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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

An energy storage dispatch optimization for demand-side management in industrial facilities

An energy storage (ES) dispatch optimization was implemented to test lithium-ion battery ES, supercapacitor ES, and compressed air ES on two different industrial facilities – one intermittent process facility and one continuous process facility. The model first shows the capability of optimizing the size of a single technology on a single industrial facility to maximize the return on investment. Then, for the same profile, the model identifies significant differences in the optimal size for different technologies based on their performance parameters. Third, the model identifies differences in the optimal size for each technology based on the facilities profile. Here the results show compressed air ES yields the highest return on investment for both facilities and provides insight for future development of ES systems.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Environmental exposure to industrial air pollution is associated with decreased male fertility

Objective: To understand how chronic exposure to industrial air pollution is associated with male fertility through semen parameters. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Subjects: Men in the Subfertility, Health and Assisted Reproduction cohort who underwent a semen analysis 2005-2017 with ≥1 measured semen parameter (N=21,563). Intervention(s): Residential histories for each man were constructed using locations from administrative records linked through the Utah Population Database. Industrial facilities with air emissions of nine endocrine disrupting compound chemical classes were identified from the Environmental Protection Agency Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators microdata. Chemical levels were linked with residential histories for the 5 years prior to each semen analysis. Main Outcome Measures: Semen analyses were classified as azoospermic or oligozoospermic (< 15 M/mL) using World Health Organization cutoffs for concentration. Bulk semen parameters such as concentration, total count, ejaculate volume, total motility, total motile count, and total progressive motile count were also measured. Multivariable regression models with robust standard errors were used to associate exposure quartiles for each of the nine chemical classes with each semen parameter, adjusting for age, race, and ethnicity, as well as neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage. Results: After adjustment for demographic covariates, several chemical classes were associated with azoospermia and decreased total motility and volume. For exposure in the 4th relative to 1st quartile, significant associations were observed for acrylonitrile (β total motility = -0.87 pp), aromatic hydrocarbons (odds ratio [OR]azoospermia = 1.53; β volume = -0.14 mL), dioxins (OR azoospermia = 1.31; β volume = -0.09 mL; β total motility = -2.65 pp), heavy metals (β total motility = -2.78pp), organic solvents (OR azoospermia = 1.75; β volume = -0.10 mL), organochlorines (OR azoospermia = 2.09; β volume = -0.12 mL), phthalates (OR azoospermia = 1.44; β volume = -0.09 mL; β total motility = -1.21 pp), and silver particles (OR azoospermia = 1.64; β volume = -0.11 mL). All semen parameters significantly decreased with increasing socioeconomic disadvantage. Men who lived in the most disadvantaged areas had concentration, volume, and total motility of 6.70 M/mL, 0.13 mL, and 1.79 pp lower, respectively. Count, motile count, and total progressive motile count all decreased by 30–34 M.

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTAN↗

Examination of Industry Payments to Radiation Oncologists in 2014 Using the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Open Payments Database

Purpose: To use the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Open Payments database to characterize payments made to radiation oncologists and compare their payment profile with that of medical and surgical oncologists. Methods and Materials: The June 2015 release of the Open Payments database was accessed, containing all payments made to physicians in 2014. The general payments dataset was used for analysis. Data on payments made to medical, surgical, and radiation oncologists was obtained and compared. Within radiation oncology, data regarding payment category, sponsorship, and geographic distribution were identified. Basic statistics including mean, median, range, and sum were calculated by provider and by transaction. Results: Among the 3 oncologic specialties, radiation oncology had the smallest proportion (58%) of compensated physicians and the lowest mean ($1620) and median ($112) payment per provider. Surgical oncology had the highest proportion (84%) of compensated physicians, whereas medical oncology had the highest mean ($6371) and median ($448) payment per physician. Within radiation oncology, nonconsulting services accounted for the most money to physicians ($1,042,556), whereas the majority of the sponsors were medical device companies (52%). Radiation oncologists in the West accepted the most money ($2,041,603) of any US Census region. Conclusions: Radiation oncologists in 2014 received a large number of payments from industry, although less than their medical or surgical counterparts. As the Open Payments database continues to be improved, it remains to be seen whether this information will be used by patients to inform choice of providers or by lawmakers to enact policy regulating physician–industry relationships.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Evaluating the sustainability of the 2017 US biofuel industry with an integrated techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment

