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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Zero-Emissions Roadmap for Oakland County

This document outlines a strategic pathway for Oakland County, Michigan to achieve zero emissions by 2050 under the Clean Energy to Communities (C2C) Program. The report encompasses analyses and high-level modeling to guide Oakland County in its emission reduction goals. Key methods include establishing an emissions inventory baseline with ongoing evaluation of future projects’ emissions impacts. Core elements include decommissioning old infrastructure, enhancing energy efficiency, deploying hybrid and ground-source heat pumps, and transitioning to electric fleets. It is proposed to structure the planning process into 5-year strategic plans to make the decarbonization process manageable. The document also emphasizes the need for reassessment of goals and periodic updates to remain adaptive to technological advancements and funding considerations. A matrixed approach for evaluating projects by cost and emissions savings is suggested to optimize decision-making given finite resources.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Advanced Reactor Control Systems Authentication Methods and Recommendations

In the dynamic landscape of Operational Technology (OT), and specifically the emerging landscape for Advanced Reactors, the establishment of trust between digital assets emerges as a challenge for cybersecurity modernization. This report reviews existing approaches to authentication in Enterprise environments, and proposed methods for authentication in OT, and analyzes each for its applicability to future Advanced Reactor digital networks. Principles of authentication ranging from underlying cryptographic mechanisms to trust authorities are evaluated through the lens of OT. These facets emphasize the importance of mutual authentication in real-time environments, enabling a paradigm shift from the current approach of strong boundaries to a more malleable network that allows for flexible operation. This work finds that there is a need for evaluation and decision making by industry stakeholders, but current technologies and approaches can be adapted to fit needs and risk tolerances.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Direct-DC Power in Buildings: Identifying the Best Applications Today for Tomorrow’s Building Sector

Driven by the increased use of direct current (DC) sources (photovoltaics, battery storage) and DC end-use devices (electronics, solid-state lighting, efficient motors), DC power distribution in buildings and DC microgrids have been proposed as a way to achieve greater efficiency, cost savings, and resiliency in a transitioning building sector. Despite these important benefits, several market and technological barriers inhibit the development of DC distribution, and the market for DC in buildings is still largely in the demonstration phase. Therefore, to jumpstart this technology, a clear path forward must emerge at this early stage of deployment. The goal of this paper is to define specific end-use cases for which DC distribution in buildings is a value proposition today by defining clear efficiency and resiliency benefits while addressing barriers to implementation. The paper begins with a technology and market assessment of DC distribution equipment, end uses, and technology standards. That is followed by results from an expert elicitation of DC power and building end-use professionals (e.g., electrical designers, building operators, engineers) and reports on-site visits and lessons learned from successful (and less successful) field deployments of DC distribution projects in North America. We present specific adoption pathways at the community and building level that can be implemented today, and evaluate them using qualitative and quantitative metrics, such as technology and market readiness, energy savings, and resiliency.

building-level electrical distribution↗
DOE OSTI2021

Direct-DC Power in Buildings: Identifying the Best Applications Today for Tomorrow’s Building Sector

Driven by the increased use of direct current (DC) sources (photovoltaics, battery storage) and DC end-use devices (electronics, solid-state lighting, efficient motors), DC power distribution in buildings and DC microgrids have been proposed as a way to achieve greater efficiency, cost savings, and resiliency in a transitioning building sector.Despite these important benefits, several market and technological barriers inhibit the development of DC distribution, and the market for DC in buildings is still largely in the demonstration phase. Therefore, to jumpstart this technology, a clear path forward must emerge at this early stage of deployment. The goal of this paper is to define specific end-use cases for which DC distribution in buildings is a value proposition today by defining clear efficiency and resiliency benefits while addressing barriers to implementation.The paper begins with a technology and market assessment of DC distribution equipment, end uses, and technology standards. That is followed by results from an expert elicitation of DC power and building end-use professionals (e.g., electrical designers, building operators, engineers) and reports on-site visits and lessons learned from successful (and less successful) field deployments of DC distribution projects in North America. We present specific adoption pathways at the community and building level that can be implemented today, and evaluate them using qualitative and quantitative metrics, such as technology and market readiness, energy savings, and resiliency.

