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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 631 records · Page 35
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Jumping-droplet electrostatic energy harvesting

Micro- and nanoscale wetting phenomena have been an active area of research due to its potential for improving engineered system performance involving phase change. With the recent advancements in micro/nanofabrication techniques, structured surfaces can now be designed to allow condensing coalesced droplets to spontaneously jump off the surface due to the conversion of excess surface energy into kinetic energy. In addition to being removed at micrometric length scales (~10 μm), jumping water droplets also attain a positive electrostatic charge (~10–100 fC) from the hydrophobic coating/condensate interaction. In this work, we take advantage of this droplet charging to demonstrate jumping-droplet electrostatic energy harvesting. The charged droplets jump between superhydrophobic copper oxide and hydrophilic copper surfaces to create an electrostatic potential and generate power during formation of atmospheric dew. We demonstrated power densities of ~15 pW/cm 2 , which, in the near term, can be improved to ~1 $μ$W/cm 2 . This work demonstrates a surface engineered platform that promises to be low cost and scalable for atmospheric energy harvesting and electric power generation.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Design and Modeling of an Open-Source Baseline Floating Marine Turbine: Preprint

Marine energy resources such as river, tidal, and ocean currents can provide abundant, predictable, and clean power to both densely populated and remote communities globally. However, marine turbine technologies are still in an early stage of development. Recently, features have been added to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's open-source wind turbine modeling tool OpenFAST to support the simulation of axial-flow marine turbines. These new features enable marine energy developers to predict the performance and safety of their turbines and allow researchers and students to advance the field through the exploration of novel designs. Developing and demonstrating the new capabilities of OpenFAST for marine turbines requires a baseline design that can be used as an example and test case. There are limited open-source turbine models suitable for this purpose. One existing baseline design is the Reference Model 1 (RM1), a fixed-bottom, dual-rotor marine turbine that was published in 2014 as part of the Department of Energy's Water Power Reference Model Project. To test and demonstrate OpenFAST's ability to model floating marine turbines, several modifications were made to the RM1. A floating platform and mooring system were designed to support a single RM1 rotor in a wide range of possible current and wave conditions. The system and model are intended to be a stable reference case and starting point for research efforts. The platform features all cylindrical members and familiar design elements from the offshore wind industry; the mooring system uses simple catenary chains. While not optimized for the lowest platform cost, the design is understandable and robust and can serve as a baseline for floating marine turbine technologies. This is a useful starting point for studies to explore new technologies or design methodologies. Additionally, the floating RM1 design enables cross-collaboration among industry, academia, and national lab researchers and serves as an educational platform for newcomers to marine energy. This short paper presents the specifications of the turbine, including its floating support structure and mooring system. The rationale behind the selection of certain design parameters is described. To enable adoption of this baseline case for research and educational efforts, an OpenFAST model of the full system has been made publicly available at https://github.com/OpenFAST/r-test/tree/main/glue-codes/openfast/MHK_RM1_Floating.