The United States produced more than 66.2 billion Liters of biofuel, primarily in the form of corn ethanol (61 billion Liters) and soybean biodiesel (6 billion Liters), for the transportation industry in 2017. No work currently exists that evaluates both the economic and environmental outcomes of this industry with adequate geospatial resolution and national scope. In this study, a model framework is constructed to perform Techno-Economic Analysis and Life Cycle Assessment using high-resolution input datasets to provide a granular estimation of corn ethanol and soybean biodiesel sustainability performance in most counties in the United States in 2017 (the most recent year for which data is available). Results show a total life cycle, greenhouse gas emission volume of 99.5 million Mg CO 2-eq produced in 2017 by these two biofuels (94.8 million Mg from corn ethanol, and 4.7 million Mg from soybean biodiesel), excluding indirect land use change emissions. Further, this volume corresponds to a combined carbon intensity of 65.3 gCO 2-eq /MJ, which is a greenhouse gas improvement compared to petroleum-based gasoline (the carbon intensity of conventional gasoline is 93.0 gCO 2-eq /MJ). However, these biofuels are produced at an additional economic cost ($1.8 billion over the displaced gas/diesel). Additionally, these biofuels generate unfavorable impacts in other environmental categories when compared to petroleum-based fuels, particularly in areas of water, land, and nitrogen intensity. This work enables stakeholders to assess the specific value of biofuels as a means of emission reduction and determine if the attained improvements are worth the associated opportunity costs.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Reducing the cost of home energy upgrades in the US: An industry survey

Decarbonizing the US residential building stock requires a substantial acceleration in home energy upgrades. Numerous barriers exist to accelerating adoption of efficient and electric building technologies, but foremost among these is high upfront costs. This study uses an industry survey delivered to a sample of home energy professionals to examine promising cost reduction strategies across a range of project types, including HVAC, water heating, and envelope/insulation projects. The survey included quantitative and qualitative questions to collect evidence on the estimated cost reduction potential of these strategies and their likelihood of use in the construction industry. The 167 survey respondents included contractors, energy consultants, architects, manufacturers, and others with experience in delivering energy upgrades in single-family and multifamily buildings in the US. Results show that significant cost reductions are achievable by minimizing additional infrastructure costs (such as replacing electric panels), streamlining project planning/management, and deploying innovations that simplify installation. We find that for a typical deep retrofit project, including heat pumps for space and water heating in addition to envelope upgrades, the strategies could result in a total installed cost reduction of nearly 50%, dramatically improving the customer economics of such a project. This research makes a novel contribution to the literature on strategies to reduce the costs of residential retrofits. We discuss how our study's insights on the highest-value cost reduction strategies for home energy upgrades can further accelerate their uptake in the US housing stock.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Aligning lithium metal battery research and development across academia and industry

Successful integration of metallic lithium anodes into secondary batteries could enhance energy density and enable new forms of electrified transportation. However, the outlook for widespread lithium metal adoption in energy storage devices remains mixed. This comes in part from existing gaps in our understanding of the relationships connecting the initial state of lithium, its evolution with cycling, and end-of-life state. It remains important to develop standardized protocols for material and cell characterization, cycling performance, safety, and recycling procedures for lithium metal-based batteries. In February 2023 a cohort of scientists and engineers from academia, national laboratories, and industry gathered to converge on a list of critical challenges and action items to provide better understanding of lithium metal evolution and to enhance academic, governmental, and industrial partnerships to address these challenges. Here, we highlight the major discussion topics revolving around the manufacturing of lithium metal, its related metrology and integration into battery form factors, and best practices testing its electrochemical performance relevant to automotive applications. We introduce a power-controlled discharge testing protocol for research and development cells, in alignment between major automotive stakeholders, that may reveal lithium metal battery dynamics closer to practical driving behavior.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Porthole die extrusion of aluminum 6063 industrial scrap by shear assisted processing and extrusion

