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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 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Building a Prospective LCA Framework to Analyze Emerging Technologies in a Dynamic System Context

NREL's Lifecycle Analysis Integration into Opensource Numerical models (LiAISON) framework computes temporally explicit life cycle impacts and resource uses for specific technologies (foreground) in a dynamic system context (background). LiAISON computes results for a series of environmental mid-points enabling an analysis of prospective tradeoffs of emerging technologies toward 2100. This prospective feature is of critical importance when analyzing present-day emerging technologies whose large-scale impacts during deployment phases will occur in different, future system contexts. LiAISON systematically accounts for dynamic system changes by applying an integrated background of the future energy-economy-land-climate system, generated by exogenous integrated assessment models (IAMs). Using IAM scenarios, LiAISON generates a time-series of life cycle inventory (LCI) databases, which are then used to calculate the impacts per functional unit per time step. This expands current practice of using static, future system assumptions, e.g., a specific grid-mix each year. Further, IAM scenarios are provided in a standardized format of shared-socioeconomic pathways (SSP) and representative concentration pathways (RCP) combinations. These are coherent, regularly, published, and peer-reviewed scenario combinations that establish a reproducible and standardized societal and climate mitigation futures context. They are comparable across IAMs and expand the system boundary of the traditional LCA by including dimensions such as societal and behavioral changes. We apply the framework to assess two emerging Power-to-Hydrogen processes, high temperature electrolysis using solid oxide fuel cell (HT-SOE) and polymer electrolyte membrane electrolysis (PEME). We compare the technologies to a baseline Hydrogen production process via steam methane reforming. Despite the decarbonized electricity systems' beneficial effects on the PtH2 processes' carbon intensities, we find environmental tradeoffs, which require technology improvements via learning-by-doing to be alleviated. Future work via ongoing collaborations will focus on linking the framework to other energy-economy-land-climate models and open-source life cycle inventory databases.

ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2025

[LCA UP] LNG Ocean Shipping

This unit process includes operation of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) ocean tanker using steam, DFDE/TFDE, ME-GI or X-DF engines. The tanker is fueled by a combination of boil-off gas (BOG) produced via evaporation of LNG, fuel oil, and diesel.

Group - Transport Process; LCA; LCA Unit Process; ↗
DOE OSTI2020

Environmental and economic optima of solar home systems design: A combined LCA and LCC approach

Here, we compare the economic and environmental optimal design of Solar Home Systems (SHSs) and explore the role of economic incentives (such as tariffs and technology costs) in approximating the two optima. To achieve that, we present a methodology for the environmental and economic evaluation of grid-connected SHSs: user-scale electric systems involving a photovoltaic (PV) power system and a battery energy storage system. The proposed methodology is based on a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) optimization, life cycle assessment and life cycle costing. This methodological framework is applied to a case study involving a typical SHS installation in Italy. The results of the environmental optimal design brought to the evaluation of a 3.25 kW PV assisted by 8.66 kWh of nickel cobalt manganese batteries, whereas the costs of the SHS are minimized by a small PV system (less than 1 kW). Results underline that the environmental optimal configurations rely on battery technologies, which entails a significant cost compared to the grid connection. In contrast, the economic optimal design solutions is less impactful than the grid mix both from an environmental and economic points of view. Thanks to a reduction of batteries and PV costs, the environmental impact of the economic optimal design is expected to decrease in the future.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2024

2020 natural gas LCA data appendices

This collection is the data-centric appendices for the report Life Cycle Analysis of Natural Gas Extraction and Power Generation: U.S. 2020 Emissions Profile. It consists of Appendix A: Additional Modeling Parameters [spreadsheet]; Appendix B: Water Burdens [spreadsheet]; Appendix D: Simulation of Liquids Unloading [python script and spreadsheet]; Appendix E: Detailed GHG Results for All Scenarios [spreadsheet]; Appendix F: Full Inventory Results [spreadsheet]; and Appendix I: Stage-Level Natural Gas Loss and Consumption Rates [spreadsheet].

