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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 OSTI2021

Grid-Scale Ternary-Pumped Thermal Electricity Storage for Flexible Operation of Nuclear Power Generation under High Penetration of Renewable Energy Sources

In this work, the integration of a grid-scale ternary-Pumped Thermal Electricity Storage (t-PTES) with a nuclear power generation to enhance operation flexibility is assessed using physics-based models and digital real time simulation. A part of the electricity from the nuclear power generation is delivered to the grid, and the balance is used to power a heat pump that can be augmented by an auxiliary resistive load element to increase the charging rate of the thermal storage. This increases the thermal potential between hot and cold thermal stores (usually solid materials or molten salts inside large storage tanks). The thermal energy is transformed back into electricity by reversing the heat pump cycle. Different transient scenarios including startup, shutdown, and power change for grid-connected operation are simulated to determine the behavior of the hybrid nuclear-t-PTES system operating under variable loads that constitute a departure from conventional, baseload nuclear plant operation schemes. Ternary refers to the three modes operation: (i) heat pump (including heating coil), (ii) heat engine, and (iii) simultaneous operation of heat pump (including heating coil) and heat engine during changeover from pumping to generation or vice-versa. The controllability of t-PTES in the short timescales as a dynamic load is used to demonstrate operational flexibility of hybrid nuclear plants for flexible operation through advanced load management. The integration of t-PTES into nuclear power systems enhances the system flexibility and is an enabler for high penetration of renewable energy resources.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2024

A High-Fidelity Electromagnetic Transient Model of Inverter-based Resources Integrated to an IEEE-9 Bus System for Benchmarking Studies

An inverter-based resource (IBR) is a source of electricity that is asynchronously connected to the electrical grid via an electronic power converter. These power sources lack the intrinsic behaviors of the standard power plants, presenting specific challenges to system stability. These power sources lack the intrinsic behaviors of the standards power plants and their features are almost entirely defined by the control strategy used on them, presenting specific challenges to system stability as their penetration increases into the already fragile Bulk Power System (BPS). Utilizing renewable energy has a great upside but the electrical industry needs to understand the requirements like performing electromagnetic transient (EMT) simulation studies in planning and/or in interconnection studies. This paper presents the development of a high-fidelity EMT model based on commercial equipment and field parameters, which at the same time aims to study the increasing penetration of IBRs and their impact on the actual BPS. The open-source EMT model developed will be a benchmarking example that can be used to evaluate algorithms in the power grid (including evaluating grid-forming controls, power system monitoring and operation, etc.).

Martinez Montejano, Misael↗
DOE OSTI2022

Multilevel Analysis, Design, and Modeling of Coupling Advanced Nuclear Reactors and Thermal Energy Storage in an Integrated Energy System

This report discusses the different options for coupling thermal energy storage (TES) systems to advanced nuclear power plants (A-NPPs) in order to enable flexible and hybrid plant operation. An advanced light-water reactor (A LWR), a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) and a liquid-metal fast reactor (LMFR) were selected as the initial use cases for demonstrating a thermally balanced energy storage coupling design for thermal power extraction. The models presented herein showcase several design considerations, focusing on optimal deployment methodologies for achieving steady-state and transient-state operation with minimum disruption to the nuclear power cycle. This first part of the study presents steady-state models developed using Aspen HYSYS®, with the thermal energy bypass for NPP-TES coupling being varied at up to 50%. The various components were sized using the Aspen Process Economic Analyzer (APEA) and Aspen Exchanger Design and Rating (EDR), when applicable. Cost functions from these models were developed using the latest publicly available data obtained from APEA V11. The TES-coupled A-NPP steady-state models and cost functions then provided a baseline for dynamic operation and process optimization by using Idaho National Laboratory (INL)’s Framework for Optimization of Resources and Economics (FORCE) tools. A stochastic optimization of the various energy storage systems coupled to the A-NPPs was then performed using the Risk Analysis Virtual Environment (RAVEN) and its dispatch optimization plugin, the Holistic Energy Resource Optimization Network (HERON). The signal processing and synthetic history capabilities of RAVEN were used to account for the unpredictable behavior of electricity markets. An autoregressive moving average (ARMA) model was used to analyze price signals from the Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland (PJM) market and were applied to the HERON analysis in order to optimize a system with the best economics. Transient modeling evaluation was then performed using Modelica models within the HYBRID repository, which was developed at INL for the Department of Energy Integrated Energy Systems program for the characterization of dynamic integrated system behavior and feedback. This includes evaluation of the TES-coupled A-LWR systems’ impact on physical and thermal system response during imposed system demands. Additional TES-coupled reactor types, coupling approaches, markets, and TES technologies will be evaluated in future work.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2020

