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At least 847 records · Page 47

Exergy analysis and operational efficiency of a horizontal ground-source heat pump system operated in a low-energy test house simulated occupancy conditions

This paper presents detailed analysis of a water to water ground source heat pump (WW-GSHP) to provide all the hot water needs in a 345 m 2 house located in DOE climate zone 4 (mixed-humid). The protocol for hot water use is based on the Building America Research Benchmark Definition (Hendron 2008; Hendron and Engebrecht 2010) which aims to capture the living habits of the average American household and its impact on energy consumption. The entire house was operated under simulated occupancy conditions. Detailed energy and exergy analysis provides a complete set of information on system efficiency and sources of irreversibility, the main cause of wasted energy. The WW-GSHP was sized at 5.275 kW (1.5-ton) for this house and supplied hot water to a 303 L (80 gal) water storage tank. The WW-GSHP shared the same ground loop with a 7.56 kW (2.1-ton) water to air ground source heat pump (WA-GSHP) which provided space conditioning needs to the entire house. Data, analyses, and measures of performance for the WW-GSHP in this paper complements the results of the WA-GSHP published in this journal (Ally, Munk et al. 2012). Understanding the performance of GSHPs is vital if the ground is to be used as a viable renewable energy resource.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Preparation of Waste Fingerprints for the Miscellaneous Beta Gamma Waste Feeds to the Box Encapsulation Plant at Sellafield - 16080

There are a number of legacy pond and silo storage facilities on Sellafield Site that contain a broad range of ILW arising from the early Windscale Pile and Magnox Fuel Reprocessing Programmes. The waste comprises of solid Miscellaneous Beta Gamma Waste (MBGW) from operations (including filters, containerised waste, thermocouple wire, support struts, pumps, soft wastes) and associated sludges that have arisen from the corrosion of the fuel, Magnox Swarf cladding and the MBGW. It is intended to retrieve and package this waste to meet the requirements of interim storage and final disposal in the Box Encapsulation Plant (BEP) at Sellafield. As part of this process each package must be assigned a realistic and justifiable radionuclide and material inventory. These inventories can either be assigned by radiometric measurements including the associated errors or developed by fundamental data underpinning these assessments and a 'chain of custody' approach of knowing where the waste has been and how it has evolved. The subject of this paper is concerned with the development of the waste fingerprints for these legacy waste streams. As the wastes have arisen over a ∼70 year period there have been an assortment of different working practices and developments in equipment design that have led to significant variations in the waste condition and its composition. During storage the waste items have become mixed, corroded and sludge deposits have arisen. Because of this, and that early consignment records are either incomplete or missing, the task of assigning material and radionuclide fingerprints has been very challenging. In addition, to comply with regulatory requirements the inventory assignment has to be sufficiently robust to meet the processing envelope of the encapsulation process i.e. to allow controls to be made on the amounts of reactive materials (e.g. aluminium, Magnox and uranium) that can be processed within each product and allow identification of excluded items from being consigned from the donor plants. Also, as the waste comprises actinides, fission and activation products it was noted that whilst the UK standard inventory code FISPIN10 predicts the actinides and fission products well, there was a significant discrepancy in the prediction of activation products when compared with those predicted by the specialised fusion code FISPACT. It should be noted that the use of FISPACT to predict actinides and fission products is not recommended. To address these issues, - position statements were produced for each of the waste streams that would be consigned to BEP; - gaps within the data were assessed and where possible inactive trial work was identified to address it; - material and radionuclide fingerprint justification documents were developed from the position statements based upon available data, the experimental work and justified assumptions; - where FISPIN runs were required, these were run with a modified activation data library based on the European Activation File 2010 (EAF2010) to model the activation products. This paper summarises the BEP process, discusses examples of how the material and radionuclide waste stream fingerprints have been justified by revisiting the sample data, original consignment records, engineering drawings and recent remotely operated vehicle (ROV) pond surveys and making reasoned assumptions based on operational practices and non-active experimental work. Incorporation of the EAF2010 library within the FISPIN code has offered significant benefits to BEP and indeed other plants processing mixed fission and activated wastes as it allows comparable predictions of activation products compared with that made by FISPACT and for the plant to maintain one data processing stream rather than two if it had to utilise both modelling codes. This work will underpin the inventory submission in support of the Interim Letter of Compliance (ILoC) to Radioactive Waste Management Limited (RWM). The process of examining the original records, plant operation schedules and engineering drawings has enabled removal of some of the pessimisms that have been made in previous assessments. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Building America Case Study: Indoor Heat Pump Water Heaters During Summer in a Hot-Dry Climate, Redding, California

Heat pump water heaters offer a significant opportunity to improve water heating performance for the over 40% of U.S. households that heat domestic hot water using electric resistance storage water heaters. Numerous field studies have also been completed documenting performance in a variety of climates and applications. More recent evaluation efforts have focused attention on the performance of May through September 2014, with ongoing winter monitoring being sponsored by California utility partners.