floating↗
DOE OSTI2017

MSU-Northern Bio-Energy Center of Excellence

The goal of this project was to establish the Bio-Energy Center (the Center) of Montana State University Northern (MSUN) as a Regional Research Center of Excellence in research, product development, and commercialization of non-food biomass for the bio-energy industry. A three-step approach, namely, (1) enhance the Center’s research and testing capabilities, (2) develop advanced biofuels from locally grown agricultural crops, and (3) educate the community through outreach programs for public understanding and acceptance of new technologies was identified to achieve this goal. The research activities aimed to address the obstacles concerning the production of biofuels and other bio-based fuel additives considering feedstock quality, conversion process, economic viability, and public awareness. First and foremost in enhancing the capabilities of the Center is the improvement of its laboratories and other physical facilities for investigating new biomass conversion technologies and the development of its manpower complement with expertise in chemistry, engineering, biology, and energy. MSUN renovated its Auto Diagnostics building and updated its mechanical and electrical systems necessary to house the state-of-the-art 525kW (704 hp) A/C Dynamometer. The newly renovated building was designated as the Advanced Fuels Building. Two laboratories, namely Biomass Conversion lab and Wet Chemistry lab were also added to the Center’s facilities. The Biomass Conversion lab was for research on the production of advanced biofuels including bio-jet fuel and bio-based fuel additives while the Wet Chemistry lab was used to conduct catalyst research. Necessary equipment and machines, such as gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry, were purchased and installed to help in research and testing. With the enhanced capabilities of the Center, research and testing activities were very much facilitated and more precise. New biofuels derived from Camelina sativa (camelina), a locally-grown oilseed crop was developed through a chemical process for converting the oil extracted into jet fuel. Promising methods of synthesizing heterogeneous metal complex catalyst that support the chemical conversion process were likewise developed. Breaking-down lignin to valuable chemicals using a metal complex catalyst was also investigated. Lignin is an organic polymer that binds around cellulose and hemicellulose fibers which strengthen cell walls in woody biomass. Test results showed promise and could lead to further exploration of using lignin for fuels and fuel additives. These findings could create another value-added product from lignin that can be sourced from beetle kill trees and product residues from cellulose ethanol plants. Coupled with these research discoveries was the provision of technical support to businesses in terms of product development and commercialization of bio-based products. This in turn opened new avenues for advancing the bio-energy industry in the region and helped support the regional agricultural-based economy through developing biofuels derived from feedstock that are grown locally. It assisted in developing biofuels that reduce exhaust emissions and improve engine performance.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
NASA NTRS1998

Advanced Fuels Can Reduce the Cost of Getting Into Space

Rocket propellant and propulsion technology improvements can reduce the development time and operational costs of new space vehicle programs, and advanced propellant technologies can make space vehicles safer and easier to operate, and can improve their performance. Five major areas have been identified for fruitful research: monopropellants, alternative hydrocarbons, gelled hydrogen, metallized gelled propellants, and high-energy-density propellants. During the development of the NASA Advanced Space Transportation Plan, these technologies were identified as those most likely to be effective for new NASA vehicles. Several NASA research programs had fostered work in fuels under the topic Fuels and Space Propellants for Reusable Launch Vehicles in 1996 to 1997. One component of this topic was to promote the development and commercialization of monopropellant rocket fuels, hypersonic fuels, and high-energy-density propellants. This research resulted in the teaming of small business with large industries, universities, and Government laboratories. This work is ongoing with seven contractors. The commercial products from these contracts will bolster advanced propellant research. Work also is continuing under other programs, which were recently realigned under the "Three Pillars" of NASA: Global Civil Aviation, Revolutionary Technology Leaps, and Access to Space. One of the five areas is described below, and its applications and effect on future missions is discussed. This work is being conducted at the NASA Lewis Research Center with the assistance of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. The regenerative cooling of spacecraft engines and other components can improve overall vehicle performance. Endothermic fuels can absorb energy from an engine nozzle and chamber and help to vaporize high-density fuel before it enters the combustion chamber. For supersonic and hypersonic aircraft, endothermic fuels can absorb the high heat fluxes created on the wing leading edges and other aerodynamically heated components. Dual-fuel options are also possible, where endothermic hydrocarbon fuels are used for the lower speed portions of flight below Mach 8, and hydrogen fuel is used for the final acceleration to the upper stage separation velocity.