Vossos, Evangelos↗
DOE OSTI2020

Who Controls Energy in the Smart Home? A Multidisciplinary Taxonomy

Advances in technology have begun to open new opportunities for behavior-based and technical approaches to managing residential energy use and meet sustainability-related objectives. Visions of the future predict homes with smart technologies delivering enhanced comfort and cost savings to residents; utility-partners who can remotely optimize energy resources to meet grid needs; and occupants who play more active roles in the energy system supported by advanced information communication technologies. Each of these scenarios implies augmented control over home energy use, yet uncertainties remain regarding which ones will deliver the greatest grid benefits and services to customers in a given situation. These scenarios also raise broader questions regarding customer agency and the relationship between customers and third parties moving forward. While both the provision of information to spur behavior change and automated technologies theoretically enhance control over energy use in the built environment, these strategies are not often studied from an integrated perspective. Seeking to address this gap and develop a deeper understanding of the evolving paradigm of control over home energy use, this paper presents a taxonomy to evaluate perspectives from public policy (ex. demand-side management), technological innovation (automated controls), and user-agency (ex. the role of behavior change) on approaches to managing home energy use. We draw on theoretical and empirical evidence from across disciplines to detail the dimensions and implications of deploying programs that incorporate various levels of control and anticipate such a taxonomy will help holistically map out and evaluate tradeoffs between different approaches to demand-side management moving forward.

McIlvennie, Claire↗
DOE OSTI2024

Online characterization of primary and secondary emissions of particulate matter and acidic molecules from a modern fleet of city buses

The potential impact of transitioning from conventional fossil fuel to a non-fossil-fuel vehicle fleet was investigated by measuring primary emissions via extractive sampling of bus plumes and assessing secondary mass formation using the Gothenburg Potential Aerosol Mass (Go:PAM) reactor from 76 in-use transit buses. Online chemical characterization of gaseous and particulate emissions from these buses was conducted using chemical ionization mass spectrometry (CIMS) with acetate as the reagent ion, coupled with the Filter Inlet for Gases and AEROsols (FIGAERO). Acetate reagent ion chemistry selectively ionizes acidic compounds, including organic and inorganic acids, as well as nitrated and sulfated organics. A significant reduction (48 %–98 %) in fresh particle emissions was observed in buses utilizing compressed natural gas (CNG), biodiesels like rapeseed methyl ester (RME) and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), and hybrid-electric HVO (HVO HEV ) compared to diesel (DSL). However, secondary particle formation from photooxidation of emissions was substantial across all the fuel types. The median ratio of particle mass emission factors of aged to fresh emissions increased in the following order: DSL buses at 4.0, HVO buses at 6.7, HVO HEV buses at 10.5, RME buses at 10.8, and CNG buses at 84. Of the compounds that can be identified by CIMS, fresh gaseous emissions from all Euro V/EEV (Enhanced Environmentally friendly Vehicle) buses, regardless of fuel type, were dominated by nitrogen-containing compounds such as nitrous acid (HONO), nitric acid (HNO 3 ), and isocyanic acid (HNCO), alongside small monoacids (C 1 –C 3 ). Notably, the emission of nitrogen-containing compounds was lower in Euro VI buses equipped with more advanced emission control technologies. Secondary gaseous organic acids correlated strongly with gaseous HNO 3 signals (R 2 =0.85–0.99) in Go:PAM, but their moderate to weak correlations with post-photooxidation secondary particle mass suggest that they are not reliable tracers of secondary organic aerosol formation from bus exhaust. Our study highlights that non-regulated compounds and secondary pollutant formation, not currently addressed in legislation, are crucial considerations in the evaluation of environmental impacts of future fuel and engine technology shifts.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Environmental and economic analyses of chemical recycling via dissolution of waste polyethylene terephthalate

Globally, more than 1000 organizations and 175 nations are facing the plastic waste problem and have realized the need to transition from “linear-to-circular” economy of plastics. While the current mechanical recycling technologies for plastics are struggling to increase the U.S. plastic recycling rates beyond 9%, chemical recycling technologies become important complementary technologies to the predominant mechanical recycling that are needed to realize the circular economy in plastics supply chains. Dissolution is one such chemical recycling technology that can recycle waste plastic back into high-quality virgin grade plastic. However, the environmental and economic impacts of chemical recycling of waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) via dissolution technology using a green solvent are unknown. Our study evaluated environmental metrics such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and cumulative energy demand, and economic metrics such as net present value (NPV), minimum selling price, payback period, return on investment, and discounted internal rate of return for three dissolution processes with polymer recovery via anti-solvent, evaporation, and cooling precipitation techniques. The dissolution process with evaporation technique was the most economically favorable, whereas that with cooling technique was the most environmentally favorable. The anti-solvent approach had low economic performance and the highest environmental impacts. The NPV for all of these technologies ranged from $2.67 MM to $10.93 MM for a capacity of 8,400 MT/year and was found to be the highest for dissolution with evaporation approach and the least for anti-solvent approach. The cradle-to-gate GHG emissions and energy demand for PET dissolution processes ranged from 1.33-3.77 kg CO2-eq/kg of chemically recycled (CR) PET and18.9-56.1 MJ/kg of CR-PET, respectively. These economic and environmental metrics will be helpful in evaluating the sustainability of circular PET supply chains in the U.S.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2021

