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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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DOE OSTI2021

Data Challenges for Structural Health Monitoring of Electrical Machines [Slides]

Induction motors (ID) consist of a stator and a rotor. Induction motor slip decreases with decreasing load. Induction motor slip decreases with decreasing load. This talk will focus on removing closely coupled power grid frequencies in an effort to observe the true dynamic response signature of induction motors. Using the time difference between the zeros, we found the frequency as it changes over time for each of the 3 phases. The frequencies of the 3 phases were averaged to reduce the effects of sidebands on the instantaneous frequency. The frequencies of the 3 phases were averaged to reduce the effects of sidebands on the instantaneous frequency. The Kalman filter rapidly synchronizes with the expected output. The sidebands were recreated using spectral subtraction. The frequency domain shows the reduction in magnitude of the power grid frequency the Kalman output was subtracted out. Kalman filtering also reveals important data about the sidebands in healthy motors. The Continuous Wavelet Transform is an alternative to a Bandpass IIR filter used in the analysis of the acceleration data. Analysis of the acceleration data reveals 4 sidebands around the slip frequency.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Land-Based Wind Market Report: 2021 Edition

The U.S. Department of Energy's 2021 edition of its land-based wind market report provides an overview of key trends in the U.S. wind power market, with a focus on 2020. You can find a report, data file and presentation on the Files tab, below. Additionally, several data visualizations are available on the Visualizations tab. Highlights of this year’s update include: -Wind comprises a growing share of electricity supply: U.S. wind power capacity grew at a record pace in 2020, with 25 billion dollars invested in 16.8 GW of capacity. Wind energy output rose to account for more than 8% of the entire nation’s electricity supply, and is more than 20% in 10 states. At least 209 GW of wind are seeking transmission interconnection; 61 GW of this capacity are offshore wind and 13 GW are hybrid plants that pair wind with storage or PV. -Wind project performance has increased over time: The average capacity factor among recently built projects was over 40%, considerably higher than projects built earlier. The highest capacity factors are seen in the interior ‘wind belt’ of the country. -Turbines continue to get larger: Improved plant performance has been driven by larger turbines mounted on taller towers and featuring longer blades. In 2010, no turbines employed blades that were 115 meters in diameter or larger, but in 2020, 91% of newly installed turbines featured such rotors. Proposed projects indicate that total turbine height will continue to rise. -Low wind turbine pricing has pushed down installed project costs over the last decade: Wind turbine prices are averaging 775–850 dollars/kW. The average installed cost of wind projects in 2020 was 1,460 dollars/kW, down more than 40% since the peak in 2010, though stable for the last three years. The lowest costs were found in Texas and the (non-ISO) West. -Wind energy prices remain low, around 20 dollars/MWh in the interior of the country: After topping out at 70 dollars/MWh for power purchase agreements (PPAs) executed in 2009, the national average price of wind PPAs has dropped. In the interior ‘wind belt’ of the country, recent pricing is around 20 dollars/MWh. In the West and East, prices tend to average 30 dollars/MWh or more. These prices, which are possible in part due to federal tax support, fall below the projected future fuel costs of gas-fired generation. -Wind PPA prices are often attractive compared to wind’s grid-system market value: The value of wind in wholesale power markets is affected by the location of wind plants, their hourly output profiles, and how those characteristics correlate with real-time electricity prices and capacity markets. The market value of wind declined in 2020, following natural gas prices lower and averaging under 15 dolalrs/MWh in ERCOT, MISO, NYISO and SPP; higher values were seen in CAISO, ISO-NE and PJM. -The average levelized cost of wind energy is down to 33 dollars/MWh: Levelized costs, which exclude the impacts of federal tax incentives, vary across time and geography, but the national average stood at 33 dollars/MWh in 2020—down substantially historically, though consistent with the previous two years. Levelized costs were lowest in ERCOT, SPP, and the (non-ISO) West. -The health and climate benefits of wind in 2020 were larger than its grid-system value, and the combination of all three far exceeds the current levelized cost of wind: Wind generation reduces power-sector emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide. These reductions, in turn, provide public health and climate benefits that vary regionally, but together are economically valued at an average of 76 dollars/MWh-wind nationwide in 2020. -The domestic supply chain for wind equipment is diverse: For wind projects recently installed in the U.S., domestically manufactured content is highest for nacelle assembly (>85%), towers (60-75%), and blades and hubs (30-50%), but is much lower for most components internal to the nacelle.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Computing of Fluidic Forces in Rotating Cylinders with Application to Active Magnetic Bearing Control

