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At least 721 records · Page 40
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2023

Reduction in Computational Cost of Progressive Failure Analysis of Composite Structures

Designing aircraft structures requires efficient modeling approaches to iterate on multiple structural configurations to achieve an optimal design. Typically, damage tolerance is not considered at the design stage because of the high computational cost in its implementation within a finite element modeling approach. Therefore, analytical or empirical approaches are often used to size critical damage-tolerant structures once an optimal design is determined. In this study, the Progressive Release eXplicit Virtual Crack-Closure Technique (PRX-VCCT) is assessed for its capability to cost-effectively evaluate skin stringer separation of a blade-stiffened panel that is subjected to seven point bend loads. An initial verification study was performed to evaluate PRX VCCT to accurately simulate skin-stringer separation with respect to existing cohesive element approaches. Furthermore, the influence of element size, ranging from 0.10 in. to 0.40 in., on the total computational time using the PRX-VCCT is investigated. The results indicate that the PRX-VCCT can be used to accurately simulate skin stringer separation using large element lengths (0.40 in.). Additionally, a significant reduction in the computational time to simulate skin stringer separation is observed using the PRX-VCCT. Large-scale progressive damage analysis using PRX-VCCT can be implemented early in the design cycle of composite structures without requiring a global-to-local modeling approach.

Composites↗
DOE OSTI2020

Maximising the investment returns of a grid‐connected battery considering degradation cost

Energy storage systems (ESSs) are being deployed widely due to numerous benefits including operational flexibility, high ramping capability, and decreasing costs. This study investigates the economic benefits provided by battery ESSs when they are deployed for market‐related applications, considering the battery degradation cost. A comprehensive investment planning framework is presented, which estimates the maximum revenue that the ESS can generate over its lifetime and provides the necessary tools to investors for aiding the decision making process regarding an ESS project. The applications chosen for this study are energy arbitrage and frequency regulation. Lithium‐ion batteries are considered due to their wide popularity arising from high efficiency, high energy density, and declining costs. A new degradation cost model based on energy throughput and cycle count is developed for Lithium‐ion batteries participating in electricity markets. The lifetime revenue of ESS is calculated considering battery degradation and a cost–benefit analysis is performed to provide investors with an estimate of the net present value, return on investment and payback period. The effect of considering the degradation cost on the estimated revenue is also studied. The proposed approach is demonstrated on the IEEE Reliability Test System and historical data from PJM Interconnection.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Exploring Renewable Energy Opportunities in Select Southeast Asian Countries: A Geospatial Analysis of the Levelized Cost of Energy of Utility-Scale Wind and Solar Photovoltaics

The costs of renewable energy-based electricity generation have fallen precipitously in recent years to levels that are increasingly competitive with traditional generation such as fossil fuel-based generation. As these costs become increasingly competitive, private developers, policymakers, and energy system planners are searching for opportunities to harness high-quality renewable energy resources. Developing economies are setting ambitious targets and exploring how cost-effective, grid-connected renewable energy options can help power economic growth and meet growing electricity demands. This includes the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that are determined to reach a target of 23% of renewable energy in the region's total primary energy supply by 2025. A critical gap to identifying opportunities and scaling up renewable energy is the lack of quality data and analyses to support decisions on the investment and deployment of renewables - including wind and solar photovoltaics (PV). This work supports decision making by providing high-quality data and spatial analysis of the cost of utility-scale wind and solar PV generation in select countries of Southeast Asia - specifically, the ASEAN member states. Generation costs are expressed as the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) - a commonly used metric that represents the net present value of the unit cost of electricity during the lifetime of a particular electricity generation technology. This is the first spatial estimate of LCOE for these technologies within the ASEAN member states - providing insights into the roles that renewable energy resource quality and other factors may play in generation costs.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Uncertainty Quantification and Sensitivity Analysis of Nuclear Construction Cost Reduction Pathways

