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All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

DOE OSTI2021

Analysis of Electro-static Assisted Air Dehumidification

The removal of water vapor from the air to reduce relative humidity is a well-known indoor environmental comfort requirement. Common dehumidification approaches require a substantial amount of energy and usually involve the cooling of atmospheric humid air below its dew point or the use of absorbent/adsorbent materials to extract water vapor out of the air. More recently, researchers investigated the effect of electrostatic forces for enhancing water vapor condensation. However, the studies are limited, and there is a lack of correlations that can predict the dehumidification rate. Also, the findings from the literature focused mainly on small flow rates on the order of one to two cfm. Electrically-enhanced condensation consists of the use of highly charged particles, preferably highly charged water droplets, that attract polar water vapor molecules to their surfaces and promote condensation, a phenomenon known as dielectrophoresis. An effect of the electric charge is the reduction of the vapor pressure on the droplets' surface with respect to the saturated pressure predicted by the Kelvin equation. Consequently, the equilibrium between evaporation and condensation is shifted towards condensation. Following the application of the modified Kelvin-Thomson theory, we developed a preliminary physics-based model to predict an effective size range of the charged droplets for optimal dehumidification. The range resulted in about 2 to 4 μm in diameter, under few simplifying assumptions. The effect of the size and the charge of the electrosprayed droplets on the overall dehumidification rate was briefly discussed. The use of electrosprays to produce small but highly charged droplets was broadly discussed in this paper. The cone-jet mode was identified as the most suitable electrospray operational mode, and it generated droplets of small size and high electrical charge. The cone-jet stability was also analyzed in detail. The preliminary data of the present work and the model results indicated that several electrospray heads were required to achieve a 5% dehumidification rate for airflow rates of about 5 cfm.

Morcelli, Stefano↗

DOE OSTI2022

Long term performance of vacuum insulation panels integrated into building components

Vacuum insulation panels provide much greater resistance to heat transfer than conventional insulation materials, making them ideal for building applications, especially where space is a constraint. Of particular interest is energy retrofits where high insulation values are required with very little or no modifications to existing building envelope elements such as fenestrations and service penetrations. To facilitate the use of vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) in residential and commercial construction, this study investigates the performance of VIPs integrated into polyisocyanurate foam board and vinyl siding after several years of service. Vacuum insulation panels integrated with polyisocyanurate boards were studied in mixed humid and cold climates. The integration of VIPs with vinyl siding was investigated in a mixed humid climate. Periods of service were between two and five years. In all cases, the integrated building components outperformed conventional materials by almost 40 percent during heating and cooling periods. However, the percent reduction in heat gains and losses of the integrated building components decreased with time at a rate between approximately 4% and 10% per year during the service period. In some cases, the rate seems to converge to a steady -state value. Measurements are ongoing to determine if a steady-state value is attained or the panel's insulation value continues to decrease with time. This study is critical in addressing the service life and durability of the building envelope with VIP integrated building components. The effect of these changes will be reviewed in the context of an exterior retrofit.

Aldykiewicz Jr, Antonio↗

DOE OSTI2022

Climate Impact on CO2 Capture Efficiency and Levelized Cost of Liquid solvent-based DAC (Direct Air Capture) System