Shear Assisted Processing and Extrusion (ShAPE) is presented as a new manufacturing technology for converting aluminum scrap directly into extruded products. In this work, a porthole die configuration is integrated within the rotating ShAPE process to extrude circular, square, trapezoidal, and two-cell trapezoidal profiles from aluminum alloy 6063 industrial scrap. This is the first time that a rotating billet has been used to impart severe plastic deformation (SPD) during extrusion of noncircular profiles. Microstructural characterization is presented for a trapezoidal profile having an average grain size of 6.7 µm in the as-extruded condition. Dimensional stability was evaluated by measuring wall thickness along the extrusion length; the thickness varied by <5%. Round tubes achieved yield strength (246.9 ± 10.4 MPa), ultimate tensile strength (270.8 ± 9.6 MPa), and uniform elongation (16.5 ± 2.4%) exceeding industry standards.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

RISMC industry application #1 (ECCS/LOCA). Core characterization automation: Lattice codes interface for PHISICS/RELAP5-3D

The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (U.S. NRC) is currently proposing rule-making “10 CFR 50.46c” to revise the loss-of-coolant-accident (LOCA) and emergency core cooling system (ECCS) acceptance criteria to include the effects of higher burn-up on cladding performance. The key implications of this proposition are that the cladding performance cannot be evaluated anymore as separated from other disciplines, but needs to be evaluated in a coupled manner with other physics. The Risk-Informed Safety Margin Characterization (RISMC) Pathway initiated several programs at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to support the industry in the transition to the new rule. One of these programs is the Industry Application #1 (IA1). IA1’s goal is to develop an Integrated Evaluation Model (IEM) called LOCA Toolkit for the US (LOTUS). This tool connects five major disciplines involved in LOCA analysis, among them is (automated) core design (CD-A). Here, this paper focuses solely on the design of LOTUS' CD-A module as well as a demonstration application of the CD-A module to a generic Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR). The demonstration of the other LOTUS disciplines together with a demonstration example of the final risk-informed safety margin analysis is published in a separate paper. LOTUS is meant to provide the methodology framework into which the user can plug his established tools and codes. With the CD-A, the plant owner/operator will characterize his core design with the tools he has. He will then integrate his tools/methods into the LOTUS framework for the downstream safety analysis. For the current CD-A demonstration, the tools used are the already coupled codes PHISICS and RELAP5-3D, while cross section generation is done using the Studsvik lattice code HELIOS-2.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Survey of Cyber Risk Analysis Techniques for Use in the Nuclear Industry

Using traditional probabilistic risk analysis methods for severe accident safety risk management on non-digital systems, structures, and components at nuclear power plants is well-established. In contrast, cyber risk analysis of digital assets is still an immature field with unproven techniques due, in part, to the continuously changing threat environment and the challenge of digital assets failing in unexpected ways. As the nuclear fleet continues to adopt digital instrumentation and control systems, it is increasingly important to have effective and efficient cyber risk analysis techniques to support risk management decisions, such as risk elimination by system redesign or risk mitigation by implementation of prioritized security controls. To understand the state of the art in cyber risk analysis for future research, we surveyed 36 publications across ten application domains. We describe our survey methodology and rate each technique based upon scope, adoptability, and repeatability. In this work, we examine the unique constraints of the nuclear industry and outline the strengths and weaknesses of using the cyber risk analysis techniques in the industry, highlighting gaps with current techniques. We also discuss challenges and potential research directions for advancing the science for both existing and new advanced reactors.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Investigation of core-annular flow in an industrial scale circulating fluidized bed riser with electrical capacitance volume tomography (ECVT)

