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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 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Southwest Regional Partnership on Carbon Sequestration: Phase III (Final Scientific/Technical Report)

The Southwest Regional Partnership on Carbon Sequestration (SWP) is one of 7 regional partnerships formed in 2003 under the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships (RCSPs) initiative. The overall purpose of the initiative was to help determine and implement the technology, infrastructure, and regulations most appropriate to promote carbon storage in different regions of the country. Covering Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, and parts of Texas, Wyoming, and Kansas, the SWP evaluated regional carbon storage and utilization potential and focused on technologies and sites that could complement the region’s strong position in energy production. The project progressed through three phases: • Phase I (2003–2005): Characterized regional geologic formations and CO 2 sources, assessed sequestration potential, and identified pilot test sites. • Phase II (2005–2013): Conducted small-scale field tests to validate sequestration methods, including geologic and terrestrial projects. • Phase III (2008–2022): Demonstrated large-scale CO 2 injection at a commercial oil field to test monitoring, verification, and long-term storage strategies. This report covers Phase III. The final project site, the Farnsworth Unit (FWU) in Texas, provided real-world testing of reservoir characterization, monitoring, and risk evaluation tools and processes that could be used in any commercial scale carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) project. Extensive data collection and analysis helped refine best practices for reservoir characterization, injection monitoring, and storage verification. The SWP contributed to national databases, DOE best practice manuals, and regional geological assessments to support future sequestration efforts. Key lessons learned include the importance of robust data management, strategic site selection, regulatory navigation, and effective industry collaboration. The project’s findings will inform ongoing and future carbon storage initiatives. Task 1 (Regional Characterization) • The SWP continued to participate in national outreach efforts and NATCARB. • The SWP evaluated multiple potential sites before selecting the FWU as the primary field test location. Task 2 (Public Outreach and Education) • The SWP contributed to national databases, DOE best practice manuals, and regional geological assessments to support future sequestration efforts. Task 3 (Permitting and Regulatory Compliance) • The SWP ensured compliance with federal and state regulations, including National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements. • The SWP obtained all necessary permits for drilling, injection, and monitoring activities. Task 4 (Site Characterization and Planning) • The SWP developed work plans for four key activities: characterization, simulation, monitoring and verification, and risk evaluation. • The SWP collected and synthesized legacy data from multiple sources to build initial static geological models and dynamic reservoir models demonstrating project feasibility. • The SWP conducted an initial risk evaluation and developed mitigation plans. Task 5 (Field Operations and Data Collection) • The SWP drilled, logged, and cored three characterization wells to gather critical subsurface data. • The SWP conducted multiple geophysical surveys, including 3D seismic, crosswell seismic, and vertical seismic profiling, to improve reservoir characterization. Task 6 (Monitoring and Verification) • The SWP performed extensive geological characterization using data from characterization wells and seismic surveys. • The SWP established a surface monitoring network to track CO 2 flux in soil gas, groundwater chemistry, and near-surface atmospheric CO 2 levels. • The SWP built and refined reservoir models to study the effects of relative permeability on simulation behavior and improve calibration with experimental data. Task 7 (Risk Assessment and Model Refinement) • The SWP conducted multiple studies to evaluate reservoir integrity, predict CO 2 plume behavior and improve predictive modeling capabilities. • The SWP refined geological models and used them to enhance the accuracy of simulation models. • The SWP continued quantitative risk assessment of top-ranked risks and strengthened the link between qualitative and quantitative risk methodologies.

02 PETROLEUM↗
DOE OSTI2024

Energy Storage Market Transformation Through Stored Energy Targets

Aggressive energy decarbonization targets will require the rapid deployment of renewable energy in the U.S. in coming years. As the amount of variable generation on the grid grows, there will be an increasing need for long-duration energy storage (LDES) technologies to maintain grid reliability. Meeting that need will require a suite of technology alternatives with different capabilities. Many of these alternatives, however, are in a nascent state and face significant commercialization challenges. In the last decade, 10 U.S. states have enacted energy storage mandates as a vehicle for market transformation to accommodate energy storage. Those mandates, however, fail to send appropriate investment signals for LDES technologies because they are based on energy storage capacity and treat all technologies the same, regardless of duration. This paper explores the idea of replacing capacity-based storage procurement targets with stored energy targets, which would be technology-neutral policies designed to enable the market transformation necessary to support a competitive LDES industry.

