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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 523 records · Page 29

Volt-Var Curve Reactive Power Control Requirements and Risks for Feeders with Distributed Roof-Top Photovoltaic Systems

The benefits and risks associated with Volt-Var Curve (VVC) control for management of voltages in electric feeders with distributed, roof-top photovoltaic (PV) can be defined using a stochastic hosting capacity analysis methodology. Although past work showed that a PV inverter’s reactive power can improve grid voltages for large PV installations, this study adds to the past research by evaluating the control method’s impact (both good and bad) when deployed throughout the feeder within small, distributed PV systems. The stochastic hosting capacity simulation effort iterated through hundreds of load and PV generation scenarios and various control types. The simulations also tested the impact of VVCs with tampered settings to understand the potential risks associated with a cyber-attack on all of the PV inverters scattered throughout a feeder. The simulation effort found that the VVC can have an insignificant role in managing the voltage when deployed in distributed roof-top PV inverters. This type of integration strategy will result in little to no harm when subjected to a successful cyber-attack that alters the VVC settings.

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Sleuthing the MSL EDL Performance from an X Band Carrier Perspective

During the Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), or Curiosity, rover to Gale Crater on Mars on August 6, 2012 UTC, the rover transmitted an X-band signal composed of carrier and tone frequencies and a UHF signal modulated with an 8kbps data stream. During EDL, the spacecraft's orientation is determined by its guidance and mechanical subsystems to ensure that the vehicle land safely at its destination. Although orientation to maximize telecom performance is not possible, antennas are especially designed and mounted to provide the best possible line of sight to Earth and to the Mars orbiters supporting MSL's landing. The tones and data transmitted over these links are selected carefully to reflect the most essential parameters of the vehicle's state and the performance of the EDL subsystems for post-EDL reconstruction should no further data transmission from the vehicle be possible. This paper addresses the configuration of the X band receive system used at NASA / JPL's Deep Space Network (DSN) to capture the signal spectrum of MSL's X band carrier and tone signal, examines the MSL vehicle state information obtained from the X band carrier signal only and contrasts the Doppler-derived information against the post-EDL known vehicle state. The paper begins with a description of the MSL EDL sequence of events and discusses the impact of the EDL maneuvers such as guided entry, parachute deploy, and powered descent on the frequency observables expected at the DSN. The range of Doppler dynamics possible is derived from extensive 6 Degrees-Of-Freedom (6 DOF) vehicle state calculations performed by MSL's EDL simulation team. The configuration of the DSN's receive system, using the Radio Science Receivers (RSR) to perform open-loop recording for both for nominal and off-nominal EDL scenarios, is detailed. Expected signal carrier power-to-noise levels during EDL are shown and their impact on signal detection is considered. Particular attention is given to the selection of the appropriate RSR processing bandwidths and to its configuration for real-time signal detection. The X-band carrier frequency obtained through post-processing of the open-loop recorded spectrum is given. Detection of spacecraft status and completion of key vehicle events through their Doppler signature is discussed and illustrated. This Doppler-derived information is compared against the very accurate vehicle data obtained post-EDL via MSL's UHF radio subsystem. The paper concludes with a discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of transmitting the X-band carrier and tone signal in the general context of EDL communications and lessons learned for future missions with EDL sequences are given

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)↗

Deep learning-enabled probing of irradiation-induced defects in time-series micrographs

Modeling time-series data with convolutional neural networks (CNNs) requires building a model to learn in batches as opposed to training sequentially. Coupling CNNs with in situ or operando techniques opens the possibility of accurately segmenting dynamic reactions and mass transport phenomena to understand how materials behave under the conditions in which they are used. In this article, in situ ion irradiation transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images are used as inputs into the CNN to assess the defect generation rate, defect cluster density, and saturation of defects. We then use the output segmentation maps to correlate with conventional TEM micrographs to assess the model’s ability to detail nanoscale interactions. Next, we discuss the implications of preprocessing and hyperparameters on model variability, accuracy when expanded to other datasets, and the role of regularization when controlling model variance. Ultimately, we eliminate human bias when extrapolating physical metrics, speed up analysis time, decouple reactions that happen at 100 ms intervals, and deploy models that are both accurate and transferable to similar experiments.