The transition towards net-zero emission poses economic, technical, and political challenges for the commercial-scale deployment of CO2 removal technologies by 2050. The opportunities for large-scale deployment will largely depend on the distinctive conditions found in the different locations of the world such as energy cost, carbon intensity of energy source, construction, transportation, and weather conditions. In this work, we focus on one of the promising negative emission technology, DAC (Direct Air Capture), and its response to different weather conditions. This work presents two potential operation scenarios: (i) natural gas standalone, (ii) grid electricity connected DAC plant. For the first time, we investigated the influence of temperature and RH (relative humidity) of the air on liquid-based DAC system and its response to carbon capture efficiency and levelized cost of carbon capture with operational sensitivity analysis. It is observed that the overall energy demand decreases from 11.1 to 8.3 GJ/ton-CO2 as the CO2 capture rate increases from 40 to 85%. We observed that a CO2 capture rate of 75% is only possible above 17°C even at 90% RH and this drops tremendously at lower temperatures. It is also observed that water evaporation in the air contactor is highest at dry and low RH as expected. The sensitivity analysis showed that weather conditions are insensitive to CO2 capture efficiency for the liquid-solvent based DAC plant for both scenarios. In addition, higher CO2 capture efficiency is achievable from lower upstream methane emissions and carbon intensity of grid electricity (for grid-connected scenario). Lastly, the levelized cost of natural gas standalone scenario varies from 239.7 to 408.8 $/t-CO2 is sensitive to temperature conditions more than relative humidity and compared to electricity grid-connected scenario, from 265.3 to 440.1 $/t-CO2.

An, Keju↗

DOE OSTI2023

CO2 Sorption in Aminopolymer-Based Direct Air Capture Composites Through Fluorescent Detection

Aminopolymer-mesoporous oxide composites are becoming widely recognized for their ability to adsorb CO2 directly from the air. However, a better fundamental understanding of the nature of these materials under different environmental operating conditions will be necessary before they become ubiquitous in industrial direct air capture (DAC) systems. For example, gas diffusion in general is coupled with polymer segmental mobility in these composites; diffusion is therefore affected by interactions of the polymer with the pore wall of the mesoporous oxide, by the relative humidity of the air, and by electrostatic crosslinks that develop as a function of CO2 sorption. Disentangling these and additional complicated effects in order to better optimize operating conditions is a major challenge for the field. Here, we present a method for quantifying the adsorption of CO2 and moisture in a polyethylenimine (PEI) - Al2O3 composite using infrared sensing while we simultaneously monitor polymer mobility with a fluorescent probe molecule doped into the composite. Both the fluorescence intensity and shape of the emission spectra are strongly dependent on the mobility of the supporting medium. We monitor the polymer mobility and CO2 adsorption kinetics across a series of different relative humidities (RH) with this technique, and we observed that the relative difference between polymer mobility and sorption kinetics from one RH to the next are quite dramatic. We interpret these results and discuss how they can be used to inform the design of more efficient DAC systems for real-world operating conditions.

carbon capture↗

DOE OSTI2023

Observational Study Reveals Inverse Relationship: Rising PM2.5 Concentrations Linked to Decreasing Muon Flux

Muon flux, the rate of muons reaching Earth from the atmosphere, is impacted by various factors such as air pressure, temperature, and humidity. However, the influence of concentrations of PM2.5 (particulate matter with diameters 2.5 mm or smaller) on muon detection rates remains unexplored. During the summer of 2023, smoke from Canadian wildfires (containing significant amounts of particulate matter) blew over regions in the Northern US, introducing huge fluctuations in PM2.5 concentrations, thus inspiring this experiment to investigate the correlation of PM2.5 concentrations and muon rates. To investigate the correlation, muon collision rates were measured and analyzed alongside PM2.5 concentration data over the periods of both light and heavy smoke. Other confounding variables, including temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure, were also considered. The results reveal a statistically significant inverse correlation between muon flux and PM2.5 concentrations, indicating that particulate matter has an impact on the rate of muons reaching the earth’s surface.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Observational Study Reveals Inverse Relationship: Rising PM2.5 Concentrations Linked to Decreasing Muon Flux

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Particulate matter sensor

Microfabricated PM sensors measure concentrations of particulate matter (PM) in air. Some sensors improve the accuracy of measurements by accounting for the effect of ambient conditions (e.g., temperature or humidity) on mass-sensitive elements employed to determine a mass of the PM in a stream of air. Some sensors improve the accuracy of measurements by controlling humidity in the stream of air measured by mass-sensitive elements. Some sensors employ a plurality of mass-sensitive elements to extend the useful life of the PM sensor. Some sensors employ one or more mass-sensitive elements and heating elements to cause deposition and allow measurement of different sizes of PM. Some sensors can measure mass concentration of coarse PM in addition to fine PM in a stream of air. Some sensors control the flow rate of a stream of air measured by mass-sensitive elements. Some sensors include features to mitigate electromagnetic interference or electromagnetic signal loss.

