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At least 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Reducing module soiling with scalable and robust photocatalytic coatings

The air-glass interface at the front of a photovoltaic (PV) module reflects approximately 4% of incident light, decreasing the potential power output of the module by the same amount. Today’s modules reduce this loss by adding a low-refractive-index (1.25-1.30) SiO2 coating to the sunward side of the module glass; this antireflection coating recovers approximately 3% of the 4% light that would otherwise be lost. While such antireflection coatings work very well on clean, new modules, they do not inhibit soiling—the accumulation of soilants such as dust, pollen, soot, or other foreign material—on the module glass, and soilants reflect and scatter incident light. An improved coating would serve provide not only an antireflection effect, but also an anti-soiling effect. The goal of this project was to develop such a coating and provide a path for it to be manufactured in the U.S. The project successfully designed and fabricated coatings that provided >3% transmittance gain compared to bare glass (matching the performance of commercial antireflection coatings) and displayed anti-soiling behavior in standard laboratory soiling effects. This was achieved by using a Swift Coat proprietary coating deposition technique, aerosol impact-driven assembly (AIDA), to control the porosity and thus refractive index of coatings of photocatalytic materials—such as TiO2—that would otherwise increase (instead of decrease) reflection. These combined antireflection/anti-soiling coatings passed PV industry standard module reliability tests as well as coating-specific abrasion tests, showing that they have the durability needed for decades in the field. Swift Coat scaled the AIDA hardware and deposition process to make mini-modules that were monitored for nearly two years during field tests administered by a third party, as well as demonstrated scaling to the widths of full-sized modules. The fielded mini-modules outperformed reference modules (with commercial antireflection coatings) in two locations, providing a 1% absolute average performance boost and larger increases during periods of heavier soiling. Swift Coat’s cost analysis indicated a coating manufacturing cost below the sales price of today’s antireflection coatings. More than five module manufacturers sampled and assessed the coatings, and three provided letters of support. The coating developed in this project increases the energy output of PV modules, thereby decreasing the cost per kilowatt-hour of solar energy generated. Cheaper solar electricity benefits the public by accelerating the transition to a stable, affordable, carbon-free energy economy. In addition, for select applications in which PV modules are highly visible—such as on residential rooftops—the coating provides an aesthetic benefit because it stays cleaner than today’s modules. Finally, Swift Coat and its prospective customers are U.S. companies, and successful commercialization of this technology will provide U.S. jobs and a secure solar supply chain.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Polarization-type potential-induced degradation in bifacial PERC modules in the field

This study examines the susceptibility of bifacial glass/glass passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) modules to potential-induced degradation-polarization (PID-p) in the field. While there are several studies showing PID-p occurring on both front and back faces of bifacial PERC in accelerated tests, we address the yet unclarified behavior in fielded modules. We examine the effects of mounting configuration; specifically, comparing modules mounted near ground and in elevated ground rack configurations. Modules with the cell circuit in -1500 V system voltage configuration, whether mounted on racks about 30 cm above the ground or elevated 2 m high showed mean degradation of 4.5% to 6% in power under standard test conditions over about 2.5 weeks as measured from the front side of the module. This extent of degradation remained sustained for a duration of about 6 months analyzed. Average daytime temperatures of modules in the various mounting configurations were similar and therefore judged to be insufficient to be a primary influence for the modest PID-p rate differences that we observed among mounting configurations. Increased leakage current in the morning suggests morning dew was sustained longer on modules near the ground measured over six months which would be expected to increase the PID-p rate over the long term. However, the main difference seen between the modules on the various mountings during the initial period with up to 6% mean degradation by PID-p was the approximately two times the irradiance from albedo on the rear of modules mounted in elevated ground rack compared to those on the near ground rack. This difference in incident albedo led to a modestly reduced rate of the development of PID-p of the modules on the elevated ground rack. The difference is attributed to the dissipation of PID-p-causing electrical charge by the albedo incident on the module rear. The behavior could be modeled by a sigmoidal equation with consideration of the differences in the insolation on the module rear.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Knowledge-Based Hazardous Waste Determinations for Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Modules: A Foundational Study