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has been engaged to develop molten salt technologies. Molten salts are chemically aggressive liquids that operate at high temperatures. As part of this activity, ORNL designed a molten salt pump for molten salt that has no seals and that operates immersed in the salt. To minimize wear on rotating components, the pump uses active magnetic bearings (AMBs) to support the shaft and rotor. The pump is centrifugal and is oriented horizontally (A. Melin, 2013).

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Land-Based Wind Market Report: 2022 Edition

The U.S. Department of Energy's 2022 edition of its Land-Based Wind Market Report provides an overview of key trends in the U.S. wind power market, with a focus on 2021. You can find a report, data file and presentation on the Files tab, below. Additionally, several data visualizations are available on the Visualizations tab. Despite ongoing supply chain challenges, wind energy in 2021 continued to see strong growth, technology improvements, and low prices in the U.S. Key highlights include: Wind comprises a growing share of electricity supply: U.S. wind power capacity grew at a strong pace in 2021, with the 13.4 GW of new additions representing a $\$20$ billion investment and 32% of all newly added U.S. generation capacity. Wind energy output rose to account for more than 9% of the entire nation’s electricity supply. At least 247 GW of wind are seeking transmission interconnection; 77 GW of this capacity are offshore wind and 19 GW are hybrid plants that pair wind with storage or solar PV. Wind project performance has increased over the decades: The average capacity factor among recently built projects was nearly 40%, considerably higher than projects built earlier. The highest capacity factors are seen in the interior ‘wind belt’ of the country. Turbines continue to get larger: Improved plant performance has been driven by larger turbines mounted on taller towers and featuring longer blades. In 2011, no turbines employed blades that were 115 meters in diameter or larger, but in 2021, 89% of newly installed turbines featured such rotors. Proposed projects indicate that total turbine height will continue to rise. Low wind turbine pricing has pushed down installed project costs over the last decade: Wind turbine prices averaged $\$800$–$\$950$/kW in 2021, a 5% to 10% increase from the year prior but substantially lower than in 2010. The average installed cost of wind projects in 2021 was $\$1,500$/kW, down more than 40% since the peak in 2010, though relatively stable in recent years. The lowest costs were found in Texas and the (non-ISO) West. Wind energy prices are on the rise, but generally remain low, around $\$20$/MWh in the interior of the country with higher prices in the West and East. After topping out above $\$75$/MWh for power purchase agreements (PPAs) executed in 2009, the national average price of wind PPAs has dropped—though supply-chain pressures have resulted in increased prices in recent years. In the interior ‘wind belt’ of the country, recent pricing is around $\$20$/MWh. In the West and East, prices tend to average above $\$30$/MWh. These prices, which are possible in part due to federal tax support, fall below the projected future fuel costs of gas-fired generation. Wind PPA prices are often attractive compared to wind’s grid-system market value: The value of wind in wholesale power markets is affected by the location of wind plants, their hourly output profiles, and how those characteristics correlate with real-time electricity prices and capacity markets. The market value of wind increased in 2021, averaging $\$16$/MWh in MISO, $\$19$/MWh in SPP, $\$23$/MWh in NYISO, $\$31$/MWh in ERCOT, $\$33$/MWh in PJM, $\$44$/MWh in ISO-NE, and $\$48$/MWh in CAISO. The average levelized cost of wind energy was $\$32$/MWh for plants built in 2021: Levelized costs, which exclude the impacts of federal tax incentives, vary across time and geography. The national average stood at $\$32$/MWh in 2021—down substantially historically, though relatively stable in recent years. Levelized costs were lowest in ERCOT, SPP, and the (non-ISO) West. The health and climate benefits of wind in 2021 were larger than its grid-system value, and the combination of all three far exceeds the current levelized cost of wind: Wind generation reduces power-sector emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide. These reductions, in turn, provide public health and climate benefits that vary regionally, but together are economically valued at an average of over $\$90$/MWh-wind for plants built in 2021.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Comparative Study for Pressure Gain Combustion-Gas Turbine System Performance in NGCC Configurations

