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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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501 records · Page 28
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Combined Structural Analysis of Core and Image Log of TGH 76-31 South East of Mt Baker, Washington State

Despite active volcanism, few geothermal energy resources have been developed in the Cascades Range. Temperature Gradient Hole 76-31 was drilled to ~440 m measured depth to probe for zones where fractures provide fluid conduits that transport deep volcanic heat to shallow depths that could support baseload, carbon neutral electrical generation. These zones were predicted by a Play Fairway assessment (PFA) of resource potential along a zone 11 km west-southwest of the summit of Mount Baker Volcano. Rock core, temperature logs, and an acoustic image log were obtained. By comparison to outcrops, the core has been initially interpreted as the Chilliwack group comprised of partially metamorphosed basaltic to andesitic volcanics. Core mapping reveals complex, steeply dipping networks of fractures and brecciation along slickensided strike slip faults; clay alteration is common in many of these structures. The majority of fractures are thoroughly healed by layers of chlorite and calcite; preservation of pyrite indicates anoxic conditions. The majority of fracture porosity resides in very dense fractures a few centimeters or less in length. The image log provides good insights into attitude of fractures that fully transect the core, but generally underestimates fracture density. The combination of complex, non-planar fracture zones containing many short fractures and healing promote misinterpretation of natural fracture attitude and density in the image log. The healing and anoxic minerals are consistent with the conductive temperature gradient measured in the well below a shallow isothermal zone, although, several fractures are open or only partially healed and resulted in fluid entries into the well. Here, the equilibrated measured temperature gradient of 64ºC/km and calculated heat flow of 145 mW/m2 is more than twice the regional average, indicating local influence of the Mt Baker magmatic system at the Little Park Creek TGH site.

Cascades↗
DOE OSTI2022

The weathered bedrock vadose zone: A hidden control on water availability in the western United States (Final Technical Report)

This report summarizes the research completed during the project entitled "The weathered bedrock vadose zone: A hidden control on water availability in the western United States" (Award: DE-SC0018039). The report covers work completed between 9/15/17 and 9/14/20. The objective of the exploratory project work was to evaluate the overarching hypothesis that the subsurface underlying actively eroding landscapes is systematically structured as a result of a balance between weathering and erosion and that this structure leads to dynamic moisture storage within weathered rock. To accomplish project objectives, we characterized hillslope weathering profile structure and conducted subsurface moisture monitoring across four study sites with comparable bedrock types but differing erosion rate and hydroclimate: The Angelo Coast Range Reserve (ACRR), Sagehorn-Russell Ranch (SRR), Antelope Valley Ranch (AVR), and the LBNL Watershed Function Scientific Focus Area (SFA). New characterization and monitoring infrastructure at the AVR and SFA sites was established through this project and enables long-term monitoring of hydrologic and carbon fluxes at the sites for comparison with long-term monitoring in other sites. Deep drilling, downhole logging, and characterization of chemistry and porosity of rock recovered from drilling reveals two weathering fronts across the sites. A shallower front is marked by the extent of pervasive fracturing and oxidation of pyrite and organic carbon. A deeper weathering front is marked by the appearance of open fractures and discoloration. At the AVR site, multiple ridge tops of different hillslope length were investigated to establish the relationship between the weathering front and topography. Drilling reveals that the fraction of the hillslope relief that is weathered scales with hillslope length, consistent with the theoretical framework that guided the project relating groundwater drainage with landscape evolution. With the establishment of new boreholes, we have documented significant water storage in weathered bedrock using low-field borehole nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) across all four sites. In the upper 4 m of bedrock, the average water contents at ACRR, AVR, SRR, and SFA are approximately 25%, 16%, 25%, 23% respectively. At the ACRR site, where long-term monitoring via neutron probe surveys and time-domain transmission sensors are available, we have demonstrated that NMR reliably records moisture content and importantly, moisture content dynamics in weathered bedrock. Across all sites, our NMR monitoring has also revealed that a considerable fraction of the water storage occurs in fractures or pores that are significantly larger than the fine-grained bedrock matrix of the parent rock. To identify the proportion of water storage occurring in fractures and large pores, we analyzed the NMR signal by evaluating both the sum of echoes and an inversion of the NMR signal for a distribution of T2 relaxation times. Both methods reveal that at least 20% of the water storage occurs in fractures and larger pores across all sites. To constrain the interpretation of the in-situ field-scale NMR measurements, we compare the NMR response in the field to independent pore-structure information obtained via helium pycnometry. Results support the inference that dynamic seasonal water storage is dominantly restricted to the fracture network, which can reach 7% of the total volume. This dynamic range in water content is comparable to that of some soils, underscoring the need to understand how this region of the Earth System is structured, and functions as a hydrologic reservoir.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

