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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 793 records · Page 44
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Shielded and Low-Damping SPM Probes For Quantitative Electrical and Electrochemical Characterization (Phase IIB)

The purpose of this DOE SBIR award was to develop new scanning probe microscopy tools for the elucidation of electrical and electrochemical properties at the nanoscale. High performance probes are important for energy materials research. In both solar cells and batteries, the essential physics and chemistry occur at the nanoscale and nanoscale characterization tools are required for their elucidation. The introduced new models are a shielded probe and an electrically insulated probe where only less than one micron of a conductive tip is exposed. In Phases I and IIa, we explored the development of cost-effective methods to insulate cantilevers from aqueous solutions and patented a technology that provides an insulated electrical contact to the tip. Also, our technology was adapted to be compatible with all popular commercial AFM systems. In Phase IIb, we improved reproducibility and batch size to drive down costs while maintaining quality control with testing. We transformed our product into a convenient turnkey solution to make electrochemical characterization approachable to a wide range of researchers. In January 2021, the technology was well received by the AFM community and Nanosurf Inc. (Woburn, MA) acquired Scuba Probe Technologies. The technology and expertise of Scuba Probe Technologies complements Nanosurf’s development of the full range of nano-electrical characterization tools.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Section 106 Recordation, Interpretation, and Documentation for the Demolition of Buildings 9201-5 and 9204-4, Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

In 2019 and 2020, Cultural Resource Analysts, Inc. (CRA), began preparing recordation packages for 18 World War II and Cold War Era buildings slated for demolition at the request of Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC (CNS), on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The recordations for these 18 buildings, which are located within what is now known as the Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, were prepared and submitted in two separate packages. The first report (EC-NP-004) was prepared as a mitigation measure to address adverse effects that will result from the proposed demolition of 16 support and ancillary buildings. The current report is the second of the two packages and addresses the last two of the 18 buildings slated for demolition (9201-5 and 9204-4), which are two of the large process buildings located at Y-12. All 18 of these buildings have previously been determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The two buildings, Building 9201-5 and Building 9204-4, are located south of Bear Creek Road and west of the main Y-12 entrance gate. Both buildings were constructed as uranium enrichment facilities in support of the Manhattan Project, a top-secret World War II mission to develop the world’s first nuclear weapons. Building 9201-5, completed in October 1944, is the Alpha-5 process facility and Building 9204-4, completed in Fall 1945, is the Beta-4 process facility. Over the years, these facilities were repurposed for a number of different functions.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2021

Cybersecurity for Grid Connected eXtreme Fast Charging (XFC) Station (CyberX) (Final Scientific/Technical Report)

This report summarizes the activities conducted under the DOE VTO funded project DE- EE0008451, where ABB Inc. (ABB), in collaboration with Idaho National Laboratory (INL), APS Global (APS), and XOS Trucks (XOS) pursued the development of a cyber-resilient extreme fast charging (XFC) management system. This project entitled Cybersecurity for Grid Connected eXtreme Fast Charging (XFC) Station (CyberX) focuses on a resilient architecture for smart charging EV Supply Equipment (EVSE) device control and Coordinated Anomaly Detection System (CADS) features that can be added at the charging site depot level to increase cybersecurity. The project was split into two budget periods focused first on developing the threat model and resilient control concepts and second on testing, improving, and validating those developed resilient control algorithms and features with a focus on key vulnerabilities identified during the threat assessment portion of the project. During the first budget period of the CyberX project, the ABB led team focused on activities to identify, model, and quantitatively prioritize high-impact attack scenarios with potential cyber-physical effects while also modeling and developing concepts for a resilient control system that could securely address integration of DERs and other resources with EV charging. Development of the security focused XFC management system (XMS) was accomplished first by offline simulation using a developed XFC station or depot with 480V input level and simulating measurement inputs to monitoring and control systems in concept development. A representative distribution grid model was developed supporting an EV charging site model with BESS and 6 general EV charging models. These EV charging models allowed multiple configurations of charging level, multiple connected protection and measurement devices, and simulation function to show general compromise of EV, BESS, and protection features based on parallel threat analysis. During the second budget period, the EV site and supporting systems model was developed in more detail and converted from offline model to real-time to real-time with EV charging hardware in the loop (HIL). The resilient control architecture developed as concept in the first part of the project was further tested and validated for integration of local energy resources and XFC charging station site equipment while maintaining cybersecure operating principles. The proposed resilient architecture for smart charging and cybersecurity features consists of two main concepts developed and tested within the project. The first concept is an XFC management system (XMS) consisting of a hardware gateway, software platform, and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) or Distribution Management System integration components. The second concept is a Coordinated Anomaly Detection System (CADS) which forms a primarily software-related subsystem of the total CyberX solution focused on monitoring system measurements, estimation of measurement states, and predicting current at the utility point of interaction based on machine learning for anomaly detection.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Tank-Integrated Heat Exchanger for Boil-Off Reduction

