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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 775 records · Page 43
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

Estimating the Value of Improved Distributed Photovoltaic Adoption Forecasts for Utility Resource Planning

Misforecasting the adoption of customer-owned distributed photovoltaics (DPV) can have operational and financial implications for utilities - forecasting capabilities can be improved, but generally at a cost. This paper informs this decision-space by quantifying the costs of misforecasting across a wide range of DPV growth rates and misforecast severities. Using a simplified probabilistic method presented within, an analyst can make a first-order estimate of the financial benefit of improving a utility's forecasting capabilities, and thus be better informed about whether to make such an investment. For example, we show that a utility with 10 TWh per year of retail electric sales who initially estimates that the increase in DPV's contribution to total generation could range from 2 to 7.5 percent over the next 15 years could expect total present-value savings of approximately 4 million dollars if they could keep the severity of successive five-year misforecasts within plus or minus 25 percent. We also have more general discussions about how misforecasting DPV impacts the buildout and operation of the bulk power system - for example, we observed that misforecasting DPV most strongly influenced the amount of utility-scale PV that gets built, due to the similarity in the energy and capacity services offered by the two solar technologies.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Estimating the Value of Improved Distributed Photovoltaic Adoption Forecasts for Utility Resource Planning

Misforecasting the adoption of customer-owned distributed photovoltaics (DPV) can have operational and financial implications for utilities - forecasting capabilities can be improved, but generally at a cost.This paper informs this decision-space by quantifying the costs of misforecasting across a wide range of DPV growth rates and misforecast severities. Using a simplified probabilistic method presented within, an analyst can make a first-order estimate of the financial benefit of improving a utility's forecasting capabilities, and thus be better informed about whether to make such an investment. For example, we show that a utility with 10 TWh per year of retail electric sales who initially estimates that the increase in DPV's contribution to total generation could range from 2 percent to 7.5 percent over the next 15 years could expect total present-value savings of approximately 4 million if they could keep the severity of successive five-year misforecasts within +/- 25 percent. We also have more general discussions about how misforecasting DPV impacts the buildout and operation of the bulk power system - for example, we observed that misforecasting DPV most strongly influenced the amount of utility-scale PV that gets built, due to the similarity in the energy and capacity services offered by the two solar technologies.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

SNL Lesson Learned and Guidance for Data Repositories and Analytic Frameworks

This document represents the results of deliverable D05.02 (Identify relevant efforts at SNL and other institutions) under the activity area Relevant Efforts Review. The goal of the Relevant Efforts Review activity is to identify relevant data integration efforts at SNL and possibly other institutions and compile lessons learned that are relevant to the development of a framework for data integration efforts in support of analysts and decision makers. The intent of this activity is to provide, by examples, context of how the requirements-gathering process has already been implemented in other instances and to guide the development of such a process for OCIA's needs. Information for this report was gathered through SNL staff interviews and the team members' knowledge and project experiences.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2018

2018 Annual Technology Baseline (ATB)

Consistent cost and performance data for various electricity generation technologies can be difficult to find and may change frequently for certain technologies. With the Annual Technology Baseline (ATB), the National Renewable Energy Laboratory annually provides an organized and centralized set of such cost and performance data. The ATB uses the best information from the Department of Energy national laboratories' renewable energy analysts as well as information from the Energy Information Administration for fuel-based technologies. The ATB has been reviewed by experts and it includes the following electricity generation technologies: land-based wind, offshore wind, utility-scale solar photovoltaics (PV), commercial-scale solar PV, residential-scale solar PV, concentrating solar power, geothermal power, hydropower, coal, natural gas, nuclear, and conventional biopower. This webinar presentation introduces the 2018 ATB.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Mechanical Characterization of Woven Composites at Different Temperatures

