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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 91 records · Page 5
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2004

Separation of Carbon Monoxide and Carbon Dioxide for Mars ISRU

The atmosphere of Mars has many resources that can be processed to produce things such as oxygen, fuel, buffer gas, and water for support of human exploration missions. Successful manipulation of these resources is crucial for safe, cost-effective, and self-sufficient long-term human exploration of Mars. In our research, we are developing enabling technologies that require fundamental knowledge of adsorptive gas storage and separation processes. In particular, we are designing and constructing an innovative, low mass, low power separation device to recover carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide for Mars ISRU (in-situ resource utilization). The technology has broad implications for gas storage and separations for gas-solid systems that are ideally suited for reduced gravitational environments. This paper describes our separation process design and experimental procedures and reports results for the separation of CO2 and CO by a four-step adsorption cycle.

Walton, Krista S.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Confinement-induced clustering of H 2 and CO 2 gas molecules in hydrated nanopores

Gas molecule clustering within nanopores holds significance in the fields of nanofluidics, biology, gas adsorption/desorption, and geological gas storage. However, the intricate roles of nanoconfinement and surface chemistry that govern the formation of gas clusters remain inadequately explored. In this study, through free energy calculation in molecular simulations, we systematically compared the tendencies of H 2 and CO 2 molecules to aggregate within hydrated hydrophobic pyrophyllite and hydrophilic gibbsite nanopores. The results indicate that nanoconfinement enhances gas dimer formation in the nanopores, irrespective of surface chemistry. However, surface hydrophilicity prohibits the formation of gas clusters larger than dimers, while large gas clusters form easily in hydrophobic nanopores. Despite H 2 and CO 2 both being non-polar, the larger quadrupole moment of CO 2 leads to a stronger preference for dimer/cluster formation compared to H 2 . Here, our results also indicate that gases prefer to enter the nanopores as individual molecules, but exit the nanopores as dimers/clusters. This investigation provides a mechanistic understanding of gas cluster formation within nanopores, which is relevant to various applications, including geological gas storage.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Improving Stability of an Optical Fiber pH Sensor with a Calcined Polyethylenimine-Coating at High Pressures and Temperatures

With an increased interest in subsurface gas storage technology for various energy applications, monitoring wellbore structural stability and subsurface geochemistry has become more pressing, and pH is a key parameter to measure. As high pressure and elevated temperatures in subsurface conditions are comparatively harsh relative to that expected for most standard pH sensor designs, any pH monitoring hardware must be designed for extended exposure to high pressures and temperatures. We previously reported that an optical fiber pH sensor functionalized with a calcined polyethylenimine coating had shown some promise as a high temperature and pressure pH sensor but with some drifting when operating for longer than 8 hours. In this paper, we investigated the coating composition and potential cause of the drifting and improved the stability of the prepared coating to minimize sensor drift under simulated wellbore conditions. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) had previously shown moderate cracking at high pressures over short tests. By applying X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to characterize the sensor coating before and after one week of testing in an H2/CH4 gas blend at 80 °C and 900 psi, a compositional change in the coating was observable, which may indicate susceptibility to alteration by subsurface gas storage conditions. Non-reducing (CH4, N2) environments were also tested, and confirmed that both temperature and pressure were also contributing to the drift.

energy infrastructure↗
DOE OSTI2025

Improving Stability of an Optical Fiber pH Sensor with a Calcined Polyethylenimine-Coating at High Pressures and Temperatures

With an increased interest in subsurface gas storage technology for various energy applications, monitoring wellbore structural stability and subsurface geochemistry has become more pressing, and pH is a key parameter to measure. As high pressure and elevated temperatures in subsurface conditions are comparatively harsh relative to that expected for most standard pH sensor designs, any pH monitoring hardware must be designed for extended exposure to high pressures and temperatures. We previously reported that an optical fiber pH sensor functionalized with a calcined polyethylenimine coating had shown some promise as a high temperature and pressure pH sensor but with some drifting when operating for longer than 8 hours. In this paper, we investigated the coating composition and potential cause of the drifting and improved the stability of the prepared coating to minimize sensor drift under simulated wellbore conditions. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) had previously shown moderate cracking at high pressures over short tests. By applying X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to characterize the sensor coating before and after one week of testing in an H2/CH4 gas blend at 80°C and 900 psi, a compositional change in the coating was observable, which may indicate susceptibility to alteration by subsurface gas storage conditions. Non-reducing (CH4, N2) environments were also tested, and confirmed that both temperature and pressure were also contributing to the drift.