High construction costs have plagued recent nuclear projects and they hamper the widespread deployment of nuclear technology. The Nuclear Cost Reduction Tool is a plant economic framework that quantifies the impact that various plant design and construction attributes have on construction costs and cost overruns and shows the positive effects of learning over a series of deployments. However, a downside of the current model is that all model outputs and capabilities are deterministic. To provide a more comprehensive view, this study evaluated the impact of model parameter uncertainty through a sensitivity analysis applied to 18 model parameters. This approach quantified the impact of model uncertainty on the output variables of Net Overnight Capital Cost (Net OCC), Construction Duration (CD), and Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE). Monte Carlo analysis revealed uncertainty distributions for these variables, showing that absolute uncertainty decreases over a series of deployments. A local sensitivity analysis showed that even small parameter perturbations (5%) can have a significant impact on project execution, highlighting areas that could reduce costs by billions across an order book of plants. The results of this study have improved the understanding of the model and identified the most impactful model parameters and construction attributes.

Levelized Cost of Electricity↗
NASA NTRS2003

Performance Analysis of a Cost-Effective Electret Condenser Microphone Directional Array

Microphone directional array technology continues to be a critical part of the overall instrumentation suite for experimental aeroacoustics. Unfortunately, high sensor cost remains one of the limiting factors in the construction of very high-density arrays (i.e., arrays containing several hundred channels or more) which could be used to implement advanced beamforming algorithms. In an effort to reduce the implementation cost of such arrays, the authors have undertaken a systematic performance analysis of a prototype 35-microphone array populated with commercial electret condenser microphones. An ensemble of microphones coupling commercially available electret cartridges with passive signal conditioning circuitry was fabricated for use with the Langley Large Aperture Directional Array (LADA). A performance analysis consisting of three phases was then performed: (1) characterize the acoustic response of the microphones via laboratory testing and calibration, (2) evaluate the beamforming capability of the electret-based LADA using a series of independently controlled point sources in an anechoic environment, and (3) demonstrate the utility of an electret-based directional array in a real-world application, in this case a cold flow jet operating at high subsonic velocities. The results of the investigation revealed a microphone frequency response suitable for directional array use over a range of 250 Hz - 40 kHz, a successful beamforming evaluation using the electret-populated LADA to measure simple point sources at frequencies up to 20 kHz, and a successful demonstration using the array to measure noise generated by the cold flow jet. This paper presents an overview of the tests conducted along with sample data obtained from those tests.

Humphreys, William M., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Basic relationships for LTA economic analysis

Operating costs based on data of actual and proposed airships for conventional lighter than air craft (LTA) are presented. An economic comparison of LTA with the B-47F is included, and possible LTA economic trends are discussed.

Ausrotas, R. A.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Value of Geothermal Energy Storage for Supply-Side and Demand-Side Applications

This report presents the results of a study examining the value potential for geothermal energy storage (GES), a long-duration energy storage resource that stores thermal and/or geomechanical energy in the subsurface. GES could benefit the overall U.S. power system by temporally shifting electricity generation (supply-side) or meeting building heating and cooling load (demand-side). This report analyzes supply-side and demand-side opportunities independently because of differences in applications and models. Currently there is significant uncertainty about the development costs for GES, with only a limited number of demonstration plants for electric energy storage and building heating and cooling storage developments. In this report, we estimate the value of supply-side and demand-side GES to the bulk power system in the contiguous United States. Because of the significant uncertainty about GES development costs, this analysis does not consider GES deployment costs but instead focuses on the value of GES to the U.S. electricity system. The estimated values of GES provide reference points for economically competitive commercial cost targets. Supply-side GES is modeled as part of an enhanced geothermal system (EGS) generation plant in NREL's Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) capacity expansion model (Ho et al. 2021). In contrast to conventional geothermal plants, which generate constant power, EGS plants have unique features that may allow for in-reservoir energy storage for flexible generation. Demand-side GES for heating and cooling, including seasonal hot and cold storage and short-duration heat pump storage, is incorporated into a price-taker model using Cambium electricity marginal cost projections. To establish an upper bound for the value of GES, analysis focused on favorable scenarios for storage with high generation from zero marginal cost, variable renewable energy resources. High penetrations of variable renewable energy generation can increase hourly electricity price variability, which increases the value of temporal energy arbitrage for storage technologies like GES.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS2021

