Ultrahigh-efficiency desalination via a thermally-localized multistage solar still
Passive vapor generation systems combining interfacial solar heating and vaporization enthalpy recycling enable high-efficient low-cost desalination.
14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
SEARCH · Engineering Papers
Results for “Passive Thermal”
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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Performance evaluation of a dynamic wall integrated with active insulation and thermal energy storage systems
Thermal energy storage systems in buildings can store cooling/heating energy during non-peak load hours or when renewable energy sources are available for later use when demanded. Using the building envelope as a thermal battery can help to shave the peak load, reduce the burden in electric grids, and enhance the occupant's thermal comfort. Sensible energy storage on wall systems such as thermally activated building systems can provide an active thermal storage strategy. However, most of the stored energy is used through passive means directed by the thermal lag, which can impede the on-demand release of the stored energy. Integrating active insulation systems with building thermal storage systems can increase the flexibility of charging and discharging time and duration. In this study, a wall system equipped with an active insulation system and thermally activated storage system was designed, and its performance on active cooling energy contribution was studied. The performances of energy storage (charging), release (discharging) of the thermal energy storage energy, and the active insulation system were studied separately and together as an integrated system. Results showed that the thermal properties of the thermal energy storage core material and the pipe spacing of both embedded pipes in the thermal energy storage and hydronic pipes used in the active insulation system affected the wall performance the most out of all the tested wall system parameters. During discharging, the heat flux into the wall was as high as 81.92 W/m 2 . This active insulation system's dynamic R-value varied between less than 1ft 2 •°F•h/BTU (0.18 m 2 •K/W) to 98% of the equally thick foam insulation's R-value.
25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
Development and performance evaluation of active insulation systems using solid-state thermal switches
Traditional building envelopes have passive insulation systems that cannot respond to dynamic changes in the environment. An Active Insulation System (AIS) consists of Active Insulation Materials (AIMs) that dynamically vary the thermal conductivity of the insulation system. Several researchers have evaluated the impact of AIS on building thermal and energy performance by using simulation tools. Up to 70% savings in annual heating and cooling energy and significant reductions in peak demand have been predicted for some climates with wall systems employing AIS. However, materials and assembly development still need a cost-effective product that achieves the required performance. Here, in this study, we present the process of developing an AIS that we will install in a test hut for its performance evaluation. Minimum performance criteria of the AIS system are developed based on R-low/R-high ratio, required time and efficiency to switch states, and cost estimates. The following steps during this study are creating the concept to meet the requirements, predicting the performance via simulations, developing the experimental setup for bench-scale testing, and finally, constructing a full-scale wall assembly and monitoring the performance when exposed to environmental chamber tests. The selected approach uses off-the-shelf products to create an AIS that can switch R-value between 0.98 ft 2 ·°F·h/BTU (0.173 m 2 ·K/W) and 5.81 ft 2 ·°F·h/BTU (1.02 m 2 ·K/W) and have a switching time of less than one minute between R-high and R-low.
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
Development and Performance Evaluation of of Active Insulation Systems using Solid-State Thermal Switches
Traditional building envelopes have passive insulation systems that cannot respond to dynamic changes in the environment. An Active Insulation System (AIS) consists of Active Insulation Materials (AIMs), which dynamically vary the thermal conductivity of the insulation system. Several researchers have evaluated the impact of AIS on building thermal and energy performance by using simulation tools. Up to 70% savings in annual heating and cooling energy and significant reductions in peak demand have been predicted for some climates with wall systems employing AIS. Sensitivity studies have provided requirements for the AIS properties and control schemes that can lead to those savings. However, materials and assembly development have not yet achieved a cost-effective product that achieves the required performance. In this study, we present the process to develop an AIS that we will install in a test hut for their performance evaluation. Minimum performance criteria of the AIS system are developed based on Rmin/Rmax ratio, required time and efficiency to switch states and cost estimate. The next step carried out during this study is creating the concept to meet the requirements, predicting the performance by simulations, developing the experimental setup for bench-scale testing, and finally, constructing a full-scale wall assembly and monitoring the performance when exposed to natural weather conditions. The selected approach uses off-the-shelf products to create a materials system that can switch R-value between R~=1 ft2·°F·h/BTU (0.18 m2·K/W) and R~=7 ft2·°F·h/BTU (1.23 m2·K/W and have a switching time of less than one minute between R-high and R-low.
