 1 is the opposite extreme of model plant canopies with lambda(z) much less than 1, studied in wind tunnels, whereas sandgrain is an intermediate type. Second-, third-, and fourth-order turbulence moments have been measured in turbulent boundary layers over transversely grooved and smooth surfaces and compared with available turbulence structure measurements over other types of surfaces. The near-wall turbulence structure is found to vary with lambda(z). The instantaneous motions involved in the flux of shear stress near the wall in smooth and transversely grooved surfaces are opposite in sign to those in three-dimensional roughness. The former is explained in terms of hairpin vortices alone, while the latter group is modeled to have an additional vortex (the so-called necklace vortex which straddles a three-dimensional roughness element near its base).

Bandyopadhyay, Promode R.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Projecting Future Colorado River Basin Water and Hydropower Operations

Drought, variable renewable energy (VRE) resources (primarily wind and photovoltaic technologies), and power markets can all impact hydropower plant operations. We analyze how these three factors collectively may potentially change the future operation and economics of federal dams and hydropower plants located in the Colorado River Basin (CRB). Federal CRB energy and capacity resources, including 4,200 MW of hydropower capacity, are marketed by Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) and sold through long-term Firm Electric Service (FES) contracts to entities located in 15 western and central States that serve millions of electricity consumers. The parameters of FES contracts allow a wide range of scheduling flexibility for FES customers. The FES customers will adjust the timing of energy delivery according to the changing water, power market, and VRE contribution level to the power grid. We simulate and project water and hydropower operations with two models: 1) reservoir operation and 2) power system operation (production cost) with various temporal granularity. We consider two sets of grid scenarios (one representing today's infrastructure, and one representing higher VRE contributions in 2036) and two sets of water scenarios (drought and normal hydrology). We modeled scenarios to understand the power market-energy price levels and patterns, FES customer scheduling, hydropower economics, WAPA finances and hydropower operation for various hydrologic conditions, and VRE contribution level to the power grid. The detailed modeling framework includes: (1) creating ensembles of CRB hydrologic and hydropower futures, (2) selecting representative futures, (3) simulation of FES customer contracts, (4) simulating western U.S. power grid economic scheduling and dispatch under two VRE contribution levels, utilizing information from modeling steps (1)-(4), (5) assessment of reservoir water and hydropower operation, and (6) comparing scenario operations and economics. Our study team comprising WAPA, and an interdisciplinary team of national labs will gain insight into how WAPA can prepare for and adapt its practices in response to an evolving U.S. power grid.

Colorado River↗