Thermoelectric System Economics - The Apex: New Paradigms in Manufacturing and Interface Performance Relationships Driving System Cost Optimizations

Thermoelectric energy recovery systems require cost-optimized designs with high thermal and thermoelectric (TE) performance to surmount common commercialization barriers controlling the acceptance of thermoelectric generator (TEG) systems. Recent work has addressed this requirement with new analytic tools and paradigms that allow integrated TEG cost-performance analysis and optimization. New work herein has identified the existence of optimized TE element design (i.e., TE element length) for minimizing TEG cost and provides design guidelines associated with critical thermal and electrical contact resistance effects and TE manufacturing sensitivities. Once optimum hot-side heat flux criteria are satisfied, this work highlights the tradeoffs between interface resistance effects and manufacturing cost effects in determining optimum-cost TE element lengths, and then quantifies the increase in optimum-cost TE lengths as manufacturing costs become more sensitive to TE element lengths. Optimized TE element design criteria and key non-dimensional design parameters (i.e., [𝐶′′′LTE/𝐶′′], [TE/con], [con/(TE,aveLTE)]) driving the design are presented and explained showing the interdependencies between manufacturing cost parameters and thermal and electrical interface impacts on integrated TE cost-performance analysis and design. Comprehensive TEG system cost-performance relationships clearly demonstrate the two parameters that most greatly impact the TEG system cost are heat exchanger costs ($/(W/K)) and TE hot side heat flux. Reducing heat exhanger cost from $1/(W/K) to $0.5/(W/K) can decrease TEG system cost by $2/W to $4/W depending on TE hot side heat fluxes from 4-10 W/cm2. The impact of TE hot side heat flux on TEG system cost is larger; reducing TE system cost by factors of 2-4 as TE hot side heat flux increases from 4 W/cm2 to high levels around 18 W/cm2. The levels of thermal contact resistance and electrical contact resistance required to even approach the critical TEG system cost level of $1/W are characterized by con = 1.0 x 10-10 -m2 and r = 0.1, respectively. This not only lowers TEG costs, but it also makes the TEG system costs less sensitive to TE manufacturing dependences on TE element length. New design paradigms and relationships create holistic, integrated TE performance-cost models that enhance understanding of crucial interrelationships between component costs, TE design parameters and material properties, heat exchanger design parameters, interfacial heat flux, and now thermal and electrical interface effects in minimizing TEG system costs.

Hendricks, Terry J.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Rotor systems research aircraft predesign study. Volume 3: Predesign report

The features of two aircraft designs were selected to be included in the single RSRA configuration. A study was conducted for further preliminary design and a more detailed analysis of development plans and costs. An analysis was also made of foreseeable technical problems and risks, identification of parallel research which would reduce risks and/or add to the basic capability of the aircraft, and a draft aircraft specification.

Schmidt, S. A.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Industry survey of space system cost benefits from New Ways Of Doing Business

The cost of designing, building and operating space system hardware has always been expensive. Small quantities of specialty parts escalate engineering design, production and operations cost. Funding cutbacks and shrinking revenues dictate aggressive cost saving programs. NASA's highest priority is providing economical transportation to and from space. Over the past three decades NASA has seen technological advances that provide grater efficiencies in designing, building, and operating of space system hardware. As future programs such as NLS, LUTE and SEI begin, these greater efficiencies and cost savings should be reflected in the cost models. There are several New Ways Of Doing Business (NWODB) which, when fully implemented will reduce space system costs. These philosophies and/or culture changes are integrated in five areas: (1) More Extensive Pre-Phase C/D & E, (2) Multi Year Funding Stability, (3) Improved Quality, Management and Procurement Processes, (4) Advanced Design Methods, and (5) Advanced Production Methods. Following is an overview of NWODB and the Cost Quantification Analysis results using an industry survey, one of the four quantification techniques used in the study. The NWODB Cost Quantification Analysis is a study performed at Marshall Space Flight Center by the Engineering Cost Group, Applied Research Incorporated and Pittsburg State University. This study took place over a period of four months in mid 1992. The purpose of the study was to identify potential NWODB which could lead to improved cost effectiveness within NASA and to quantify potential cost benefits that might accrue if these NWODB were implemented.