This report explores using "generator knowledge" to determine whether a solar photovoltaic (PV) module must be managed as hazardous waste prior to recycling or landfilling. Generator knowledge is a legal term and existing regulatory pathway for making a hazardous waste determination that has been used by other industries but is a relatively unknown option to the PV industry. In the United States, a hazardous waste determination often acts as a pre-requisite to recycle or landfill a PV module. The results of the hazardous waste determination dictate whether the PV module must be managed as hazardous waste or nonhazardous solid waste. Managing a PV module as hazardous waste requires compliance with stringent U.S. federal and state hazardous waste law. In addition to increased management costs, which can be ten times higher, legal liability for PV modules regulated as hazardous waste is also heightened with both civil and criminal penalties for noncompliance which includes making an inaccurate or faulty hazardous waste determination. The most common reason a PV module would be regulated as hazardous is if it contains a regulated metal in an amount that equals or exceeds the toxicity characteristic limits. To determine whether a PV module exhibits a hazardous characteristic, the regulated person/entity must "apply knowledge...in light of the materials and processes used." In the absence of adequate knowledge to determine whether the PV module is hazardous, it must be tested using Test Method 1311 Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) or an equivalent EPA-approved method. Although TCLP is the predominant method used to today to make a hazardous waste determination for PV modules, evidence from this study concludes it is not practical to TCLP test every PV module even in a single utility-scale installation, and a scalable solution is needed. This study finds that knowledge-based hazardous waste determinations may allow a regulated person/entity to make a hazardous waste determination for more than one PV module at one time - making this regulatory pathway a potential scalable solution. Through legal analysis and interviews with 44 experts, the authors explore what it means to make an accurate knowledge-based hazardous determination for PV modules considering sources and forms of information as well as potential limitations. The work aims to provide a foundation for building consensus on whether knowledge-based hazardous determinations are a viable, scalable industry approach for solar.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Comparing Outdoor to Indoor Performance for Bifacial Modules Affected by Polarization-Type Potential-Induced Degradation

Bifacial photovoltaic (PV) modules have the advantage of using light reflected off of the ground to contribute to power production. Predicting the energy gain is challenging and requires complex models to do so accurately. Often, module degradation over time is neglected in models for the sake of simplicity or is underestimated. Comparing outdoor and indoor current–voltage (I–V) performance for bifacial modules is more challenging than for monofacial modules, as there are additional variables to consider such as rear albedo non-uniformity, cell mismatch, and their effects on temperature. This challenge is compounded when heterogeneous degradation modes occur, such as polarization-type potential-induced degradation (PID-p). To examine the effects of PID-p on I–V predictions using an empirical data-driven approach, 16 bifacial PERC modules are installed outdoors on racks with different albedo conditions. A subset is exposed to high-voltage biases of −1500 V or +1500 V. Outdoor data are traced at irradiance ranges of 150–250 W/m 2 , 500–600 W/m 2 , and 900–1000 W/m 2 . These curves are corrected using control module temperature, wire resistivity, and module resistance measured indoors. We examine several methods to transform indoor I–V curves to accurately, and more simply than existing methods, approximate outdoor performance for bifacial modules without and with varying levels of PID-p degradation. This way, bifacial performance modeling can be more accessible and informed by fielded, degraded modules. Distributions of percent errors between indoor and outdoor performance parameters and Mean Absolute Percent Errors (MAPEs) are used to assess method quality. Results including low-irradiance data (150–250 W/m 2 ) are discussed but are filtered for quantifying method quality as these data introduce substantial errors. The method with the most optimal tradeoff between low MAPE and analysis simplicity involves measuring the front side of a module indoors at an irradiance equal to plane-of-array irradiance plus the product of module bifaciality and albedo irradiance. This method gives MAPE values of 1–6.5% for non-degraded and 1.6–5.9% for PID-p degraded module performance.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Quality Control of Silicon Sensor Modules for Particle Detectors

The High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) will produce a higher rate of particle collisions than the current Large Hadron Collider (LHC), requiring important upgrades to the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) to handle an increased amount of data. An important upgrade is the Phase-2 Outer Tracker Upgrade, which consists of 13,000 silicon sensor modules made of two parallel silicon sensors and readout electronics. These modules undergo careful quality control checks both during and after module assembly to ensure precise and reliable detector performance. This project focuses on precision testing for quality control of silicon sensor modules at Fermilab. Hands-on work includes visual inspection, current-voltage testing, module testing, and ultraviolet (UV) light exposure of modules showing abnormal current-voltage behavior. The ultraviolet exposure process improves the abnormal sensor readout data by placing the selected sensor side of the module directly under the UV light inside a controlled box. In addition to laboratory testing and ultraviolet experiments, I developed a Python-based data tool that connects to a module database and allows selected testing conditions and module information to be retrieved and displayed efficiently. These different testing procedures, experimental processes, and computational tools support the broader goal of identifying module issues and improving modules that will be used in the CMS Outer Tracker Phase-2 Upgrade.