The Department of Energy (DOE) has a goal to increase natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) plant efficiency to greater than 70 percent on a lower heating value (LHV) basis. Improvement in gas turbine (GT) efficiency is key achieving this goal. While many of the traditional improvement methods (higher firing temperature, advanced materials, improved cooling methods, etc.) may increase current GT and NGCC efficiencies incrementally, combining these traditional advancements with breakthrough technologies such as pressure gain combustion (PGC) may provide significant system efficiency gains. PGC is a combustion process that results in a net pressure increase across the combustor (up to pressure ratio of 2.2) rather than the traditional (<5%) pressure drop. There are multiple PGC technologies being developed that create the pressure rise phenomena, including resonant pulse combustors (RPCs), pulse detonation engines (PDEs), wave rotor combustor (WRC) engines and rotating detonation engines (RDEs). In this study, scoping analyses of PGC concepts applied to NGCC power plants were performed by combining simplified analytical models for the RPC, PDE, WRC, and RDE types of pressure gain processes with a GT model to evaluate impacts of using each of the PGC technologies on key GT performance parameters. Sensitivity analyses were also performed. Ultimately, the PGC technologies were found to have the potential to increase simple cycle efficiency by 4–6 percent (absolute) and NGCC efficiency by 2–3 percent (absolute) based on the results of the current study.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Aeroelastic Modeling for Distributed Wind Turbines: March 11, 2021 - November 10, 2021

Aeroelastic modeling (AM) is the primary methodology for structural and performance assessment of any wind turbine whereby providing an understanding of the impact of design parameters on its loading and power response before witnessing it in the field. Despite these advantages, the use of AM in the Distributed Wind Technology (DWT) sector is limited, especially within the less established manufacturers. This project represents an in-depth assessment of the status of AM and its role within the Standards for the DWT industry. The study gathered input and feedback from a large number of national and international stakeholders, reviewed technical strengths and weaknesses of the current edition of the design standards, analyzed recent industry workshops' and meetings' minutes, collected publicly available AM templates, and provided an evaluation of the existing AM codes. The study achieved several goals including providing strategies for the load assessment categorization of turbines based on rotor swept area and archetype, and guidance for AM verification and validation (V&V), which includes discussions of measurement requirements and a sample test-plan useful for future V&V campaigns and design standard development. This document summarizes the different tasks conducted in the course of the project and highlights the steps required to improve the AM adoption based on a multifaceted approach that encompasses: 1) augmenting AM software capabilities, 2) publishing AM best-practices and design-basis, 3) creating new model templates, 4) providing guidance for V&V of codes and specific turbine models leveraging field testing best-practice, and 5) addressing weaknesses in the current standards. Many of the future objectives identified in this study could leverage NREL's upcoming testing campaigns of three modern distributed wind turbines. Recommendations within this study will advance the value and the ease-of-use of AM, thereby allowing the industry to better capitalize this underutilized tool resulting in a more efficient design process, an easier path to certification, and overall better and more distributed reliable wind turbine products.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Evaluating the 3D PBL scheme for wind energy applications in the complex terrain of Altamont Pass, CA

In this study, the 3D PBL scheme, developed and tested during previous WETO projects, was used to simulate daily speedup flows in the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area of California. These flows were observed as part of the WFIP2 companion experiment HilFlowS, which examined potential power output from taller turbines in the Altamont region. The regularity of the observed speedup events during the summer months, combined with the importance of terrain-induced wind acceleration, makes them a useful case study for evaluating mesoscale forecast models, which often underperform in regions of complex terrain. Compared to a traditional one-dimensional PBL scheme, the 3D PBL scheme shows evidence of improved wind speed predictions, including an ability to capture atypical wind speed profiles and reduce model overestimates of wind speed across the turbine rotor region. Such improvements will be necessary for wind farm siting and power forecasting, especially as taller turbines are deployed in complex terrain.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Amorphous Metal Ribbon (AMR) and Metal Amorphous Nanocomposite (MANC) Materials Enabled High Power Density Vehicle Motor Applications (Final Technical Report)