Appendices↗
DOE OSTI2025

2020 natural gas LCA appendices Rev1

This collection is the data-centric appendices for the report Life Cycle Analysis of Natural Gas Extraction and Power Generation: U.S. 2020 Emissions Profile. It consists of Appendix A: Additional Modeling Parameters [spreadsheet]; Appendix B: Water Burdens [spreadsheet]; Appendix D: Simulation of Liquids Unloading [python script and spreadsheet]; Appendix E: Detailed GHG Results for All Scenarios [spreadsheet]; Appendix F: Full Inventory Results [spreadsheet]; and Appendix I: Stage-Level Natural Gas Loss and Consumption Rates [spreadsheet]. These results have been updated from the previous version (https://edx.netl.doe.gov/dataset/2020-natural-gas-lca-data-appendices) to correct a modeling error where the same post-processing natural gas composition was used instead of the intended regional compositions.

Appendices↗
DOE OSTI2025

[LCA UP] Processing and Liquefaction of NG and Storage of LNG DY2020

This unit process includes pipeline gas input, energy requirements, emissions, and losses, associated with processing, liquefaction and storage of natural gas at six different U.S. liquefaction facilities before it is exported.

LCA Unit Process; Liquified Natural Gas; Natural G↗
DOE OSTI2025

[LCA UP] Biomass Drying (2022)

This unit process quantifies the energy requirements and airborne emissions that are expected to result from the biomass drying process, where the biomass type being dried is woody crop biomass.

LCA Unit Process↗
DOE OSTI2025

[LCA UP] Biomass Pelletization (2022)

This unit process quantifies the energy requirements that are expected to result from woody biomass or torrefied woody biomass pelletization.

Group - Basic Process↗
DOE OSTI2025

Introduction to NETL Natural Gas LCA

This work presents an overview of NETL natural gas (NG) life cycle modeling. The content covers: introduction, model structure and unit processes, co-product management, and highlights from the recently published NETL NG baseline report.

life cycle analysis (LCA)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Natural Gas LCA

This presentation was provided via a pre-recorded presentation at the 2025 Coordinating Research Council Life Cycle Analysis of Transportation Workshop at Argonne National Laboratory on October 9, 2025. The presentation provides an overview of the methods and data sources used in the report, Life Cycle Analysis of Natural Gas Extraction and Power Generation: U.S. 2020 Emissions Profile and briefly discusses discrepancies between top-down and bottom-up inventory methods and how those might be overcome.

LCA↗
DOE OSTI2024

Strategies for connecting whole-building LCA to the low-carbon design process

Abstract Decarbonization is essential to meeting urgent climate goals. With the building sector in the United States accounting for 35% of total U.S. carbon emissions, reducing environmental impacts within the built environment is critical. Whole-building life cycle analysis (WBLCA) quantifies the impacts of a building throughout its life cycle. Despite being a powerful tool, WBLCA is not standard practice in the integrated design process. When WBLCA is used, it is typically either speculative and based on early design information or conducted only after design completion as an accounting measure, with virtually no opportunity to impact the actual design. This work proposes a workflow for fully incorporating WBLCA into the building design process in an iterative, recursive manner, where design decisions impact the WBLCA, which in turn informs future design decisions. We use the example of a negative-operational carbon modular building seeking negative upfront embodied carbon using bio-based materials for carbon sequestration as a case study for demonstrating the utility of the framework. Key contributions of this work include a framework of computational processes for conducting iterative WBLCA, using a combination of an existing building WBLCA tool (Tally) within the building information modeling superstructure (Revit) and a custom script (in R) for materials, life cycle stages, and workflows not available in the WBLCA tool. Additionally, we provide strategies for harmonizing the environmental impacts of novel materials or processes from various life cycle inventory sources with materials or processes in existing building WBLCA tool repositories. These strategies are useful for those involved in building design with an interest in reducing their environmental impact. For example, this framework would be useful for researchers who are conducting WBLCAs on projects that include new or unusual materials and for design teams who want to integrate WBLCA more fully into their design process in order to ensure the building materials are consciously chosen to advance climate goals, while still ensuring best performance by traditional measures.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2021

NETL 45Q Addendum to the CO2U LCA Guidance Toolkit

This document provides additional guidance and changes to the Carbon Dioxide Utilization Life Cycle Analysis Guidance for the U.S. DOE Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, Version 2.0 to make it more applicable to taxpayers preparing life cycle analyses for the 45Q tax credit.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2023

NETL UPGrants Addendum to the CO2U LCA Guidance Toolkit

The NETL UPGrants Addendum provides additional guidance and changes to the Carbon Dioxide Utilization Life Cycle Analysis Guidance for the U.S. DOE Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, Version 2.0 to make it more applicable to vendors preparing life cycle analyses for the Utilization Procurement Grants program.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