The following document details the initial efforts of the Protium Company in developing reduced boil-off and zero boil-off liquid hydrogen tanks using Vapor-Cooled Shielding (VCS) technology. The intention is to improve upon the performance characteristics of traditional vacuum-jacketed dewars by reducing boil-off rate, cooldown time, and total boil-off during cooldown time while integrating the heat exchanger into the wall of the VCS tank. The work carried out during this project was limited, as the grant recipient The Protium Company was acquired by Plug Power Inc. on October 1st 2021, early in the performance period of the grant. As such, the extent of the work completed includes an initial estimation of the dimensions needed for a 0.1%/day boil-off VCS liquid hydrogen tank. These dimensions are derived from data gathered from sizes of previous VCS tanks. The dimensions and estimated boil-off rate for the VCS tank are by no means validated, and no design was generated for a zero boil-off tank.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2021

Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) Study for a Carbon Capture Plant Retrofit to a Natural Gas-Fired Gas Turbine Combined Cycle Power Plant (2x2x1 Duct-Fired 758-MWe Facility with F Class Turbines)

A comprehensive front-end engineering design (FEED) study has been undertaken by Bechtel National Inc. (Bechtel) for locating a post-combustion capture and compression (PCC) unit at Panda’s Sherman natural gas–combined cycle (NGCC) power plant in Sherman, Texas. This is described in the unredacted FEED Study report (Attachment 1) with all supporting documents, numbering over 150. The Study Report is publicly available. Sizing of the PCC plant is based on treating an amount of flue gas equivalent to that produced when generating 420 MW, which is approximately 68% of the total flue gas emitted by the NGCC power plant operating at guarantee condition with duct burners off. A reduced power plant capacity factor was used for sizing the PCC plant because the gas turbines at the site often operate at reduced load due to the high penetration of renewable power in the ERCOT region. The cost of carbon capture is primarily driven by capital cost (and therefore is highly sensitive to capacity factor). Sizing the capture unit so that when used it is nearly always operating at full capacity is critical to the economic viability of the proposed investment.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Integrated Water-Gas-Shift Pre-combustion Carbon Capture Process

TDA Research, Inc (TDA) has developed a highly efficient integrated WGS pre-combustion carbon capture technology and demonstrated its techno-economic viability for use in the Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) power plants that process coal. The new system uses a warm gas CO 2 scrubber integrated with a Water-Gas-Shift (WGS) catalyst to capture greater than 90% of the carbon emissions, which does not increase the cost of electricity (COE) as much as conventional carbon capture technologies.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2021

Small Mammal Trapping Survey for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Site 300 and Corral Hollow Ecological Reserve

ECORP Consulting, Inc. conducted a nocturnal small mammal trapping survey within Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) Site 300 and the adjacent California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Corral Hollow Ecological Reserve. Both sites are located east of the City of Livermore and southwest of the City of Tracy, Alameda and San Joaquin Counties, California (Figure 1-1). A small mammal trapping survey of the project site was conducted in 2002 in preparation for the 2005 LLNL Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement (SWEIS; Jones & Stokes 2003). The San Joaquin pocket mouse (Perognathus inornatus) was the only special-status species (federal species of concern) captured on Site 300 during the study (West and Woollett 2003). However, since then P. inornatus was taxonomically split into separate subspecies and the pocket mouse species identified on Site 300 in 2002 is no longer considered a special-status species. The 2002 survey also captured woodrats, but identification of the subspecies was not possible. Further investigation was necessary to determine if the woodrat species on the project site was the federally listed (endangered) riparian (San Joaquin Valley) woodrat (Neotoma macrotis riparia [Formerly described as Neotoma fuscipes riparia]), the common Diablo Range woodrat (N. f. perplexa), or another form.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Niowave Ancillary Systems – FY21: In Partial Fulfillment of the Deliverable Requirement for Niowave Ancillary Systems Support by LANL