Siddiqui, Hooriya [DuPage Coll.] (ORCID:0009000151↗
DOE OSTI2026

Quality Control of Silicon Sensor Modules for Particle Detectors

The High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) will produce a higher rate of particle collisions than the current Large Hadron Collider (LHC), requiring significant upgrades to the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) to handle the increased amount of data. An important upgrade is the Phase-2 Outer Tracker Upgrade, which consists of 13,000 silicon sensor modules made of two parallel silicon sensors and readout electronics. These modules undergo careful quality control checks both during and after module assembly to ensure precise and reliable detector performance. This project focuses on precision testing for quality control of silicon sensor modules at Fermilab. Hands-on work includes visual inspection, current-voltage testing, module testing, and ultraviolet (UV) light exposure of modules showing abnormal current-voltage behavior. The ultraviolet exposure process improves the abnormal sensor readout data by placing the selected sensor side of the module directly under the UV light inside a controlled box. In addition to laboratory testing and ultraviolet experiments, I developed a Python-based data tool that connects to a module database and allows selected testing conditions and module information to be retrieved and displayed efficiently. These different testing procedures, experimental processes, and computational tools support the broader goal of identifying module issues and improving modules that will be used in the CMS Outer Tracker Phase-2 Upgrade.

Siddiqui, Hooriya [DuPage Coll.; Fermilab] (ORCID:↗
DOE OSTI2025

Quality concerns caused by quality control — deformation of silicon strip detector modules in thermal cycling tests

The ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is currently preparing to replace its present Inner Detector (ID) with the upgraded, all-silicon Inner Tracker (ITk) for its High-Luminosity upgrade (HL-LHC). The ITk will consist of a central pixel tracker and the outer strip tracker, consisting of about 19,000 strip detector modules. Each strip module is assembled from up to two sensors, and up to five flexes (depending on its geometry) in a series of gluing, wirebonding and quality control steps. During detector operation, modules will be cooled down to temperatures of about -35 °C (corresponding to the temperature of the support structures on which they will be mounted) after being initially assembled and stored at room temperature. In order to ensure compatibility with the detector's operating temperature range, modules are subjected to thermal cycling as part of their quality control process. Ten cycles between -35 °C and +40 °C are performed for each module, with full electrical characterisation tests at each high and low temperature point. As part of an investigation into the stress experienced by modules during cooling, it was observed that modules generally showed a change in module shape before and after thermal cycling. This paper presents a summary of the discovery and understanding of the observed changes, connecting them with excess module stress, as well as the resulting modifications to the module thermal cycling procedure.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2026

Semi-Transparent Perovskite Solar Cells in a Stacked Tandem Module: Cooperative Research and Development Final Report, CRADA Number CRD-19-00810

This project seeks to develop device design, materials composition, and processing tools and parameters to fabricate semi-transparent perovskite solar cells and modules for application in stand-alone products or added to other solar cells in a mechanically stacked tandem configuration. This technology presents significant advanced manufacturing challenges and opportunities in getting to scale, including development of perovskite inks, scalable perovskite and heterojunction deposition and annealing processes, heterojunction composition, transparent electrode composition and deposition process, anti-reflection layer composition and deposition process, and cell to module integration processes. Modification 5: The proposed project seeks to develop device design, materials composition, and processing tools and parameters to fabricate semi-transparent perovskite solar cells and modules for application in stand-alone products or added to other solar cells in a mechanically-stacked tandem configuration. This technology presents significant advanced manufacturing challenges and opportunities in getting to scale, including development of perovskite inks, scalable perovskite and heterojunction deposition and annealing processes, heterojunction composition, transparent electrode composition and deposition process, passivation layers including in module scribes, anti-reflection layer composition and deposition process, and cell to module integration processes. Advanced metrology and characterization will be performed on perovskite films, cells and module. Furthermore, we will examine module or materials recycling for circular economy considerations. Modifcation 6: Gigahertz frequency microwave pump-probe spectroscopies are highly sensitive to thin film semiconductor photoconductivity of individual and stacks of layers that comprise perovskite solar cells. As such, these techniques will be used to qualify reproducibility and quality correlations during the manufacturing process. Modification 7: Mechanical adhesion of top contacts within perovskite modules significantly impacts the durability of the module when exposed to accelerated degradation testing. The adhesion between the perovskite/transport layer interface and the transport layer/top contact interface are both very sensitive small changes in processing. ALD processing conditions of the transport layer will be tuned to optimize the mechanical adhesion within the perovskite module stack.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Impact of Different Thermal Gradients on the Dynamics of Cylindrical Lithium-ion Cells Subject to Accelerated Aging and on Module Performance