Twitchell, Jeremy B.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Electric-Field De-Wetting for Enhanced Drying

Drying processes are one of the most energy intensive operations. Drying accounts for anywhere from 12 to 20% of the energy consumption in the industrial sector. While many different drying processes and thus technologies exist and each is appropriate for particular applications, convective heated-air dryers account for about 85% of all industrial dryers, where air is heated by the combustion of fossil fuels prior to being forced through the product. The electric-field dewetting concept evaluated has the potential to increase heat pumping efficiency by 30% assuming a typical sensible heat ratio of 70%. At full deployment, this can reduce drying energy by 25%. Further, the technology can benefit the performance of air-source heat pumps in general and broaden their application base resulting in greater energy reductions.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Performance Specifications for Grid-Forming Technologies

Standards and specifications for inverter-based resources (IBRs) focus primarily on grid-following (GFL) technologies at present. Therefore, these may generally not be appropriate for application in power systems to ensure acceptable operation with grid-forming (GFM) technologies. In some cases, the direct application of prevailing standards and specifications may not be appropriate for - or may even inadvertently limit the potential of - GFM resources. The Universal Interoperability for Grid- Forming Inverters (UNIFI) Consortium is a U.S. Department of Energy funded effort to advance GFM technology. The UNIFI team brings together academic, industrial, and national-lab researchers as well as industry stakeholders (utilities, system operators, vendors) to collaboratively pursue advances in a broad range of GFM technologies. This paper introduces a set of system- and unit-level specifications driven by consensus across the UNIFI project team. These are intended to seamlessly integrate GFM technologies at any scale into power-systems operation and control in a vendor-agnostic manner. A suite of illustrative simulation results that demonstrate the application of and adherence to the proposed specifications are included.

grid-forming inverter↗
DOE OSTI2022

Nuclear Energy in Long-Term System Models: A Multi-Model Perspective

Long-term energy system models–including electric sector capacity expansion models–are widely used tools for informing planning, technology assessment, and policy analysis. Recent decarbonization goals and rapid technological change have increased the need to appropriately represent economic characteristics and technical details of energy system resources, including variable renewable energy, energy storage technologies, carbon-capture-equipped capacity, and nuclear energy. Nuclear power represents about 20% of electricity generation and 50% of carbon-free electricity in the United States as of 2021. However, there are many perspectives on the role of existing and new nuclear in the future U.S. energy system, which is reflected in the broad range of potential contributions reported in the literature. This project aims to understand how issues central to nuclear energy are represented in long-term energy models. Building on earlier collaborations that focused on variable renewable energy and energy storage, this project convenes four modeling teams that use national-scale long-term energy system models from the Electric Power Research Institute, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the U.S. Energy Information Administration, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to share methods and data, update models, run coordinated scenarios, and identify research needs. Improving tools can provide more insightful analyses and ensure that methods are more transparent.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Mercury Remediation Technology Development for Lower East Fork Poplar Creek (FY2020 Update)

Mercury (Hg) remediation is a high priority for the US Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management. Mercury contamination in the environment can be found at all three DOE facilities in Oak Ridge, but probably the greatest environmental risk concern relative to Hg on the Oak Ridge Reservation is associated with historical Hg losses at and near the Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12). Water and fish from East Fork Poplar Creek (EFPC) downstream of Y-12 exceed regulatory thresholds. Because of the complexities of Hg transport and fate in the aquatic environment, conventional remedial options for EFPC are highly uncertain. DOE is using a phased adaptive management approach to Hg remediation at Y-12 with a focus in the next few years on construction of the Mercury Treatment Facility (MTF) to treat the most contaminated Y-12 outfall entering EFPC (DOE 2017a; DOE 2017b). Once operational, the MTF will provide additional protection against inadvertent releases of Hg into the stream from decontamination and decommissioning of Y-12 Hg-use buildings. Although the MTF is anticipated to substantially decrease Hg water concentrations and flux in the upper part of EFPC, research and technology development are needed to develop appropriate and long-term remedial solutions for the downstream environment. Since late 2014, the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management and URS | CH2M Oak Ridge LLC/Restoration Services, Inc. have supported DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Environmental Sciences Division staff in conducting field and laboratory studies to develop Hg remedial technology solutions for lower EFPC (LEFPC). A technology development strategy for LEFPC was developed in 2014 that was consistent with the adaptive management paradigm and DOE’s technology readiness level (TRL) guidelines (Peterson et al. 2015). Initially, a thorough review of the literature was conducted and site-specific information was collected to develop a broad number of potential technologies that might be applied in LEFPC. An adaptive management approach was then used to focus on technologies that might have the most promise and potential remediation benefit. Field and laboratory studies conducted from 2014 to 2020 have identified the major drivers of Hg flux and bioaccumulation in EFPC and narrowed the list of high-merit technologies that might be of use in remediating the downstream environment.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Mercury Remediation Technology Development for Lower East Fork Poplar Creek—FY 2021 Update