Iffa, Emishaw↗
Passivation and Degradation of Sulfur-Treated Silicon Surfaces for Photovoltaics
Sulfur-based passivation for silicon surfaces using H2S gas is an alternative passivation method to reduce the thermal budget for Si photovoltaics. To understand the impact of the high-quality passivation and an observed passivation efficiency decrease after air exposure, we have studied the chemical surface structure by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray Auger electron spectroscopy (XAES), and S and Si L2,3 X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES). On the S-passivated silicon surfaces, we find the formation of S–Si bonds, in addition to some Si–O bonds. Upon air exposure, sulfur partially desorbs from the Si surface and an increased presence of Si–O and S–O bonds is observed. We identify that well-defined S–Si bonds are crucial to maintain high-quality surface passivation for Si photovoltaics, which allows further optimization of the fabrication process for S-based passivation on silicon.
Hua, Amandee↗
Passivated Contacts for Direct Wafer Product (Final Technical Report)
This TCF project developed a thin-oxide (SiO 2 )/polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) passivated contact solar cell on CubicPV's (formally 1366 Technologies, Inc.) Direct Wafer® Product (DWP) kerfless wafers. The project used two NREL-developed technologies described in U.S. Patent No. 9,911,873, Hydrogenation of Passivated Contacts and U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15/890,172, Doped Passivated Contacts . The project was motivated by a potential higher efficiency cell (compared to a PERC cell) using passivated contacts on the ultra-low cost kerfless wafers grown using the Direct Wafer process. The hope was to accelerate market adoption of the cell and wafer by delivering the lowest LCOE in the PV industry. The project tested both n-type and p-type SiO 2 /poly-Si passivated contacts grown by thermal oxidation and plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) of the poly-Si layer on DWP with varying wafer resistivities. Both deposition techniques are industry standards and thus economically viable methods for commercializing the contacts. The results indicated that both n-type and p-type poly-Si passivated contacts can be formed on polycrystalline DWP wafers, but implied open-circuit voltages (i Voc ) were limited to below 0.65 mV (compared with ~ 730 mV on n-Cz wafers). Diffusion of H to the Si/SiO 2 /poly-Si interface was key to obtaining high i Voc values. In this study, H was diffused from a high-temperature SiN x layer deposited over the poly-Si layer during a high-temperature firing step, similar to one used for screen printed metals. The study concluded that poly-Si passivated contacts on DWP wafers passivated the surface of the wafers as well as PERC passivated surfaces, which use a less expensive dielectric layer stack. The project showed that Direct Wafer Product wafers grown by CubicPV could produce high i Voc values (~0.647 mV), which could produce a cell over 20% efficient with proper processing and metallization. These cells, though not economically viable in 2024 as a stand-alone cell, could be integrated with a wide-bandgap top solar cell to form a two-junction tandem cell that could be viable under certain circumstances. This is because the bottom cell of a 30%, two-terminal tandem only needs to be a 20% cell under one-sun conditions. Thus, the DWP could be an ideal low-cost wafer for tandems. The project also revealed that a TOPCon type cell could be formed on a p-type DWP wafer using a P-diffused emitter and a p-type poly-Si contact. In fact, the p-type version of the poly-Si contact out-performed the n-type version for a variety of wafer resistivities, from highly doped to lowly doped. This curiosity requires more work to understand because on Cz wafers, the n-type poly-Si contact is of much higher quality than the p-type version.
14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
Assessment of energy and thermal resilience performance to inform climate mitigation of multifamily buildings in disadvantaged communities
Not Available
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
Optimization of District Heating Network Parameters in Steady-State Operation
Here we examine the modeling, simulation, and optimization of district heating systems, which are widely used for thermal transport using steam or hot water as a carrier. We propose a generalizable framework to specify network models and scenario parameters, and develop an optimization method for evaluating system states including pressures, fluid flowrates, and temperatures throughout the network. The network modeling includes pipes, thermal plants, pumps, and passive or controllable loads as system components. We propose basic models for thermodynamic fluid transport and enforce the balance of physical quantities in steady-state flow over co-located outgoing and return networks. We formulate an optimization problem with steam and hot water as the outgoing and return carriers, as in legacy twentieth century systems. The physical laws and engineering limitations are specified for each component type, and the thermal network flow optimization problem is formulated and solved for a realistic test network under several scenarios.