A collaborative team from Carnegie Mellon Univ. (CMU), North Carolina State Univ. (NCSU) and Metglas, South Carolina have studied new high speed motors (HSMs) with high-power density for traction motor applications. These are enabled by hybrid designs, including Flux Switching with Permanent Magnets (FSWPM) motors, exploiting permanent magnets without heavy rare earths (RE-lean) and high induction/high resistivity soft magnetic materials that allow for high switching frequencies needed to increase power densities. Team members include Michael E. McHenry, Prof. Materials Science & Eng., CMU, with > 30 years experience in magnetic materials development; Subashish Bhattacharya, Prof. Electrical Eng. and Freedom Center Director at NCSU with > 30 years experience in development of power electronic components and systems and Eric Theisen, Director of Research at Metglas, the only US located supplier of AMR and MANC materials. The team offers novel axial motor architectures exploiting soft magnetic materials (SMMs) that switch with low loss at high frequencies and heavy rare earth free permanent magnets that address materials criticality issues, supply chain risks, and high costs for traction motors. Axial-flux permanent magnet motors (APFM), offer efficiency improvements reducing rotor losses and also significantly higher power density. Axial-flux construction requires less core material, high torque-to-weight ratio. Since AFPM machines have thin magnets, they are smaller than radial flux motors making them attractive in space-limited applications. Noise and vibration are less and planar air gaps are easily adjusted. Flexibility in air-gap direction allows many topologies.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Modeling the Yaw Behavior of Tail Fins for Small Wind Turbines: November 22, 2021 - May 21, 2024

This report describes the aerodynamic modelling of the yaw behavior of tail fins for small wind turbines (SWTs). The analysis is based on unsteady slender body theory (USBT) and is formulated to be used with the proposed tail fin module to be added to OpenFAST. Linearized USBT, which has been applied in the past to SWT tail fins, is developed in three main ways. First, USBT is extended to high yaw angles and aspect ratios by modelling the associated nonlinear vortex dynamics and the chordwise load distribution respectively. Second, we consider the effect of time-varying wind speed. The extended theory is compared to recent unpublished measurements at the University of Perugia, Italy, for the yaw behavior of delta, elliptical, and rectangular tail fins without a rotor and nacelle. The fins were released from initial yaw angles of -40 degrees and -80 degrees ; the latter is of sufficient magnitude to show the importance of the nonlinear yaw dynamics. Further, the friction in the model tail fin bearings was measured and modelled. The constants in the aerodynamic models were taken from the literature but significant improvement in accuracy is achieved by using system identification techniques to optimize the values. This leads to the third main finding: extended USBT is accurate for all generic tail fin shapes that we considered and is, therefore, very suitable for inclusion in aeroelastic codes for SWTs. The final development is of a general nonlinear equation for yaw response that is simpler than the extended USBT and is also suitable for inclusion in OpenFAST. The two nonlinear models are used to highlight the geometric requirements for good tail fin design.

distributed wind↗
DOE OSTI2023

TEAMER - Acoustic Particle Velocity Measurements - CRADA 601 (Abstract)

With relatively few deployments of tidal turbines, the extent and effect of underwater sounds generated from these turbines is not well understood. The University of Washington (UW) is deploying a cross-flow turbine system, the Turbine Lander, in the entrance channel to Sequim Bay. The deployment of this system provides an opportunity to understand the noise radiated by the turbine and its sources. There are three hypothesized sound sources associated with operation of the turbine: 1) a continuous tone associated with energized power electronics; 2) sound associated with the generator when the turbine is rotating; and 3) sound associated with the bearing pack that supports the rotor. PNNL is collaborating with UW and Integral Consulting Inc. (Integral) to simultaneously measure sound sources using three different devices. The NoiseSpotter®, an acoustic sensor system designed by Integral, measures acoustic pressure and a three-dimensional particle velocity vector. The NoiseSpotter, along with a commercial-off-the-shelf acoustic particle motion and pressure sensor (M20-105, Geospectrum Technologies Inc.) owned by PNNL will be deployed on the seabed approximately 50-100 m from the Turbine Lander. UW will concurrently deploy Drifting Acoustic Instrumentation SYstems (DAISYs) to characterize acoustic pressure near the Turbine Lander and localize sounds using a Time Delay of Arrival (TDOA) algorithm. Integral, UW, and PNNL will collaborate on data analysis and interpretation, with the intention of jointly authoring an archival paper on the results. The noise generated from the Turbine Lander is not expected to be significant, yet this experiment will help to evaluate the efficacy of combining technologies to characterize noise and provide insights for approaches to consider for future turbine deployments at other locations.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2023