Mercury remediation is a high priority for the US Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management. Mercury contamination in the environment can be found at all three DOE facilities in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, but the greatest environmental risk concern relative to Hg on the Oak Ridge Reservation is likely associated with historical Hg losses at and near the Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12). Mercury in water and fish from East Fork Poplar Creek (EFPC) downstream of Y-12 exceeds regulatory thresholds. Because of the complexities of Hg transport and fate in the aquatic environment, conventional remedial options for EFPC are highly uncertain. DOE is using a phased adaptive management approach to Hg remediation at Y-12, with a focus in the next few years on construction of the Mercury Treatment Facility (MTF) to treat the most contaminated Y-12 outfall entering EFPC (DOE 2017a; DOE 2017b). Once operational, the MTF will provide additional protection against inadvertent releases of Hg into the stream from decontamination and decommissioning of Y-12 Hg-use buildings. Although the MTF is anticipated to substantially decrease Hg water concentrations and flux in upper EFPC (UEFPC), research and technology development are needed to develop appropriate and longer-term remedial solutions for the downstream environment. Since late 2014, the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management and URS | CH2M Oak Ridge LLC/Restoration Services Inc. have supported DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Environmental Sciences Division staff in conducting field and laboratory studies to develop Hg remedial technology solutions for lower EFPC (LEFPC). Whereas previous annual reporting updates for Hg remediation technology development for LEFPC have focused on presenting detailed results from the previous fiscal year, this FY 2021 update takes a comprehensive, higher-level approach to the research and technology development activities conducted since 2014. The report is organized to be consistent with the three tasks defined in the LEFPC strategic plan

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2020

Structural changes of lignins in natural Populus variants during different pretreatments

In the present study, three leading pretreatment technologies including dilute acid (DA), liquid hot water (LHW), and organosolv pretreatments (OS) were applied on two Populus natural variants with different recalcitrance. The structural features of the isolated lignins were analyzed accordingly. All the studied pretreatments reduced the molecular weights of the lignins. Aliphatic OH was reduced while phenolic OH was increased in all pretreated lignins. HSQC analysis revealed that pretreatment influenced the lignin composition and relative distribution of inter-unit linkages. The lignin S/G ratio was found to increase during DA pretreatment, while it was decreased after LHW and OS pretreatment. LHW pretreatment also resulted in much less cleavage of β-O-4 linkage than the other two pretreatments. These results could offer guidelines on appropriate selection of biomass and pretreatment technology in the future biorefinery process.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Feasibility of Pulsed Current Technology for Removing Bulk Carbon from TRISO-based Fuels

The work described in this report has evaluated the technical feasibility of maturing the pulsed current technology and its full-scale application to processing TRISO used nuclear fuel. No insurmountable technological or safety barriers were identified to successfully maturing the technology to the fourth TRL, which was considered appropriate for a DOE-NE program. The authors recommend DOE-NE’s Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Supply Chain Office should pursue the technology on that basis. In the immediate future, the authors recommend DOE-NE’s Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Supply Chain Office should acquire non-radioactive surrogate and natural uranium TRISO compacts and pebbles as they become available from commercial vendors. These surrogates could then be used to mature the pulsed current technology.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Adapting Technology Learning Curves for Prospective Techno-Economic and Life Cycle Assessments of Emerging Carbon Capture and Utilization Pathways

Comparisons of emerging carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technologies with equivalent incumbent technologies are necessary to support technology developers and to help policy-makers design appropriate long-term incentives to mitigate climate change through the deployment of CCU. In particular, early-stage CCU technologies must prove their economic viability and environmental reduction potential compared to already-deployed technologies. These comparisons can be misleading, as emerging technologies typically experience a drastic increase in performance and decrease in cost and greenhouse gas emissions as they develop from research to mass-market deployment due to various forms of learning. These changes complicate the interpretation of early techno-economic assessments (TEAs) and life cycle assessments (LCAs) of emerging CCU technologies. The effects of learning over time or cumulative production themselves can be quantitatively described using technology learning curves (TLCs). While learning curve approaches have been developed for various technologies, a harmonized methodology for using TLCs in TEA and LCA for CCU in particular is required. To address this, we describe a methodology that incorporates TLCs into TEA and LCA to forecast the environmental and economic performance of emerging CCU technologies. This methodology is based on both an evaluation of the state of the art of learning curve assessment and a literature review of TLC approaches developed in various manufacturing and energy generation sectors. Additionally, we demonstrate how to implement this methodology using a case study on a CO 2 mineralization pathway. Finally, commentary is provided on how researchers, technology developers, and LCA and TEA practitioners can advance the use of TLCs to allow for consistent, high-resolution modeling of technological learning for CCU going forward and enable holistic assessments and fairer comparisons with other climate technologies.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Extraction, Separation, and Production of High Purity Rare Earth Elements and Critical Minerals from Coal-Based and Related Resources

