SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “power system event”

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.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 469 records · Page 26

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

DOE OSTI2022

North Carolina Water Utility Builds Resilience with Distributed Energy Resources

As the frequency and duration of grid outages increase, backup power systems are becoming more important for ensuring that critical infrastructure continues to provide essential services. Most facilities rely on diesel generators, which may be ineffective during long outages owing to limited fuel supplies and high generator failure rates. Distributed energy resources such as solar, storage, and combined-heat-and-power systems, coupled with on-site biofuel production, offer an alternative source of on-site generation that can provide both cost savings and resilience (i.e., the ability to respond to catastrophic events with longer-term consequences). A mixed-integer linear program minimizes costs and maximizes resilience at a wastewater treatment plant in Wilmington, North Carolina. We find that the plant can reduce life-cycle energy costs by 3.1% through the installation of a hybrid combined-heat-and-power, photovoltaic, and storage system. When paired with existing diesel generators, this system can sustain full load for seven days while saving $664,000 over 25 years and reducing diesel fuel use by 48% compared with the diesel-only solution. This analysis informed a decision by the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority to allocate funds for the implementation of a combined-heat-and-power system at the wastewater treatment plant in fiscal year 2023. Finally, the benefits of deploying hybrid combined-heat-and-power technologies and the utilization of on-site biofuel production extend, on a national scale, to thousands of wastewater treatment facilities and other types of critical infrastructure.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2022

Evaluation of Optimal Net Load Management in Microgrids Using Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulation: Preprint

This paper presents the performance evaluation of a net load management (NLM) engine that balances load and generation in an isolated community to power a critical facility after a grid interruption event (e.g., lost a large generation unit). The NLM engine is a central dispatch control system that provides high-speed cost-optimal coordination of a set of net loads (combination of generation and deferrable loads) connected to the same electrical network. The NLM algorithm cost-optimally dispatches the grid-following inverters and deferrable loads based on the demanded power and load priorities, and the grid-forming inverters use droop control to form system voltages and share active and reactive power. A controller-hardware-in-the-loop platform is developed to evaluate the control performance of the NLM algorithm. The experimental results indicate that the NLM engine can achieve the targeted system voltage and frequency and balance load and generation to serve the critical facility.

droop control↗

NASA NTRS1982

Intermediate power conditioners - Where are we now?

It has been recognized in the photovoltaic (PV) industry that even in the event of a dramatic reduction in the price of generating PV cells, the costs for the other components of the system represent still a major obstacle towards commercialization. A project was, therefore, initiated with the aim to develop baseline and conceptual power conditioner designs which would attempt to meet a specified set of cost and performance goals in the 30 to 200 kW (Intermediate) size. Resulting Intermediate Size Power Conditioner Studies led to a number of conclusions. There is a need for a set of guidelines or standards for utility interconnection. The advent of new devices with more power handling capability will change the desired topology.

Klein, J. W.↗

DOE OSTI2023

Beryllium Isotopes in Rainfall for Stratospheric-Tropospheric Exchange Dynamics Experiment (BIRDIE) (Final Report)

The Beryllium Isotopes in Rainfall for Stratospheric-Tropospheric Exchange Dynamics Experiment or BIRDIE was a precipitation collection campaign designed to measure cosmogenic isotopes of beryllium in rainfall and other forms of precipitation across the DOE Southern Great Plains (SGP) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) site. Precipitation samples were collected over three weeks (May 21-June 10, 2022) at 11 SGP sites across a 120 km 2 domain in northern and central Oklahoma. The field campaign targeted summer-time convection rain events. We aimed to capture any spatial and/or temporal variability in the concentrations of beryllium-10 (10Be) and beryllium-7 (7Be) across the SGP ARM site during these rainfall events. The ratio of 10Be to 7Be (10/7Be) has been shown to be a powerful tracer for transport processes in the stratosphere-troposphere exchange (STE) system (e.g., Koch and Rind 1998). Any observed variability is analyzed to see if it could be linked to STE processes, including overshooting of deep convection clouds which penetrate the lower stratosphere. Six wet weather system events were collected within our three-week span. Five out of six of these rainfall events are classified as moderately to strongly convective. Those events are studied in more detail. The five systems also follow each other over a short time period of eleven days. In our rainfall samples we observed spatial and event variability in the concentrations of beryllium-10 and -7 which resulted in variability of 10/7 Be ratios. Each weather event appeared to exhibit a unique 10/7Be pattern across the domain that was not directly linked to storm total precipitation amount. To better understand the causes for this spatial variability, cloud characteristics in the domain were looked at to assess cloud type, cloud height and depth information. We also ran Hysplit back trajectories to identify possible air mass and moisture origins across our events. Detailed analysis is still on-going. The purpose of this technical report is to provide background on using cosmogenic isotopes as atmospheric tracers, describe the experimental design, and present the beryllium concentration and ratio data.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2023