energy infrastructure↗
DOE OSTI2024

Editorial: Subsurface microbiology within hydrocarbon resources or stored gases

A Research Topic on the microbiology of hydrocarbon and gas storage reservoirs has far reaching industrial applications. In recent decades, there has been a growing interest in understanding microbial communities in subsurface energy reservoirs, such as coal, oil, and shale beds. This area of research has broadened to include gas storage reservoirs for hydrogen and CO 2 . Scientists are beginning to unravel the unexpected impact microorganisms have on these systems, through changing the fluid geochemistry, the gas content, and even the permeability. By recognizing the influence of these tiny organisms on our engineered environments, we can develop better risk assessments, target mitigation strategies, expand energy production, and refine operational guidance, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable energy future.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Phase I: Natural Gas-Based Energy Storage at Abbott Power Plant

Compressed Natural Gas Energy Storage (CNGES), uses the potential energy of compressed natural gas within an integrated energy storage system. Specifically, an inventory of high-pressure natural gas is stored during off-peak hours in a first stage by controlling the balance of gas entering a pipeline from the transmission system, and in a second stage by using new compressors to fill vessels onsite. The natural gas storage medium is then discharged through an expander-generator to use the potential energy from the gas to generate electricity without combustion. The excess chemical energy stored in the natural gas is integrated with an existing fossil-based asset to provide power generation during peak hours and increase the reliability of the associated fossil generating facility.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Additively Manufactured, Lightweight, Low-Cost Composite Vessels for Compressed Natural Gas Fuel Storage

This project will develop a process to combine AM via direct ink writing (DIW) technology for CFC printing and to use design optimization tools pioneered at LLNL, with advances in resin/composite formulation enabled by chemical and nano-material modification to produce lightweight low-cost CNG tanks. Our approach will yield sub-scale prototype composite pressure tanks equivalent to Type-5 CNG vessel designs that demonstrate a potential cost-benefit advantage. Central to our vision is using agile AM and design based on computationally informed DIW of both short and continuous CF, further coupled with high-performance thermoset polymer matrixes modified by emergent nanomaterials. Our single-stage, multi-material AM technology, combined with a decreased volume fraction of CF and an increased proportion of economically advantaged short fiber, all together drive the reduction in manufacturing time and overall cost. Importantly, reductions in continuous fiber and overall fiber volume fraction will be achieved without detriment to the mechanical strength of the composite vessel. This will be achieved by employing a single process using multi materials grading involving a thermoset resin “ink” modified with aligned nanoplatelets to leverage the efficient tortuous-path gas barrier effect, printed as an inner flexible gas barrier as the initial stage in our manufacturing process before compositionally grading the AM feedstock in real-time to transition to a rigid, structural CF-filled resin. The proposed hybrid construction is projected to achieve pressure ratings at a service range of 2,900–3,600 psi with a 3× burst safety factor comparable to conventional filament-wound composite tanks with an estimated 30–50% reduction in total manufacturing cost.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
NASA NTRS1980

Storage peak gas-turbine power unit

A storage gas-turbine power plant using a two-cylinder compressor with intermediate cooling is studied. On the basis of measured characteristics of a .25 Mw compressor computer calculations of the parameters of the loading process of a constant capacity storage unit (05.3 million cu m) were carried out. The required compressor power as a function of time with and without final cooling was computed. Parameters of maximum loading and discharging of the storage unit were calculated, and it was found that for the complete loading of a fully unloaded storage unit, a capacity of 1 to 1.5 million cubic meters is required, depending on the final cooling.