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
High Performance Heat Pipe Power Transient Testing at SPHERE Facility
Microreactors are being researched, designed, and built at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Microreactors are small reactors defined at less than 20MW of power. These reactor concepts are also being looked at throughout industry for various applications. An important aspect of these reactor designs is economic feasibility i.e. lower overnight capital cost. The driving factors for implementing microreactors are quick setup and takedown, minimal operators, and the ability to manufacture them readily and to fit in mid-sized containers for transport. A specific area of research to aid in successful integration of these factors within the designs is passive heat removal of the core’s thermal power. Interest in heat pipes to achieve this passive heat removal has been shown across multiple industry partners. Because of this interest, INL has developed a test facility to facilitate experimental tests for sodium filled heat pipes. INL has developed the Single Primary Heat Extraction and Removal Emulator (SPHERE) facility to run experiments on high performance, sodium filled heat pipes. As mentioned above, heat pipes are passive heat transfer devices. Radially, heat pipes are broken up into an outer wall, a small annular gap, a wick structure, and a centerline gap. They function by utilizing latent heat transfer. Heat pipes are traditionally separated into three regions, an evaporator (heat input), an adiabatic region, and finally a condenser region (heat removal). As heat is being applied to the evaporator, the working fluid undergoes a phase change to a vapor. This phase change causes a differential pressure across the axial length of the pipe driving flow down the center gap of the heat pipe. The vapor flows down past the adiabatic region to the condenser where the heat is removed. This heat removal forces the working fluid to phase change back to a liquid. The wick structure is then utilized to drive the flow back towards the evaporator by capillary forces. This backflow is aided by the annular gap. Because this heat transfer mechanism functions with latent heat transfer, the heat pipe is close to isothermal down the axial length. Heat pipes can operate under a wide range of working fluids. Considerations for these working fluids are primarily driven by operating temperatures amongst other important factors based around overall performance. Sodium filled heat pipes operate from 450°C up to 900°C. This temperature range works well for the current microreactor designs. In conjunction with this experimental capability, INL has developed a modeling software to simulate heat pipe physics within reactor cores. This modeling software is called Sockeye and functions under the established INL Multiphysics Object Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE). SPHERE also supports Sockeye development by providing the modeling team with experimental data on an array of setups and operating parameters to support validation efforts. A power transient experiment was performed utilizing the SPHERE facility to continue to aid with Sockeye development. The testing followed a proposed test plan to ramp up and down the temperature of the heat pipe. Sockeye models steady state heat pipe operation with high accuracy, the data provided by the power transient testing aims to assist with the validation efforts and further enhance transient modeling capability of the tool [2].
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
COMPUTATION FLUID DYNAMICS ANALYSIS FOR GENERIC SMALL MODULAR REACTOR CONTAINMENT SEPARATE EFFECTS TEST
It is desirable for fourth-generation Small Modular Reactors to be passively cooled in standard and accident operations. Passive Containment Cooling Systems can reject heat from the containment structure, without using pumps or blowers. The targeted design containment structure is a large, domed, stainless steel, cylindrical vessel. In a postulated Design Basis Accident, steam will flash inside containment. Steam condensation occurs on the inner containment wall and transfers heat through the steel containment into a large body of water known as the annular reservoir (AR) surrounding the vessel serving as the ultimate heat sink. Natural circulation drives the flow in the AR and heat will be released to the environment by evaporation of water. Unique containment geometry requires a separate effects test (SET) facility for the verification and validation of the computer code and evaluation model development and assessment for reactor licensing efforts. In this study, STAR-CCM+, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code was used to inform the decision-making process on the design of the SET. The CFD simulation modeled, a two-phase turbulent flow with fluid film development and heat transfer for different containment geometries. The Reactor Excursion and Leak Analysis Program will also be used in a code-to-code verification against the CFD results.