Beryllium Isotopes in Rainfall for Stratospheric-Tropospheric Exchange Dynamics Experiment (BIRDIE) (Field Campaign Report)

The Beryllium Isotopes in Rainfall for Stratospheric-Tropospheric Exchange Dynamics Experiment or BIRDIE was a precipitation collection campaign designed to measure cosmogenic isotopes of beryllium in rainfall and other forms of precipitation across the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility’s Southern Great Plains (SGP) atmospheric observatory. Precipitation samples were collected over three weeks (May 21-June 10, 2022) at 11 SGP sites across a 120-km 2 domain in northern and central Oklahoma. The field campaign targeted summertime convection rain events. We aimed to capture any spatial and/or temporal variability in the concentrations of beryllium-10 (10Be) and beryllium-7 (7Be) across the ARM SGP site during these rainfall events. The ratio of 10Be to 7Be (10/7Be) has been shown to be a powerful tracer for transport processes in the stratosphere-troposphere exchange (STE) system (e.g., Koch and Rind 1998). Any observed variability is analyzed to see if it could be linked to STE processes, including overshooting of deep convection clouds that penetrate the lower stratosphere. Six wet weather system events were collected within our three-week span. Five out of six of these rainfall events are classified as moderately to strongly convective. Those events are studied in more detail. The five systems also follow each other over a short period of 11 days. In our rainfall samples we observed spatial and event variability in the concentrations of beryllium-10 and -7 that resulted in variability of 10/7Be ratios. Each weather event appeared to exhibit a unique 10/7Be pattern across the domain that was not directly linked to storm total precipitation amount. To better understand the causes for this spatial variability, cloud characteristics in the domain were looked at to assess cloud type, cloud height, and depth information. We also ran Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model back trajectories to identify possible air mass and moisture origins across our events. Detailed analysis is ongoing. The purpose of this technical report is to provide background on using cosmogenic isotopes as atmospheric tracers, describe the experimental design, and present the beryllium concentration and ratio data. Lastly, we note that BIRDIE coincided with two other deep convection field campaigns in the area: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s Dynamics and Chemistry of the Summer Stratosphere (DCOTSS) experiment (https://dcotss.org/) centered in Salina, Kansas, and the Targeted Observation by Radars and (uncrewed aerial systems) UAS of Supercells (TORUS) experiment (https://catalog.eol.ucar.edu/torus_2022) across the U.S. Central Plains. Additionally, a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory ( LLNL) team at DCOTSS attempted to measure 10Be/7Be ratios on aerosols collected in situ in the lower and mid-stratosphere over Kansas using high-altitude balloons. Precipitation samples were also collected on the ground in Salina, Kansas.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2025

Enhancing EV Charging Station Resilience with Multifunctional Converter Leg Integration

In this paper, a multifunctional converter leg is integrated into an EV charger’s power circuit to enhance EV charging station resilience under power electronics converter device faults and grid outages. In the event of a device fault, it substitutes the failed converter leg, maintaining operation. During a grid outage, it assists the system as a fourth leg to the front-end converter, enabling grid-forming capability to supply power to the charging station critical loads while allowing limited power vehicle charging. The proposed approach’s effectiveness under both front-end power converter device faults and grid outage scenarios are validated through simulation and controller hardware-in-the-loop results.

Pereira Pinto, Joao [ORNL]↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Preparation for an Earth Independent Medical Operations Demonstration using the Tempus ALS™ Medical Device