Paprotny, Igor↗

DOE OSTI2024

Optical Fiber Sensors Capable of Monitoring Hydrogen in the Subsurface Hydrogen Storage Environment

Subsurface hydrogen storage is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly storage option in a large quantity. Hydrogen would be stored in subsurface storage reservoirs at high temperature/pressure under very humid condition. Monitoring hydrogen concentration in those harsh storage environments is crucial to ensure the integrity and safety of the hydrogen storage infrastructure. Thus, this project focuses on the development of optical fiber hydrogen sensors capable of monitoring hydrogen in the harsh environments that are representative of underground storage conditions. The optical fiber hydrogen sensor developed at NETL consists of a palladium-based sensing film with a filter layer which minimizes the environmental impacts on hydrogen sensing. The developed sensor has demonstrated significant improvement on hydrogen sensing at 80℃ under high humidity condition (99% RH) without the baseline drift. The hydrogen sensor also showed negligible cross-sensitivity to CO2 and CH4 which would be present as a cushion gas inside the underground hydrogen storage reservoir. Moreover, the sensor has demonstrated the stable monitoring of hydrogen concentration at high pressure (1000 psi) and 80 ℃ in the presence of biological samples. The optical fiber hydrogen sensor developed would enable reliable monitoring of hydrogen concentration in subsurface hydrogen storage facilities.

Kim, Daejin↗

DOE OSTI2024

Determining the Crosslinking and Degradation Reaction Kinetics in Photovoltaic Encapsulants Using Accelerated Aging: Preprint

Degradation of photovoltaic (PV) module encapsulant mechanical characteristics that lead to embrittlement and delamination remains a cause of failure in solar installations. A multiscale reliability model based on detailed molecular degradation reaction kinetics was previously published, connecting the encapsulant mechanical properties (elastic modulus, yield strength, and adhesion energy) to the degraded molecular structure and interfacial bond density to adjacent solar cell and glass substrates. The model, developed primarily for poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (EVA) encapsulants, remains to be experimentally validated. Determining the degradation and crosslinking kinetics of alternative encapsulants, such as polyolefin elastomer (POE) and EVA/POE/EVA composites (EPE), can further generalize the model. Importantly, the activation energy for crosslinking of fully cured PV encapsulant products from temperature or UV is presently unknown or unavailable. In this work, we subject EVA, POE, and EPE encapsulants to a set of accelerated aging conditions, varying the temperature, UV intensity, and relative humidity. We use DSC, FTIR, and Soxhlet extraction (gel content) to characterize the encapsulants' changing molecular structure. This allows for determination of the photochemical degradation and crosslinking kinetics of the encapsulants. Preliminary results show an increase in gel content (crosslinking) and a decrease in crystallinity of EVA, POE, and EPE encapsulants under hot-aerobic (90 deg C, 22% RH) and hot-anaerobic (90oC, sealed in N2 air) accelerated aging, even in the absence of UV and crosslinking initiating agents. For a least squares regression with an assumed first-order crosslinking kinetics, the crosslinking rate parameters were computed for the three encapsulants under hot-aerobic and hot-anaerobic aging conditions. FTIR analysis showed insignificant encapsulant degradation for hot-aerobic and hot-anaerobic aging, demonstrating the critical role of UV and moisture in accelerating degradation. Aging conditions with UV exposure and elevated humidity are presently in progress.

adhesion↗

DOE OSTI2024

Dynamic Simulation Modeling and Control of a Desiccant Assisted Direct-expansion Air Handling Unit