High performance protonic ceramic fuel cell systems for distributed power generation

The technology landscape around distributed generation continues to evolve in response to increasing demand for high-efficiency, low-emission, low-cost power generation. While emerging distributed power technologies, such as solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), continue to advance, they still face challenges due to their high capital costs, and shorter lifetimes that typically arise from electrochemical stack performance degradation at high operating temperatures (>750 °C). Recent advancements in protonic ceramic fuel cells (PCFCs) offer the potential to mitigate drawbacks of their higher temperature SOFC counterparts by enabling lower operating temperatures (550 °C–600 °C) with acceptable power densities. Here the present work leverages the recent progress in protonic ceramic cell and stack technology development to generate viable system configurations and evaluate the energetic performance potential of PCFC-based systems for stationary power generation. Process system engineering of two water-neutral system concepts, which provide 25 kW of electric power and process hot water, are presented and evaluated through sensitivity studies. Stack design parameters are altered and used to gauge the effect on system performance characteristics, including fuel cell stack and balance-of-plant sizing requirements, and electric and cogeneration efficiencies. The study finds that the potentially high per-pass fuel utilization capability of PCFC stacks could enable unprecedented electric efficiencies approaching 70% without hybridization with other prime movers.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Identification of novel organic polar materials: A machine learning study with importance sampling

Recent advances in the synthesis of polar molecular materials have produced practical alternatives to ferroelectric ceramics, opening up exciting new avenues for their incorporation into modern electronic devices. However, in order to realize the full potential of polar polymer and molecular crystals for modern technological applications, it is paramount to assemble and evaluate all the available data for such compounds, identifying descriptors that could be associated with an emergence of ferroelectricity. In this paper, we utilized data-driven approaches to judiciously shortlist candidate materials from a wide chemical space that could possess ferroelectric functionalities. A machine learning study with importance sampling was employed to address the challenge of having a limited amount of available data on already-known organic ferroelectrics. Sets of molecular- and crystal-level descriptors were combined with a Random Forest Regression algorithm in order to predict the spontaneous polarization of the shortlisted compounds. First-principles simulations were performed to further validate the predictions obtained from the machine learning model.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Assessment of rhizosphere bacterial diversity and composition in a metal hyperaccumulator (Boehmeria nivea) and a nonaccumulator (Artemisia annua) in an antimony mine

Abstract Aims Heavy metal hyperaccumulators are widely used in mining restoration due to their ability to accumulate and transport heavy metals, compared to nonaccumulators. Rhizosphere bacteria in metal hyperaccumulators play a key role in the uptake of heavy metals from soil; however, assessments of the differences of rhizosphere bacteria between metal hyperaccumulators and nonaccumulator are scarce. Methods and results To understand the difference of bacterial composition between hyperaccumulator and nonaccumulator in rhizosphere, the diversity and composition of rhizosphere bacteria in a metal hyperaccumulator (Boehmeria nivea) and a nonaccumulator (Artemisia annua) grown in the same field in Xikuangshan were evaluated using Illumina Miseq high-throughput sequencing technology. Boehmeria nivea and A. annua had 3926 overlapping OTUs, 19,736 and 17,579 unique OTUs, respectively. Boehmeria nivea had lower Chao1 index, Shannon index and Pielou index than A. annua. The dominant phyla and genera of rhizosphere bacteria in B. nivea and A. annua were similar, but some rhizosphere bacterial communities with heavy metal remediation ability mainly appeared in the rhizosphere of the hyperaccumulator. Compared to A. annua, B. nivea showed a significantly higher relative abundance of rhizosphere bacteria, such as Acidobacteria and Bacteroidete at the phylum level and RB41 at the genus level. Some specific rhizosphere bacteria with the ability to bind metal, such as Leifsonia and Kibdelosporangium, were only found in the rhizosphere of B. nivea. Conclusion Results indicated that B. nivea, as a metal hyperaccumulator, has a key function in governing metal-resistant rhizosphere bacteria in response to antimony compound pollution stress. Significance and Impact of Study Understanding the diversity of rhizosphere bacteria between hyperaccumulators and nonaccumulators is beneficial to formulate strategies to improve metal uptake efficiency by selecting specific plant species and rhizosphere bacteria grown on polluted soil.