Palaszewski, Bryan A.↗
DOE OSTI2022

High Temperature Optocoupler for 3D High Density Power Modules

The goal of this proposed research is to develop a reliable high-temperature optocouplers, which can operate at 250°C with at least ten-year lifetime, and replace isolation transforms as the galvanic isolation solution for the 3D integration of high density power modules. The electrification of future transportations (i.e., electric vehicles) will continuously drive the demand for high density power modules. Optocouplers (i.e., packaged light emitter and detector) as a promising candidate to replace bulky isolation transformers are highly desirable to facilitate the continuous scale-down of gate driver circuitry that will lead to 3D high density power modules and achieve disruptive performance in terms of thermal management, power density, power efficiency, reliability and operating environments. However, regular semiconductor optoelectronic materials and devices have significant difficulty functioning in the harsh environments designated for high density power module usage (such as operation at high temperatures). Ultimately, it is not the intrinsic properties of power devices that prevent their use at higher temperatures, but rather the low voltage electronics needed to drive them and the packaging that surrounds them. The typical operating temperature for optocouplers is only up to 100°C, due to the limitations of light emitting diode (LED) devices inside and packaging materials. A systematic characterization methodology will be developed to analyze the performance, lifetime and reliability of LED devices and distinguish multiple failure mechanisms at high temperatures. An original methodology of “design for reliability” will be developed to design the optoelectronic devices with high reliability and long lifetime at high temperatures. A new architecture of high temperature high reliable optocouplers will be developed, fabricated and demonstrated with continuous operating at 250°C. The development of efficient, reliable high density 3D power modules is the foundation for energy efficiency and energy reliability. Enabled with advanced 3D integration and packaging technologies, high density power module solutions can achieve much more superior performance over the conventional discrete solutions in terms of efficiency, thermal management and power density. The proposed concept of high temperature optocouplers as the galvanic isolation solution for high density power modules will bring together interdisciplinary research involving the wide bandgap materials, optoelectronics, high reliable device design, electronics packaging and power modules. A streamline of skilled personnel would be trained including graduate and undergraduate students, local engineers and scientists which are in great demand to both academia and optoelectronics industry. The proposed research topics, such as, solid state lighting and high temperature device reliability, are currently of major interest at the Department of Energy, in particular, Sandia National Laboratories. This project can enhance collaborations between the University of Arkansas (UA) and Sandia National Laboratories. The findings of the proposed research are expected to be integrated into high density 3-D power modules at the Engineering Research Center for Power Optimization for Electro-Thermal Systems (POETS).

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2013

Measured Whole-House Performance of TaC Studios Test Home

As part of the NAHB Research Center Industry Partnership, Southface partnered with TaC Studios, an Atlanta-based architecture firm specializing in residential and light commercial design, on the construction of a new test home in Atlanta, GA in the mixed humid climate. This home serves as a residence and home office for the firm's owners, as well as a demonstration of their design approach topotential and current clients. Southface believes the home demonstrates current best practices for the mixed-humid climate, including a building envelope featuring advanced air sealing details and low density spray foam insulation, glazing that exceeds ENERGY STAR requirements, and a high performance heating and cooling system. Construction quality and execution was a high priority for TaCStudios and was ensured by a third party review process. Post-construction testing showed that the project met stated goals for envelope performance, an air infiltration rate of 2.15 ACH50. The homeowners wished to further validate whole house energy savings through the project's involvement with Building America and this long-term monitoring effort. As a Building America test home, this homewas evaluated to detail whole house energy use, end use loads, and the efficiency and operation of the ground source heat pump and associated systems. Given that the home includes many non-typical end use loads including a home office, pool, landscape water feature, and other luxury features not accounted for in Building America modeling tools, these end uses were separately monitored todetermine their impact on overall energy consumption.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2017

Assessment of sensor technologies for advanced reactors - 250

This paper provides an assessment of sensor technologies and a determination of measurement needs for advanced reactors (AdvRx). It is a summary of a study performed to provide the technical basis for identifying and prioritizing research targets within the instrumentation and control (I and C) Technology Area under the Department of Energy's (DoE's) Advanced Reactor Technology (ART) program. The study covered two broad reactor technology categories: High Temperature Reactors and Fast Reactors. The scope of 'High temperature reactors' included Gen IV reactors whose coolant exit temperatures exceed about {approx}650 deg. C and are moderated (as opposed to fast reactors). To bound the scope for fast reactors, this report reviewed relevant operating experience from US-operated Sodium Fast Reactor (SFR) and relevant test experience from the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF). For high temperature reactors the study showed that in many cases instrumentation have performed reasonably well in research and demonstration reactors. However, even in cases where the technology is 'mature' (such as thermocouples), HTGRs can benefit from improved technologies. Current HTGR instrumentation is generally based on decades-old technology and adapting newer technologies could provide significant advantages. For sodium fast reactors, the study found that several key research needs arise around (1) radiation-tolerant sensor design for in-vessel or in-core applications, where possible non-invasive sensing approaches for key parameters that minimize the need to deploy sensors in-vessel, (2) approaches to exfiltrating data from in-vessel sensors while minimizing penetrations, (3) calibration of sensors in-situ, and (4) optimizing sensor placements to maximize the information content while minimizing the number of sensors needed. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2018