This study investigates the impacts of applying different thermal gradient patterns to cylindrical lithium-ion cells in a module on cell dynamics (temperatures, current flows, state of charge), module performance (evolution of resistance, capacity, and energy versus cycle number), and module lifetime. The thermal gradients were generated using cooling plates (CPs) with three different flow-field designs, namely, straight, perpendicular, and U-turn. The study uses computational fluid dynamics (CFD), the pseudo-two-dimensional (P2D) battery model, capacity loss and increased impedance due to the growth of a solid-electrolyte-interphase, and the electric current distribution from module terminals to cells that depends on the series-parallel electrical connections among the cells. The impact of the thermal gradient (resulting from the CP designs) on the variability in resistance, current, state of charge, and voltage among the cells was analyzed and linked to differences in the module's performance. Applying a thermal gradient to parallel-connected strings of series-connected cells led to variation in the current through each parallel string and an imbalance in the voltage of series-connected cells. Module performance is poorer when the thermal gradient causes a voltage imbalance than when it causes a current imbalance. Module performance becomes the worst when both current variation and voltage imbalance happen together. For instance, the module's lifetime (estimated as reaching 80% of its initial capacity) varied by 5% to 17.5%, depending on the magnitude and pattern of the imposed thermal gradient. As the relative orientation between thermal gradients and cells' electrical connectivity influences the module's performance, appropriate consideration should be given to the choice of the CP, especially if large thermal gradients are allowed.

Battery thermal management↗
DOE OSTI2026

Evidence of Polarization‐Type Potential‐Induced Degradation (PID‐p) in the Field and Investigation of the Recovery Mechanism on Bifacial p ‐PERC Modules

This study investigates the polarization-type potential-induced degradation (PID-p) of bifacial glass/glass p-type passivated emitter rear contact (p-PERC) modules in the field and their recovery behavior. Modules were installed with three mounting configurations providing different albedo conditions. System voltage (–600, –1500, and +1500 V) was applied to the cell circuits, with respect to the grounded module frames. No degradation was observed for positively biased modules, but PID-p was identified on the rear side when cells are negatively biased, with maximum power dropping during the first days and stabilizing at values up to 8% loss. Electroluminescence images revealed a variation of the cells' PID-p susceptibility within a module. Three parameters were shown to impact the degradation rate: rear albedo light, voltage, and wetness conditions. Degraded modules were recovered either by (1) a positive bias (+1500 V), (2) outdoor illumination with the front side facing sun, (3) outdoor illumination with the rear side facing sun, or (4) dark storage. A recovery pattern was identified with I–V parameters decreasing to a local minimum before increasing to full recovery. The proposed mechanism is based on the band bending at the rear p-type Si/AlO x/SiN x interface, going from inversion to depletion and accumulation states. Full recovery was achieved in 2–7 h for the modules recovered with the rear side facing sun, four to eight nights for the modules positively biased at night, and 10–20 days for the modules with the front side facing sun. Dark storage showed slower recovery rates as I–V parameters were not improving even after 1 month. Here, the recovery rates were correlated with the net Coulombs transferred during the preceding PID stress: When more Coulombs are transferred during the degradation, the extent of degradation is greater, leading to slower recovery rates.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1972

Delta modulation

The results are presented of a study dealing with the problems of source encoding using delta modulation. An algorithm is described which was employed in the design of an adaptive delta modulation. The algorithm is extremely inexpensive to implement and features extremely desirable characteristics such as a 40 db dynamic range and a 90 percent non-redundant word intelligibility at a bit rate of 9.6 kb/s. A new concept is presented in delta modulation design, the nth-order delta modulator. The nth order delta modulator increases the maximum SNR of a delta modulator but not its dynamic range. It is shown that a 2nd order delta modulator, which employs two delta modulators in cascade, results in a 15 db output SNR improvement over a linear delta modulator operating at 27 db. Two additional areas of research are discussed. The first area involves decomposition of voice and the second is concerned with the source encoding of video signals.