Desirable built environments demand simultaneous regulation of thermal comfort and indoor air quality (IAQ) with energy-efficient operation of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HV AC) systems, which involves controls of temperature, humidity and airborne contaminants simultaneously. This paper presents the efforts of dynamic modeling and initial development control strategy for a desiccant-assisted multi-functional air handling unit (AHU) coupled with a direct-expansion rooftop unit (RTU) system, which aims to achieve multiple functions for indoor environment conditioning with energy efficient control. The RTU-AHU system includes a desiccant wheel for dehumidification and a conceptual direct air capture (DAC) filtering device for CO2 regulation. A Modelica-based dynamic model is developed for this conceptual system, and a simple decentralized control strategy is designed, which combines a differential-enthalpy based AHU return-air ratio control, a demand-controlled ventilation, and supply-air temperature humidity control via the RTU and DW controls. The proposed control method is evaluated with the Modelica simulation model for a selected set of scenarios

Pan, Chao↗

DOE OSTI2024

Phosphate anion-quaternary ammonium ion pair coordinated polymer membranes

Ion exchange membranes materials according to the present disclosure exhibit improved conductivity at low and intermediate relative humidity without sacrificing mechanical strength. Polymers are provided that include a backbone with one or more aryl groups, a halocarbyl group, and a halocarbyl side chain attached to the backbone, wherein the halocarbyl side chain includes a halide separated from the backbone by a hydrocarbyl chain, a hydrocarbyl ring, or combinations thereof. The halide is substituted with a tertiary amine and halide anions are then exchanged with hydroxide anions. The polymers are then contacted with phosphoric acid, which is deprotonated by the hydroxide ions, forming anions which enhance interactions with adjacent quaternary ammonium groups and induce excess phosphoric acid molecules to cluster around those quaternary ammonium groups. The membranes exhibit negligible dopant leaching even at high relative humidity.

Bae, Chulsung↗

DOE OSTI2021

Analysis of New Data of Electro-static Assisted Air Dehumidification Processes

The removal of water vapor from the air to reduce relative humidity is a well-known indoor environmental comfort requirement. Common dehumidification approaches require a substantial amount of energy and usually involve the cooling of atmospheric humid air below its dew point or the use of absorbent/adsorbent materials to extract water vapor out of the air. More recently, researchers investigated the effect of electrostatic forces for enhancing water vapor condensation. However, the studies are limited, and there is a lack of correlations that can predict the dehumidification rate. Also, the findings from the literature focused mainly on small flow rates on the order of one to two cfm. Electrically-enhanced condensation consists of the use of highly charged particles, preferably highly charged water droplets, that attract polar water vapor molecules to their surfaces and promote condensation, a phenomenon known as dielectrophoresis. An effect of the electric charge is the reduction of the vapor pressure on the droplets' surface with respect to the saturated pressure predicted by the Kelvin equation. Consequently, the equilibrium between evaporation and condensation is shifted towards condensation. Following the application of the modified Kelvin-Thomson theory, we developed a preliminary physics-based model to predict an effective size range of the charged droplets for optimal dehumidification. The range resulted in about 2 to 4 m in diameter, under few simplifying assumptions. The effect of the size and the charge of the electrosprayed droplets on the overall dehumidification rate was briefly discussed. The use of electrosprays to produce small but highly charged droplets was broadly discussed in this paper. The cone-jet mode was identified as the most suitable electrospray operational mode, and it generated droplets of small size and high electrical charge. The cone-jet stability was also analyzed in detail. The preliminary data of the present work and the model results indicated that several electrospray heads were required to achieve a 5% dehumidification rate for airflow rates of about 5 cfm.