Lin, Yuxiang↗
DOE OSTI2024

ENDF/B-VIII.1

The ENDF/B-VIII.1 release is the newest evaluated nuclear data library produced, distributed, and recommended by CSEWG for use in nuclear science and technology applications. Among the many key advances, relative to the previous version ENDF/B-VIII.0, are: re-evaluation of 239Pu file by a joint international effort; updated 16,18O, 19F, 28-30Si, 50-54Cr, 55Mn, 54,56,57Fe, 63,65Cu, 139La, 233,235,238U, and 240,241Pu neutron nuclear data by the IAEA-coordinated INDEN collaboration; significant changes for 3He, 6Li, 9Be, 51V, 88Sr, 103Rh, 140,142Ce, Dy, 181Ta, Pt, 206-208Pb, and 234,236U neutron data; new nuclear data for the photo-nuclear, being 196 adopted from the IAEA2019 Photonuclear Data Library and one new file from JENDL-5; and new evaluations for the charged-particle and atomic sublibraries. Numerous thermal neutron scattering kernels were re-evaluated or provided for the very first time. Additionally, new covariance testing was implemented. ENDF/B-VIII.1 reduced bias in the simulations of many integral experiments with particular progress noted for fluorine, copper and stainless steel containing benchmarks. Data issues which had hindered the deployment of ENDF/B-VIII.0 for commercial nuclear power applications in high burn-up situations, were addressed. ENDF/B-VIII.1 data are distributed in both ENDF-6 and GNDS formats.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Battery Abuse Testing

Abuse tests are designed to determine the safe operating limits of HEV\PHEV energy storage devices. Testing is intended to achieve certain worst-case scenarios to yield quantitative data on cell\module\pack response, allowing for failure mode determination and guiding developers toward improved materials and designs. Standard abuse tests with defined start and end conditions are performed on all devices to provide comparison between technologies. New tests and protocols are developed and evaluated to more closely simulate real-world failure conditions. While robust mechanical models for vehicles and vehicle components exist, there is a gap for mechanical modeling of EV batteries. The challenge with developing a mechanical model for a battery is the heterogeneous nature of the materials and components (polymers, metals, metal oxides, liquids). This year saw the stand up of a new drop tower tester capable of providing dynamic mechanical test results.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Techno-Economic Analysis of Synthetic Fuels Pathways Integrated with Light Water Reactors

The purpose of this work is to identify, model, and compare two possible synfuel production routes utilizing CO 2 as the feedstock. Heat from an LWR nuclear plant is integrated wherever possible as a means to positively affect the economics of the LWR. Process and economic modeling for a conceptual synfuel production plant co-located (or in near proximity) with an LWR is presented, including the cost of CO 2 captured from an ethanol plant, compressed, and transported to the LWR hybrid plant, co-electrolysis of the CO 2 with water in a solid oxide electrolyzing cell (SOEC) system to produce syngas, and thermo-catalytic conversion of the syngas to transportation fuel. The hybrid LWR/synfuels plant is assumed to be located within 50-150 miles of an ethanol plant, e.g., located in the Midwest region of the United States. Performance and nth plant economics for the co-electrolysis-based processes are evaluated and compared with biomass-gasification-based technology for the synfuel routes considered. Sensitivity analysis around the price of CO 2 and electricity, two of the major cost drivers, is presented for each case. Consideration of a carbon credit is also included in the sensitivity analysis.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2020

Techno-Economic Analysis of Synthetic Fuels Pathways Integrated with Light Water Reactors

The purpose of this work is to identify, model, perform techno-economic analysis, and compare two possible synfuel production routes utilizing CO 2 as the feedstock. Heat from an LWR nuclear plant is integrated wherever possible to positively affect the economics of the LWR by converting power to fuels during times of low grid electricity demand. Process and economic modeling for a conceptual synfuel production plant co-located (or in near proximity) with an LWR is presented, including the cost of CO 2 captured from an ethanol plant, compressed, and transported to the LWR hybrid plant, co-electrolysis of the CO 2 with water in a solid oxide electrolyzing cell (SOEC) system to produce syngas, and thermocatalytic conversion of the syngas to transportation fuel. The hybrid LWR/synfuels plant is assumed to be located within 50–150 miles of an ethanol plant (e.g., located in the midwest region of the United States). Performance and nth-plant economics for the co-electrolysis-based processes are evaluated and compared with biomass-gasification-based technology for the synfuel routes considered. Sensitivity analysis around the price of CO 2 and electricity, two of the major cost drivers, is presented for each case. Consideration of a carbon credit is also included in the sensitivity analysis.