Vibration Analysis - Presented to the MMWG Predictive Maintenance User’s Group [Slides]

Vibration Analysis monitors the condition of rotating equipment by focusing on the mechanical vibration the equipment transmits. For very little investment (a few thousands) you can protect millions of dollars of assets. Vibration Analysis is used to monitor fans, pumps, motors, compressors, chillers, and fixed structures. It is used to detect bearing problems, belt problems, bent shaft, misalignment, oil whirl, resonance, cavitation, recirculation, gear problems, mechanical looseness, sheave problems, unbalance, and some electrical problems including broken rotor bars and loose stators.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Passive Ultrasonic Deterrents to Reduce Bat Mortality in Wind Farms (Final Report)

The overall objective of this project was to develop active and passive ultrasonic deterrent concepts to mitigate bat mortality at wind turbines. The research was supported by the US Department of Energy under the contract DE-EE0008731. Novel ultrasonic bat deterrents are investigated in this study. The deterrents are based on the idea of aerodynamic whistles wherein flow-acoustic resonance is used to produce high-amplitude tonal sound at desired ultrasonic frequencies. The deterrents can be grouped into active and passive. The active deterrents/whistles are driven by pressurized air supplied by an external source (e.g., an air compressor). The passive deterrents/whistles are designed to be mounted on wind turbine blades and are “powered” by the energy in the air moving past the rotor blades. Multiple active and passive deterrent ideas are proposed and investigated numerically and experimentally. The computational analysis involves solving the compressible unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) equations and coupling the near-field aerodynamic solution with an integral method based on the Ffowcs Williams-Hawkings acoustic analogy to predict ultrasound in the farfield. Experiments are performed in the anechoic chamber at ISU (for the active whistles) and in the Stability wind tunnel at Virginia Tech (for the passive whistles).

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Estimating National-Scale Wind Potential Using Spatially Explicit Turbine Layout Optimization

National renewable energy potential assessments play a broad and critical role in analysis of the clean energy transition by providing foundational estimates of developable clean resources. Common to all past wind potential assessments is an assumption that wraps the complexity of wind plant layout (arrangement of turbines) into a single metric known as capacity density, or rated power capacity per unit of land area. Quite often, a singular capacity density or rotor-diameter driven capacity density is used in wind potential assessments across broad geographies despite the complexities of local drivers. Here, we present a new wind technical potential assessment for the United States, leveraging a spatial optimization approach in lieu of the traditional uniform capacity density. The optimization approach is a spatially explicit method for determining the potential locations of individual wind turbines-taking into account the turbine configuration, plant economics and losses, wind resource, and siting considerations. Our approach accounts for the interactions between wind technology design, wind plant layout, and the vast array of regulatory, land use and infrastructure conflicts with wind development. Our results highlight the potential ability of larger turbines to enable increased wind capacity, up to a point, and increased generation when siting turbines in and around spatial constraints; moreover, they demonstrate and capture the LCOE benefit of relatively lower capacity densities and reduced wake losses when land is relatively abundant. These insights provide foundational knowledge for the wind sector as it develops and pursues future turbine models and as wind energy markets expand in zero-carbon futures. Further, when applied in capacity expansion models, supply curves developed by these methods can provide detailed local insights about where wind turbines might be deployed in and among known siting constraints for those regions where wind energy is determined to be economic, providing critical nuance to local decision-makers and stakeholders.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Electrification: 2023 Final Progress Report