This work is to characterize the mechanical properties of the selected composites along both on- and off- fiber axes at the ambient loading condition (+25°C), as well as at the cold (-54°C), and high temperatures (+71°C). A series of tensile experiments were conducted at different material orientations of 0°, 22.5°, 45°, 67.5°, 90° to measure the ultimate strength and strain $σ_{f}, ϵ_{f}$, and material engineering constants, including Young's modulus Ε and Poisson's ratio ν. The composite materials in this study were one carbon composite carbon (AS4C/UF3662) and one E-galss (E-glass/UF3662) composite. They both had the same resin of UF 3362, but with different fibers of carbon AS4C and E-glass. The mechanical loading in this study was limited to the quasi-static loading of 2 mm/min (1.3x10 ^(-3) in/s), which was equivalent to 5x10 (-4) strain rate. These experimental data of the mechanical properties of composites at different loading directions and temperatures were summarized and compared. These experimental results provided database for design engineers to optimize structures through ply angle modifications and for analysts to better predict the component performance.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Rattlesnake Theory Manual

Rattlesnake is the MOOSE [1, 2] (Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment) based application for simulating the physics of radiation transport. Radiation transport studies the motion of particles, usually neutrons, photons or electrons, etc. and their interactions with background materials [3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]. The fundamental quantity of interest in radiation transport is the statistically averaged radiation distribution or flux in space (dimentionality 3), time (1), direction of motion (2) and energy (or frequency) (1), forming a seven-dimensional phase space. Various reaction rates are secondary in the sense that they are computed from the primary flux and the background material properties; however, reaction rates are typically more interesting for the analyst or when coupling to other physics, e.g. heat conduction or thermo-hydraulics. Radiation transport calculations receive feedback within a multiphysics environment through temperature and density changes, which predominantly change how radiation particles interact with the background nuclei. Accurate prediction of the flux is essential to the design and operation of nuclear facilities for the purpose of safety and economics. For example in nuclear fission reactors, neutron-induced fissions and the accumulated radiative isotopes are the main heat source. Predicting whether the heat can be removed from the reactor core under all circumstances without violation of safety limits is critical to the safety of nuclear reactors.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2018

Parametric Studies for Plutonium Metal-Water Mixtures in Arrays of 6-Inch Columns

A parametric study for arrays of 6-inch diameter tank columns was performed in order to assist in the practical development of limits for plutonium solution operations. This technical document utilizes approaches taken in NCS-TECH-10-009 [Reference 1]. While this technical document expands on areas where the authors feel appropriate, it does not attempt to recreate all parts of the existing technical document. This technical document is intended to be used in conjunction with the previous technical document. The results reported in this technical document may be used to support facility-specific program documents or individual Criticality Safety Evaluation Documents (CSEDs). This technical document does not derive any specific requirements. Caution should be taken when applying these results; it is the criticality safety analyst's responsibility, if he/she chooses to utilize this technical document, to properly assess the applicability of the results presented herein for his/her application.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2016

Risk Assessment in Event Evaluation P-302

Incidents at locations such as nuclear power plants, waste repositories, and medical treatment facilities occur at many different times and under a variety of situations. Even the most modern, well run organizations may experience events that are precursors to more serious situations. Currently, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission evaluates a variety of such events at commercial nuclear plants via the Significance Determination Process (SDP), Management Directive 8.3, and the Accident Sequence Precursor (ASP) program. In these programs, the analyst calculates a conditional risk measure (e.g., conditional core damage probability) for an initiating event situation or an unplanned equipment outage. This calculation is called an “event evaluation.” An “event evaluation” uses a probabilistic risk assessment model to obtain a risk measure that is conditional on the situation which existed during an incident. The Risk Assessment in Event Evaluation material is intended to address how this evaluation is performed using modern risk analysis tools.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗
DOE OSTI2018

