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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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This fiscal year we investigated the kinetic mechanism of electroplating of titanium on stainless steel substrates, as well as the influence of additives on the brightness and smoothness of this plating, as related to the FY24 LD-TCF proposal.
Event Modeling Risk Assessment using Linked Diagrams (EMRALD) is a software tool developed at Idaho National Laboratory for researching the capabilities of dynamic probabilistic risk assessment. It provides a simple interface to represent complex interactions often seen when developing dynamic models. EMRALD can also interface with other applications by modifying inputs as well as running and using their results within EMRALD for dynamic and integrated assessment. To enable wider industry use cases, collaborative work between Idaho National Laboratory and FPoliSolutions was performed through the technology commercialization fund TCF-20-21448. This report covers the additional features and capabilities developed under this work.
This is the final report for the referenced TCF award which ran from Oct. 2019 through Jan. 2024 in conjunction with the industry partner Swift Solar. The long duration of the program was due to several factors including the pandemic and a technical work stoppage due to changes in the scope. Additionally, Swift’s business focus shifted during the course of the program. As a result of these factors, this program underwent two distinct modifications that dramatically changed the work scope. The following report is organized into three separate sections, each of which addresses a distinct work scope. Those scope changes, what necessitated them, and any new tasks/milestones are given, briefly, at the top of each section. The work performed was research on the hybrid halide perovskites (HHP), both the absorber material itself as well as other material layers that are required in a full device stack. At the start of the period of performance, there were two distinct challenges that we sought to address: (1) a wide band gap absorber (>1.6 eV), and (2) a recombination layer for tandem devices that provided good sequestration of the individual cell absorber materials in their respective device layers. NREL had previously published, and patented, advancements in both of these areas and they were the focus of much of the work throughout the program.
This is the final report for the referenced TCF award which ran from Oct. 2019 through Jan. 2024 in conjunction with the industry partner Swift Solar. The long duration of the program was due to several factors including the pandemic and a technical work stoppage due to changes in the scope. Additionally, Swift’s business focus shifted during the course of the program. As a result of these factors, this program underwent two distinct modifications that dramatically changed the work scope. The following report is organized into three separate sections, each of which addresses a distinct work scope. Those scope changes, what necessitated them, and any new tasks/milestones are given, briefly, at the top of each section. The work performed was research on the hybrid halide perovskites (HHP), both the absorber material itself as well as other material layers that are required in a full device stack. At the start of the period of performance, there were two distinct challenges that we sought to address: (1) a wide band gap absorber (>1.6 eV), and (2) a recombination layer for tandem devices that provided good sequestration of the individual cell absorber materials in their respective device layers. NREL had previously published, and patented, advancements in both of these areas and they were the focus of much of the work throughout the program. The auto manufacturing space is evolving quickly. Sales of various electrified vehicles (xEVs) continue to grow steadily, which has medium to long-term ramifications for the thousands of U.S. manufacturers and hundreds of thousands of workers that contribute to the domestic automotive supply chain. In tandem with this growth in xEV sales, domestic clean energy manufacturing is surging (both for the xEV supply chain and other technologies), with public incentives spurring billions in private sector investment. Moreover, the next 2–3 years will see new and expanded industrial facilities come online to make products like hydrogen electrolyzers, solar panels, batteries, advanced electronics—and will create new supply chain needs and business opportunities as they do. DOE’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) and Argonne National Laboratory developed this report to help automotive manufacturers—alongside various business support partners— understand these trends and their response options, and to make the most of current federal assistance programs for manufacturers. These market changes may create opportunities for small- and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) to expand production, grow profit margins, and diversify their businesses. For instance, SMMs could take advantage of engineering and process design similarities with new end-use industries that might enable greater business growth and stability as markets continue to change.
TCF-21-25048 is a one-year project to quantify the potential attributes of recent NREL inventions where CdTe devices with grain sizes exceeding 100's of microns in lateral dimension can be fabricated using a novel seeded-epitaxial process. A CdSe0.1Te0.9 film is evaporated on commercially available transparent conducting oxide (TCO) where the latter surface roughness (Ra) has been reduced to < 1-nm. After NREL's colossal grain growth (CGG) process, the grain size of this "seed" layer is increased to 100-1000 um. CdTe is then deposited epitaxially resulting in a large-grain CdTe device structure without use of CdCl2. As of this report, we have: Demonstrated the feasibility of using Tec-15 substrates after surface roughness (Ra) reduction (nexTC); Developed reproducible CGG processes for this commercially available substrate; Developed a close-spaced sublimation (CSS) process for CdTe epitaxy using these substrates; Demonstrated that large-grain CdTe films have less sub-band (band tail) absorption than conventional, small-grain CdTe; Demonstrated that large-grain CdTe films (no CdCl2) have carrier lifetimes up to 1.5 ns; Demonstrated that carrier lifetimes in epi-CdTe films (no CdCl2) have comparable lifetimes when compared to the best pX-CdTe films (FSLR) treated with CdCl2; Started making large-grain CdTe devices using CGG templates and epitaxially deposited CdTe.