ARBI↗

Twin-pulse seeding enables pump-probe capabilities in the EUV to soft X-ray spectrum at synchrotron light sources

Having previously reported that separating the two stages of echo-enabled harmonic generation (EEHG) with one or more bending magnet (BM) sections allows the BMs to serve as the desired source of momentum compaction, here we demonstrate that this arrangement can greatly reduce the total energy modulation required by any 4th generation synchrotron light source, leading to higher repetition rates as well as stronger coherent radiation output power, with significant benefits. Since the EEHG beamline performance is mainly determined by the momentum compaction, beam emittances and beta functions of a storage ring lattice, allowing for different separations between the two stages is a straightforward way to increase the momentum compaction of chicane 1. This also enables pump-probe capabilities in a novel context, where twin-pulse seeding on the same electron bunch would allow two distinct radiation pulses with an adjustable delay in the range of 0.1 to 10 ps. In the twin-pulse seeding scheme, the same electron bunch could undergo modulation from two distinct laser pulses. Later stages would produce independent harmonics in subsequent straight sections. There are two variations of this twin-pulse seeding scheme, supporting different scientific applications. With a common modulation in stage 1, the first option allows simultaneously two independent radiation sources, with a full coverage of the EUV (2.5 to 50 nm) to soft X-ray (1.25 to 2.5 nm) spectrum; for the second option, the same stage 2 undulator could generate two coherent pulses both fitting within the FEL bandwidth, or at distinct harmonics. We present particle tracking simulation studies based on the APS-U lattice, including quantum excitation and radiation damping. These simulations indicate that there is no degradation of the modulated longitudinal phase space even when the two stages are separated by as many as 10 BM sections.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Advanced control for ground source heat pump systems

Ground source heat pumps (GSHP), also known as geothermal heat pumps (GHP), are proven advanced HVAC systems that utilize clean and renewable geothermal energy, as well as the massive thermal storage capacity of the ground, to provide space conditioning and water heating for both residential and commercial buildings. GSHPs have higher energy efficiencies than conventional HVAC systems. It is estimated, if GSHPs achieve a 10% market share in the US, in each year, 0.6 Quad Btu primary energy consumption can be saved and 36 million tons carbon emissions can be avoided (Liu et al. 2017). However, the current market share of GSHPs is less than 1%. The foremost barrier preventing wider adoption of GSHPs is their high installation costs. To enable wider adoption of GSHPs, the costeffectiveness of GSHP applications must be improved.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Solar heating system installed at Troy, Ohio

The completed system was composed of three basic subsystems: the collector system consisting of 3,264 square feet of Owens Illinois evacuated glass tube collectors; the storage system which included a 5,000 gallon insulated steel tank; and the distribution and control system which included piping, pumping and heat transfer components as well as the solemoid activated valves and control logic for the efficient and safe operation of the entire system. This solar heating system was installed in an existing facility and was, therefore, a retrofit system. Extracts from the site files, specifications, drawings, installation, operation and maintenance instructions are included.

Source record↗

Large capacity cryopropellant orbital storage facility

A comprehensive study was performed to develop the major features of a large capacity orbital propellant storage facility for the space-based cryogenic orbital transfer vehicle. Projected propellant usage and delivery schedules can be accommodated by two orbital tank sets of 100,000 lb storage capacity, with advanced missions expected to require increased capacity. Information is given on tank pressurization schemes, propellant transfer configurations, pump specifications, the refrigeration system, and flight tests.