21 - SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLAN↗
The effect of ferrous sulfate pretreatment on the optimal temperature for production of sugars during autothermal pyrolysis
Fast pyrolysis is a promising technology for producing cellulosic sugars from lignocellulosic biomass. Success in this endeavor requires measures that prevent naturally occurring alkali and alkaline earth metals (AAEM) from breaking pyranose and furanose rings in lignocellulosic biomass. This is especially critical for high ash feedstocks like corn stover and other kinds of herbaceous biomass. Pretreating corn stover with ferrous sulfate converts AAEM into thermally stable salts, which passivates the catalytic activity of these metals and dramatically improves sugar yields. AAEM passivation in combination with autothermal (partial oxidative) operation improves the prospects for intensifying the production of sugars via fast pyrolysis. We hypothesized that pretreated biomass pyrolyzed in the presence of oxygen can substantially influence the temperature dependence of pyrolysis kinetics. Here, we found that autothermal (air-blown) pyrolysis of ferrous sulfate pretreated corn stover achieved maximum sugar yield of 15.6 wt% (biomass basis) at 450 °C, whereas the maximum phenolic oil yield of 9.2 wt% (biomass basis) was reached at 500 °C. Considering these tradeoffs in yields of these highly desirable pyrolysis products, the ideal operating temperature is between 450 and 500 °C. These results suggest that two-stage pyrolysis might allow maximum recovery of both sugars and phenolic oil.
09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
Battery metal recycling by flash Joule heating
The staggering accumulation of end-of-life lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and the growing scarcity of battery metal sources have triggered an urgent call for an effective recycling strategy. However, it is challenging to reclaim these metals with both high efficiency and low environmental footprint. We use here a pulsed dc flash Joule heating (FJH) strategy that heats the black mass, the combined anode and cathode, to >2100 kelvin within seconds, leading to ~1000-fold increase in subsequent leaching kinetics. There are high recovery yields of all the battery metals, regardless of their chemistries, using even diluted acids like 0.01 M HCl, thereby lessening the secondary waste stream. The ultrafast high temperature achieves thermal decomposition of the passivated solid electrolyte interphase and valence state reduction of the hard-to-dissolve metal compounds while mitigating diffusional loss of volatile metals. Life cycle analysis versus present recycling methods shows that FJH significantly reduces the environmental footprint of spent LIB processing while turning it into an economically attractive process
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Catalyst Deactivation Modes of PdO/γ-Al 2 O 3 Catalysts for Lean Methane Oxidation
PdO/γ-Al 2 O 3 catalysts are one of the most active catalytic components for the complete oxidation of methane. Under reaction conditions, especially in a wet feed, the catalysts suffer severe performance degradation. This study establishes a series of testing protocols to systematically investigate the causes of catalyst deactivation under methane oxidation reaction conditions. Four distinct catalyst deactivation modes are identified. Two of the deactivation modes are directly related to H 2 O, either from the feed gas or as a part of the reaction products, with one (Mode 2) being attributed to the formation of surface hydroxyl groups and the other (Mode 3) to the competitive adsorption of H 2 O on the catalysts. The impact of the two deactivation modes is acute and severe but reversible. In contrast, the other two deactivation modes are gradual and persistent but irreversible. Both modes are induced by CH 4 oxidation reaction, with the impact of a wet feed (Mode 4) being substantially more severe than that of a dry feed (Mode 1). The major cause of the irreversible catalyst deactivation is attributed to surface reconstruction of PdO nanoparticles, which behaves as a passivation layer lowering the number of coordinately unsaturated Pd sites for CH 4 activation. Although the passivation layer is relatively stable against thermal or hydrothermal treatment, it is not completely inert. Formation and partial regeneration of the passivation layer is a highly dynamic process and heavily depends on the reaction temperature: a lower reaction temperature (≤ 450 ℃) can lead to quicker catalyst deactivation; but a higher reaction temperature (between 500 – 550 ℃) can result in a greater extent of catalyst deactivation.