There is a paucity of riser data for industrial scale units, particularly with regard to the solids fraction. This is especially true for detailed spatially distributed values. To alleviate this problem, NETL installed a 0.445 m tall electrical capacitance volume tomography (ECVT) sensor 9.66 m from the gas distributor of its industrial size (15.45 m high and 0.3 m diameter) circulating fluidized bed (CFB) cold model. A series of tests were conducted to investigate the gas-solid flow behavior using high density polyethylene (PPE) solids. Static electricity was successfully minimized using Larostat and humidification. Time averaged radial solid fractions profiles are presented and discussed. The time and spatially averaged solid fractions measured by the ECVT agree well with estimates from the pressure drop. The annular thickness was measured and found to increase with increases in the solids flow rate and decrease with increases in the gas velocity. Comparisons of the annular thickness and solids fraction as determined from the ECVT unit were compared to existing correlations. In conclusion, the average error ranged from 13% to 275% which is not surprising since the literature correlations were developed from data on much smaller units and for significantly different particles.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Influence of particle size on NIR spectroscopic characterization of sorghum biomass for the biofuel industry

NIR spectroscopy is a rapid and accurate green technology for high-throughput biomass characterization, including sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), a promising energy crop for the biofuel industry. This study assessed the influence of particle size on NIR spectroscopic analysis (wavelength range: 867–2535 nm) of sorghum biomass composition. Grown under field conditions, a total of 113 types of genetically diverse sorghum accessions were dried, ground, and sieved (<250, 250–600, 600–850, and > 850 µm particle size) for developing partial least square regression (PLSR) prediction models for moisture, ash, extractive, glucan, xylan, acid-soluble lignin (ASL), acid-insoluble lignin (AIL), and total lignin (ASL + AIL). Overall, smaller particle sizes provided better model performance, while no single particle size provided the best performance for all the selected components. With only 9 selected bands and 4 latent variables (LVs), the best PLSR model was obtained for moisture with particle size of 600–850 µm with the square root of the coefficient of determination (R) of 0.85, the ratio of prediction to deviation (RPD) of 2.2, and the root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.46 % in external validation. Similar model performances were also obtained for ash, extractive, glucan, and xylan. This study showed that size reduction could effectively improve NIR spectroscopic analysis for lipid-producing sorghum biomass for the biofuel industry.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

A comprehensive academic and industrial survey of blockchain technology for the energy sector using fuzzy Einstein decision-making

The global energy sector is undergoing a significant transformation driven by decarbonization and digitalization, leading to the emergence of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) — particularly blockchain — as a promising tool for enhancing transparency, security, and efficiency in modern power systems. This study aims to provide a comprehensive academic and industrial survey of blockchain applications in the energy sector and develop a robust decision-making framework to identify and prioritize the most promising real-world use cases based on multidisciplinary criteria. A three-stage methodology was adopted: (i) a literature and market review encompassing over 300 academic publications and commercial blockchain initiatives in energy, (ii) an in-depth evaluation of the evolution and viability of blockchain initiatives in energy with the help of expert surveys, and (iii) a novel decision-making model using a q-rung orthopair fuzzy Multi-Attributive Border Approximation (q-ROF-MABAC) method under the Einstein operator. The results were compared with existing decision models to validate consistency and robustness. Nine key blockchain use case categories were identified and ranked based on technical, economic, and governance dimensions. The results demonstrated that integrating expert insights into a fuzzy logic framework helps filter out overhyped claims in the literature and prioritize realistic and high-impact applications such as green certificates, grid services, and peer-to-peer energy trading. The model’s rankings remained stable across varying weight configurations, confirming the robustness of the methodology. This study provides an evidence-based decision-support tool for researchers, industry stakeholders, and policymakers to better understand, evaluate, and adopt blockchain technologies in the energy sector.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Opportunities for consumer-driven load shifting in commercial and industrial buildings