An explicit scheme to enforce charge conservation in transient Particle-in-Cell simulations with Maxwell-Boltzmann electrons

The Maxwell-Boltzmann electron model is a very popular approximation of the electronic behavior in electrostatic plasmas, adopted in all cases where the electron dynamics is governed only by a balance between electric and pressure forces. In such a model, the electron dynamics is reduced to solving for a nonlinear Poisson problem together with an additional expression enforcing charge conservation. In this work we derive an expression of charge conservation which can be conveniently applied to explicit schemes to update the reference Boltzmann density, particularly useful when simulating plasma sheaths. The scheme can be equally applied to both steady-state and transient problems. Two examples are shown, a steady-state plasma sheath, and a radio-frequency magnetic presheath. Our proposed scheme allows to enforce global charge conservation locally in time, and can thus be applied to the simulation of transient phenomena.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Medium Voltage Testbed for Comparing Advanced Power Line Sensors vs. Transformers with Electrical Grid Events

Electrical utilities have relied upon potential transformers (PTs) and current transformers (CTs) for very accurate metering and to provide reliable signals for protective relays. These devices measure phase voltages and currents and are commissioned by electrical engineers. PTs/CTs can detect and react to various electrical anomalies that could adversely affect electrical grid operations. Less expensive alternative sensing technologies offer the possibility of wider deployment, particularly in grids that employ distributed energy resources. In this work, the performance of an advanced medium-voltage sensor is compared with that of a reference PT and a CT and experimentally evaluated for different power grid scenarios on an advanced outdoor power line sensor testbed at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The sensor is based on a capacitive divider for voltage monitoring and a Rogowski coil with an integrator for current monitoring. This study simulated a power grid model based on a utility circuit at the Riverside EPB of Chattanooga. The simulation circuit was created with MATLAB/Simulink software and was integrated into an RT-LAB project to run with the OP4510 real-time simulator at the OPLST. During the tests, the real-time simulations were run for 40 s, and the signal to record the test event with the power meter was set at 30 s for the event-trigger circuit. The advanced outdoor power line sensor testbed has a real-time simulator that is used to generate transient scenarios (e.g., electrical faults, capacitor bank operation, and service restoration), while the analog signals are recorded by the same high-resolution power meter. The behaviors of analog signals, harmonic components, total harmonic distortion, and crest factors are assessed for this power line sensor and compared with those of the reference PT/CT because of the absence of testing standards for advanced outdoor power line sensors. The results showed that this OPLS technology responded identically to the PT and CT under all conditions.

Piesciorovsky, Emilio [ORNL]↗
DOE OSTI2023

Temperature dependence of resistivity of carbon micro/nanostructures: Microscale spatial distribution with mixed metallic and semiconductive behaviors

The temperature coefficient of resistivity (θ T ) of carbon-based materials is a critical property that directly determines their electrical response upon thermal impulses. It could have metal- (positive) or semiconductor-like (negative) behavior, depending on the combined temperature dependence of electron density and electron scattering. Its distribution in space is very difficult to measure and is rarely studied. Here, for the first time, we report that carbon-based micro/nanoscale structures have a strong non-uniform spatial distribution of θ T . This distribution is probed by measuring the transient electro-thermal response of the material under extremely localized step laser heating and scanning, which magnifies the local θ T effect in the measured transient voltage evolution. For carbon microfibers (CMFs), after electrical current annealing, θ T varies from negative to positive from the sample end to the center with a magnitude change of >130% over <1 mm. This θ T sign change is confirmed by directly testing smaller segments from different regions of an annealed CMF. For micro-thick carbon nanotube bundles, θ T is found to have a relative change of >125% within a length of ~2 mm, uncovering strong metallic to semiconductive behavior change in space. In conclusion, our θ T scanning technique can be readily extended to nm-thick samples with μm scanning resolution to explore the distribution of θ T and provide a deep insight into the local electron conduction.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Predicting the flow stress of Zircaloy-4 under in-reactor accident conditions - 2016-0075