Rosmait, Russell L.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Pumped Storage Hydropower Valuation Guidebook: A Cost-Benefit and Decision Analysis Valuation Framework

As an energy storage technology, pumped storage hydropower (PSH) supports various aspects of power system operations. However, determining the value of PSH plants and their many services and contributions to the system has been a challenge. While there is a general understanding that PSH resources provide many services and benefits for the operation of power systems, estimating the value of these services—and especially the monetary value of some of those services—has been a challenge. The objective of this project, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO), is to advance the state of the art in assessing the value of PSH plants and their contributions to the power system. The specific goal is to develop detailed, step-by-step valuation guidance that PSH developers, plant owners or operators, and other stakeholders can use to assess the value of existing or potential new PSH plants and their services. The specific goals of this project are: (1) to develop comprehensive and transparent valuation guidance that will support consistent valuation assessments and comparisons of PSH projects or project design alternatives, (2) to test the PSH valuation guidance and its underlying methodology by applying it to two selected PSH projects, and (3) to transfer and disseminate the PSH valuation guidance to the hydropower industry, PSH developers, and other stakeholders. The authors believe that the application of a consistent, transparent, and repeatable valuation process will advance valuation assessments and allow stakeholders to compare valuation analyses performed for different PSH projects or design alternatives. It will also increase the acceptance of valuation results and enable better understanding of the true value that PSH technology brings to the grid.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Research note: LED lighting – A global enterprise

There is considerable focus on technology manufacturing locations and the value in funding innovation when upstream products are not manufactured within a domestic economy. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are such an upstream product. Here, we evaluate the value added along the supply chain of luminaires, a product that utilizes LEDs, using bottom-up cost modelling. Coupling the results with analysis of shipping cost and time, this analysis examines how advances in LEDs can incentivize LED luminaire adoption leading to the potential for significant domestic manufacturing effects even if the upstream products are produced in other economies.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2024

Leveraging NREL's ResStock & ComStock Dataset to Evaluate Building Stock Electrification: Preprint

Residential and commercial buildings accounted for 40% of U.S. energy consumption in 2022 and represent a significant opportunity for decarbonization through energy efficiency and electrification, and for grid planning. Building stock energy modeling is a powerful tool that can evaluate what-if scenarios as utilities, municipalities, policymakers, building owners and others work towards equitable building decarbonization and climate goals. This presentation will highlight several high-impact use cases of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)'s highly granular, bottom-up building stock energy modeling tools, ResStock and ComStock. These use cases cover a wide range of project scale, from neighborhood electrification analysis and municipality long-term energy planning, to state energy code development and national policy evaluation. This presentation will showcase specific real-world applications for which ResStock and ComStock have been utilized across the country, including California codes and standards cost-effectiveness analysis, New York City affordable housing electrification cost gap analysis, and California targeted electrification and gas decommissioning analysis. For each use case, this presentation will illustrate how ResStock and ComStock played a crucial role in accurately characterizing regional building stocks, providing discrete and aggregated end-use load shapes, and calculating lifecycle consumption, emissions, and costs for a variety of building electrification strategies and scenarios. Finally, this presentation will demonstrate how the data provided by ResStock and ComStock can help unlock significant outcomes for these use cases, including but not limited to, customer bill impact, incentive and program design, and energy equity analyses.

building stock modeling↗
DOE OSTI2024

A Reduced-form Cost Model for Prefeasibility Analysis of Hydropower at Non-Powered Dams