Reliability Assessment of Remote Visual Examination

Remote visual testing (RVT) is a commonly used nondestructive examination method for inservice inspection (ISI) of reactor internals to detect cracking and gross component failures. Despite widespread use, the detection reliability of RVT and the factors that impact overall RVT performance have been unresolved issues. This report describes the results from an assessment sponsored by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and conducted by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, in cooperation with the Electric Power Research Institute, for evaluating the reliability of RVT methods currently being used for [reactor] in-vessel visual inspection. The goal was to assess the performance of commercially applied RVT examination procedures implemented by qualified personnel, as well as to identify and qualitatively assess enhancements to examination procedures for detecting flaws in test specimens. The assessment was performed over three phases of research, with the results of the first phase used to identify key controllable parameters impacting RVT performance and to design the next two phases (round-robin testing). Participants in the round-robin tests included teams of inspectors from commercial nuclear power ISI vendors. Participants were asked to determine if a specimen contained a crack and its approximate location, orientation, and length. The detection and location information were used to compute estimates of the probability of detection and false call probability for various scenarios such as the placement and orientation of the flaw on the specimen, team-to-team variations in detection performance, and effects of secondary review on RVT detection. Results showed that crack opening displacement (COD) is the dominant factor in the reliability of crack detection using commercially applied RVT procedures, with crack length being weakly correlated with detection probability. The implication is that RVT detection is likely heavily dependent on the contrast produced by the crack opening, with crack detection becoming less reliable as the COD decreases. Further, the results indicated RVT will be challenged when cracks are located in the vicinity of surface features such as scratches or weld ripples, or close to the edge of welds where shadowing and/or the presence of weld undercuts may complicate the ability to detect the crack. The assessment also reinforced earlier findings on the importance of lighting in flaw detection and appeared to align with other studies that find improved reliability when using multiple inspectors or analysts. Finally, the results pointed to the importance of practice with specimens that mimic conditions likely to be found in the field. Based on the findings and limitations of the assessment, a number of recommendations are made regarding best practices for improving the reliability of RVT in a field setting and for addressing remaining informational gaps. This report describes the design and noted limitations of the three phases of research, the analysis methodology for each phase, and the results of the research. The results of this assessment provide a benchmark set of data on the reliability of RVT for detecting cracking, assuming the implementation of field-like inspection procedures. The likely impact of several uncontrolled factors on RVT detection performance are discussed, and recommendations regarding the use of these results to assess field performance are provided. Finally, recent advances in RVT technology are briefly discussed and point to the potential need for continued research to evaluate the capability and effectiveness of the technique as improvements are implemented.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Methodology for Estimating Purchased Prices of Energy-efficient Motors Internationally and Results for Selected Countries

Motor-driven systems accounts for approximately 60% of manufacturing final electricity use worldwide. Setting standards and designing policies to increase the energy efficiency of the electric motor stocks in a country is a complex process that requires substantial amount of data and analysis. One of the key data needed for this purpose is the purchase price of electric motors in local market conditions. This study was conducted to develop a bottom-up approach to estimate the purchase price of electric motors in different countries/regions for different sizes, number of poles, enclosures, and efficiency levels by adjusting a recent analysis from the U.S to local parameters. The methodology allows for estimates of manufacturer selling prices, along with other costs associated with the distribution channel to calculate purchase prices for different efficiency levels, in different economies. In this report, we provide preliminary results for selected countries/regions in order to illustrate the possible applications of our analysis. Despite the uncertainties due to specific market conditions, this approach can be used by analysts, industry experts, policy makers, and other interested parties to have a more systematic way to estimate the purchase price of electric motors at the country level and use such prices in cost-benefit analyses and cost-effectiveness of higher energy efficiency standards for electric motors.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2018

Methodology Description for the Policy Analysis Modeling System (PAMS)