NASA’s exploration-class missions have severe resource constraints, long return trip durations, significant communication delays and limited resupply opportunities. Validation on the International Space Station (ISS) of medical devices that fit within Earth-Independent Medical Operations (EIMO) systems is a necessary preparation step. Key features of an EIMO medical system include: 1) technologies that support the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of spaceflight medical events; 2) components that meet mass, volume, power and crew time/training constraints; 3) consideration of the medical skill level of the astronaut caregiver; 4) collection, storage and analysis of medical data within a central data architecture; and 5) incorporation of appropriate guidance and support tools that allow crew autonomy. The Human Research Program’s (HRP) Exploration Medical Capability (ExMC) Element and the Exploration Medical Integrated Product Team (XM-IPT) are planning an ISS technology demonstration to determine the feasibility of including a multifunctional medical device into an EIMO medical system. Demonstration Preparations: The Tempus ALS (Remote Diagnostic Technologies, Ltd., Philips Corp., Farnborough, UK) is a commercial-off-the-shelf medical device, with United States Food and Drug Administration clearance and is Conformité Européene marked in Europe. Several thousand units have been sold and are successfully operating in pre-hospital and in remote settings, such as by European Space Agency (ESA) flight surgeons and some of NASA’s commercial partners during post-flight medical operations. The Tempus ALS provides vital sign measurements such as blood pressure, electrocardiograms, heart rate, end tidal CO2, respiration rate, pulse oximetry and temperature. The device has ultrasound imaging and video laryngoscopy capabilities and has automatic or manual defibrillation modes for treating cardiac arrhythmias. It includes procedural guidance capabilities to assist in the collection of the vital sign measurements and it has various data transmission and report generation features. NASA’s HRP ExMC and XM-IPT are partnering with the ESA to demonstrate the Tempus ALS on ISS, with ESA manifesting the Tempus ALS and its accessories. ESA will compare performance of periodic health status exams and medical contingency drills performed nominally and with the Tempus ALS. NASA’s EIMO demonstration will include the use of Tempus ALS to diagnose a complaint of abdominal pain under increasingly independent circumstances. The caregiver must assess the present illness, collect vital sign measurements, and perform an abdominal ultrasound, under one of three communication situations, including real-time, with a several second delay and with a delay on the order of minutes. Expected Outcomes: Information will be gained about the feasibility, benefits, and challenges of using a multifunctional, all-in-one, medical device for medical diagnosis instead of separate devices with singular functionalities. Information will also be collected about performance differences as communication delays increase and available ground support decreases. Gaining this understanding will allow for further development of exploration medical system capabilities which takes the EIMO construct into consideration.

Beth Lewandowski↗

NASA NTRS1993

Power console development for NASA's electric propulsion outreach program

NASA LeRC is developing a 30 cm diameter xenon ion thruster for auxiliary and primary propulsion applications. To maximize expectations for user-acceptance of ion propulsion technology, NASA LeRC, through their Electric Propulsion Outreach Program, is providing sectors of industry with portable power consoles for operation of 5 KW-class xenon ion thrusters. This power console provides all necessary functions to permit thruster operations over a 0.5-5 KW envelope under both manual and automated control. These functions include the following: discharge, cathode heater, neutralizer keeper, and neutralizer heater currents, screen and accelerator voltages, and a gas feed system to regulate and control propellant flow to the thruster. An electronic circuit monitors screen and accelerator currents and controls arcing events. The power console was successfully integrated with the NASA 30 cm thruster.

Pinero, Luis R.↗

NASA NTRS2018

High Temporal Resolution Tropospheric Wind Profile Observations at NASA Kennedy Space Center During Hurricane Irma

The NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) operates a 48-MHz Tropospheric/Stratospheric Doppler Radar Wind Profiler (TDRWP) on a continual basis generating wind profiles between 2-19 km in the support of space launch vehicle operations. A benefit of the continual operability of the system is the ability to provide unique observations of severe weather events such as hurricanes. Over the past two Atlantic Hurricane seasons the TDRWP has made high temporal resolution wind profile observations of Hurricane Irma in 2017 and Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Hurricane Irma was responsible for power outages to approximately 2/3 of Florida's population during its movement over the state(Stein,2017). An overview of the TDRWP system configuration, brief summary of Hurricanes Irma and Matthew storm track in proximity to KSC, characteristics of the tropospheric wind observations from the TDRWP during both events, and discussion of the dissemination of TDRWP data during the event will be presented.