Commercial and industrial buildings are typically billed for both electricity consumption and peak 15-minute demand. While this rate structure does not motivate consumers to lower the grid peak demand, it does provide strong motivation for shifting load away from the site peak. However, the economic viability of site peak reduction depends greatly on typical building operations and will vary widely from one building to the next. This paper quantifies the potential that various building types have for site peak reduction using a database of 15-minute demand for buildings in Texas. The primary contribution of this paper is the identification of building types that stand to gain the most by exploiting 15-minute peak demand charges. The influence that site peak demand reduction has on the overall grid is also analyzed. This analysis of site peak reduction in buildings leads to several interesting conclusions. For example, site peak reduction is generally most difficult at industrial and healthcare buildings. On the other hand, grade schools (K-12) and hotels may reduce the site peak with relatively little effort. However, even widespread site peak reduction will only have a minimal effect on the overall grid peak. While buildings may obtain cost savings by reducing these transmission and distribution costs, utilities should consider modifying the retail rate structure in order to provide a direct motivation for consumers to reduce wholesale electricity prices.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Purification of industrial grade lithium chloride for the recovery of high purity battery grade lithium carbonate

Due to lithium’s high energy along with other exceptional characteristics, lithium demand across many industries is rising, specifically for Li-batteries. Thus, a sufficient supply of high purity lithium is vital in order for these significant technologies to develop. In the current work, industrial grade lithium chloride has been successfully treated with four simple precipitation steps to obtain a high purity battery grade lithium carbonate of >99.95%. The LiCl starting solutions contained K, Na, Mg, Ca, Cu, Ni, and Fe chloride contaminants and solutions of 2.5 to 10 M were simulated. The heavier metals and the majority of Mg were removed in a single step with an increase in pH. The removal of Ca and remaining Mg was executed by sodium oxalate addition where the calcium levels of the 10 M were able to be reduced to 5–6 ppm in solution. It appeared that the higher molarity and ionic strength of the LiCl solution aided in obtained higher degrees of impurity removal. Lastly, high purity Li 2 CO 3 was obtained by first precipitating from brine solution, followed by a second purification step with pressurized CO 2 . The second step allowed for the removal of entrapped Na and K after the first precipitation, resulting in >99.95 wt% purity Li 2 CO 3 .

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Advanced nuclear reactor integration opportunities for the pulp and paper industry in the U.S. context: Technical perspectives, gap analysis, and preliminary technoeconomic assessment

Pulp and paper (P&P) manufacturing requires a large amount of low-pressure (LP) steam to digest, wash wood fibers and dry pulp into paper. Most of the LP steam is extracted from backpressure turbines that produce power from high-pressure (HP) steam. This HP steam is generated from burning wood waste material; bark is burned in hog boilers, and lignin is boiled in a black liquor recovery boiler. In a typical integrated P&P mill, 50–100% of the steam is produced from these sources, while additional steam is produced in natural gas (NG), fuel oil, or coal boilers. The other energy-intensive process in the plant is the chemical-recovery section (e.g., lime kiln), which requires high-temperature processing from NG combustion to retrieve and recirculate spent chemicals. This paper assesses the energy and heat demand and material balances of a typical generic kraft pulp mill, along with the nuclear heat, steam, and power integration opportunities to replace conventional combustion systems. The paper also addresses steam and electricity generation through a comprehensive technical and engineering gap analysis of five different nuclear-integration opportunities and their process economics, thus enabling the lignin and bark to be further processed into biobased chemicals or fuels, as well as the potential to reduce overall emissions from kraft pulping. Preliminary findings have shown that the P&P industry could achieve technological benefits by integrating their current manufacturing process with small modular nuclear reactors (SMNRs) on a national level. This research aims to set the path forward for a cleaner and more resilient P&P industry.