This study presents a reduced-form model to support a better understanding of the capacity potential and drivers of costs for hydropower development at U.S. non-powered dams (NPD), which are existing dams that are not currently used for hydropower. With information on nineteen reference sites, a set of reduced-form design and cost equations were estimated to enable rapid assessments of aggregate costs and their components for a large number of NPD sites. The model was then applied to 36,000+ potential U.S. NPD sites using the limited data commonly available. Although the cost estimates span a wide range, there exists a significant amount of U.S. NPD hydropower capacity potential, which are considered cost-competitive in the current market using baseline technologies.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1993

Cost benefits of advanced software: A review of methodology used at Kennedy Space Center

To assist rational investments in advanced software, a formal, explicit, and multi-perspective cost-benefit analysis methodology is proposed. The methodology can be implemented through a six-stage process which is described and explained. The current practice of cost-benefit analysis at KSC is reviewed in the light of this methodology. The review finds that there is a vicious circle operating. Unsound methods lead to unreliable cost-benefit estimates. Unreliable estimates convince management that cost-benefit studies should not be taken seriously. Then, given external demands for cost-benefit estimates, management encourages software enginees to somehow come up with the numbers for their projects. Lacking the expertise needed to do a proper study, courageous software engineers with vested interests use ad hoc and unsound methods to generate some estimates. In turn, these estimates are unreliable, and the cycle continues. The proposed methodology should help KSC to break out of this cycle.

Joglekar, Prafulla N.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Complete resolution across the neodymium/samarium isotopic envelope with a liquid sampling‐atmospheric pressure glow discharge — Orbitrap mass spectrometer

Rationale Nd and Sm isotope ratios play an important role in geological dating and as nuclear forensic signatures; however, the overlap of the respective 144, 148, 150 Nd/Sm isobars requires prior separations to be performed before analysis on typical MS platforms. The work presented here overcomes these isobaric interferences using ultrahigh‐mass resolution to alleviate interference without prior chemical separations. Methods A liquid sampling‐atmospheric pressure glow discharge ion source was coupled to a standard, QExactive Focus Orbitrap mass spectrometer, providing a mass resolution of ~80 k. A Spectroswiss FTMS booster X2 data acquisition package was used to collect extended transients, providing much higher mass resolution; ~230 k and ~600 k are employed here for Nd and Sm isotopes. Results While the standard Orbitrap resolution is far greater than typical “atomic” MS platforms, it was insufficient to alleviate all isobars. The use of a resolution of ~230 k resulted in baseline separation across the entire isotopic envelope for both Nd and Sm. Isotope ratios obtained from Nd:Sm mixtures using high‐resolution were equivalent to those found for individual‐element solutions, while isotope ratios obtained at a resolution of ~80 k (standard for the OEM data system) showed large deviations. Conclusions Use of ultrahigh‐resolution is an attractive alternative to extensive chemical separations to alleviate severe isobaric interferences. Sufficient mass resolution greatly reduces/eliminates the need for sample manipulations (separations) before analysis while reducing costs and total analysis times.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

AL-CRADA-2025-01 Final Report: American-Made Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize Accelerate! Phase 2

This report summarizes the Phase 2 achievements of the Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize project led by Critical Materials Recycling (CMR) in partnership with Ames National Laboratory. The team demonstrated the technical feasibility and economic viability of recovering and reusing rare-earth Nd-Fe-B magnets from end-of-life (EOL) wind turbine generators. Through mechanical disassembly, demagnetization, and precision processing, magnets were harvested and characterized to assess structural, compositional, and magnetic properties. Results showed that recovered magnets performed on par with commercial-grade counterparts, enabling their integration into actuator and motor prototypes without redesign. System-level modeling and finite-element simulations validated operational performance, while Life Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis revealed up to 20% material cost savings and 2–3% reductions in overall motor system costs. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) further confirmed substantial environmental benefits, including a ~94% reduction in global warming potential relative to virgin magnet production. The project’s success was enabled by a tightly integrated partnership between industry and national lab experts, illustrating a viable path for domestic magnet-to-magnet recycling. These findings support a scalable, circular solution for rare-earth material recovery, reducing dependence on imported critical minerals and advancing sustainable clean energy technologies.

Lograsso, Thomas [Ames Laboratory (AMES), Ames, IA↗