Niowave Inc. produces medical radioisotopes within the US. Lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) is irradiated using an electron beam to produce neutrons that are used in the production of Molybdenum-99 (Mo-99). The medical community relies on a steady supply of Mo-99 which is primarily used in medical diagnostic imaging. The irradiation of LBE results in high temperatures within the molten metal, this work focusses on the design of ancillary systems associated with the liquid metal system. The LBE is initially at a temperature of 200°C and flows over a steel plate to create a waterfall. The electron beam is then aimed at the waterfall to generate neutrons. The peak temperatures of the LBE post irradiation depend on the beam energy of the LINAC. For a 15 MeV and 20 kW beam, the temperatures can range between 300°C and 350°C. The LBE is cycled through the system to create a closed loop that requires the post-irradiation LBE to be cooled back to 200°C. This work focuses on the heat exchanger and condenser system responsible for the cooling of the post-irradiation LBE.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Surface 3D Electrical Resistivity Tomography Inversion of 2005 BC Cribs and Trenches Datasets

Hydrogeophysics, Inc. (HGI) conducted an electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) dataset at the BC Cribs and Trenches site, located in the Central Plateau of the Hanford Site. The 20 trenches and 6 cribs received large volumes of liquid inorganic waste in the 1950s, resulting in a large inventory of contaminants in the vadose zone. The objective of the ERT survey was to map plume extents resulting from the legacy discharges. The HGI interpretation of the resistivity data was performed using geometric inversion to interpolate 2D lines into a 3D image. To demonstrate a newly developed geophysical code capability (E4D), the resistivity data were re-processed to fit a full 3D model of the bulk electrical conductivity. This proof-of-concept model inversion was executed in calendar year 2011, as the large dataset was well-suited for the use of high-performance computing. The 3D re-processing of the BC Cribs and Trenches ERT data conducted in 2011 resolved the true bulk electrical conductivity. This means that all of the resistivity data were fit to a single model of the bulk electrical conductivity, with true horizontal and vertical dimensions. This differed from the HGI data interpretation approach that used geometric inversion to process 2D lines independently, which were then interpolated into a 3D image. Both the full 3D re-processing and the 2D interpolation to a 3D image demonstrated a higher electrical conductivity observed immediately beneath the trenches and cribs. The electrical conductivity is strongly correlated with nitrate concentrations, indicating the presence of nitrate and other co-located contaminants.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2022

Enhanced Catalyst Durability and Sulfur Tolerance by Atomic Layer Deposition (CRADA Final Report)

This CRADA advanced the use of atomic layer deposition (ALD) catalyst coatings to improve sulfur tolerance and demonstrate improved catalyst durability for biomass conversion chemistries. This project leveraged National Laboratory and industry expertise for ALD catalyst coating development between NREL, ALD NanoSolutions, Inc. ("ALD NanoSolutions"), and Johnson Matthey PLC ("Johnson Matthey"). To better understand the role of ALD coatings on catalyst activity and durability, a joint experimental and computational effort combined bench-scale ALD catalyst synthesis, material characterization, catalyst testing, and modeling of catalyst surface energetics. In addition, to demonstrate the commercial relevance of this technology, scaled ALD coated catalysts were subjected to continuous testing and accelerated aging to validate performance gains. Results were used to inform ALD catalyst coating manufacturing cost models, as well as biobased chemical process cost models.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Modeling Capabilities to Quantify the Benefits of DERMS (Cooperative Research and Development Final Report)

The funds-in under the CRADA will fund a team of National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) researchers to participate in Energy I-Corps (formerly known as Lab-Corps). Energy I-Corps pairs teams of researchers with industry mentors for an intensive two-month training where the researchers define technology value propositions, conduct customer discovery interviews, and develop viable market pathways for their technologies. FedIMPACT, LLC and its affiliate IP Group, Inc., will evaluate the work completed at Energy I-Corps to determine whether it would like to pursue further commercialization and development of related technologies and background intellectual property.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2022

Integration of Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) Systems Optimized with Second-Generation, High-Temperature Superconducting (2G-HTS) Technology with a Major Fossil-Fueled Asset