Schilling, D. L.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Field‐Relevant Degradation Mechanisms in Metal Halide Perovskite Modules

Field testing, failure analysis, and understanding of degradation mechanisms are essential to advancing metal halide perovskite (MHP) photovoltaic (PV) technology toward commercialization. Here, we present performance data from up to 1 year of outdoor testing of MHP modules in Golden, Colorado. The module encapsulation architecture and encapsulant materials have a significant impact on module reliability, with modules containing a polyolefin elastomer (POE) in addition to a desiccated polyisobutylene (PIB) edge seal outlasting modules with only a PIB edge seal or PIB blanket. Nondestructive and destructive characterization of the field-tested modules points to module scribes and interfaces as areas of potential mechanical weakness and chemical migration, resulting in shunt pathways and increased series resistance. Finally, indoor accelerated stress testing with light and elevated temperatures is performed, demonstrating failure with similar scribe degradation signatures as compared to the field-tested modules. In conclusion, under both outdoor testing and light and elevated temperature conditions, electrochemical corrosion between the copper electrode and the mobile iodine ions appeared dominant, with a significant progression at the scribes that is speculated to result from an interplay between the initial laser damage and joule heating from enhanced ion diffusion under bias.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

UV + Damp Heat Induced Power Losses in Fielded Utility N-Type Si PV Modules

A recent trend in commercial PV modules is a transition to n-type silicon cells, including passivated emitter rear totally diffused (n-PERT), tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon), and silicon heterojunction (SHJ). There is evidence via lab studies that some of these cells are more susceptible to UV induced degradation (UVID), yet there is a lack of confirmation that such degradation occurs in the field. Current IEC standards designed to screen for early module failures require only minimal UV exposure (15 kWh/m2 280-400 nm, ~2-3 months equivalent outdoor exposure). Here, we investigate fielded n-PERT silicon (Si) modules from a commercial utility that show power losses of ~2%/year. We present a comprehensive picture of the physics and chemistry of degradation supported by both module and cell electronic characterization (EL, PL, IV, EQE, and DLIT) and materials-level morphological and chemical analysis (SEM, EDS, XPS, FTIR, and HPLC). All sampled site modules show short circuit current (Isc) and open circuit voltage (Voc) losses when compared to unfielded spares, with the most severely degraded also having losses in fill factor (FF). We identify two different degradation modes contributing to overall power loss: (1) external quantum efficiency (EQE) measurements show losses in the blue range of the spectra, indicative of cell surface recombination losses, and (2) variations in high series resistance (Rs) at the cell level that are correlated with compositional differences in cell metallization. Using unfielded spares, we were able to reproduce Voc, Isc, and EQE losses via a minimum UV stress of 67.5 kWh/m2 (280-400 nm), 4.5x the exposure currently required in IEC 61215-2 (MQT 10). Degradation continued with additional UV dosage equivalent to the fielded modules (405 kWh/m2 total), with power loss leveling out at an average of 6.1%. Subsequent 1000 h of 85% RH/85degrees C damp heat testing showed that cells exposed to UV underwent additional severe series resistance degradation, even those without the susceptible paste composition seen in the field, whereas non-UV exposed cells saw little change. We attribute this to higher concentrations of acetic acid generated on the UV exposed area of the module, leading to degradation of the gridline/cell interface and high Rs. This study is unique in that it reproduces field observed utility scale UVID with an accelerated test and supports the need for standards development for longer UV exposure combined with other stress factors to catch materials interplay within a module package.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Technoeconomic analysis of perovskite/silicon tandem solar modules

Tandem photovoltaic (PV) modules offer an opportunity to improve the efficiency and energy yield of available solar resources compared with single-junction devices. Here, we present a cost model and sensitivity analysis of perovskite/silicon (Si) tandem modules to understand how design choices impact overall module costs. We find a minimum sustainable price (MSP) of $\$$0.428/W DC for our baseline two-terminal design and $\$$0.423/W DC for our baseline four-terminal design, each at a module efficiency of 25% and module production of 3 GW per year in the United States. We find that the choice of Si cell architecture, overall module efficiency, and factory throughput have the most significant impacts on cost and competitiveness. The dynamic model provided is designed for researchers, companies, and interested individuals to use and edit as needed to better understand the trade-offs among PV module technologies and enable targeted research to improve module design and fabrication.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Advanced Photovoltaic Module Characterization: Using Image Transformers for Current–Voltage Curve Prediction From Electroluminescence Images