The general objectives of this project are to develop concepts for rare earth metal and critical mineral production from coal-based and related (minerals associated with coal) resources and incorporate them into a Technical Research Plan with an associated overall flow sheet. The project team has extensive expertise in market evaluation, mineral separation, leaching, chemical separations, alternative metallothermic reaction technology, electrowinning, and electrorefining that was critical to the success of the proposed project. The project included critical industrial partners needed for project success. The project team has extensive expertise in market evaluation, mineral separation, leaching, chemical separations, alternative reduction technology, electrowinning, and electrorefining as well as appropriate pilot-scale facilities to enable this project. The project encompassed broader opportunities for developing domestic resources of REE/CM materials for a more resilient, diverse, and secure supply chain for REE/CM materials with built-in redundancies and appropriate resource stockpiles. The production of REE/CM materials will help to revitalize and rebuild world-class American manufacturing capacity and the related workforce through new jobs and infrastructure. Furthermore, due to the nature and location of the production sites, economic growth in diverse communities of color and economically distressed areas will be cultivated. Finally, this technology can be applied to reuse and remediate coal waste tailings for REE/CM production.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2020

Energy Prediction of the Chicago Metropolitan Area Using Distributed Transportation MBSE Framework

Energy consumption impact of vehicle powertrain is traditionally assessed using standard and regulatory drive cycles. In this paper, energy consumption is determined by studying all the trips occurring in the Chicago Metropolitan Area in a 24 hour period. The data is generated by combining Polaris, an agent based traffic flow model with SVTrip, a stochastic model that generates 1 Hz vehicle speed profiles and Autonomie, a detailed vehicle level modeling tool used to predict fuel consumption. Different scenarios are constructed to define trips for different timeframes and assumptions. Vehicle fleet distribution, vehicle technologies and automation levels are applied to represent an appropriate vehicle fleet for each scenario. Analysis of energy consumption is then discussed with a particular emphasis on the impact of powertrain technology and vehicle types.

Autonomie↗
DOE OSTI2022

Durability Evaluation of Advanced Fenestration Technologies

In the U.S., more than 40% of primary energy and 70% of electricity is consumed in residential and commercial buildings, resulting in annual energy costs of more than $430 billion. Approximately 35% of this consumption can be attributed to losses through the building envelope, of which windows are currently the weakest link. Multiple technologies are under development to improve this performance. This includes dynamic and photovoltaic glazing as well as emerging highly insulating technologies including vacuum insulating glass (VIG), aerogels and thin-glass based multi-pane configurations. While windows are specified based on expected performance as installed, the energy savings realized by high performance windows are delivered over time. This makes it critical to understand and maximize the durability of high-performance windows to ensure those projected energy savings are delivered. Present methods for evaluating durability are based on existing technologies. These methods may not apply or be adequate for newer emerging technologies which often present novel failure mechanisms that need to be understood and evaluated differently. In this presentation, we will discuss our efforts to define appropriate methods to improve the evaluation of many existing technologies as well as evaluate the durability of emerging window technologies. This work results from the combination of an extensive review of various international standards as well as existing scientific literature. In addition, input was gathered from multiple industry stakeholders regarding present practice as well as feedback on proposed improvements to existing methods. Here we will share these findings and present proposed improvements to developing and existing durability evaluation protocols.