During loss of coolant accident (LOCA) and reactivity-initiated accident (RIA), nuclear fuel rods experience high heating rates that change the microstructure and properties of zirconium cladding materials. The aim was to determine how different fast heating rates affect the kinetics of transformation and whether its consequences on the material yield stresses in the dual-phase region could be predicted. Phase fraction and texture of cold-rolled Zircaloy-4 were thus measured at fast heating rates similar to those experienced during LOCA and RIA by in-situ high-energy synchrotron x-ray diffraction; the yield stress was also measured at different heating rates to the same dual-phase temperature by electrical resistance method. Crystal plasticity finite element model was used to simulate the flow stresses with the inputs of the measured phase fraction and texture. The model is calibrated using the flow stress at the heating rate of 10 deg. Cs{sup -1} and used to predict the flow stress at the heating rate of 50 deg. Cs{sup -1} at the same temperature. A significant shift of the β transus temperature was identified for fast heating rates in the range of 10-100 deg. Cs{sup -1}. There is great similarity in texture at different heating rates. In the dual-phase temperature region, the a texture is almost identical to the starting texture and the β texture is nearly random. Yield stresses of cold-rolled Zircaloy-4 decrease at faster heating rate at the same temperature of 920 deg. C. A good agreement was found between the experimental and predicted flow stress at different heating rates, indicating this methodology has potential to be used to predict flow behavior in a fast transient regime. (authors)

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2003

Structural Fluctuation and Thermophysical Properties of Molten II-VI Compounds

The objectives of the project is to conduct ground-based experimental and theoretical research on the structural fluctuations and thermophysical properties of molten II-VI compounds to enhance the basic understanding of the existing flight experiments in microgravity materials science programs and to study the fundamental heterophase fluctuations phenomena in these melts by: 1) Conducting neutron scattering analysis and measuring quantitatively the relevant thermophysical properties of the II-VI melts such as viscosity, electrical conductivity, thermal diffusivity and density as well as the relaxation characteristics of these properties to advance the understanding of the structural properties and the relaxation phenomena in these melts and 2) Performing theoretical analyses on the melt systems to interpret the experimental results. All the facilities required for the experimental measurements have been procured, installed and tested. A relaxation phenomenon, which shows a slow drift of the measured thermal conductivity toward the equilibrium value after cooling of the sample, was observed for the first time. An apparatus based on the transient torque induced by a rotating magnetic field has been developed to determine the viscosity and electrical conductivity of semiconducting liquids. Viscosity measurements on molten tellurium showed similar relaxation behavior as the measured diffusivity. Neutron scattering experiments were performed on the HgTe and HgZnTe melts and the results on pair distribution showed better resolution than previous reported.

Source record↗
DOE OSTI2014

Interpreting impedance spectra of organic photovoltaic cells—Extracting charge transit and recombination rates

Impedance spectroscopy has been widely used to extract the electron-hole recombination rate constant in organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs). This technique is typically performed on OPVs held at open-circuit. Under these conditions, the analysis is simplified with recombination as the only pathway for the decay of excess charge carriers; transit provides no net change in the charge density. In this work, we generalize the application and interpretation of impedance spectroscopy for bulk heterojunction OPVs at any operating voltage. This, in conjunction with reverse bias external quantum efficiency measurements, permits the extraction of both recombination and transit rate constants. Using this approach, the transit and recombination rate constants are determined for OPVs with a variety of electron donor-acceptor pairings and compositions. It is found that neither rate constant individually is sufficient to characterize the efficiency of charge collection in an OPV. It is demonstrated that a large recombination rate constant can be accompanied by a large transit rate constant, thus fast recombination is not necessarily detrimental to OPV performance. Extracting the transit and recombination rate constants permits a detailed understanding of how OPV architecture and processing conditions impact the transient behavior of charge carriers, elucidating the origin of optimum device configurations.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
NASA NTRS2002

