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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Engineered Microorganisms for Enhanced Rare Earth Element Bio-mining and Separations (Final Technical Report)

Rare earth elements (REE) are critical ingredients of sustainable energy technologies, but their extraction from ore and separation from one another pose formidable challenges. To solve the challenge of REE supply, we used advanced genomics, high-throughput screening with synthetic REE minerals, and synthetic biology to engineer two sets of exotic microbes to (1) extract REE from ores, spent cracking catalysts, coal ash and electronic waste with high efficiency and selectivity, and (2) to purify REE into single element batches, all under benign conditions without the need of harsh solvents and high temperatures. This work integrated our expertise in systems and synthetic biology (Buz Barstow); rare-earth geochemistry (Esteban Gazel) and mineral synthesis (Megan Holycross); and microsystems engineering (Mingming Wu) by first elucidating the set of rules that predict an organism’s phenotype and then applying them to solve this critical problem in sustainable energy. These new technologies could help to revitalize the US rare earth industry and provide a new source of these critical elements for future energy technologies. We have already had some big success in tech transfer. Two of our team members (postdoctoral fellow Alexa Schmitz and graduate student Sean Medin) were able to study the supply chain for REE in the United States, and identify an opportunity to commercialize our REE mineral-dissolution technology. Alexa and Sean recently founded REEgen, Inc., an REE biomining company. Dr. Schmitz was recently awarded a fellowship from the Activate Foundation to support the first two years of REEgen. Cornell showed its support for this technology and company, and Dr. Schmitz was awarded the Rising Women Innovator’s award. These two awards unlocked support from Cornell’s Praxis Incubator.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Inexpensive and durable aerogel-based VIP cores

The goal of this project was development of low-cost aerogels to be used as cores of Vacuum Insulated Panels (VIP). The specific aims were: 1. Aerogels to be based on phenolic chemistry to minimize flammability. 2. Aerogels to be in monolithic form and to have mechanical properties sufficient to allow their use as cores of VIPs without collapsing after evacuation. 3. Aerogels to have a cost per kg lower than the cost of fumed silica, one of the most common VIP cores. The achievements are: 1. Phenolic aerogels have been fabricated in monolithic form with thermal conductivity of 0.023 W/m·K, density ~ 0.25 g/cm 3 and a modulus of compression > 10 MPa. The aerogels can withstand the stresses of VIP evacuation without any appreciable deformation. 2. Drying of aerogels was carried in the initial stages of the project via sublimation of frozen solvents, following the procedure described in M. F. Bertino and T. Selden, “Fabrication of Aerogels and Aerogel Composites by Ambient Pressure Sublimation of Frozen Solvents”, PCT/US20/39485. Monoliths as large as 30 x 30 x 2 cm can be fabricated with the proprietary ambient fabrication technique which are free of cracks and warping. 3. Cost analysis was carried out and refined multiple times, cost drivers were identified, and the fabrication procedure was streamlined. Our cost model yields an aerogel cost of $\$$5.78/kg, which compares well with the price of fumed silica ($\$$6.2/kg FOB New York as of March 2023). 4. The monoliths can be cut into custom shapes and used as VIP cores. Cores fabricated with our technique have a thermal conductivity λ = 0.011 W/m·K at a pressure >10 mbar. 5. A variant of the technology yielded fireproof materials, described in M. F. Bertino, T. Moon, G. Waller, J. Ko and D. Clifford, “Fireproof thermal insulation”, Provisional Patent Application 63/415,386. 6. A spin-off company was created (ThermaGel Innovations, Inc.) which licensed technologies developed under this award. PI Bertino is a board member of the newco which is now raising capital to build a pilot plant.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Pilot Unit Testing at NCCC of Sorbent based CO2 Capture

TDA Research, Inc. is developing a new CO2 sorbent (alkalized alumina) technology for post-combustion CO2 capture. In this DOE sponsored project (DE-FE0012870), TDA constructed a pilot-scale skid, which was installed and tested at National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC). It was designed to process coal derived flue gas equivalent to 0.5 MWe of power generation. The pilot test data shows that TDA’s process can achieve 90% capture rate and 95% CO2 purity (the performance target) for both coal and natural gas (NG) flue gases. The techno-economic analysis (TEA) for a 550-MWe supercritical coal fired power plant with CO2 capture shows that the capture cost for TDA’s process is $34.9/tonne CO2 captured, which meets DOE’s goal of $40/tonne and is 17.1% less than the DOE baseline Case 12 (an amine solvent technology).