Schuster, J. R.↗

Spaceflight Autonomous Multigenerational Microbial Sequencer (SAMMS) in Support of Plant-Growth Systems

As the National Aeronautics and Space Association (NASA) begins to pursue long-duration space flights, they will need to be able to provide astronauts with a nutritious and reliable food source. To meet the administration’s goal of traveling to the Moon and Mars, astronauts will need to begin to grow their own food in space. To protect their food source, extensive monitoring will occur to test for the effects of a space flight environment (e.g., radiation) as well as for early pathogen and disease detection. Genomic sequencing allows for both concerns to be tested on a regular basis. However, NASA’s current sequencer is unable to process plant tissues. Therefore, a novel method for plant DNA extraction using microneedle (MN) patches that will be able to feed into NASA’s existing system, but also require minimal human input is proposed. To support this, the design was broken down into four components (1) MN patch fabrication (2) MN patch extraction, (3) automated sampling motion control, and (4) a processing module. The MN patch is fabricated using a custom mold with conically shaped needles. The mold is filled with Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution and placed in a vacuum desiccator. The mold is left in the vacuum overnight until the patch is dry and ready for use. The protocol was tested with varying pressures, drying times, volume amounts, and preparation methods to determine if highquality needles can be produced. A MN is a method of DNA extraction where the patch is applied to a leaf, the needles penetrate the leaf, breaking the rigid plant cell wall to isolate the DNA. A protocol for this method of extraction was tested to ensure the patch could produce the needed yield and purity. The tests varied by the number of patches, number of applications, and plant type. To automate the MN extraction method, motion control will utilize two separate axis tables which move in the x and y directions. The y-axis table will have an end effector that fits a MN patch and will have the ability to apply the patch to the leaf sample. This end effector will also act as a lid for a downstream processing module. The other axis will position the leaf sample and processing container so that the patch can be applied accurately. The Joint Comprehensive Sequencing System (JCSS) module integrates all the components together. The output of this module feeds into the NASA Charged Information-Storage Polymer Preparation System (CHIPPS) for genomic sequencing. The extraction module operates using a series of syringes and tubing to pump the varying reagents needed for the extraction protocol. The results of the study proved that MN patches are a viable method of DNA extraction. While fabrication of high-quality needles was unsuccessful, the protocol was able to be further developed using centrifugation. The integrated design between the motion control and the JCSS enabled the potential for automation with a complete conceptual design and prototype. Future research and development for this study would include (1) further testing for fabrication (2) expanding the range of plant species compatible with the MN patch, and (3) building a working prototype for the integrated system.

Peter Ling↗

Simple Low-Frequency Beam Pickup

Detection of the field induced by a beam outside of the beam pipe can be used as a beam diagnostic. Wires placed in longitudinal slots in the outside wall of the beam pipe can be used as a beam pickup. This has a very small beam-coupling impedance and avoids complications of having a feedthrough. The signal can be reasonably high at low frequencies. We present a field waveform at the outer side of a beam pipe, obtained as a result of calculations and measurements. We calculate the beam-coupling impedance due to a long longitudinal slot in the resistive wall and the signal induced in a wire placed in such a slot and shielded by a thin screen from the beam. These results should be relevant for impedance calculations of the slot in an antechamber and for slots in the PEP-II distributed ion pump screens. The design of the low-frequency beam position monitor is very simple. It can be used in storage rings, synchrotron light sources, and free electron lasers, like LINAC coherent light source.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy for New Home Construction in Maui

For residential property owners preparing to rebuild homes in Maui, this fact sheet, produced by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), provides a brief introduction to the topics of renewable energy and energy efficiency for new residential construction, presents a few high-level considerations and key concepts, and provides a sampling of information on rebates, incentives, certification programs, standards, and relevant policies. This fact sheet is not intended to be comprehensive nor to replace local resources.

appliances↗

The fill density of automotive cryo-compressed hydrogen vessels

Cryo-compressed hydrogen storage promises to deliver highest system storage density leading to fundamental cost and safety advantages. Yet, cryogenic vessels are complex systems, continuously drifting in thermodynamic space depending on use patterns, insulation performance, vessel characteristics, liquid hydrogen pump performance, and para-H 2 to ortho-H 2 conversion. This paper reflects a comprehensive evaluation of all factors affecting cryogenic vessel fill density, in an effort to evaluate system performance vs. operational parameters over a broad range of conditions. The results validate previous experiments and models indicating that cryogenic vessels have maximum fill density of all available storage technologies, and fill density is most sensitive to daily driving distance and insulation performance. It is lastly predicted that para-H 2 to ortho-H 2 conversion will affect most automobiles, increasing fill density by up to 5.3%. In a future world dominated by cryogenic H 2 fueled vehicles, para-H 2 to ortho-H 2 conversion inside the vessel will be the closest contact an average person will have with quantum mechanics outside of consumer electronics.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Portable Intravenous Fluid Production Device For Ground Use Project