This project proposes to develop a high-power density, high speed traction motor architecture called QMag, driven by a high-power density motor drive inverter using silicon carbide semiconductor devices. This new architecture will achieve the efficiency and power density targets by means of innovative winding and rotor structures, high bandwidth controls, and advanced thermal management solutions. The project team will pursue the goals of the project systematically, through Finite Element Analysis for machine design, through simulation and co-simulation techniques for power electronics and controls evaluation, and finally system design, fabrication, testing and evaluation. If this project successfully achieves and demonstrates the DOE targets for power density, cost, and reliability, the technology has the potential to become a core enabler of the flagship higher power product portfolio in commercial traction businesses, which has so far been confined to DC, induction, Brush Less DC (BLDC), Permanent Magnet AC (PMAC), and reluctance machines.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2024

Instrumentation for the Investigation of Pitch Bearing Design and Reliability

Recently, there has been an increasing level of industry interest in pitch system and pitch bearing reliability. Pitch bearings are used in wind turbines to connect the blade root to the hub. Some populations of pitch bearings have demonstrated a 12% failure rate in 20 years. As rotor diameters continue to increase for tall land-based and offshore wind turbines, pitch bearings are becoming even larger in diameter, which can make them vulnerable to deflections and consequent stress concentrations. There is an increased need to more accurately study pitch bearing deformations, misalignment, load distributions, and contact stresses. A significant body of work has investigated fatigue lives and wear characteristics of pitch bearings on ground-based test rigs. NREL has also recently begun a research program related to pitch bearing reliability, recognizing its growing importance for wind turbines. The purpose of this paper is to describe a set of instrumentation that was recently installed on a 1.5 MW wind turbine at the NREL Flatirons Campus and provide an example data set. To the authors' knowledge, this will be the first publicly available pitch bearing data collection campaign on an operational wind turbine.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

TEAMER Technical Support for Aquantis (Materials) (Final Report)

The Aquantis Tidal Power Tug is a unique synthesis of best-available technologies and materials configured as a novel spar vessel to create an optimal platform for tidal stream energy conversion. The Power Tug utilizes an upstream-facing horizontal, 2-bladed rotor. To drive down capital costs and extend life, Aquantis proposes to employ new materials for the blades that are both less expensive than current state-of-the-art materials and are potentially better suited for survival in a submerged, seawater environment. Coupons from a novel geopolymer material will be tested in a load frame to characterize material properties. The Requestor is requesting technical assistance for evaluating mechanical properties of a novel geopolymer material for application in tidal stream energy conversion systems. This work will establish characteristic properties of a geopolymer material under dry and saturated conditions through material coupon testing. Material coupons will be tested to characterize properties including: a) Tensile strength, b) Compression strength, c) Flexural strength, d) Modulus of elasticity, e) Fatigue strength at varying load levels. The types of material tests performed will be guided by characteristics required to validate material properties for use in full-scale structures. Characterization of material properties that consider the demands of a full-scale structure is a necessary step in research and development that can enable the use of geopolymer materials in tidal stream energy conversion systems.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2024

Reduced LCoE CSP Through Utilizing Process Gas Lubricated Bearings in Oil-Free Drivetrains

The GE Research team proposed to advance the TRL level of process lubricated gas bearings from TRL3 based on the DE-EE0007109 program to TRL5 addressing a critical risk item that radial gas bearings can provide satisfactory rotordynamic performance in supporting a representative rotor for sCO2 Power Cycles. The ability to apply process lubricated gas bearings can provide cost savings with reduction of the associated lube oil systems and an efficiency benefit worth 2% efficiency for the turbomachinery configuration first presented in DE-EE005804. The process lubricated gas bearings are enablers for advanced hermetically sealed configurations that have the potential for significant advancement in sCO2 Power Cycles for CSP applications including the 2% efficiency increase referred to above in addition to OPEX savings with no need to refill the CO2 valued at 60k USD/yr and cost reductions of 50 USD/kWe all leading to a potential 0.95¢/kWh reduction positively impacting CSP goals.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Optimization of Fairing Geometry for ORPC Modular RivGen Power System: Cooperative Research and Development (Final Report)

The work will optimize the hydrodynamic performance and flow augmentation of Ocean Renewable Power Company's (ORPC) modular fairing for their cross-flow marine hydrokinetic (MHK) turbine, using a computational fluid dynamics study. The influence of the fairing cross-sectional shape and rotor-fairing spacing will be assessed, to maximize power production and minimize structural loads.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