Morcelli, Stefano↗

DOE OSTI2022

Dynamically Downscaled (WRF) 1km, Hourly Meteorological Conditions 1987-2020. East/Taylor Watersheds

This dataset contains meteorological output from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) version 3.8.1. This dataset has been created to 1) investigate hydrometeorological processes impacting the East River and water-delivery to the Critical Zone, and 2) provide meteorological forcing data for distributed Earth-science modeling applications in the East River watershed. Variables have a 1 kilometer spatial resolution and hourly temporal resolution and encompass a rectangular region encompassing the East and Taylor River watersheds, Colorado, near the town of Crested Butte. WRF was forced using Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) lateral boundary conditions. Each .zip file contains one "water year" of data (October 1 -- September 30; i.e. water year 2017 starts October 1, 2016 and ends September 30, 2017). Each zip folder contains 12 netcdf (.nc) files containing one month of hourly data each and are approximately 250mb. Model timestamps are in UTC time.The files contain the following data variables:EAST_MASK: binary mask of the watershed regionTAYLOR_MASK: binary mask of the watershed regionGLW downwelling longwave radiation (w/m2)HR_PRCP: Hourly Precipitation Rate (mm/hr). Includes all hydrometeors (solid+liquid). HFX NoahMP LSM total grid-cell modelled sensible heat flux (w/m2) [positive towards atmosphere]LH NoahMP LSM total grid-cell modelled latent heat flux (w/m2) [positive towards atmosphere; can be converted to ET]PSFC Surface Barometric Pressure (hPa)Q2 Two-meter specific humidity (kg/kg)SWDOWN Downwelling shortwave solar radiation (w/m2)SWNORM Terrain-normal downwelling shortwave radiation (w/m2)T2 Two-meter air temperature (deg K)U10 10-m U-component of wind velocity (m/s)V10 10m V-component of wind velocity (m/s)XLAT Latitude of grid-center point XLONG Longitude of grid-center point XTIME Model timestamp, **in UTC**

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2023

Meteorological, reference evapotranspiration and estimated transpiration data, July 2020-Dec 2021, Slate River Floodplain, Crested Butte, Colorado

This data package includes a time series of meteorological data (air temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, precipitation, wind speed, soil heat flux, incoming shortwave radiation, incoming longwave radiation, outgoing shortwave radiation and outgoing longwave radiation) from the Slate River floodplain outside Crested Butte, Colorado, a focus field site for the SLAC Floodplain Hydro-Biogeochemistry SFA. The data was generated as part of the work targeting the overarching research question for the SLAC SFA: How do ubiquitous subsurface interfaces mediate molecular-scale biogeochemical processes and groundwater quality in floodplains and watersheds? The package also includes reference evapotranspiration calculated via the Penman-Monteith equation and an estimate of willow (Salix spp.) evapotranspiration using the method of Irmak et al., J. Hydrology, 2013. Due to two malfunctioning sensors (incoming shortwave radiation from Oct 2020-May 2021 and incoming longwave radiation from May 2021-March 2022), observed net radiation and calculated evapotranspiration are only included from July-October 2020. However, users may be able to extend calculated evapotranspiration using estimates of these two parameters from other sources. Both sensors have been replaced and data beyond 2021 be uploaded to this repository when it is available.Within the data package, "FLMD.csv" describes file-level metadata and "dd.csv" defines column headers and universal terms across the dataset. The data package includes 3 "*data.csv" files, two for meteorological data for 2020 and 2021 and one for reference evapotranspiration and transpiration data from 2020 ("SLT_OBJ2_PenmanMonteith_2020_data.csv"). Each "*data.csv" file of meteorological data has a corresponding "*_InstallationMethods.csv" file that describes the location, sensor model, sensor serial number and other metadata corresponding to each measured parameter. We also include a Jupyter notebook ("PenmanMonteithET_Calculations.ipynb") that details the assumptions and equations used to calculate daily and hourly reference evapotranspiration and daily willow transpiration from raw meteorological data.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2024

Weather data at The Morton Arboretum 2017-2023

We have been monitoring long-term weather patterns using two weather stations at The Morton Arboretum to link environmental conditions to tree growth and other tree responses. This data package contains weather data at The Morton Arboretum from 2017-08-23 to 2023-12-31; data is located in the "MortonWeatherData2017_2023.csv" file. The two weather stations are located on each side of The Arboretum (e.g., the Nursery station on the East side and the Ware Field station on the West side; the two weather stations are 3.23 km apart and coordinates are included in the "Location_metadata.csv" file). Measured variables include rain accumulation, air temperature, relative humidity, three soil moisture/temperature measurements at various depths (10, 30, and 50 cm for the Nursery weather station, and 10, 25, and 50 cm for the Ware Field), solar radiation, saturation vapor pressure, and vapor pressure deficit.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2024