Several medical conditions require the administration of intravenous (IV) fluids,but limitations of mass, volume, shelf-life, transportation, and local resources can restrict the availability of these important fluids. Such limitations are expected in long-duration space exploration missions and in remote or austere places on Earth. This design uses regular drinking water that is pumped through two filters to produce, in minutes, sterile, ultrapure water that meets the stringent quality standards of the United States Pharmacopeia for Water for Injection (Total Bacteria, Conductivity, Endo - toxins, Total Organic Carbon). The device weighs 2.2 lb (1 kg) and is 10 in. long, 5 in. wide, and 3 in. high (≈25, 13, and 7.5 cm, respectively) in its storage configuration. This handheld device produces one liter of medical-grade water in 21 minutes. Total production capacity for this innovation is expected to be in the hundreds of liters. The device contains one battery powered electric mini-pump. Alternatively, a manually powered pump can be attached and used. Drinking water enters the device from a source water bag, flows through two filters, and final sterile production water exits into a sealed, medical-grade collection bag. The collection bag contains pre-placed crystalline salts to mix with product water to form isotonic intravenous medical solutions. Alternatively, a hypertonic salt solution can be injected into a filled bag. The filled collection bag is detached from the device and is ready for use or storage. This device currently contains one collection bag, but a manifold of several pre-attached bags or replacement of single collection bags under sterile needle technique is possible for the production of multiple liters. The entire system will be flushed, sealed, and radiation-sterilized. Operation of the device is easy and requires minimal training. Drinking water is placed into the collection bag. Inline stopcock flow valves at the source and collection bags are opened, and the mini-pump is turned on by a switch to begin fluid flow. When the collection bag is completely filled with the medical- grade water, the pump can be turned off. The pump is designed so it cannot pump air, and overfilling of the collection bag with fluid is avoided by placing an equal amount of water in the source bag. Backflow is avoided by inline check valves. The filled collection bag is disconnected from its tubing and is ready for use. The source bag can be refilled for production of multiple liters, or the source bag can be replaced with an input tube that can be placed in a larger potable water source if the device is attended. The device functions in all orientations independent of any gravity fields. In addition to creating IV fluids, the device produces medical-grade water, which can be used for mixing with medications for injection, reconstituting freeze-dried blood products for injection, or for wound hydration or irrigation. Potential worldwide use is expected with medical activities in environments that have limited resources, storage, or resupply such as in military field operations, humanitarian relief efforts, submarines, commercial cruise ships, etc.

Technology Portfolio System↗

ASCEM Pumping Test Capabilities: Benchmarking and Demonstration for UGTA at U-20 WW

The Advanced Simulation Capability for Environmental Management (ASCEM) High Performance Computing (HPC) simulator, Amanzi, was improved to simulate pumping tests in confined and unconfined aquifers. This report documents the testing and then application of those capabilities to simulate the U-20 WW pumping test on Pahute Mesa. Capabilities added to Amanzi include (1) transient Darcy flow with adaptive time stepping; (2) application of the specific yield term in cells representing unconfined conditions at the water table along the top of model and specific storage at other cells; (3) source/sink term; and (4) hydraulic head boundary conditions. These capabilities are benchmarked using an analytical solution and an existing numerical code. Then, they are implemented in a set of demonstration simulations for UGTA's U-20 WW pumping test.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Containment strategy for subsurface H 2 storage based on time-dependent soft solids

Here, we propose an innovative containment strategy based on time-dependent soft solids, namely 2 wt% Laponite suspensions, to reinforce natural subsurface seals and engineer flow barriers, with an eye toward making H 2 subsurface storage scalable and geographically agnostic. This suspension can be injected at its initial low viscosity and elasticity into a porous medium, allowing for easy pumping and targeted delivery. Once inside the target zone, it matures into a soft solid with much higher viscosity and elasticity, acting as a potential flow barrier. We discuss the rheological properties of the suspensions and demonstrate that hydrogen does not adversely affect their microstructure, but rather increases the suspensions’ viscosity and elasticity. Moreover, the suspensions enhance the rock samples’ compressive strength, while hydrogen exposure increases their stiffness and ductility. The ability of rock samples saturated with the suspensions to contain higher injected gas pressures is enhanced by aging at higher temperatures.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Power Cycle Design and Configuration Optimization to Minimize Levelized Cost of Energy of Molten Salt Power Towers Operating at 650 °C