The Policy Analysis Modeling System is a spreadsheet tool developed to provide an estimate of costs and benefits of appliance efficiency standard and labeling programs. PAMS is a self-contained spreadsheet model that provides both a consumer-oriented analysis and a national cost-benefit analysis in the style of the analysis performed for U.S. appliance efficiency standards. The tool allows policy analysts from many countries to produce a first-cut analysis of appliance efficiency program costs and benefits, examine the sensitivities of the analysis with respect to different policy parameters and assumptions, and continually refine the analysis as more data becomes available. The methodology is a bottom-up approach, using technical specifications for particular products in estimating the increased cost to the consumer resulting from implementation of particular energy-saving designs. It is designed to operate for the widest possible variety of countries, and with as little need as possible for detailed input data. For more accurate results, it can be easily customized to use the most reliable country-specific data inputs. In addition to consumer financial impacts, the tool provides national primary energy savings and estimates of carbon emissions mitigation resulting from the program.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2018

AGR-1 Depletion Benchmark

The AGR-1 TRISO particle irradiation test was the first Advanced Gas Reactor test irradiated in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at the Idaho National Laboratory. The TRISO particle fuel was 350 μm diameter uranium oxy-carbide (UCO) kernels enriched to 19.75 wt% U-235. The particles were embedded in cylindrical graphite compacts, placed in test capsules, and irradiated over a period of three years or 13 ATR power cycles. The fuel compacts achieved burnups approaching 20% FIMA and accumulated fast fluence up to 4.25E+25 n/m 2 (E n >0.18 MeV). This report describes the AGR-1 test train, capsules, compacts, and TRISO particle fuel in sufficient detail for a physics analyst to model the AGR-1 experiment as part of a larger ATR neutron transport model and perform a depletion calculation. The intent of the data herein is to define a practical numerical TRISO particle depletion benchmark problem for the AGR 1 irradiation test.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2018

Recordation of Buildings 9207 and 9210: The Oak Ridge National Laboratory Biology Complex, Located at the Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

In the summer of 2018, Cultural Resource Analysts, Inc. (CRA) prepared this recordation package for two World War II-era buildings (Buildings 9207 and 9210) located within what is now known as the Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. This recordation also briefly addresses Buildings 9767-6, 9767-7, and 9207A: two small utilities buildings and an annex to Building 9207, each of which was constructed in the 1960s. Completed at the request of UT-Battelle, LLC (UT-B) on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), this document has been prepared to document the history and current conditions of Buildings 9207 and 9210, which had previously been determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Advanced Simulation and Computing FY19 Implementation Plan, Rev. 1

The capabilities that the ASC Program provides at the national laboratories play a vital role in the Nuclear Security Enterprise and are necessary for fulfilling the stockpile stewardship and life extension requirements outlined for NNSA. The Program develops modern simulation tools that provide insights into stockpile aging issues, provide the computational and simulation tools that enable designers and analysts to certify the current stockpile and life-extended nuclear weapons, and inform the decision-making process when any modifications in nuclear warheads or the associated manufacturing processes are deemed necessary. Furthermore, ASC is enhancing the predictive simulation capabilities that are essential to evaluate weapons effects, design experiments, and ensure test readiness. The ASC Program continues to improve its unique tools to solve stockpile problems— with a focus on sufficient resolution, dimensionality, and scientific detail—to enable Quantification of Margins and Uncertainties (QMU) and to resolve the increasingly difficult analyses needed for stockpile stewardship. The needs of the Directed Stockpile Work (DSW) and major modernization programs also drive the requirements for simulation and computational resources. These requirements include planned LEPs, stockpile support activities, and mitigation efforts against the potential for technical surprise. All of the weapons within the current stockpile are in some stage of the life extension process. The simulation and computational capabilities are crucial for successful execution of these lifetime extensions and for ensuring NNSA can certify these life-extended weapons without conducting a UGT. Specific work activities and scope contained in this Implementation Plan (IP) represent the full-year annual operating plan for FY19. The Initial IP, effective August 8, 2018, should be consistent with the Department’s Base Table when operating under a Continuing Resolution (CR). The final IP, effective date TBD, is consistent with the final, enacted appropriation.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2018