Decker, Ryan K.↗

DOE OSTI2025

Overcoming Resilience Challenges on the Outer Banks of North Carolina

In 2021, the Town of Nags Head, located in the Outer Banks region of North Carolina, was among the first cohort of coastal and island communities to participate in the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP), which offers technical assistance and cash awards to competitively selected coastal, remote, and island communities seeking to transform their energy systems and increase their energy resilience. As a barrier island separated from mainland North Carolina, Nags Head experiences impacts from extreme weather events, including power outages, especially during hurricane season. To address challenges, the Nags Head ETIPP team sought to improve the town's disaster resilience by ensuring that critical facilities can remain powered during and after extreme events. With support from experts at Sandia National Laboratories, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and the Coastal Studies Institute, the community team identified the following goals for its participation in ETIPP: 1. Identify and prioritize critical facilities that, when powered during disruptions, support the town's resilience. 2. Analyze the potential for on-site solar photovoltaic (PV) and storage systems at 2-4 prioritized critical facilities owned and/or operated by the town. 3. Analyze the potential for interconnecting solar PV and storage systems at a cluster of public and privately owned facilities into a resilient microgrid. 4. Explore finance options and utility interconnection requirements and compensation mechanisms. 5. Summarize outcomes and next steps for town leadership.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2026

Residential Vehicle-to-Home Backup Power Capabilities: Key Findings from a ComEd Beneficial Electrification R&D Pilot

This report summarizes key findings from a collaborative technical study of residential, non-grid-tied vehicle-to-home (V2H) backup power systems in Commonwealth Edison’s (ComEd’s) service territory. The work integrates (1) a feeder-level technoeconomic analysis (TEA) using historical outage-event data and simulated electric-vehicle (EV) driving/charging profiles to estimate potential reliability and customer interruption-cost impacts under V2H and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) adoption scenarios; (2) controlled laboratory performance testing of a representative V2H backup ecosystem to characterize transfer-to-backup behavior, sustained power delivery, efficiency trends, and repeatable reliability limitations; and (3) a cybersecurity assessment aligned with NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 and ISO/SAE 21434 to evaluate interface-level risk drivers and identify program-relevant mitigations. Results indicate that V2H can provide measurable resilience value, but outcomes are strongly context dependent on outage patterns and the share of events that are “V2H-applicable.” Typical transfer-to-backup behavior clustered on the order of minutes, but rare long-delay edge cases were observed (including an event approaching 30 minutes) and should be treated as a reliability risk. High-power testing showed that peak-rated output is not necessarily continuously deliverable; stable operation may require operation below nameplate ratings and attention to thermal and installation constraints. The cybersecurity assessment highlights a broad attack surface spanning commissioning, home networks, embedded services, and cloud/OTA pathways, motivating minimum controls for secure onboarding, signed updates, patch cadence, and coordinated vulnerability response for any scaled deployment.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2023

A Machine Learning Framework to Deconstruct the Primary Drivers for Electricity Market Price Events

As the electricity grid is moving towards a 100% Renewable Energy Source Bulk Power Grid, the overall operations of the power system operations and electricity markets are changing. The electricity markets are not only dispatching resources economically but also taking into account various controllable actions like renewable curtailment, transmission congestion mitigation, and energy storage optimization to make sure the grid is operating reliably. As a result, price formations in electricity markets have become quite complex. Traditional root cause analysis and statistical approaches are rendered inapplicable to analyze and infer the main drivers behind price formation in the modern grid and markets with variable renewable energy (VRE). In this paper, we propose a machine learning analysis framework to deconstruct some primary drivers for price formation in modern electricity markets with high renewable energy and the outcomes can be utilized for various critical aspects of market design, renewable dispatch and curtailment, operations, and cyber-security applications. The framework can be applied to any ISO or market data and in this paper it is applied to open-source publicly available datasets from California Independent System Operator (CAISO) and ISO New England.

machine learning (ML), electricity markets, Renewa↗

DOE OSTI2020

Synchrophasor Measurements-based Events Detection Using Deep Learning

Deep learning algorithms have been developed for phasor measurement units (PMUs) analysis aiming at providing grid operators to observe and react to significant real-time changes in the grid associated with multiple factors (e.g., power generation and load variations, different type of faults, and equipment mailfunction), or for offline post-event system diagnostics. In this study, a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM)-based deep neural network (DNN) is adopted and evaluated to identify the most appropriate model configurations for event detection and longer-term anomalous pattern extraction. The proposed DNN model shows the potential on long-term predictions with the ability to capture nonlinear and nonstationary mixture complex patterns in PMU datasets. Real-world PMU in the WECC system were used for model development and validation.

deep learning↗

NASA NTRS1983

MOD-2 wind turbine development

The development of the Mod-2 turbine, designed to achieve a cost of electricity for the 100th production unit that will be competitive with conventional electric power generation is discussed. The Mod-2 wind turbine system (WTS) background, project flow, and a chronology of events and problem areas leading to Mod-2 acceptance are addressed. The role of the participating utility during site preparation, turbine erection and testing, remote operation, and routine operation and maintenance activity is reviewed. The technical areas discussed pertain to system performance, loads, and controls. Research and technical development of multimegawatt turbines is summarized.