Structural Fluctuations and Thermophysical Properties of Molten II-VI Compounds

The objectives of the project are to conduct ground-based experimental and theoretical research on the structural fluctuations and thermophysical properties of molten II-VI compounds to enhance the basic understanding of the existing flight experiments in microgravity materials science programs as well as to study the fundamental heterophase fluctuation phenomena in these melts by: 1) conducting neutron scattering analysis and measuring quantitatively the relevant thermophysical properties of the II-VI melts (such as viscosity, electrical conductivity, thermal diffusivity and density) as well as the relaxation characteristics of these properties to advance the understanding of the structural properties and the relaxation phenomena in these melts and 2) performing theoretical analyses on the melt systems to interpret the experimental results. All the facilities required for the experimental measurements have been procured, installed and tested. Thermal diffusivity of molten tellurium has been measured by a laser flash method in the temperature range of 500 C to 900 C. The measured diffusivity as a function of temperature agrees fairly well with published data. However, a relaxation phenomenon, which shows a slow drift of the measured thermal conductivity toward the equilibrium value after cooling of the melt, was observed for the first time. An apparatus based on the transient torque induced by a rotating magnetic field has been developed to determine the viscosity and electrical conductivity of semiconducting liquids. Viscosity measurements on molten tellurium showed a similar relaxation behavior to the measured diffusivity. The density and volume expansion coefficients for pure Te and HgTe melts were measured as a function of temperature using a pycnometric method. A density maximum was found for both melts but no relaxation behavior was observed. Neutron scattering experiments were performed on the HgTe and HgZnTe melts and the results on pair distribution showed better resolution than previously reported. A simple kinetic theory, which contains the formation reactions of Te polymerization that increases the molecular weight, was proposed to interpret the relaxation behavior of HgZnTe viscosity data.

Su, Ching-Hua↗
DOE OSTI2016

Predicting the flow stress of Zircaloy-4 under in-reactor accident conditions - 2016-0075

During loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) and reactivity-initiated accident (RIA), nuclear fuel rods experience high heating rates that change the microstructure and properties of zirconium cladding materials. We sought to determine how different fast heating rates affect the kinetics of transformation and whether their consequences on the material yield stresses in the dual-phase region could be predicted. Phase fraction and texture of cold-rolled Zircaloy-4 were thus measured at fast heating rates similar to those experienced during LOCA and RIA by in situ high-energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction; the yield stress was also measured at different heating rates to the same dual-phase temperature by the electrical resistance method. A crystal plasticity finite-element model was used to simulate the flow stresses with the inputs of the measured phase fraction and texture. The model was calibrated using the flow stress at the heating rate of 10 deg. C s{sup -1} and used to predict the flow stress at the heating rate of 50 deg. C s{sup -1} at the same temperature. A significant shift of the β transus temperature was identified for fast heating rates in the range of 10 to 100 deg. C s{sup -1}. There was great similarity in texture at different heating rates. In the dual-phase temperature region, the α texture was almost identical to the starting texture, and the b texture was nearly random. Yield stresses of cold-rolled Zircaloy-4 decreased at a faster heating rate at the same temperature of 920 deg. C. A good agreement was found between the experimental and predicted flow stress at different heating rates, indicating this methodology can potentially be used to predict flow behavior in a fast transient regime. (authors)

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2012

Physics of Hall-effect thruster by particle model

A realistic three-dimensional fully kinetic particle simulation of a Hall-effect thruster discharge has been developed. The model consists of a Particle-in-Cell methodology tracking electrons, Xe{sup +} and Xe{sup ++} ions in their selfconsistent electric field. A detailed secondary electron emission from lateral walls is also implemented in addition with electron-atom and electron-ion volume collisions. The model is able to capture the most relevant features of axial, radial and azimuthal behaviors of the start-up transient and steady state phases detecting inverted sheaths and azimuthal modulation in the acceleration region. The model has the potentiality to investigate the driving mechanisms at the origin of the electron anomalous cross-field transport.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Titanium in silicon: Lattice positions and electronic properties

Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) and deep level transient spectroscopy measurements were carried out on Czochralski (Cz)- and float-zone-grown (FZ) Si crystals, which were implanted with Ti ions and annealed in the temperature range 600–900 °C. The electrical behavior of Ti atoms is found to be different in Cz- and FZ-Si annealed at 650 °C, although the Ti SIMS profiles are similar. It is argued that interstitial Ti atoms (Ti{sub i}) in FZ-Si crystals interact with implantation-induced vacancies and take a substitutional position (Ti{sub s}). No energy levels which can be assigned to Ti{sub s} have been detected in this work or in previous experimental literature. However, previous calculations suggest that Ti{sub s} is a deep acceptor in Si. We show from density functional calculations that by taking proper account of interactions within the d-shell of the Ti impurity the electronic structure of Ti{sub s} has no levels in the band gap. The calculations show that Ti{sub i} is more energetically favorable than Ti{sub s} and that Ti{sub i} binds more strongly to the silicon vacancy than interstitial oxygen does, explaining the observed differences between FZ- and Cz-irradiated materials.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2022