Individual photovoltaic (PV) module health monitoring can be a daunting task for operation and maintenance of solar farms. Modules can be inspected through luminescence, thermal imaging, and current–voltage (I–V) curve analyzes for identification of damage and power loss. I–V curves provide easily interpretable data to determine module health as they directly provide electrical performance metrics. However, in order to obtain these curves, modules must be disconnected from the array and either removed to a solar simulator or characterized in situ with corrections for module temperature, the incident solar spectrum, and intensity. Luminescence or thermal images of a module are relatively easy to acquire in situ. Electroluminescence (EL) images highlight physical defects in the modules but do not provide easily interpretable features to correlate with electrical performance. This work presents a SWin transformer network to predict I–V curves for PV modules from their corresponding EL images. The predicted I–V curves allow the accurate prediction of the maximum power point (MPP), short-circuit current I sc , and open-circuit voltage V oc with a mean error less of than 1%. Comparing single diode model (SDM) parameters extracted from the predicted curves to those extracted from the true curves, the series resistance R s demonstrates a mean error of 5.19%, and the photocurrent I a mean error of 0.197%. The shunt resistance R sh and dark current Io parameters are predicted with larger errors because of their sensitivity to small changes in the I–V curve.

Byford, Brandon K. [New Mexico State Univ., Las Cr↗
DOE OSTI2025

POTATO: A Unified Assessment System for HL-LHC Outer Tracker Module Productions

The CMS detector s silicon tracker will be replaced in preparation for the upcoming High-Luminosity LHC (HL LHC) upgrade. The inner tracker will include a new pixel detector while the outer tracker (OT) will feature 5,592 pixel strip (PS) and 7,608 strip strip (2S) sensor modules with production distributed across 7 sites worldwide, requiring standardized grading and testing. One testing apparatus the burn-in box replicates the temperature cycling conditions that successful modules must withstand. The Phase-II Outer Tracker Analyzer of Test Outputs (POTATO) standardizes module evaluation and grading among testing sites. Given burn-in box test output, POTATO analyzes the results and assigns a letter grade to a module and its sub-components. POTATO's grading process must adapt to evolving standards for module evaluation; hence, we detail work on POTATO's database and grading functionality that will facilitate the unified assessment of Phase-II OT module assembly and testing worldwide. Once completed, POTATO will allow technicians to interact with a database of all graded modules and efficiently assess the global module assembly effort.

Clark, Olivia J. [U. Tennessee, Knoxville]↗
DOE OSTI2025

A computational investigation of high-flux, plate-and-frame membrane modules for industrial carbon capture

In this work, we study the application of membrane-based separation systems for carbon capture, considering plate-and-frame membrane modules. The successful deployment of membrane CO 2 capture system relies on high-performing membranes as well as effective membrane modules that can fully exploit the developed membranes. A plate-and-frame membrane module is especially attractive for CO 2 capture from industrial flue gas due to its lower pressure drop compared to its counterparts such as spiral wound modules and hollow fiber modules. To design better plate-and-frame modules, we investigate their basic unit - a single membrane stack through a combination of computational modeling and experimental investigations. The modeling approach is based on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to represent a multiphysics problem, including the fluid flow and diffusion processes within a membrane module. We use experimental data collected under different operating conditions to validate the CFD model. Numerical results suggest a good agreement between experiments and model outputs for the CO 2 recovery, CO 2 mole fraction in the retentate and permeate, and stage-cut. The CFD model is able to predict accurately the flow behavior, providing valuable insights on the effects of fluid dynamics on mass transfer of CO 2 . We also carry out a sensitivity analysis to identify the effect of key parameters on the CO 2 recovery and the CO 2 purity of the outlet streams.

CFD simulation↗
DOE OSTI2026

Investigation and Diagnosis of Faulty Data Channels in CMS Outer Tracker Module Testing

The High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) is currently undergoing upgrades to improve its luminosity. In parallel, this requires an upgrade to the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS)’s Outer Tracker, consisting of Pixel-Strip (PS) and Strip-Strip (2S) modules that can accurately track the path of charged particles originating from the collisions. It follows that such complex modules call for extensive testing, requiring a sophisticated Data Acquisition (DAQ) system that can perform specific tests to assess their performance. In addition, errors caused by the hardware of a given testing station, and its associated data channel, need to be accurately identified to guarantee proper testing of modules. We have developed a software extension to the Phase-II Outer Tracker Analyzer of Test Outputs (POTATO), which is a specialized software designed to analyze and grade all of the module tests through a centralized database. This extension categorizes and analyzes module test results by its station and data channel. Its analysis can be used to identify trends in grading that indicate issues in these channels’ grading process rather than in the individual modules. This poster shows our methodology and results for identifying faulty data channels. Using this extension, we can quickly diagnose and address problems in our DAQ system, ensuring proper evaluation corrections for each module.

Chen, Angus [Fermilab]↗