building envelope↗
DOE OSTI2021

Using cyclotron radiation emission for ultra-high resolution x-ray spectroscopy

Abstract Cyclotron radiation emission spectroscopy (CRES) is an approach to measuring the energy of an electron trapped in an externally applied magnetic field. The bare electron can come from different interactions, including photoelectric absorption, Compton scatters, beta decay, and pair production. CRES relies on measuring the frequency of the electron’s cyclotron motion, and because the measurement times extend over 10 6 –10 7 cycles, the energy resolution is on the order of a single electronvolt. To date, CRES has only been performed on internal beta-emitting radioisotopes, but the technology can be applied to x-ray spectrometery through appropriate selection of a target gas and sufficient intensity of the distinct x-ray source. The applications of this technology range from high-precision measurements of atomic energy levels to calibrations of basic science experiments, to trace element identification. In this work we explore the use of CRES for x-ray spectroscopy within the rubric of measuring the energy levels of argon. Though the energy levels of argon are well established, we adopt this motivation as an example question around which a detector may be designed. The issues we explore include target material, density, electron trapping depth, noise levels, and overall efficiency. We also discuss spectral deconvolution and how the multiple peaks obtained from a single target/source pair can be used to enhance the robustness of the measurement.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Optimal Design and Operation of a Solvent-Sorbent Hybrid Capture Process for Minimizing the Cost of High Capture

High capture can cause a significant increase in energy penalty if the appropriate technology/technologies are not utilized. The optimal technology for bulk capture is not necessarily the optimal technology for polishing capture (i.e., high extent of capture from the flue gas with very low partial pressure of CO2). This work investigates the use of MEA for bulk capture with the polishing capture being accomplished by a functionalized metal organic framework (MOF).

Kasturi, Pooja↗
DOE OSTI2023

Robotic Systems integration for cleanroom SRF assembly at Fermilab

Superconducting Radio Frequency (SRF) cryomodule assembly is a critical process that demands the highest levels of contamination control in a cleanroom to ensure product quality and reliability. Within the cleanroom environment, human-driven activities remain the major source of uncontrolled particulate. Moreover, the precise manual alignment of components often exceeds expected timeframes, increasing the risk of particulate migration into the critical inner space of the SRF resonant cavity, and causing extended discomfort for workers. Automation comes as a natural solution to address these challenges. The goal of this activity is to set up and integrate a robotic system to support cavity coupler installation in the cleanroom environment. Initially, remote control of a 6-axis collaborative robot arm will be implemented as an introductory step towards automation in the cleanroom. Subsequently, the system will be further enhanced by integrating manipulation capabilities through an appropriate end-effector, and computer vision technology to enable accurate pose estimation. This comprehensive approach aims to achieve a fully automated and adaptable assembly process in the partially structured cleanroom environment, thereby enhancing efficiency and mitigating existing challenges for better product quality and workers safety.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Electricity Rate Designs for Large Loads: Evolving Practices and Opportunities

Electricity demand from large load customers such as data centers is projected to grow significantly in the near term. While data centers play an important role in advancing technology innovation and economic growth in the United States, data center energy needs present challenges and opportunities for electricity supply and infrastructure. This technical brief serves as a foundation for the discussion of issues and sharing of perspectives among utilities, regulators, large load customers, and other stakeholders. As utilities and regulators explore rate structures to address growing data center electricity demand, several issues have emerged: -Fair allocation of electricity system costs to large-load customers without unfair shifting of costs to other customers -Appropriate mitigation of the financial risks associated with stranded assets from underutilized utility system investments -Mitigation of operational and resource adequacy risks if electricity demand exceeds supply -Appropriate risk-sharing in commercializing newer electricity technologies such as advanced geothermal, small modular reactors, and long duration energy storage -Accommodating the diverse needs of large-load customers, such as having the option to match electricity consumption with output from carbon-free resources or using onsite generation to provide system capacity The technical brief also identifies key design elements that aim to address these issues and uses leading examples from pending and approved rate structures, agreements, and special contracts to ground the elements in practice.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2021

Advanced Simulation and Computing (FY22 Implementation Plan Rev 0)

The DOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Stockpile Stewardship Program (SSP) is an integrated technical program for maintaining the safety, surety, and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile. The SSP incorporates nuclear test data, computational modeling and simulation, and experimental facilities to advance understanding of nuclear weapons. The suite of data analyzed comes from activities including stockpile surveillance, experimental research, and development and engineering programs. This integrated national program requires the continued use of experimental facilities and the computational capabilities to support the SSP missions. These component parts, in addition to an appropriately scaled production capability, enable NNSA to support stockpile requirements. The ultimate goal of the SSP, and thus of the Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) Program, is to ensure that the U.S. maintains a safe, secure, and effective strategic deterrent. Specific work activities and scope contained in this Implementation Plan (IP) represent the full-year annual operating plan for FY22. The Initial IP, effective , should be consistent with the Department’s Base Table when operating under a Continuing Resolution (CR). The final IP, effective date TBD, is consistent with the final, enacted appropriation.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