Reducing lifecycle carbon-dioxide (CO 2 ) and toxic emissions via electrification or switching to carbon-free fuels is not currently feasible for many off-road, rail, and marine applications. This is due to factors including excessive cost, weight, or size of a battery of sufficient capacity to meet the application requirements, lack of infrastructure, insufficient time for recharging, demanding duty cycles, and severe ambient conditions. The guiding vision for the activities described herein is to enable rapid, cost-effective reductions of the environmental impacts of such applications by using improved, high efficiency engine combustion strategies with currently available and emerging low lifecycle-CO 2 fuels (LLCFs). This report summarizes progress toward achieving this vision in two project areas. The first is a Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF) project focused on facilitating the commercialization of ducted fuel injection (DFI) with LLCFs. The second is a more fundamental, Advanced Combustion Engines (ACE) research project focused on elucidating a new strategy called lean mixing-controlled combustion (LMCC) for use with emerging LLCFs.
The purpose of the TCF project was to develop and transfer advanced Cel6A and Cel7A cellulase enzymes to Novozymes for testing on NREL provided DMR treated corn stover. In both cases, we developed advanced Cel6A and Cel7A enzymes that outperform the baseline T. reesei enzymes that are commonly available. The final milestone was to demonstrate an 80% glucan conversion on DMR treated corn stover with an enzyme loading of 10 mg/g glucan. This goal was achieved relatively early in the project and a new stretch goal for Novozymes became to test these enzymes in the Gen 1.5 yeast fermentation platform. The outcome was marginally successful due to temperature and pH optima mismatches between the enzymes (initially developed for use in a standard enzyme cocktail) and conditions suitable for yeast fermentation. Covid-19 and several re-organizations at Novozymes did significantly impact the project timeline, extending it to 2023. However, all of the original goals of the were successfully met or exceeded.
This TCF will focus on developing use-cases for scalable and optimal utilization of hydrogen systems (combination of electrolyzers, hydrogen storage, and fuel cells) when integrated with the power grid. We will utilize and mature the electrolyzer dispatch control developed in SWR-20-06.
This TCF will focus on developing use-cases for scalable and optimal utilization of hydrogen systems (combination of electrolyzers, hydrogen storage, and fuel cells) when integrated with the power grid. We will utilize and mature the electrolyzer dispatch control developed in SWR-20-06.
This TCF will focus on developing use-cases for scalable and optimal utilization of hydrogen systems (combination of electrolyzers, hydrogen storage, and fuel cells) when integrated with the power grid. We will utilize and mature the electrolyzer dispatch control developed in SWR-20-06.
This is the final report for a TCF funded project, supported by the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Office. PNNL worked with GE&R, a domestic US company that manufactures magnetocaloric materials (MCM), for potential applications in magnetic refrigeration. The overall goal of this project was to develop an energy-efficient technique to shorten the annealing time of MCM, from days to hours, with the expected benefits of lower costs and shorter lead times. Success in this project will enable industry partner General Engineering & Research LLC (GE&R) to commercialize their high-performance MCM, in support of DOE-Fuel Cell Technology Office’s efforts to develop energy-efficient magnetic refrigeration technology (using MCM) for hydrogen liquefaction.
Experimental evidence illustrates that at burnups slightly above the current regulatory limit of a rod-averaged burnup of 62 MWd/kgU, the ceramic UO 2 inside light-water reactor fuel rods becomes susceptible to a phenomenon known as fuel fragmentation, relocation, and dispersal (FFRD) during a loss of coolant accident (LOCA) transient. The severity of FFRD is strongly influenced by the zirconium-based (Zircaloy) cladding behavior during the LOCA transient. A Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF) project was awarded to an Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)/Idaho National Laboratory team to create a LOCA analysis tool that couples BISON to the systems/thermal-hydraulics code RELAP5-3D [1] for analysis of LOCA scenarios. In addition, further refinements to existing BISON models were identified as necessary to more accurately represent more recent experimental evidence from the Studsvik Cladding Integrity Project (SCIP) and other experimental programs.
The Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF) award is built upon NREL's previous research exploring a bottom-fixed variable-geometry oscillating surge wave energy converter (VGOSWEC); however, unlike previous investigations, the VGOSWEC will be raised off the sea floor. Researchers believe that advances in offshore pilings and foundations, such as 3D printing, will provide low cost and easily deployable structures. There are several benefits to designing a raised VGOSWEC such as 1) reducing issues with sediment transport and environmental impacts near shore, 2) less expensive deployment and installation as work boats will not risk grounding in shallow water, and 3) deeper water deployments improve the wave resource.
Overview presentation of axial gas communication development and validation from a TCF project. EPRI, our industry cost-share partners has asked that we present on this topic at the upcoming CRAFT meeting.
Most tasks conducted at a nuclear power plant are guided by a procedure in one way or another. Some tasks must be conducted by strictly adhering to the prescribed steps, while other tasks use the procedures as a reference guide. Traditionally, the procedure process in the nuclear industry has been paper heavy. In recent years however, the nuclear industry has considered adopting more dynamic solutions to improve the efficiency of their work management process, advance human and system performance, as well as reduce the cost of handling paper copies of documentation. As a first step, many nuclear utilities in the U.S. deployed solutions that electronically route the documents through the review and approval processes and where the worker in the field uses an electronic copy of the instruction or procedure on a handheld device. These electronic copies are very similar to the format of the paper instruction but do have some additional capabilities to capture recorded input and notes.