Advanced nuclear reactor↗

Design, development and analysis of large-area industrial silicon solar cells featuring a full area polysilicon based passivating contact on the rear and selective passivating contacts on the front

We present SERIS’ biPoly™ technology platform on large-area (M2), n-type rear-junction silicon solar cells featuring selective poly-Si/SiOx based passivated contacts on the front side and full-area poly-Si/SiOx contacts on the rear. The selective poly-Si ‘fingers’ are formed using an industrial ink-jet masking process followed by wet-chemical etching. The metal contacts are formed by an industrial screen-printing process using high-temperature fire-though metal pastes. We obtain excellent passivation on the front and rear surfaces, resulting in iVoc values between 720 mV and 730 mV on unmetallized solar cells. After high-temperature metallization, we achieve 22% efficiency on solar cells with selective poly-Si fingers on the front. We further develop the model for biPoly™ solar cells and with the help of a detailed loss analysis and simulations, identify the various loss components to identify the device modifications required for efficiency improvements.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Effect of iron sulphate on the phosphorus speciation from agro-industrial sludge based and sewage sludge based compost

Highlights: • Composting of agro-industrial and waste water sewage sludge promoted organic P mineralization. • Mineralized P is mainly adsorbed/precipitated on calcium. • FeSO{sub 4} reduced organic P mineralization and its further adsorption/precipitation on calcium. - Abstract: Composting is considered a suitable process for organic waste management, providing stable products that can be safely utilized as fertilizers, but little is still known about the variation of phosphorous (P) extractability during the stabilization process. In this work, sequential chemical extraction (SCE) with increasing strength extractants (H{sub 2}O; 0.5 M NaHCO{sub 3} pH 8.5; 0.1 M NaOH, 1 M HCl) was applied for P speciation over 56 days of composting of either agro-industrial or urban wastewater sludge with green waste treated (AIC{sub Fe+}; SSC{sub Fe+}) or not (AIC{sub Fe−}; SSC{sub Fe−}) with FeSO{sub 4} (2% v/v). Composting strongly reduced the H{sub 2}O-P, promoting the organic-P (P{sub o}) mineralization from the labile fraction (H{sub 2}O + NaHCO{sub 3} 40%), in addition to the increases of NaHCO{sub 3}- and HCl-extractable inorganic-P (P{sub i}) in both AIC{sub Fe−} and SSC{sub Fe−} (+20% on average). The FeSO{sub 4} treatment did not negatively affect the process, reducing the P{sub o} mineralization during composting by increasing the NaOH-P, also protecting this fraction from fixation in the sparingly soluble fraction. The final P fractionation (%) was in AIC{sub Fe−}: NaOH (41) = NaHCO{sub 3} (38) > HCl (18) > H{sub 2}O (3); in AIC{sub Fe+}: NaOH (53) > NaHCO{sub 3} (24) = HCl (22) > H{sub 2}O (2); in SSC{sub Fe−}: NaOH (46) > NaHCO{sub 3} (29) > HCl (21) > H{sub 2}O (4) and in SSC{sub Fe+}: NaOH (66) > NaHCO{sub 3} (13) > HCl (20) > H{sub 2}O (1). Composting reduced the more easily leachable fraction (labile-P{sub o}), reducing the risk of P loss by increasing the long-term available P fraction (NaOH-P). This was enhanced by the FeSO{sub 4} addition. Further investigation into soil behaviour and plant availability of P from this source is needed.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Advancing Battery Manufacturing: Synchrotron Characterization for Industry

Large-scale battery manufacturing requires understanding the fundamental principles of materials and interfaces and relies on advanced techniques for detailed interrogation. Despite advancements in the industrial scale production and their associated quality control tools, challenges such as electrode heterogeneity, internal defects, and largescale material waste (e.g., scrap) can hamper manufacturing. Synchrotron X-ray characterization techniques offer spatial, temporal, and chemical resolution that can provide diagnostic insights for metrology across various manufacturing steps. This review examines the use of synchrotron tools to advance understanding of key steps in the battery manufacturing process. Recent examples demonstrate how synchrotron methods resolve manufacturing challenges and uncover degradation pathways that are otherwise inaccessible. Future directions for advancing battery manufacturing emphasize collaboration between academia and industry through the use of synchrotron X-ray techniques.

Batteries↗