“Tailing” Phenomenon During Polymer Propagation at The Milne Point Polymer Flood

Chemical flooding simulators traditionally assume that polymer retention follows the Langmuir isotherm, while fractional-flow calculations assume concentration-independent retention. Both models predict a delay in propagation of the polymer front (in proportion to the retention value), followed by a rapid rise in produced polymer concentration to the injected level. In contrast, laboratory retention studies for the Milne Point polymer flood (North Slope of Alaska) consistently show virtually no delay in polymer propagation, a rapid rise in produced polymer to 70-90% of the injected concentration, followed by produced concentration gradually approaching the injected value over many pore volumes. From a practical viewpoint, this behavior means that retention causes no significant delay in propagation of the polymer bank (and therefore the oil bank), but the effective viscosity and displacement efficiency are less than originally planned. This paper explores why this polymer “tailing” phenomenon occurs. During core floods, effluent was analyzed for brine-tracer concentration, viscosity, total organic carbon, and total nitrogen. The latter three items allowed three independent measures of polymer concentration and polymer retention. Experiments were performed with Milne Point core material, oil, brine, and conditions. Mechanistic experiments were also performed with packs of glass beads with controlled levels of various minerals. In Milne Point cores, the presence of the tailing phenomenon was not sensitive to flow rate, polymer concentration, core heterogeneity, or whether the core was preserved, cleaned of oil, or cleaned and resaturated with oil, or cleaned, re-saturated and aged with oil. The three independent measures of polymer concentration confirmed that the tailing phenomenon was not an artifact associated with polymer degradation or detection interferences. Tailing was also observed during mechanistic floods using glassbead packs when sufficient levels of illite or kaolinite were present. This observation was consistent with high levels of illite noted in Milne Point cores. The tailing was not noted during mechanistic floods that contained beads with montmorillonite, chlorite, calcium carbonate, dolomite, siderite, pyrite, or calcium sulfate. A model is proposed to account for the tailing phenomenon. This work suggests that mineralogy analysis (especially for illite and kaolinite) may reveal whether tailing should be accounted for during simulations of polymer propagation/retention in a given field application.

Seright, Randy↗
DOE OSTI2020

Characterizing Pore-Scale Geochemical Alterations in Eagle Ford and Barnett Shale from Exposure to Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid and CO 2 /H 2 O

As demand increases for an affordable energy source that is tied to an environmental obligation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and water usage, there is a growing consideration in shale production utilizing processes such as 1) enhancing hydrocarbon recovery via carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) flooding, 2) using CO 2 as a fracturing agent to minimize water use, and 3) storing CO 2 in depleted shale formations to mitigate emissions to the atmosphere. Understanding the geochemical reactions and alterations that occur as shale is exposed to fluids and CO 2 is necessary to develop and optimize each of these processes for field applications. While the majority of shale formations are stimulated using traditional fracturing fluid, some may be fractured using CO 2 or other non-traditional means. We examine the effect fracturing fluid has on shale and how it behaves with secondary exposure to dry CO 2 or CO 2 -saturated water using in situ Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), feature relocation scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and surface area and pore size analysis using volumetric gas sorption. These techniques were performed on Eagle Ford and Barnett shale samples that were exposed to fracturing fluid and unexposed (as received). Shales that have been exposed to traditional fracturing fluid experienced two reaction fronts. The first reaction front was formed during exposure to the fracturing fluid (pH of ~1.4). A secondary reaction front was formed as a result of CO 2 -saturated fluid exposure in the form of carbonic acid (pH ~5.6). These two different reaction mechanisms drove multiple dissolution and precipitation cycles which altered petrophysical properties of the shale and could lead to a significant impact on flow pathways. FTIR showed that equilibration of carbonate dissolution and precipitation cycles could take as long as 35 days. Samples exposed to fracturing fluid showed significantly less carbonate reactivity compared to those exposed to water. Pore size analysis results indicate exposure to fracturing fluid blocked small nanopores (10-15 nm) reducing BET surface area and total pore volume. SEM results show barite precipitated heavily during exposure to fracturing fluid. It appeared that carbonic acid was able to extract sulfur from organic matter to form gypsum evaporites. The mineralogical (barite precipitation and calcite dissolution/precipitation) and pore-scale alterations observed in these samples may lead to enhancement of flow pathways for injected CO 2 or produced hydrocarbons.