Burns, Kory (ORCID:0000000158019909)↗

The Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska: Advancing Clean, Resilient, and Sovereign Energy (Summary Report of Communities LEAP Activities)

The Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska (ITKN) is a federally recognized Native American Tribe located along the Missouri River on the border of northeast Kansas and southeastern Nebraska. There are over 800 residents (Tribal citizens and non-Tribal) who live on the reservation, as well as more than 500 people who visit or work on the reservation on a daily basis. The ITKN faces many energy challenges, including rising service costs and dozens of power outages annually that impact resident well-being and business activities on Tribal lands. Power service issues are made more challenging by the remoteness of the reservation, which is 20 miles from the nearest town. Despite this, the ITKN has a long history of cultural and economic resilience: Local self-reliance, environmental stewardship, respecting the carrying capacity of the land, and strengthening the community are Tribal communities' traditional strengths. Long-term energy goals for the ITKN are centered around achieving energy sovereignty. Priority actions include: (1) Establishing a Tribal Utility Authority (TUA) to promote social welfare and community development.; (2) Deploying renewable community microgrids with ground-mount solar arrays and sustainable energy storage systems to advance energy sovereignty, resilience, and reliability. To advance these goals, the ITKN partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Communities LEAP (Local Energy Action Program) pilot. From August 2022 to March 2024, the ITKN community coalition collaborated with technical assistance providers at DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Sandia National Laboratories to evaluate TUA planning needs and microgrid deployment scenarios. This final report details the Communities LEAP technical assistance process, models and analysis performed, and results.

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National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program (NEVI) Brief for State Public Utility Commissions

The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program (NEVI program) is a funding opportunity for all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). The NEVI program instructs states to “strategically deploy electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and to establish an interconnected network to facilitate data collection, access, and reliability.” The NEVI program allocates more than $\$$5 billion to states from Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 to 2026 on a formula basis. NEVI funds are available to private entities, including utilities, to build EV Supply Equipment (EVSE)1 and associated EV grid infrastructure.

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A Blockchain Based Co-Simulation Framework for Integrating DERs into Wholesale Electricity Markets

As the number of distributed energy resources (DERs) continue to increase across energy-delivery systems, there remains a need for integrating their capabilities into traditional grid operations. In this paper, a blockchain-based solution is proposed to facilitate FERC's Order No. 2222 implementations. The presented use-case enables small-scale DERs to participate in wholesale market operations through DER aggregators, while also enabling local distribution system operators to enforce distribution system constraints in a secure and traceable manner. The presented use case is built around the Unified Testing Platform (UTP) being developed as a part of the Blockchain for Optimized Security and Energy Management (BLOSEM) project. This is a multi-lab effort intended to simplify the deployment of blockchain-powered grid solutions by enabling the integration of simulation tools, and blockchain technologies through the use of system-agnostic interfaces that provide a modular, interoperable, and reusable connectivity layer.

blockchain testing↗

Distributed Energy Resources as an Equity Asset: Lessons Learned from Deployments in Disadvantaged Communities

For an Energy System to be truly equitable, it should provide affordable and reliable energy services to disadvantaged and underserved populations. Disadvantaged communities often face a combination of economic, social, health, and environmental burdens and may be geographically isolated (e.g., rural communities), which systematically limits their opportunity to fully participate in aspects of economic, social, and civic life.

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Nonlinear multiobjective and dynamic real-time predictive optimization for optimal operation of baseload power plants under variable renewable energy

Considering the increase of disruptive variable renewable energy penetration into the power grid, this article focuses on the investigation of a multiobjective and dynamic real-time optimization framework to address the cycling of large-scale power plants under renewable penetration. In this framework, a parallelized particle swarm optimization step is first performed to generate feasible initial points. Then, a multiobjective and dynamic real-time optimization formulation generates optimal trajectories. Further, the benefit of predictive capability is investigated for the dynamic component, which introduces the novel nonlinear multiobjective and dynamic real-time predictive optimization approach. Two multiobjective formulations to obtain Pareto front optimal in real time are explored: the modified Tchebycheff-based weighted metric and ϵ-constraint methods. Economic and environmental objectives are considered in this study. A novel topical discussion on the intersection of dynamic real-time optimization with model predictive control is also presented. The developed framework is successfully applied to a baseload coal-fired power plant with postcombustion CO 2 capture. Results indicate that the approach can be deployed for a large-scale system if automatic differentiation, model reduction, and parallelization are adopted to improve computational tractability, with computational improvement up to 120-folds after performing these steps. Finally, market and carbon policies showed an impact on the optimal compromise between the objectives with an additional 63 ton of CO 2 captured under favorable market conditions.