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Titanium-Cerium Electrode-Decoupled Redox Flow Batteries Integrated With Fossil Fuel Assets For Load-Following, Long-Duration Energy Storage

Operation of fossil plants at partial capacity with frequent cycling results in decreased efficiency, increased emissions and increased wear and maintenance. The objective of this project is to advance the integration of a titanium-cerium electrode-decoupled redox flow battery (RFB) system with conventional fossil-fueled power plants through technical and economic system-level studies and component scale-up and R&D. The Ti-Ce chemistry has a pathway to meet the DOE cost targets of $\$$100/kWh and $\$$0.05/kWh-cycle owing to the use of low-cost, earth abundant elemental actives and incorporation of inexpensive carbon felt electrodes and non-fluorinated anion exchange membrane (AEM) separators. The initial unit cell design was scaled up, with some modifications made to improve ease of manufacturing, from 25 cm 2 cell area to 400 cm 2 . Electrochemical tests demonstrated operation at a current density up to 50 mA/cm 2 , which is on par with other commercial RFB offerings. Furthermore, the Ti-Ce technology developed by WashU was evaluated and tested by industrial team partner, Giner, Inc., in their modular 3-cell stack. Several cell design modifications and alternate component material selections were successfully implemented to accommodate this chemistry while reducing polarization and leakage. Results from stack testing show high columbic efficiency and indicate that further optimization of cell compression and components will lead to successful operation of the Ti-Ce ED-RFB over longer duration at the multi-cell stack level. Engineering and cost analysis showed that an RFB system with power output on the order of 100 MW and with a charge/discharge duration of approx. 12 hours is the most cost effective for integration with fossil plants. At this scale, projected cycling of fossil fuel power plants can be significantly reduced. The use of a storage system is shown to reduce the fossil plant standalone cost of electricity by $\$$7/MWh, through increased capacity factor and improved average efficiency, in the scenario of high penetration of renewable power.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Mid-IR UAV-based sensing platform with deep learning to Identify and Quantify Gaseous Emission in Gas Flares

This report details the development and evaluation of a Mid-Infrared (Mid-IR) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-based sensing platform integrated with deep learning algorithms for the identification and quantification of gaseous emissions in gas flares. The project, spearheaded by Omega Optics, Inc., aimed to address environmental monitoring challenges by leveraging advanced photonic technologies and autonomous UAV operations. The research focused on designing, optimizing, and fabricating photonic crystal waveguides and grating couplers to enhance the sensitivity and accuracy of gas detection. A comprehensive drone-based system was developed, featuring a miniaturized sensor, GPS module, and microcontroller communication network for real-time gas concentration monitoring. The system's adaptive sampling algorithm, implemented using the Robot Operating System (ROS), enables autonomous detection and localization of gas emission sources. Preliminary results demonstrate the platform's capability to detect and monitor gas emissions with high precision, cost-effectiveness, and scalability. Future work will expand upon this foundation by introducing 3D wind model-based learning for dynamic environmental conditions and further enhancing the user interface and data processing algorithms to support broader environmental monitoring applications. Overall, this project represents a significant step forward in UAV-based environmental sensing technologies, offering robust solutions for detecting and mitigating the impacts of gaseous emissions on public health and safety.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2022

Low-Cost, Easy-To-Integrate and Reliable Grid Energy Storage System with 2 nd Life Lithium Batteries