Tsinkotski, B.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Unitized Regenerative Fuel Cell System Gas Storage-Radiator Development

High-energy-density regenerative fuel cell systems that are used for energy storage require novel approaches to integrating components in order to preserve mass and volume. A lightweight unitized regenerative fuel cell (URFC) energy storage system concept is being developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center. This URFC system minimizes mass by using the surface area of the hydrogen and oxygen storage tanks as radiating heat surfaces for overall thermal control of the system. The waste heat generated by the URFC stack during charging and discharging is transferred from the cell stack to the surface of each tank by loop heat pipes, which are coiled around each tank and covered with a thin layer of thermally conductive carbon composite. The thin layer of carbon composite acts as a fin structure that spreads the heat away from the heat pipe and across the entire tank surface. Two different-sized commercial-grade composite tanks were constructed with integral heat pipes and tested in a thermal vacuum chamber to examine the feasibility of using the storage tanks as system radiators. The storage tank-radiators were subjected to different steady-state heat loads and varying heat load profiles. The surface emissivity and specific heat capacity of each tank were calculated. In the future, the results will be incorporated into a model that simulates the performance of similar radiators using lightweight, spacerated carbon composite tanks.

Burke, Kenneth A.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Reducing the Cost of Fatigue Crack Growth Testing for Storage Vessel Steels in Hydrogen Gas

Hydrogen storage pressure vessels are designed against fatigue crack growth, and the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code requires the fatigue crack growth rate (da/dN) vs. stress-intensity factor range (ΔK) relationship of the construction steel to be measured directly in hydrogen gas. These measurements are notoriously slow and expensive: the cyclic loading frequencies prescribed by standards (often 0.1 Hz) are two or more orders of magnitude below those for conventional fatigue testing, individual tests run for days to weeks, and the high-pressure test-chamber set-up imposes a significant per-specimen labor cost. Due to these time and cost constraints, near-threshold data—the regime most valuable for extending design fatigue life—are rarely generated for ferritic storage vessel steels in hydrogen gas.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2024

Soft interface instability and gas flow channeling in low-permeability deformable media

Understanding gas percolation through a clay layer or a shale formation is of great importance for the development of a geologic repository for nuclear waste disposal, a subsurface system for gas storage, and an engineering approach for hydrocarbon extraction from unconventional reservoirs. Gas injection experiments have revealed complex dynamic behaviours of gas percolation through water saturated compacted bentonite, characterized by a high breakthrough pressure, rapid breakthrough, a pressure/stress decay after the breakthrough, a relatively high migration rate, high-frequency periodic/nonperiodic variations in flow rate, stepwise rate reductions during relaxation, and low gas saturation over the whole process, all indicating channelling nature of the processes. Using linear stability analyses, we show that this channelling can autonomously emerge from the instability of the deformable interface between the injected gas and the compacted bentonite matrix driven by local stress concentration, pore dilation, and hydrologic gradient. Channel patterns formed would possess a fractal geometry. We further show that, once a percolating channel is established, the gas injected would percolate through the channel in a chain of gas bubbles, also due to the interface instability, resulting in periodic/chaotic variations in gas flow rate. Our work provides a unified explanation for key features observed for gas percolation in low-permeability deformable media. The work also suggests a possibility of designing an engineered barrier system for a nuclear waste repository that can have controllable gas release while limit water transport.

Bentonite↗
DOE OSTI2022

Low-Cost Long-Duration Energy Storage at a Natural Gas Pipeline

An energy storage project based on Compressed Natural Gas Energy Storage (CNGES) technology is being studied at the Abbott Power Plant in Illinois. This article presents an overview of CNGES technology, assessment of the potential of implementing it at an existing pipeline, and preliminary results obtained from the Department of Energy–funded Abbott Power Plant study.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
NASA NTRS1977

ERDA's Chemical Energy Storage Program

The Chemical Energy Storage Program is described with emphasis on hydrogen storage. Storage techniques considered include pressurized hydrogen gas storage, cryogenic liquid hydrogen storage, storage in hydride compounds, and aromatic-alicyclic hydrogen storage. Some uses of energy storage are suggested. Information on hydrogen production and hydrogen use is also presented. Applications of hydrogen energy systems include storage of hydrogen for utilities load leveling, industrial marketing of hydrogen both as a chemical and as a fuel, natural gas supplementation, vehicular applications, and direct substitution for natural gas.