High-performance bifunctional porous non-noble metal phosphide catalyst for overall water splitting

Water electrolysis is an advanced energy conversion technology to produce hydrogen as a clean and sustainable chemical fuel, which potentially stores the abundant but intermittent renewable energy sources scalably. Since the overall water splitting is an uphill reaction in low efficiency, innovative breakthroughs are desirable to greatly improve the efficiency by rationally designing non-precious metal-based robust bifunctional catalysts for promoting both the cathodic hydrogen evolution and anodic oxygen evolution reactions. We report a hybrid catalyst constructed by iron and dinickel phosphides on nickel foams that drives both the hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions well in base, and thus substantially expedites overall water splitting at 10 mA cm –2 with 1.42 V, which outperforms the integrated iridium (IV) oxide and platinum couple (1.57 V), and are among the best activities currently. Especially, it delivers 500 mA cm –2 at 1.72 V without decay even after the durability test for 40 h, providing great potential for large-scale applications.

08 HYDROGEN↗
NASA NTRS2018

Short-Haul Revitalization Study Final Report

A feasibility study was performed for an advanced commercial short-haul aircraft to evaluate the potential for increased service for short-haul flights that operate out of regional and community airports. An analysis of potential origin-destination markets and trip distances resulted in a seat capacity selection of 48 passengers and a design range of 600 NM. A down-select of advanced technologies resulted in a hybrid-electric propulsion system being chosen as the primary enabling technology. A conceptual design of the advanced aircraft was developed, and a mission and sizing analysis was performed, comparing variants of the advanced aircraft with different levels of electrification. Fairly aggressive levels of electrification and battery specific energy are needed for the hybridelectric architecture to realize any benefit in terms of total energy cost for the 600 NM design mission. The development and operational costs were estimated for the advanced aircraft and compared to the baseline. This analysis demonstrated the negative effect of the cost to develop the hybrid-electric technology on the eventual operating cost. A market analysis was performed to determine possible passenger demand for the advanced shorthaul aircraft. According to the market analysis, there is potential demand for such an aircraft, but not necessarily in many of the smaller regional and community airports that were the intended beneficiaries of this new aircraft concept.

Marien, Ty V.↗
DOE OSTI2022

2022 GETEM Geothermal Drilling Cost Curve Update: Preprint

The Geothermal Electricity Technology Evaluation Model (GETEM) is an essential tool for the Department of Energy's (DOE) Geothermal Technology Office (GTO) to understand the performance and cost of technologies it is seeking to improve. This detailed model is used for supply curve analyses, assessing the current economic feasibility and Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) of hydrothermal geothermal systems and EGS, and evaluating the potential impact of advanced geothermal technologies. GETEM can be used to estimate the performance and costs of currently available U.S. geothermal power systems. It is also used to estimate the costs of technologies 5 to 20 years in the future, given the direction of potential research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects. The model is intended to help GTO determine which proposed RD&D programs and projects might offer the most efficient improvement when using taxpayer funding. The model requires annual updates as well as revisions to reflect the current state of the art. Drilling costs are a significant portion of total geothermal development costs. The current GETEM drilling cost inputs rely on drilling data from 2009 and require an updated analysis of more recent data to ensure they remain representative of current technologies. An updated, more accurate understanding of costs could help the geothermal industry secure project development financing and investment funding and better allow the oil and gas (O&G) industry (both operators and service companies) weigh potential geothermal market participation and customization. This report details recent drilling improvements from the Utah Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) and O&G, comparing drilling performance and costs with values in GETEM, particularly the baseline drilling cost curves. Though drilling performance at FORGE has improved significantly, we did not find associated cost decreases that would justify lowering the GETEM baseline cost curves as of now.