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Linking Pressure to Electrochemical Evolution in Solid-State Conversion Cathode Composites

Conversion-type cathodes, such as sulfur, FeS 2 , and FeF 3 , offer high theoretical capacities in solid-state lithium batteries but are hindered by substantial volume changes during cycling, leading to interfacial contact loss, crack formation, and microstructural degradation. Here, we investigate the relationships between electrochemical, mechanical, and structural evolution in solid-state electrode composites with these three active materials. Using real-time stack-pressure monitoring, synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and electrokinetic modeling, we elucidate how stress evolution is linked to reversible and irreversible redox reactions. Nonlinear stack pressure evolution in cells with sulfur, FeS 2 , and FeF 3 electrode composites is found to arise from material-specific volume changes, the balance of volume change between the working and counter electrode, and the formation of distinct reaction intermediates. The three materials exhibit distinct stack pressure evolution, which is closely related to the different reaction processes in the materials, as demonstrated with X-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements. Through mesoscale modeling, we relate the experimental measurements to species evolution at the particle scale and track the dynamic coexistence of intermediate phases. Our findings highlight the importance of designing for volume changes of a given active material in solid-state battery systems.

batteries↗
DOE OSTI2016

Large Fermi Surface of Heavy Electrons at the Border of Mott Insulating State in NiS 2

One early triumph of quantum physics is the explanation why some materials are metallic whereas others are insulating. While a treatment based on single electron states is correct for most materials this approach can fail spectacularly, when the electrostatic repulsion between electrons causes strong correlations. Not only can these favor new and subtle forms of matter, such as magnetism or superconductivity, they can even cause the electrons in a half-filled energy band to lock into position, producing a correlated, or Mott insulator. The transition into the Mott insulating state raises important fundamental questions. Foremost among these is the fate of the electronic Fermi surface and the associated charge carrier mass, as the Mott transition is approached. We report the first direct observation of the Fermi surface on the metallic side of a Mott insulating transition by high pressure quantum oscillatory measurements in NiS 2 . We find our results point at a large Fermi surface consistent with Luttinger's theorem and a strongly enhanced quasiparticle effective mass. These two findings are in line with central tenets of the Brinkman-Rice picture of the correlated metal near the Mott insulating state and rule out alternative scenarios in which the carrier concentration vanishes continuously at the metal-insulator transition.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Sulfur x-ray absorption spectroscopy data from bedrock shale, soil, and floodplain sediment from the East River, Colorado watershed

This dataset includes sulfur x-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES) data collected on solid samples as a part of the Watershed Function Scientific Focus Area (SFA) located in the Upper Colorado River Basin. The data were collected in order to investigate the speciation of sulfur and degree of shale weathering in solid samples across the watershed and their impact on riverine export of sulfate. Solid samples, including shale, hillslope soil, and floodplain sediment samples collected in 2016-2018, were analyzed by bulk XANES. Density fractions of hillslope soil, including a light fraction representing particulate organic matter and a heavy fraction representing minerals are also analyzed by bulk XANES. Micro-focused XANES on a weathered shale sample (PLM6, 2.7 m) was also performed. Sample locations are included in the 'sample meta data.csv' file, and XANES data for each sample type are included in csv files.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2010