10 SYNTHETIC FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2021

I.6.C Battery Safety Testing

Abuse tests are designed to determine the safe operating limits of HEV\PHEV energy storage devices. Testing is intended to achieve certain worst-case scenarios to yield quantitative data on cell\module\pack response, allowing for failure mode determination and guiding developers toward improved materials and designs. Standard abuse tests with defined start and end conditions are performed on all devices to provide comparison between technologies. New tests and protocols are developed and evaluated to more closely simulate real world failure conditions. While robust mechanical models for vehicles and vehicle components exist, there is a gap for mechanical modeling of EV batteries. The challenge with developing a mechanical model for a battery is the heterogeneous nature of the materials and components (polymers, metals, metal oxides, liquids).

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Hybrid Electrochemical Hydrogen/Metal Hydride Compressor (Final Technical Report)

Various alternatives to traditional mechanical compressor systems have been considered, including MHC and EHC. Both MHCs and EHCs are solid-state systems that have no moving parts other than valves. Both are quiet and have low maintenance requirements. However, strength and material issues as well as water and heat management issues have challenged EHCs, especially, when operated at very high pressures. Similarly, low efficiency, especially, when staging is required to attain high, pressure ratios, has challenged MHCs and has made them too complex and expensive. Material degradation, due to hydrogen impurity effects, has also created issues for MHCs. One novel alternative evaluated here is to combine EHC and MHC technologies in a way to maximize their advantages and to minimize each of their challenges to improve the overall systems performance on a path to meet or exceed current DOE targets. A hybrid EH/MH compressor takes advantage of lower maintenance and operating costs as well as increased reliability associated with both the MHC and EHC technologies over traditional mechanical compressors. Neither the MHC nor the EHC have any moving parts other than valves. The hybrid system also takes advantage of the higher efficiency and lower cost of the EHC by operating at lower delivery pressures combined with the robust and simple operation of a single-stage, MH compressor at higher pressures. Both MHC and EHC technologies are scalable and can be used for a variety of hydrogen compression and delivery applications.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2023

Energy Equity Opportunities in Distributed Wind Hybrid Systems for Rural Loads

Distributed wind (DW) hybrid systems, or combinations of distributed energy resources with wind technologies, have the potential to provide energy equity benefits for rural loads. However, project developers and end-users do not understand these benefits well. This report outlines energy equity opportunities that result directly from DW-hybrid projects and proposes a framework that demonstrates how to consider equity in the DW-hybrid system, which can enhance existing resilience and valuation tools by incorporating a way to include equity considerations. Energy equity opportunities achievable with DW-hybrid systems for rural loads are defined by the core principles of energy justice for use in a proposed equity framework. As well, a catalog of equity resources, metrics, technology-agnostic frameworks, and best practices are linked in an attached Excel file. Electric cooperatives, technical assistance providers (including national laboratory and DOE staff), DW project developers, and technology providers can use this work to understand, evaluate, and define equitable outcomes for potential DW-hybrid projects.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Atlantic Offshore Wind Transmission Study

The Atlantic Offshore Wind Transmission Study (AOSWTS) is part of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) efforts to understand and facilitate the transmission of electricity from wind in the Atlantic Ocean. It was informed by the Atlantic Offshore Wind Transmission Literature Review and Gaps Analysis (Bothwell et al. 2021) and the convening workshops hosted in 2022-2023 by DOE and the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The study results help to inform An Action Plan for Offshore Wind Transmission Development in the U.S. Atlantic Region (Baker et al. 2023). DOE's Wind Energy Technologies Office funded AOSWTS. The AOSWTS identifies and evaluates pathways to enable offshore wind energy deployment in the Atlantic Ocean through coordinated offshore transmission solutions in the near term (by 2030) and long term (by 2050). The study fills gaps in prior analyses by providing a multiregional planning perspective that evaluates offshore wind generation development with transmission planning. It incorporates environmental, ocean co-use, and other siting considerations into defining potential offshore transmission routes. The study also compares different multiregional offshore transmission topologies and their associated costs (using potential cable routes) and benefits (in terms of production cost savings and enhanced resource adequacy). In addition, the AOSWTS analyzes reliability impacts from a multiregional perspective. The study provides guidance for policymakers and transmission stakeholders on possible outcomes resulting from a proactive, coordinated, and interregional approach to transmission planning for offshore wind energy development in the Atlantic. While this study presents possibilities, additional work following system operator methods and procedures can help build on this analysis.

17 WIND ENERGY↗