This analysis investigates the design, cost, and performance of the simple, recompression, and partial-cooling configurations of the supercritical carbon dioxide power cycle integrated with a molten salt power tower concentrating solar power system. This paper uses a steady-state model to design each cycle with varying amounts of recuperator conductance to understand performance and cost trade-offs. The recompression cycle can achieve a higher thermal efficiency than the partial-cooling cycle, and the partial-cooling cycle achieves a higher thermal efficiency than the simple cycle. The partial-cooling cycle is the most expensive cycle because it requires more total turbomachinery capacity. However, the partial-cooling cycle has the largest temperature range of heat input. This feature leads to cheaper two-tank thermal energy storage, higher receiver efficiencies, and lower mass flow rates in the power tower. Crucially, the lower mass flow rates significantly reduce pump electricity consumption relative to the recompression-cycle system. Consequently, this study finds that the power tower system integrated with the partial-cooling cycle is both cheaper and generates more net electricity than systems integrated with the other two cycles. Finally, this paper presents a parametric study on the air-cooler approach temperature and shows that small approach temperatures can improve cycle efficiency and increase the temperature range of heat input, which can lead to smaller optimal approach temperatures than may be expected.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Energetic Potential for Demand Response in Detached Single Family Homes in Austin, TX

This study builds a generalized tool to quantify the maximum peak load reduction achievable with residential demand response and distributed energy resources (DERs). The tool is demonstrated by using empirical energy usage data from detached single family households within the service territory of Austin Energy - the local municipal utility in Austin, TX. The demand response optimization algorithm shifts energy usage of four controllable, high-consumption residential devices to off-peak hours: HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems, electric water heaters, electric vehicles, and pool pumps. In addition, rooftop solar generation on individual residences is considered to reduce net load to the utility, and an energy storage system optimization model performing energy arbitrage further reduces peak demand. Results from the aggregate demand response and battery optimization study indicate that peak demand for the 2017 summer peak in Austin Energy could have been reduced by 26 MW or 2.9%. Here, by considering the combined effect of controllable consumer loads, solar generation, and energy storage systems, this study highlights the potential of strategic demand response and energy arbitrage to reduce peak demand at the distribution level.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Solar heating and domestic hot water system installed at Kansas City, Fire Stations, Kansas City, Missouri

The solar system was designed to provide 47 percent of the space heating, 8,800 square feet area and 75 percent of the domestic hot water (DHW) load. The solar system consists of 2,808 square feet of Solaron, model 2001, air, flat plate collector subsystem, a concrete box storage subsystem which contains 1,428 cubic feet of 0.5 inch diameter pebbles weighing 71.5 tons, a DHW preheat tank, blowers, pumps, heat exchangers, air ducting, controls and associated plumbing. Two 120 gallon electric DHW heaters supply domestic hot water which is preheated by the solar system. Auxiliary space heating is provided by three electric heat pumps with electric resistance heaters and four 30 kilowatt electric unit heaters. There are six modes of system operation.

Source record↗

Solar-energy-system performance evaluation: Honeywell OTS 44, Ocmulgee, Georgia

The operation and technical performance of the solar operational test site (OTS 44) are described, based on data collected between April, 1981 and August, 1981. The following topics are discussed: system description, performance assessment, operating energy, energy savings, system maintenance, and conclusions. The solar energy system at OTS 44 is a hydronic heating and cooling system consisting of 5040 square feet of liquid cooled flat plate collectors; a 4000 gallon thermal storage tank; one 25 ton capacity organic Rankine cycle engine assisted water chillers; a forced draft cooling tower; and associated piping, pumps, valves, controls and heat rejection equipment. The solar system has eight basic modes of operation and several combination modes for providing space conditioning and hot water to the building. Data monitored during the 4 months of the operational test period found that the solar system collected 285 MMBtu of thermal energy of the total incident solar energy of 1040 MMBtu and provided 210 MMBtu for cooling and 10 MMBtu for heating and hot water. The net electrical energy saving due to the solar system was approximately 2600 kWh(e), and fossil energy saving was about 20 million Btu (MMBtu).

Mathur, A. K.↗