Batteries retired from electric vehicles have the potential to extend their service as low-cost stationary energy storage systems. However, disperse battery state of health (SOH) and nonuniform battery characters often lead to compromised battery performance and reliability, which greatly hinder their adoption. A Heterogenous Unifying Battery (HUB) system is proposed to stage 2 nd life battery bricks for a period, and enable them to attain improved SOH uniformity, performance, and reliability before being sold for 2 nd life applications, while simultaneously providing grid services. It may offer a technically and economically advantageous solution for the broad utilization of 2 nd use batteries. The goal of this project was to develop the hardware and software that enables the key functions of the HUB system. The first achievement of the project was the development of a 1kW scale proof-of-concept (POC) system, which comprises (i) a modular plug-n-play DC-DC power converter matrix with isolated series output connections to achieve fully independent control of energy flow to each of the connected battery units at low voltage; (ii) enhanced model based control that drives each batteries’ SOH towards uniformity while collectively providing grid energy storage services; and (iii) comprehensive procedures to perform battery diagnostics and prognostics. The second achievement was the development of a 100kW scale HUB system and demonstrated its performance of re-establishing battery SOH uniformity through a period of battery cycling operation. The final HUB system incorporates six DC-DC power converter matrices paired with six battery bricks. Hot swapping of a single battery brick while maintaining consistent system power was demonstrated and system operation was validated to be capable of implementing the approved grid duty cycle and of balancing and conditioning the battery bricks. Through the course of the project, the team optimized the building-block design, form-factors, and adjusted life balancing control. An up-sized 250kW Scale was developed and deployed in October 2022 with pack-level battery form factors, see photo in Figure 1 The third achievement of the project was to perform a techno-economic analysis in order to better understand the cost and revenue potentials in this new “recondition-then-resell" value proposition. The final TEA quantified the economics of new Li-ion batteries as well as second-life batteries processed via reconditioning and traditional binning. Results showed the reconditioned second-life batteries in this project to be economically favorable and viable in grid energy storage markets. The TEA results were published in the Applied Energy journal. The fourth achievement of the project was to deliver a tech-to-market plan for the HUB system that includes funding, IP, and manufacturing strategies. The final T2M plan outlines a business strategy in which the HUB provides a B2B service to EV companies as an alternative to battery recycling that can prepare batteries for 2nd life applications. A company named Smartville Inc. was founded to carry on the commercialization, funding, and technical IP licensing activities of the OPEN project.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Metallurgical Analysis of the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) Carrier Lifting Bails (Rev.1)

The dissolution rates of the aluminum alloys in the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) element carriers and the Material Test Reactor (MTR) L-bundles in the H-Canyon facility have been identified as the possible cause of extended dissolutions that result in significant time and financial expenditures. A study, carried out by Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) to determine relationships between the dissolution rates and the metallurgical properties of the aluminum alloy materials of construction of the HFIR carriers and the L-bundles, considered the dissolution rates of aluminum alloy (AA) series 1100, 6061, and 6063. The study determined that the aluminum alloy compositions played a principal role in the dissolution rate of the carrier/bundle components. Higher dissolution rates were correlated with lower concentrations of the minor element additions in the alloys and with specific element concentrations. Aluminum alloys 1100 and 6063 were found to have similar dissolution rates that were approximately two orders of magnitude (100X) greater than those of AA6061. Based on the results of the dissolution behavior study, a Technical Assistance Request (TAR) was first issued to determine if the replacement of AA6061-T6 with AA6063-T6 is feasible for the HFIR carrier lifting bails. A Technical Task Request was then issued to consider AA6063-T5 as well as other alloys to improve possible supply chain issues. The metallurgical properties of the L-bundle (specifically the end caps) were not evaluated in this report because L-Bundle drawings already allow for the use of AA6063-T6 in all structural components. The HFIR carriers are composed of thin-walled components with significant surface areas that allow for relatively quick overall dissolution times. Conversely, the carrier lifting bails and the supporting constituents are composed of solid bars and thick plate regions with relatively small surface areas that experience longer overall dissolution times. While the MTR L-bundle design includes allowances for the materials of construction to be either AA6061-T6 or AA6063-T6, the HFIR carriers are specified to be constructed fully with AA6061-T6 alloy. This report analyzes the recommendations of the dissolution behavior study to replace the materials of construction of the HFIR carrier lifting bails. The analysis considers the operational requirements of the lifting bail and its supporting structures. To decrease dissolution times, the analysis considers direct replacement of the material as well as reductions in the thicknesses of the components to decrease the mass of the elements. Material reductions are considered on options for using either AA6061 and/or AA6063. The calculations are based on specifications from the American Society of Mechanical Engineer (ASME) and The Aluminum Association, Inc. design codes. The analysis finds that direct replacement of the lifting bail material of construction with AA6063-T6, and AA6063-T5 as well as reductions in the dimensions of the lifting bail components are acceptable. Note that this study considers the structural suitability of the alloys. It does not consider their dissolution rates in the dissolvers.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Preliminary Workforce Development and Environmental and Co-use Management Plans for a Floating Offshore Wind Platform - CRADA 609 (Final Report)