Utility companies and fossil fueled generation assets are seeking combinations of “hybrid energy storage” to allow power to be provided in advance of, and to otherwise complement, peaking natural gas-fired generation. American Maglev Technology of Florida Inc. (AMT) learned during the Phase I program based on interactions with NRG Energy (NRG) that energy storage such as superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) can qualify as a Black Start unit in most markets, ensuring orderly re-start of grid operations and fossil fueled power plants and serving as an important asset of hybrid energy storage technology. In conjunction with the University of Houston (UH), AMT and NRG are working together to scale up low-cost, high- efficiency, second-generation high-temperature superconducting (2G-HTS) technology for deployment across several markets, with a primary focus on the commercial development of utility grid-scale SMES (g-SMES) systems. Ultimately the program confirmed that the novel g-SMES design can meet the performance and financial requirements of the fossil power plant industry, while exhibiting continuous grid-voltage regulation; cost-effective, peak-hour energy storage with almost infinite life; increased input/output efficiency; and the capability to undergo millions of charging cycles, without degradation, representing a significant improvement over lithium ion and other conventional storage technologies. We believe wide scale deployment of this technology is feasible and practical when compared to the higher life cycle cost and relatively short lifespan of chemical batteries. Based on these findings, the future for deployment of SMES at many fossil-fueled power plants exceeding 100MW capability is bright. Further de-risking g-SMES technology would pave the way for the construction of a subscale prototype. Eventually, scaled-down versions of SMES are expected to be competitive with the multi-billion-dollar lithium-ion market for a wide range of commercial, industrial, and transportation uses. There is long-term potential for commercialization and widespread deployment of this disruptive technology, which would spawn a new worldwide supply chain and create domestic, high-tech manufacturing jobs in the green industry.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2022

A Novel Steam Condenser with Loop Thermosyphons and Film-Forming Agents for Improved Heat Transfer Efficiency and Durability

In this DOE/NETL BAA program, Advanced Cooling Technologies, Inc. (ACT), with Suez Water Technologies & Solutions (Suez), developed film-forming amine coatings applied to condenser surfaces that incorporated loop thermosyphons to enhance steam surface condenser performance and efficiency for coal-fired power plants. The condensation phenomenon resulting from these coatings promotes efficient dropwise condensation without additional thermal resistance through the use of film-forming amines (FFA). The loop thermosyphon technology was being developed to supplant current pumped cooling water systems to reduce operations and maintenance issues, reduce energy use, and promote high thermal performance. Both of ACT’s advanced coating and loop thermosyphon technologies were developed for application to wet cooling and indirect dry cooling systems. Internal steam condensation and subsequent heat dissipation complete the thermodynamic power cycle used by power plant cooling systems. The successful 3-year project period delved into understanding the experimental performance gain using film-forming amines applied to flat and tubular condenser surfaces under realistic operating conditions. The performance gain was used to create a technoeconomic analysis to more clearly understand the market value for power plants using FFA coatings to achieve dropwise condensation on condenser surfaces. A tall (50 ft.) loop thermosyphon was designed, fabricated, and tested to optimize the performance characteristics by tuning the working fluid charge and determining the temperature drop across the loop at different heat loads. Commercialization opportunities were explored to transition the loop thermosyphon work into the building HVAC market.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2022

High Yield, Economical and Environmentally Benign Production of Rare Earth Elements from Coal Ash [Abstract]

Fly ash stored in landfills and ponds across the United States is an attractive, abundant domestic resource for the cost-effective recovery of rare earth elements (REE) and other critical minerals (CM). Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) and its team members, Winner Water Services (WWS) and University of Kentucky/Center for Applied Energy Research (UK/CAER) successfully executed a multiphase program that developed and demonstrated pilot plant operations for cost-effective and environmentally-friendly production of rare earth element oxide (REO) concentrates, and the critical minerals scandium and aluminum (in the forms of salts or oxide products). We constructed and operated a sub-scale (0.5 kg/day) micropilot facility to demonstrate the key physical and chemical processing operations, predict yields, and troubleshoot process bottlenecks. The project team then designed, constructed and operated two decoupled pilot plant operations: (1) an operational pilot plant for physical separation processes with a capacity of 0.4 metric tons per day (tpd) where we optimized processes to produce selected ash fractions as the feedstock for chemical processing as well as valuable byproducts such as cement substitute, cenospheres, magnetic ash and secondary fuel carbon, and (2) an operational pilot plant for chemical processing with a capacity of 0.5 tpd that developed optimized processes for the production of: (a) REO concentrates, (b) critical minerals recovery (Sc, Al), and (c) beneficiated ash as valuable byproduct suitable for cement applications.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2022