PdO/γ-Al2O3↗
A review on the state of thermal hydraulics research on air ingress scenarios in High-Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors following a D-LOFC
With the expectation of near-immediate carbon neutrality, widespread implementation of proven High-Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors (HTGRs) embodies a viable solution pathway given their inherent, passive safety features and high thermal efficiency. This study provides an overview of the current state of research involving the thermal hydraulics associated with air ingress from a depressurized loss of forced cooling (D-LOFC) in HTGRs. Accurately characterizing and predicting the physical phenomena underlying air ingress is of paramount concern, as the integrity of the fuel and core graphite support structures are threatened by the presence of oxygen. Broadly speaking, the air ingress scenario can be delineated into three main stages: (1) Depressurization, (2) Density-Driven Flow, and (3) Natural Convection. In tandem with the underlying fundamental theory, this review collates and synthesizes the existing body of contemporary research concerning the air ingress scenario following a D-LOFC. As evinced by this review, our current understanding and predictive abilities have benefited from extensive research, predominantly concentrated on the rate of air ingestion into the core. Here, additional research is necessary to holistically capture the phenomenology of an air ingress scenario following a D-LOFC by considering an additional variable: the oxygen content of the ingressing air. The latter variable requires investigation into the complex interactions of the fully integrated system. Additionally, while numerical tools are evolving domestically through the Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation program, a sufficiently validated code remains absent.
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
A thermal natural uranium breeder reactor for large and small applications with passive safeguard designs
Not Available
Hayes, Robert B. (ORCID:0000000161354070)↗
Chromium versus Aluminum: Impact of Nickel Alloy Composition and Interfacial Kinetics on High-Temperature Passivating Oxide Formation
High-temperature corrosion resistance depends critically on the formation of a passivating surface oxide, which is highly sensitive to alloy composition and structure. Such details often elude experimental investigation, and simplified analytical models fail to provide a truly chemical view of passivating oxide evolution. Here, we explicitly compare the fundamental chemistry of Cr and Al as prototypical passivating elements in Ni alloys by directly simulating competing reaction and diffusion processes within the oxide film using kinetic Monte Carlo and density functional theory. We find that the origin and expression of passivating behavior during early-stage thermal oxidation are qualitatively different between the two alloy systems. Ni–Cr alloys feature a sudden onset of passivation associated with a sharp phase transition upon Cr enrichment that directly couples oxidation kinetics to phase transformation behavior. In contrast, Ni–Al alloys display more continuous oxide phase variation with Al enrichment, ultimately resulting in a lower composition threshold for passivation and a thinner passivating layer. In addition, we elucidate the nonobvious role of metal exchange within the alloy near the oxide boundary, which fundamentally alters film composition and passivating behavior. Furthermore, our results have key implications for engineering improved corrosion-resistant alloys, both in terms of compositional variation and processing.
Alloys↗
Revisiting the Role of Ocean Circulation Changes in Polar Ocean Heat Transport Anomalies under Global Warming
In response to greenhouse gas forcing, climate models predict that poleward ocean heat transport (OHT) weakens in the Southern Ocean but increases in the Arctic. The role of ocean circulation changes in this OHT response has been evaluated by decomposing OHT anomalies into a dynamic component (holding ocean temperature fixed while circulation evolves) and a thermodynamic component (holding ocean circulation fixed while temperature evolves). However, ocean temperature changes are themselves shaped by circulation changes through redistribution of the existing heat reservoir and subsequent effects on air–sea heat fluxes. The thermodynamic component can therefore be influenced by circulation changes, making the standard thermodynamic–dynamic decomposition incomplete for isolating the role of circulation changes in OHT anomalies. To address this issue, we use a passive–active decomposition to assess the relative contributions of ocean circulation and passive ocean temperature changes to polar OHT anomalies in a fully coupled climate model. Passive temperature changes are defined as those thermally forced by the atmosphere in the absence of circulation changes. In this passive–active decomposition, an advective term involving both circulation and passive temperature changes remains ambiguous—classifying it as active implies circulation changes dominate Southern Ocean OHT anomalies, whereas classifying it as passive implies temperature changes dominate. However, both interpretations imply that ocean circulation changes have a much weaker effect on polar OHT anomalies than inferred from the standard decomposition. In conclusion, these results help reconcile conclusions from studies using the standard decomposition with those using passive tracer methods to assess the role of circulation changes in polar OHT anomalies.
Arctic↗