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) provided technical assistance to Glosten, Inc. and its affiliate, PelaStar, LLC to advance the development of their floating offshore wind (FOSW) platform. PNNL provided guidance and assessment in two areas that are important to address in the development of FOSW platforms: (1) workforce development and (2) environmental impacts and ocean co-use considerations. This work was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) through Phase 2 of the FLoating Offshore Wind ReadINess (FLOWIN) Prize. It should be noted that the Plans presented in this report are specific to the PelaStar tension-leg platform (TLP) and may not be applicable to all FOSW platforms. Workforce development and environmental/co-use impacts are highly dependent on the geographical region in which activities take place. At the request of PelaStar, PNNL focused on two regions where development may take place: the Gulf of Maine and Northern California. PNNL generated a preliminary Workforce Development Plan for PelaStar, which includes estimated job numbers and skillsets required to establish a workforce to manufacture, install, and operate their platform as part of FOSW projects. The Plan offers methods to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion practices when developing a new workforce and includes colleges and training centers for potential recruitment. Both positive and negative impacts to communities are evaluated, with potential mitigation strategies for reducing negative impacts. The structure of Community Benefit Agreements and Project Labor Agreements are discussed, noting the limitations of the role of a platform manufacturer versus the offshore wind developer. PNNL also drafted a preliminary Environmental and Co-Use Management Plan that serves as a guide to preparing an environmental assessment related to the installation and operation of PelaStar’s unique TLP design, including its potential ecological, socioeconomic, and emissions impacts. The Plan summarizes information on relevant regulatory requirements, potential impact producing factors, monitoring and mitigation measures, and physical and biological resources in the Gulf of Maine and Northern California. One of the primary perceived benefits of the PelaStar TLP is its reduced footprint due to its tensioned tendons versus catenary or taut moorings, but more research must be done as there are no studies on PelaStar’s TLP system to-date. The section also highlights ocean co-use considerations for PelaStar’s TLP system, specifically for fisheries, including existing perspectives, methods, examples, and limitations. The PNNL team established through this preliminary work and review of available literature and resources that there is not yet much research or planning around FOSW. With FOSW being a new industry, many of the findings and planning are adapted from fixed bottom offshore wind, which itself is only just taking off in the United States. More research is needed to establish best practices for workforce development and to assess environmental and ocean co-use impacts and mitigation approaches.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

System Level Analysis Software Validation with Argonne's THETA Experimental Facility (Final CRADA Report)

Under this CRADA, the Contractor will be generating and collecting sodium-based experimental data with modern instrumentation. The Contractor will work symbiotically with the Participant to generate SAS4A/SASSYS-1 and SAM computational models of the THETA experimental facility for validation of the system-level analysis codes utilized by Oklo, Inc. This effort will be specifically focused on the design basis event space scoped by Chapter 15 of the NRC’s Standard Review Plan (NUREG-0800) with an emphasis on natural circulation and thermal stratification phenomena in a prototypic sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR).