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A New Miniaturized Acoustic Transmitter for Marine Animal Tracking

Most marine renewable energy (MRE) technologies are still in their infancy. Many uncertainties remain regarding MRE systems’ impacts on the marine environment and species where they are deployed, which is one of the major hurdles for these systems to be widely adopted at a commercial scale. Currently, the primary technologies to monitor marine animals’ behavior around existing or potential MRE deployment sites are optical and acoustic imaging. However, these methods cannot identify individual animals and thus are less useful in identifying protected species and studying their behavior. Implantable acoustic transmitters with unique identification codes could serve as a complementary technology. To minimize potential bias introduced to the study results, the implanted transmitters must be sufficiently small and light to not affect the animals’ behavior while still having acceptable signal strengths and service life. Recently, we developed a new miniaturized acoustic transmitter that offers a significantly improved signal strength and service life (140 days [projected value] at a 5-s transmission interval) in a smaller and lighter package (0.45 g in the air), compared to the existing technologies. The detection range and detection efficiency of the new transmitter were tested in an actual marine environment and demonstrated a detection range of up to 330 m, a 65% improvement over the existing commercial counterparts operating at similar frequencies. Here, we report the design principles, performance, and manufacturing procedure of the transmitter. Finally, theoretical estimates of the detection range, the actual range, and detection efficiency results from the field testing are presented.

acoustic telemetry↗

Open Source Platform for Live Processing of High Data Rate Electron Microscopy (SBIR Phase I Award Topic 15, Subtopic B, Final Scientific / Technical Report)

4D scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) is experiencing a revolution both in terms of data size, and data veracity, as are many other areas of experimental data acquisition. This presents enormous opportunities to make new scientific discoveries, but is also hamstrung by aging software that is no longer fit for purpose. Experimental data acquisition platforms must make the same investments in software infrastructure that the simulation community made decades ago to take advantage of high-performance computing (HPC) if they hope to realize the full potential of the latest advances made in detector technology. This requires rethinking the design and deployment of hardware, moving away from small, fixed commodity computing capabilities with closed interfaces to open, modular, scalable systems designed for parallelism and throughput. The technical approach will leverage best-in-class open source technologies, and develop new approaches strategically to build an open source platform for experimental data acquisition targeting high data rate electron microscopy. The project will develop a software platform that uses the power and performance of modern HPC resources to ingest the large volume of data produced by electron microscopes using direct electron detectors. A set of configurable pipelines will be used to enable the processing to be tailored to the problem being investigated with builtin visualization of data at interactive rates. This project will leverage investments made by the DOE and other agencies to provide a powerful software platform for the experimental data community working with most powerful electron microscopes, such as 4D STEM detectors. It will create a platform that serves as a reference for the community. Permissive open source licensing will make the platform available to all, with a simple deployment strategy offering the ability to keep data close to where it is generated. This advanced software platform will require customization for each deployment, creating opportunities for software services that are typically offered to extend open source software platforms.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Preliminary Results from the AFRL-NASA W/V-Band Terrestrial Link Experiment in Albuquerque, NM

Atmospheric propagation models and the measurements that train them are critical to the design of efficient and effective space-ground links. As communication systems advance to higher frequencies in search of higher data rates and open spectrum, a lack of data at these frequencies necessitates new measurements to properly develop, validate, and refine the models used for link budgeting and system design. In collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), NASA Glenn Research Center has deployed the WV-band Terrestrial Link Experiment (WTLE) in Albuquerque, NM to conduct a measurement campaign at 72 and 84 GHz, among the first atmospheric propagation measurements at these frequencies. WTLE has been operational since October 1, 2015, and the system design shall be herein discussed alongside preliminary results and performance.

propagation↗

Systems and methods for detecting and mitigating cyber attacks on power systems comprising distributed energy resources

Extensive deployment of interoperable distributed energy resources (DER) on power systems is increasing the power system cybersecurity attack surface. National and jurisdictional interconnection standards require DER to include a range of autonomous and commanded grid-support functions which can drastically influence power quality, voltage, and the generation-load balance. Investigations of the impact to the power system in scenarios where communications and operations of DER are controlled by an adversary show that each grid-support function exposes the power system to distinct types and magnitudes of risk. The invention provides methods for minimizing the risks to distribution and transmission systems using an engineered control system which detects and mitigates unsafe control commands.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Systems and methods for detecting and mitigating cyber attacks on power systems comprising distributed energy resources

Extensive deployment of interoperable distributed energy resources (DER) on power systems is increasing the power system cybersecurity attack surface. National and jurisdictional interconnection standards require DER to include a range of autonomous and commanded grid-support functions which can drastically influence power quality, voltage, and the generation-load balance. Investigations of the impact to the power system in scenarios where communications and operations of DER are controlled by an adversary show that each grid-support function exposes the power system to distinct types and magnitudes of risk. The invention provides methods for minimizing the risks to distribution and transmission systems using an engineered control system which detects and mitigates unsafe control commands.