API↗
DOE OSTI2016

Codes Don't Always Get Enforced, But Contracts Do: Changing the Procurement Paradigm to Drive Building Energy Performance

New construction could account for more than 25% of the U.S. energy consumption by 2030. Millions of square feet are built every year that will not perform as expected - despite advancing codes, rating systems, super-efficient technologies, and advanced utility programs. With retrofits of these under-performers decades away, savings potential will be lost for years to come. Only the building owner is in the driver's seat to demand - and verify - higher-performing buildings. Yet our current policy and market interventions really target the design team, not the owner. Accelerate Performance, a U.S. Department of Energy funded initiative, is changing the building procurement approach to drive deeper, verified savings in three pilot states: Illinois, Minnesota, and Connecticut. Performance-based procurement ties energy performance to design and contractor team compensation while freeing them to meet energy targets with strategies most familiar to them. The process teases out the creativity of the design and contracting teams to deliver energy performance - without driving up the construction cost. The paper will share early results and lessons learned from new procurement and contract approaches in government, public, and private sector building projects. The paper provides practical guidance for building owners, facilities managers, design, and contractor teams who wish to incorporate effective performance-based procurement for deeper energy savings in their buildings.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2016

Licensing basis event selection framework for advanced reactors - 18818

This paper describes key aspects of the risk-informed, performance-based licensing methodology as developed by the Department of Energy (DOE) for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) project. The discussion focuses on an event selection process using modular high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) design attributes and identifies how top-level regulatory criteria can be placed on a frequency-consequence (F-C) curve. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff evaluations of the proposed approach are included. In addition, important lessons learned during the NGNP prelicensing effort and their potential applications to alternative advanced reactor designs are presented. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Measured Whole-House Performance of TaC Studios Test Home

As part of the NAHB Research Center Industry Partnership, Southface partnered with TaC Studios, an Atlanta-based architecture firm specializing in residential and light commercial design, on the construction of a new test home in Atlanta, GA, in the mixed humid climate. This home serves as a residence and home office for the firm's owners, as well as a demonstration of their design approach to potential and current clients. Southface believes the home demonstrates current best practices for the mixed-humid climate, including a building envelope featuring advanced air sealing details and low density spray foam insulation, glazing that exceeds ENERGY STAR requirements, and a high performance heating and cooling system. Construction quality and execution was a high priority for TaC Studios and was ensured by a third party review process. Post-construction testing showed that the project met stated goals for envelope performance, an air infiltration rate of 2.15 ACH50. The homeowners wished to further validate whole house energy savings through the project's involvement with Building America and this long-term monitoring effort. As a Building America test home, this home was evaluated to detail whole house energy use, end use loads, and the efficiency and operation of the ground source heat pump and associated systems. Given that the home includes many non-typical end use loads including a home office, pool, landscape water feature, and other luxury features not accounted for in Building America modeling tools, these end uses were separately monitored to determine their impact on overall energy consumption.

(team name)↗
DOE OSTI2019

Benchmarking Wind Power Operating Costs in the United States: Results from a Survey of Wind Industry Experts