Gordon, L. H.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Results from Numerical General Relativity

For several years numerical simulations have been revealing the details of general relativity's predictions for the dynamical interactions of merging black holes. I will review what has been learned of the rich phenomenology of these mergers and the resulting gravitational wave signatures. These wave forms provide a potentially observable record of the powerful astronomical events, a central target of gravitational wave astronomy. Asymmetric radiation can produce a thrust on the system which may accelerate the single black hole resulting from the merger to high relative velocity.

Baker, John G.↗

NASA NTRS2018

An Overview of Science Challenges Pertaining to our Understanding of Extreme Geomagnetically Induced Currents

Vulnerability of man-made infrastructure to Earth-directed space weather events is a serious concern for today's technology-dependent society. Space weather-driven geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) can disrupt operation of extended electrically conducting technological systems. The threat of adverse impacts on critical technological infrastructure, like power grids, oil and gas pipelines, and communication networks, has sparked renewed interest in extreme space weather. Because extreme space weather events have low occurrence rate but potentially high impact, this presents a major challenge for our understanding of extreme GIC activity. In this chapter, we discuss some of the key science challenges pertaining to our understanding of extreme events. In addition, we present an overview of GICs including highlights of severe impacts over the last 80 years and recent U.S. Federal actions relevant to this community.

Ngwira, Chigomezyo M.↗

NASA NTRS1996

The Single Event Effect Characteristics of the 486-DX4 Microprocessor

This research describes the development of an experimental radiation testing environment to investigate the single event effect (SEE) susceptibility of the 486-DX4 microprocessor. SEE effects are caused by radiation particles that disrupt the logic state of an operating semiconductor, and include single event upsets (SEU) and single event latchup (SEL). The relevance of this work can be applied directly to digital devices that are used in spaceflight computer systems. The 486-DX4 is a powerful commercial microprocessor that is currently under consideration for use in several spaceflight systems. As part of its selection process, it must be rigorously tested to determine its overall reliability in the space environment, including its radiation susceptibility. The goal of this research is to experimentally test and characterize the single event effects of the 486-DX4 microprocessor using a cyclotron facility as the fault-injection source. The test philosophy is to focus on the "operational susceptibility," by executing real software and monitoring for errors while the device is under irradiation. This research encompasses both experimental and analytical techniques, and yields a characterization of the 486-DX4's behavior for different operating modes. Additionally, the test methodology can accommodate a wide range of digital devices, such as microprocessors, microcontrollers, ASICS, and memory modules, for future testing. The goals were achieved by testing with three heavy-ion species to provide different linear energy transfer rates, and a total of six microprocessor parts were tested from two different vendors. A consistent set of error modes were identified that indicate the manner in which the errors were detected in the processor. The upset cross-section curves were calculated for each error mode, and the SEU threshold and saturation levels were identified for each processor. Results show a distinct difference in the upset rate for different configurations of the on-chip cache, as well as proving that one vendor is superior to the other in terms of latchup susceptibility. Results from this testing were also used to provide a mean-time-between-failure estimate of the 486-DX4 operating in the radiation environment for the International Space Station.

Kouba, Coy↗

NASA NTRS2000

Technology Development for a Stirling Radioisotope Power System

NASA Glenn Research Center and the Department of Energy are developing a Stirling convertor for an advanced radioisotope power system to provide spacecraft on-board electric power for NASA deep space missions. NASA Glenn is addressing key technology issues through the use of two NASA Phase II SBIRs with Stirling Technology Company (STC) of Kennewick, WA. Under the first SBIR, STC demonstrated a synchronous connection of two thermodynamically independent free-piston Stirling convertors and a 40 to 50 fold reduction in vibrations compared to an unbalanced convertor. The second SBIR is for the development of an Adaptive Vibration Reduction System (AVRS) that will essentially eliminate vibrations over the mission lifetime, even in the unlikely event of a failed convertor. This paper presents the status and results for these two SBIR projects and also discusses a new NASA Glenn in-house project to provide supporting technology for the overall Stirling radioisotope power system development. Tasks for this new effort include convertor performance verification, controls development, heater head structural life assessment, magnet characterization and thermal aging tests, FEA analysis for a lightweight alternator concept, and demonstration of convertor operation under launch and orbit transfer load conditions.

Thieme, Lanny G.↗