Plasma Ignition and Combustion Stabilization Technology to Improve Flexible Operation, Reliability and Economics of an Existing Coal-Fired Boiler

GE Steam Power, Inc. (GE) proposed to improve reliability, flexibility, and economics of an existing coal-fired power plant by applying a new advanced technology developed by GE, a plasma-assisted pulverized fuel firing system. The objective of this program is to demonstrate the achievement of lower load by improved flame stabilization and therefore lower operating costs in a full-scale field installation at coal-fired electric utility. GE’s Plasma Ignition and Combustion Stabilization System is designed to operate continuously to support low load operation. With the plasma on, the flame will be attached and stable, removing the firing system as a limitation to low load operation. In addition, GE’s exclusively from ABENZ company licensed AC based technology has a 90+% system efficiency compared to all other systems at which are DC and operate with ~75% efficiency. Plant operating costs are lowered by eliminating use of expensive support fuel as well as the ability to operate at lower loads. The utilities’ ability to better match the demand curve will result in significant savings. Maintenance is lower for an AC system than a DC system as it operates at lower current. This eliminates the need for a demineralized cooling water system and provides longer electrode life which translates into both material and labor savings. It is the objective of GE to not only demonstrate the additional low load achievable with a plasma system after best achievable tuning, sensor and software approach has been exhausted, but also the increased stability of the flame at all loads with plasma assistance as well as cost savings at all low loads using plasma instead of oil. Upon successful completion of this project, GE will have sufficient field experience to rapidly deploy the Plasma Technology. The project objectives were achieved through the implementation of plasma ignitor technology at PacifiCorp Hunter Station Unit 3. A plasma ignitor system was retrofitted on ten wall-fired burners, Mill 3-4 combustion system. The Plasma Ignitors installed at Hunter proved that this GE technology is a direct and complete replacement for the original oil ignitors. The Hunter Unit 3 burner management system allows the plasma system to be used in all applications that originally required oil to be burned. This includes any time the Mill 3-4 is started or stopped for any reason including boiler starts, load changes, and low load support.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2022

Seismic Loading for Short-Term Duration Exposures and Temporary Structures

The purpose of this document is to determine the appropriate seismic demand forces associated with a short-term and temporary seismic exposure for protecting structures, systems, and components (SSCs) from hazards associated with Seismic Design Category 1 (SDC-1), SDC-2, and SDC-3 seismic events based on data provided in the Probabilistic Seismic Hazards Update for LLNL prepared by Fugro Consultants, Inc. in accordance with DOE-STD-1020.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Grid-Scale, Long-Term Energy Storage: Repurposing Hydrocarbon Reservoirs, Resources, and Infrastructure to Store CO 2 and Heat (Mid-Project Progress Report)

The purpose of this project is to create a viable business case for CO 2 capture, use, and storage (CCUS) by enabling grid-scale, long-term energy storage in mature hydrocarbon reservoirs and saline aquifers. Our CCUS approach, called the Earth Battery, is based on patents issued to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on Multi-Fluid Geo-Energy and Earth Battery Systems and to the University of Minnesota and TerraCOH, Inc. on CO 2 Plume Geothermal (CPG). Excess energy can be used to compress and store CO 2 and hot brine underground in permeable formations, including: (1) saline aquifers suitable for geologic CO 2 storage (GCS) and (2) hydrocarbon reservoirs, the focus of this project featuring a pilot test in a mature oil and natural gas (NG) field. Excess energy can come in the form of excess electricity from the grid or excess NG that does not have a market. It can also come in the form of excess heat from other sources, such as from the heat of air or CO 2 compression or from a nearby base-load power plant or solar thermal energy (STE) facility, when heat is not needed to generate electricity from those sources.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Herpetological Survey for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Site 300

Pursuant to Subcontract Number B644180 between ECORP Consulting, Inc. (ECORP) and Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC. (LLNS) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), ECORP conducted focused herpetological surveys at LLNL’s Experimental Test Site (Site 300) during the spring of 2021. The results of these surveys will provide supporting information for a Site-wide Environmental Impact Statement (SWEIS). The herpetological surveys targeted three special-status reptile species including Blainville’s (coast) Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma blainvillii), Northern California Legless Lizard (Anniella pulchra), and San Joaquin Coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum ruddocki) on the approximately 6,800-acre Site 300 in Alameda and San Joaquin counties. Special-status amphibian species were not targets of this survey effort.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