Electric field measurements of DC-driven positive streamer coronas using the E-FISH method

This paper reports on electric field measurements, using the electric field-induced second harmonic (E-FISH) method, sampling the spatial structure and temporal development of DC-driven positive streamer coronas in atmospheric-pressure air at relevant timescales to examine the self-pulsating behavior of the discharge. The discharge is triggered from a point-to-plate geometry and consists of transient coronas, which bridge the inter-electrode gap and pulsate at about 3 kHz, superimposed with a persisting glow corona. The measurements presented challenge the phenomenological explanation for the pulsations based on field recovery at the anode driven by the evacuation of positive ions by electric drift effects and hint at a propagating wave-like feature from the plate-cathode to the tip-anode.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Time-resolved electrical potential pump – X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy probe developments for investigating dynamic processes occurring at electrochemical interfaces

Electrode–electrolyte interfaces are of critical importance in several fields, including renewable energy, corrosion, and environmental chemistry. However, investigating these interfaces under operational conditions poses considerable challenges due to the limitations of the instrumentation employed. While recent advancements in in situ and operando techniques have enhanced our comprehension of the steady-state properties of solid-liquid interfaces, the dynamic behaviors of these systems remain inadequately explored. This study introduces a time-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) technique designed to capture transient reaction intermediates and charging dynamics at electrified interfaces. The presented proof-of-principle study demonstrates that electrochemical processes, represented by an equivalent electrical circuit (EEC) model, can be probed and understood using square wave voltage pulses of a potentiostat synchronized to the modified data acquisition of an XPS setup. This method offers a valuable alternative to traditional pump–probe techniques, facilitating the investigation of a broader range of electrochemical systems. A dedicated software package for analyzing time- and energy-resolved XPS with a focus on extracting parameters of the EEC is geared towards benchmarking different EECs in future real-world electrochemical experiments.

Electrochemistry↗
DOE OSTI2023

Analysis of Dynamic Behavior of the Target and the Deuterium-Tritium Ice in Magnetic-Field Assisted Implosions

The use of strong magnetic fields to augment the output energy of inertial confinement fusion experiments at the National Ignition Facility is of high interest. It offers the potential of reducing electron thermal conduction and increasing hot-spot alpha heating with little to no change in hohlraum behavior. In these magnetically assisted ignition experiments, the ultimate goal is to add a B-field in the form of a pulse ranging from 25 to 60 T to a high-performing hohlraum implosion several microseconds before impingement of the laser beams. This requires eliminating metallic components in the target and replacing them with electrically nonconducting materials. However, the strong eddy currents generated by the rapidly increasing high B-field, which were calculated to be as high as 2000 K, can heat the hohlraum. Here in this paper, we examine the transient effects of this rapid temperature change on the behavior of the target as well as the fuel layer composed typically of deuterium and tritium. Using simulations and calculations for limiting case scenarios, we find that the effect of the heating is not restrictive toward the performance of the target or the quality of the deuterium-tritium ice.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Expanded Accident Scenarios and Frequency Characteristics for a Fast Spectrum Molten Salt Reactor in an Integrated Energy System

Integration of advanced nuclear reactors to industrial processes in an integrated energy system (IES) has many potential advantages. The coupling of nuclear power to varied industrial processes introduces additional accident scenarios unique to the specific systems included in the IES. Similarly, noise in one system of the IES could potentially create negative effects in the other systems. Because of the limited amount of comparable nuclear IES operating experience, there is added value in scoping the inherent behavior of these systems in response to these transients. Here, this paper investigates the safety-related behavior of an open-source IES dynamic model of a fast spectrum molten salt reactor (MSR) powering a regenerative Rankine cycle for electricity production and a hybrid sulfur (HyS) cycle for hydrogen production. The simulations include a loss of cooling water to the Rankine cycle, a loss of sulfur in the HyS cycle, and the frequency characteristics of the entire IES across six orders of magnitude of frequency. The results show safe behavior in response to the two accident scenarios, wherein a disruption in heat transfer leads to increased salt temperatures and a decrease in reactor power. The frequency analysis shows that at higher frequencies, temperature changes propagating through an IES are increasingly damped to the point of negligibility.

Dunkle, Nicholas [Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, T↗