Meteorological Conditions and Atmospheric Components Concentration in Urban Sites in Knoxville, USA. 2024

This dataset, which contains five csv files, reports several meteorological conditions such as temperature, wind speed, solar radiation, and net radiation measured in Cumberland Estates Park (CEP) and Socially Equal Energy Efficient Development (SEEED) sites in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Also, hourly concentration of particulate matter (PM) with different aerodynamic diameter and inorganic gases such as ozone and nitrogen dioxide measured in the two are included in this dataset. The concentrations of PM and inorganic gases were monitored using the MODULAIR, a low-cost sensor equipped with a solar power module. The measurement of the concentration of biogenic and anthropogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of the two sites was determined using a High-Resolution Proton Transfer Reaction Time of Flight Mass Spectrometer (PTR-ToF-MS). The VOCs were collected using miniature canister (400 mL) equipped with female RAVEqc valve to 1/4” male compression fitting and an integrated passive air sampling kit. This work is a part of a larger study which investigates the impact of soil moisture and plant evapotranspiration on ambient temperature and relative humidity in several city parks in Knoxville, Tennessee.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2025

Meteorological Variables and Energy Fluxes at the Pumphouse Site, Crested Butte, CO 2017-2019

This data contains output from the pumphouse eddy covariance tower that includes shortwave radiation, longwave radiation, net radiation, air temperature, relative humidity, as well as sensible, latent, and ground heat fluxes. Also included is calculated evapotranspiration from the latent heat flux and the latent heat of vaporization. All data are on a daily timestep and displayed in Mountain Time. The data has been processed, and Quality Assurance / Quality Control (QA/QC) was done, but any daily gaps in the data have not been filled in. This research was funded by the Department of Energy and performed as part of the Watershed Function Scientific Focus Area. This research aimed to constrain evapotranspiration in a high-elevation catchment.The dataset includes one comma-separated values (CSV) data file (EddyCovariance_MeteorlogicalVariables_CrestedButtePumphouse.csv). Additionally, three metadata CSV files are included: (1) location metadata file (locations.csv), which contains location metadata and coordinates; (2) a file-level metadata (flmd.csv) file that lists each file contained in the dataset with associated metadata; and (3) a data dictionary (dd.csv) file that contains column/row headers used throughout the files along with a definition, units, and data type.This work was supported by the Watershed Function Science Focus Area at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory funded by the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2025

CROCUS Low Cost All-in-One Weather Station AMB-001 Data Argonne National Laboratory Prairie Site

The Ambient Weather WS-2902D (AMB) is a low cost weather station that has become very useful for filling data gaps in harder to deploy locations. These low cost weather stations collect 13 second data, which is averaged to a five minute data output available to users through an API key. The data files contain measurements for precipitation, temperature, wind chill/heat index, relative humidity, dew point, UV index, solar radiation, wind speed, wind direction, wind gust, and with an external particulate matter 2.5 (PM 2.5) sensor. Having all of these measurements in one condense system allows for fast deploying and dense network capabilities. Three of the AMB weather stations were deployed at the Argonne Testbed for Multiscale Observational Science (ATMOS), a 20-acre prairie site at Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Illinois. The instruments are denoted by their three digit identifier (CMS-AMB-xxx) format. The data is presented as daily NetCDF (.nc) files, each containing approximately 24 hours of observations. Files follow the naming convention of: the project (CROCUS), location (atmos), instrument name (CMS-AMB-001), data level (raw, a1), and date (year, month, day). The NetCDF format can be accessed using common scientific software such as Python using xarray, netCDF4 or ACT-DOE.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