This paper draws on a survey of wind industry professionals to clarify trends in the operational expenditures (OpEx) of U.S. land-based wind power plants. The paper also highlights key drivers of those trends. We find that average all-in lifetime OpEx has declined from approximately $\$$80/kW-yr ($\$$35/MWh) for projects built in the late 1990s to a level that is approaching $\$$40/kW-yr ($\$$11/MWh) for projects under construction in 2018. Turbine operations and maintenance (O&M) costs—inclusive of scheduled and unscheduled maintenance—represent the single largest component of overall OpEx and the primary source of cost reductions over the last decade. We observe wide ranges of OpEx over time; for example, survey respondents cite a range in average expected costs for projects commissioned between 2015 and 2018 from $\$$33/kW-yr to $\$$59/kW-yr. Notably, these broad ranges include high levels of variability in both turbine O&M costs and non-turbine OpEx. Potential technical and strategic drivers of this variability are highlighted. We also use historical OpEx learning rates, showing a 9% OpEx reduction for each doubling of global installed wind capacity, to project a further $\$$5–$\$$8/kW-yr (12%–18%) OpEx reduction from 2018 to 2040. When compared with the broader literature, these findings suggest that continued OpEx reductions may contribute 10% or more of the expected reductions in land-based wind’s levelized cost of energy. Moreover, these estimates may understate the importance of OpEx owing to the multiplicative effects through which operational advancements influence not only O&M costs but also component reliability, performance, and plant-level availability—thereby affecting levelized costs though OpEx reduction and by enhancing annual energy production and plant lifetimes. Given the limited quantity and comparability of previously available OpEx data, the data and trends reported here may usefully inform OpEx assumptions used by electric system planners, analysts, modelers, and research and development managers. The results may also provide useful benchmarks to the wind industry, helping developers and asset owners compare their OpEx expectations with historical experience and other industry projections.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1986

The design analysis of a rechargeable lithium cell for space applications

Ambient temperature rechargeable lithium batteries are needed by NASA for advanced space power applications for future missions. Specific energies of not less than 100 Wh/kg and long cycle life are critical performance goals. A design analysis of a 35 Ah Li-TiS2 cell was carried out using literature and experimental data to identify key design parameters governing specific energy. It is found that high specific energies are achievable in prismatic cells, especially with the use of advanced hardware materials. There is a serious need for a greatly expanded engineering database in order to enable more quantitative design analysis.

Subba Rao, S.↗
DOE OSTI2019

Benchmark Study on Innovative Fuels for Fast Reactors with fuel performance codes

The Working Party on the Scientific Issues of the Fuel Cycle (WPFC) has been established under the auspices of the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) Nuclear Science Committee (NSC), to co-ordinate scientific activities regarding various existing and advanced nuclear fuel cycles, including advanced reactor systems, associated chemistry and flowsheets, development and performance of fuels and materials, accelerators and spallation targets. Various expert groups were established to cover the above-mentioned topics. Within the WPFC, the Expert Group on Innovative Fuels (EGIF) was created with the objective of conducting joint and comparative studies to support the development of innovative fuels such as homogeneous and heterogeneous fuels, ADS fuels, and oxide, metal, nitride and carbide fuels, all of which can be implemented in advanced nuclear fuel cycles with fast reactors. The scope of the expert group covers innovative fuel fabrication techniques, irradiation performance of innovative fuels, characterisation and post-irradiation examination methods and predictive codes for innovative fuel fabrication and performance. This report presents the results of a benchmark study on innovative fuels for fast reactors using fuel performance codes. Irradiation results were shared among participants, and code calculations were performed to gain further insights on the fuel behaviour. Each participating institution used its own fuel performance code. Code to code and code to experiment comparisons are expected to provide data and improve understanding on the effects of minor actinides on fuel behaviour. In conclusion, the need for improvement of codes will be evaluated and the needs for new experimental data will be identified in order to finalise the code validation.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2022

High Performance Alloy Technology to Market Support

The goal of the Technology to Market Assessment for Advanced Alloys is to identify non-technical support needs of research teams that could accelerate a path toward commercialization. The successful adoption of new technology into the market has positive impacts on direct stakeholders, taxpayers, and is important to showcase the strength of the United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) Crosscutting High Performance Materials program. This assessment leverages a series of proven frameworks developed by NETL support contractor innovation specialists to determine which projects within NETL’s Crosscutting Advanced Alloys portfolio are in the best position for commercialization. The projects were then assessed for specific non-technical support needs.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