Advanced Simulation and Computing FY18 Implementation Plan, Rev. 1

The capabilities that the ASC Program provides at the national laboratories play a vital role in the Nuclear Security Enterprise and are necessary for fulfilling the stockpile stewardship and life extension requirements outlined for NNSA. The Program develops modern simulation tools that provide insights into stockpile aging issues, provide the computational and simulation tools that enable designers and analysts to certify the current stockpile and life-extended nuclear weapons, and inform the decision-making process when any modifications in nuclear warheads or the associated manufacturing processes are deemed necessary. Furthermore, ASC is enhancing the predictive simulation capabilities that are essential to evaluate weapons effects, design experiments, and ensure test readiness. The ASC Program continues to improve its unique tools to solve stockpile problems— with a focus on sufficient resolution, dimensionality, and scientific detail—to enable Quantification of Margins and Uncertainties (QMU) and to resolve the increasingly difficult analyses needed for stockpile stewardship. The needs of the Directed Stockpile Work (DSW) and major modernization programs also drive the requirements for simulation and computational resources. These requirements include planned LEPs, stockpile support activities, and mitigation efforts against the potential for technical surprise. All of the weapons within the current stockpile are in some stage of the life extension process. The simulation and computational capabilities are crucial for successful execution of these lifetime extensions and for ensuring NNSA can certify these life-extended weapons without conducting a UGT. Specific work activities and scope contained in this Implementation Plan (IP) represent the full-year annual operating plan for FY18. The Initial IP effective October 1, 2017, should be consistent with the Department’s Base Table when operating under a Continuing Resolution (CR). The final IP, effective March 24, 2018, is consistent with the final, enacted appropriation.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2018

Challenges in Eye Tracking for Dynamic User-Driven Workflows

This three-year Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project aimed at developing a developed prototype data collection system and analysis techniques to enable the measurement and analysis of user-driven dynamic workflows. Over 3 years, our team developed software, algorithms, and analysis technique to explore the feasibility of capturing and automatically associating eye tracking data with geospatial content, in a user-directed, dynamic visual search task. Although this was a small LDRD, we demonstrated the feasibility of automatically capturing, associating, and expressing gaze events in terms of geospatial image coordinates, even as the human "analyst" is given complete freedom to manipulate the stimulus image during a visual search task. This report describes the problem under examination, our approach, the techniques and software we developed, key achievements, ideas that did not work as we had hoped, and unsolved problems we hope to tackle in future projects.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2018

Total Hemispherical Emissivity of Metals Applicable to Radiant Heat Testing

Total hemispherical emissivities are a commonly used property in radiative heat transfer analysis. Measurements made in the course of testing become far more useful to thermal analysts if they are compiled with a sufficient level of detail, and summarized in a manner that allows the most appropriate value or trend to be located quickly. This report collects emissivity measurements from recent years, made in the course of testing metallic surfaces at Sandia's Radiant Heat Test Facility, and compares them to a selection of previous summary documents. These measurements are organized by material type, surface finish, and degree of oxidation. The comparisons also consider the temperature dependence of total hemispherical emissivity. Materials considered include Inconel 600, SS304, 17-4PH SS, silicon carbide, and aluminum alloys. A limited selection of high-temperature paints and other surface coatings are also considered. Recommendations are made for frequency of measurements and level of detail in reporting emissivities in future test series. A more limited scope is recommended for the use of high-temperature paints at Sandia's Radiant Heat Test Facility; pre-oxidation of Inconel and stainless steel surfaces is preferred in many circumstances.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Characterize the Demand and Energy Characteristics of Residential Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment

The EV Project enrolled over 8,000 residential participants. These participants purchased or leased a Nissan Leaf or Chevrolet Volt. The EV Project provided and installed Blink Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE), used to recharge their PEV, in exchange for their agreement to allow project analysts to evaluate data collected from charging their PEV at their residence and away from home. The power required to recharge a PEV can be a significant contributor to the electrical load a residence places on the electric grid. What insight can The EV Project data provide in characterizing this contribution in terms of power demand and energy consumption to assist electric utilities in PEV adoption planning?

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