Modeling Studies on the Transport of Benzene and H2S in CO2-Water Systems

In this study, reactive transport simulations were used to assess the mobilization and transport of organics with supercritical CO{sub 2} (SCC), and the co-injection and transport of H{sub 2}S with SCC. These processes were evaluated at conditions of typical storage reservoirs, and for cases of hypothetical leakage from a reservoir to an overlying shallower fresh water aquifer. Modeling capabilities were developed to allow the simulation of multiphase flow and transport of H{sub 2}O, CO{sub 2}, H{sub 2}S, as well as specific organic compounds (benzene), coupled with multicomponent geochemical reaction and transport. This included the development of a new simulator, TMVOC-REACT, starting from existing modules of the TOUGH2 family of codes. This work also included an extensive literature review, calculation, and testing of phase-partitioning properties for mixtures of the phases considered. The reactive transport simulations presented in this report are primarily intended to illustrate the capabilities of the new simulator. They are also intended to help evaluate and understand various processes at play, in a more qualitative than quantitative manner, and only for hypothetical scenarios. Therefore, model results are not intended as realistic assessments of groundwater quality changes for specific locations, and they certainly do not provide an exhaustive evaluation of all possible site conditions, especially given the large variability and uncertainty in hydrogeologic and geochemical parameter input into simulations. The first step in evaluating the potential mobilization and transport of organics was the identification of compounds likely to be present in deep storage formations, and likely to negatively impact freshwater aquifers if mobilized by SCC. On the basis of a literature review related to the occurrence of these organic compounds, their solubility in water and SCC, and their toxicity (as reflected by their maximum contaminant levels MCL), benzene was selected as a key compound for inclusion into numerical simulations. Note that considering additional organic compounds and/or mixtures of such compounds in the simulations was beyond the scope of this study, because of the effort required to research, calculate, and validate the phase-partitioning data necessary for simulations. The injection of CO{sub 2} into a deep saline aquifer was simulated, followed by modeling the leaching of benzene by SCC and transport of benzene to an overlying aquifer along a hypothetical leakage pathway. One- and two-dimensional models were set up for this purpose. The target storage formation was assumed to initially contain about 10{sup -4} ppm benzene. Model results indicate that: (1) SCC efficiently extracts benzene from the storage formation. (2) Assuming equilibrium, the content of benzene in SCC is roportional to the concentration of benzene in the aqueous and solid phases. (3) Benzene may co-migrate with CO{sub 2} into overlying aquifers if a leakage pathway is present. Because the aqueous solubility of benzene in contact with CO{sub 2} is lower than the aqueous solubility of CO{sub 2}, benzene is actually enriched in the CO{sub 2} phase as the plume advances. (4) For the case studied here, the resulting aqueous benzene concentration in the overlying aquifer is on the same order of magnitude as the initial concentration in the storage formation. This generic modeling study illustrates, in a semi-quantitative manner, the possible mobilization of benzene by SCC. The extent to which the mobilization of this organic compound evolves temporally and spatially depends on a large number of controlling parameters and is largely site specific. Therefore, for more 'truly' predictive work, further sensitivity studies should be conducted, and further modeling should be integrated with site-specific laboratory and/or field experimental data. The co-injection of H{sub 2}S with CO{sub 2} into a deep saline aquifer was also simulated. In addition, the model considered leakage of the supercritical CO{sub 2}+H{sub 2}S mixture along a preferential pathway to an overlying fresh-water aquifer, followed by reaction of the CO{sub 2}+H{sub 2}S mixture with that aquifer. A simple 2-D model that included a storage formation and a sealing aquitard was developed to simulate the movement of H{sub 2}S in a typical CO{sub 2} storage formation. Model results indicate that H{sub 2}S is stripped off at the edge of the advancing supercritical plume, because of the H{sub 2}S preferential solubility in water compared to CO{sub 2}. The magnitude of H{sub 2}S preferential dissolution, however, decreases with decreasing temperature and pressure. To capture this behavior and evaluate the breakthrough of H{sub 2}S through a leakage pathway (from the deep storage formation to a shallower aquifer), another model was constructed, considering a storage formation, an overlying aquifer, and a vertical leakage pathway between them.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2013

Molecular Characterization of Bacterial Respiration on Minerals

The overall aim of this project was to contribute to our fundamental understanding of proteins and biological processes under extreme environmental conditions. We sought to define the biochemical and physiological mechanisms that underlie biodegradative and other cellular processes in normal, extreme, and engineered environments. Toward that end, we sought to understand the substrate oxidation pathways, the electron transport mechanisms, and the modes of energy conservation employed during respiration by bacteria on soluble iron and insoluble sulfide minerals. In accordance with these general aims, the specific aims were two-fold: To identify, separate, and characterize the extracellular biomolecules necessary for aerobic respiration on iron under strongly acidic conditions; and to elucidate the molecular principles whereby these bacteria recognize and adhere to their insoluble mineral substrates under harsh environmental conditions. The results of these studies were described in a total of nineteen manuscripts.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