Johnson, Jay Tillay↗

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

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

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Cybersecurity for the Operational Technology Environment (CyOTE) (Final Technical Report)

Electric grids have historically been susceptible to both physical attacks and environmental hazards but the implementation of smart grids, remote management, and self-healing networks, has now made the grid vulnerable to cyber attacks. To address risks introduced by routable connectivity, utilities must establish dynamic solutions to identify, protect, detect, respond to, and recover from cyber security threats and vulnerabilities. In response to the evolving threat landscape U.S. Department of Energy-Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (DOE CESER) initiated the Cybersecurity for the OT Environment (CyOTE) pilot program, a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) effort designed to leverage U.S. intelligence capabilities to prevent, detect, or mitigate a cyber attack on utility operational technology (OT) networks. As part of the CyOTE pilot, The Southern Company (Southern Company or Southern) researched, evaluated and deployed emerging Commercial off the Shelf (COTS) technologies and cyber security monitoring architectures to provide previously unrealized network visibility and situational awareness through deep packet inspection and data analytics. This Final Scientific/Technical Report documents the objectives, methodology, lessons learned, and results of Southern Company’s participation in the CyOTE pilot from December 2018 to September 2023.

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A Blockchain Based Co-Simulation Framework for Integrating DERs to Wholesale Electricity Markets: Preprint

As the number of distributed energy resources (DERs) continue to increase across energy-delivery systems, there remains a need for integrating their capabilities into traditional grid operations. In this paper, a blockchain-based solution is proposed to facilitate FERC's Order No. 2222 implementations. The presented use-case enables small-scale DERs to participate in wholesale market operations through DER aggregators, while also enabling local distribution system operators to enforce distribution system constraints in a secure and traceable manner. The presented use case is built around the Unified Testing Platform (UTP) being developed as a part of the Blockchain for Optimized Security and Energy Management (BLOSEM) project. This is a multi-lab effort intended to simplify the deployment of blockchain-powered grid solutions by enabling the integration of simulation tools, and blockchain technologies through the use of system-agnostic interfaces that provide a modular, interoperable, and reusable connectivity layer.

blockchain testing↗

Toward a high-voltage fast-charging pouch cell with TiO 2 cathode coating and enhanced battery safety

Nickel-rich layered lithium transition metal oxides, LiNi x Co y Mn 1-x-y O 2 , are key cathode materials for high-energy lithium-ion batteries owing to their high specific capacity. However, the commercial deployment of nickel-rich oxides has been hampered by their poor thermostability and insufficient cycle life. In this work full batteries with uncoated and TiO 2 -coated LiNi 0.5 Co 0.2 Mn 0.3 O 2 cathodes and graphite anodes are compared in terms of electrochemical performance and safety behavior. The battery using a TiO 2 -coated LiNi 0.5 Co 0.2 Mn 0.3 O 2 cathode exhibited better cyclic performance at high cutoff voltage. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis indicated that the TiO 2 -coated LiNi 0.5 Co 0.2 Mn 0.3 O 2 cathode gave the battery a more stable charge transfer resistance. Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated that TiO 2 coating reduced accumulation of the cathode electrolyte interface layer on the particle surface. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry demonstrated that TiO 2 coating markedly enhanced the interface stability of the cathode particle and protected the particle from serious etching by the electrolyte. Accelerating rate calorimetry revealed that the trigger temperature of thermal runaway for the battery using TiO 2 -coated LiNi 0.5 Co 0.2 Mn 0.3 O 2 as cathode material was 257 °C, which was higher than that of the battery with the uncoated LiNi 0.5 Co 0.2 Mn 0.3 O 2 cathode (251 °C). In situ X-ray diffraction during heating demonstrated that this enhanced safety can be attributed to the suppressed phase evolution of the coated cathode material.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Resilience Enhancements through Deep Learning Yields

This report documents the Resilience Enhancements through Deep Learning Yields (REDLY) project, a three-year effort to improve electrical grid resilience by developing scalable methods for system operators to protect the grid against threats leading to interrupted service or physical damage. The computational complexity and uncertain nature of current real-world contingency analysis presents significant barriers to automated, real-time monitoring. While there has been a significant push to explore the use of accurate, high-performance machine learning (ML) model surrogates to address this gap, their reliability is unclear when deployed in high-consequence applications such as power grid systems. Contemporary optimization techniques used to validate surrogate performance can exploit ML model prediction errors, which necessitates the verification of worst-case performance for the models.

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