Swisher, J. H.↗
DOE OSTI2024

2D Nitrogen‐Doped Graphene Materials for Noble Gas Separation

Abstract Noble gases, notably xenon, play a pivotal role in diverse high‐tech applications. However, manufacturing xenon is an inherently challenging task, due to its unique properties and trace abundance in the Earth's atmosphere. Consequently, there is a pressing need for the development of efficient methods for the separation of noble gases. Using mild fluorographene chemistry, nitrogen‐doped graphene (GNs) materials are synthesized with abundant aromatic regions and extensive nitrogen doping within the vacancies and holes of the aromatic lattice. Due to the organized interlayer “nanochannels”, nitrogen functional groups, and defects within the two‐dimensional (2D) structures, GNs exhibits effective selectivity for Xe over Kr at low pressure. This enhanced selectivity is attributed to the stronger binding affinity of Xe to GN compared to Kr. The adsorption is governed by London dispersion forces, as revealed by theoretical calculations using symmetry‐adapted perturbation theory (SAPT). Investigation of other GNs differing in nitrogen content, surface area, and pore sizes underscores the significance of nitrogen functional groups, defects, and interlayer nanochannels over the surface area in achieving superior selectivity. This work offers a new perspective on the design and fabrication of functionalized graphene derivatives, exhibiting superior noble gas storage and separation activity exploitable in gas production technologies.

Šedajová, Veronika↗
DOE OSTI2023

The Hidden Flexibility of the Natural Gas Network for Electric Power Operations: A Case Study of a Near-Miss Winter Event

The U.S. power sector has become increasingly reliant on gas pipeline networks to deliver fuel to natural gas power plants. In addition to supplying relatively low-cost fuel, gas networks offer generators flexibility in their operations through the ability to deliver fuel when needed by using gas storage facilities or linepack if the gas network is at an operating point below its design capacity. However, disruptions or stress events on the gas network - like those occurring in the Northeast and Texas in recent years - can result in limitations on gas availability to generators at times when generation is in short supply. Here we examine a period of stress that occurred in the winter of 2022 in the Western United States. Using data on the region's natural gas pipeline network and electric generators, we build an integrated gas and electric model that closely replicates the actual dispatch of the period. We then evaluate the implications of removing flexibility employed by the gas network operator, which during that period curtailed scheduled gas deliveries to other parties to increase deliveries to natural gas power plants, which requested more gas than initially forecasted. We find that without the flexibility supplied by the gas network operator, there would have been curtailment of gas generation due to gas offtake constraints, requiring the power system operator to redispatch relying on more expensive generation or to potentially shed load. A sensitivity exploring a wind drought further exacerbates the strain, illustrating the potential challenge of managing gas and grid interactions as systems move to higher shares of variable renewable electricity. Based on this example, we discuss potential coordination strategies between the two system operators to ensure that the power system can successfully utilize and rely on the flexibility offered by natural gas networks.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
NASA NTRS1972

Gas-injection-start and shutdown characteristics of a 2-kilowatt to 15-kilowatt Brayton power system

Two methods of starting the Brayton power system have been considered: (1) using the alternator as a motor to spin the Brayton rotating unit (BRU), and (2) spinning the BRU by forced gas injection. The first method requires the use of an auxiliary electrical power source. An alternating voltage is applied to the terminals of the alternator to drive it as an induction motor. Only gas-injection starts are discussed in this report. The gas-injection starting method requires high-pressure gas storage and valves to route the gas flow to provide correct BRU rotation. An analog computer simulation was used to size hardware and to determine safe start and shutdown procedures. The simulation was also used to define the range of conditions for successful startups. Experimental data were also obtained under various test conditions. These data verify the validity of the start and shutdown procedures.

Cantoni, D. A.↗