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Lifetime extension drop-test of real-world corroded 5 Quart Hagan nuclear material storage container

A 5Qt Hagan container with a 20-year history of nuclear material storage was challenged with three successive drop tests at a height of 3.7 meters. The total mass of the test package was 12.1 kg. The 1st and 2nd drop tests (center of gravity over the container bottom corner but 180 degrees apart on the container bottom face) passed the pre- and post- impact helium leak criterion at less than 1.00E-6 atm-cc/sec (ambient cubic centimeters per second). The 3rd and final test (center of gravity over top corner) failed with a post-impact gross leak of 1.1E-1 atmcc/sec. The RRFMC (Respirable Release Fraction Measurement Chamber) is a drop tower test system that is critical for the sustainability of the SAVY-4000™ series and Hagan-type (NFT Inc. Golden CO) nuclear material storage containers. These are the primary in-use nuclear material storage container types at the Los Alamos National Laboratory TA-55 facility. Results are presented to expand the technical knowledge basis for container lifetime, regarding actual exposure to corrosive gas species on the container inner surfaces. The primary source of general corrosion throughout the container is gaseous hydrogen chloride (HCl). This gas is generated by the degradation of the polyvinylchloride (PVC) bag-out bag. Additionally, in most cases, the nuclear material itself also releases HCl gas (due to residual chemical components associated with the material formation). The RRFMC drop tower gives the end-user the ability record and analyze high-speed video and photography and if needed aerosol mass release measurements. In this report the principal issue is the physical deformation of the 5Qt Hagan container. There were no mass release experiments of test aerosol mass in the present study.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2024

NORTH DAKOTA CARBONSAFE PHASE III: SITE CHARACTERIZATION AND PERMITTING OF GEOLOGIC STORAGE OF CARBON DIOXIDE

The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC), in partnership with Minnkota Power Cooperative Inc. (Minnkota), SLB, and Computer Modelling Group Ltd. (CMG), supported wide-scale deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS) as part of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory Carbon Storage Assurance Facility Enterprise (CarbonSAFE) Initiative Phase III. This phase included the acquisition, analysis, and development of information to fully characterize two storage complexes to demonstrate viable storage resources for commercial volumes of CO2 (defined by DOE as a minimum of 50 million tonnes [MMt] of CO2 within a 30-year period) (National Energy Technology Laboratory, 2024). Phase III also involved the preparation, submission, and approval of North Dakota underground injection control (UIC) Class VI storage facility permits (SFPs)—required precursors to applications for Class VI injection well permits. The presumed viability of commercial-scale CCS, situated adjacent to Minnkota’s Milton R. Young Station (MRYS), is validated by Minnkota’s continued pursuit of Project Tundra—an initiative to build the world’s largest lignite-based CCS project in central North Dakota (www.projecttundrand.com). Project Tundra comprises two scopes of work, Tundra Capture (installation of postcombustion CO2 capture at MRYS) and Tundra SGS (secure geologic storage). The efforts of North Dakota CarbonSAFE Phase III, Site Characterization and Permitting, supported Tundra SGS. Extensive site-specific characterization activities included a successful multimeasurement geophysical approach and drilling a stratigraphic test well (J-ROC 1, subsequently renamed Liberty-1) adjacent to MRYS. Core collection and analyses, downhole testing and fluid sampling, and geophysical logging were performed on J-ROC 1 and on a nearby stratigraphic test well (known as J-LOC 1), which was drilled, cored, and tested under a complementary project funded by the North Dakota Lignite Research Program. The injection tests performed on J-LOC 1 positively impacted the CarbonSAFE project, resulting in fewer proposed injection wells and significant construction, operations, and monitoring cost savings. The characterization data collected and analyses performed were integrated into geologic models, and successive numerical simulations were run to determine CO2 plume extent and subsurface pressure buildup associated with the planned CO2 injection rate of nearly 4 MMt per year. The latter doubles the CarbonSAFE Initiative goal with an estimated 100 MMt of CO2 stored in 20 years. Application of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) method for estimating the Class VI Rule area of review (AOR) to the overpressurized Broom Creek Formation inspired an alternative method of calculation, called risk-based AOR delineation. This peer-reviewed method was applied for the first time during the storage facility-permitting process. The two SFP applications submitted in 2021 successfully resulted in North Dakota Industrial Commission (NDIC) orders in 2022 authorizing the creation of the storage facility areas and amalgamation of pore space as well as establishing financial responsibility requirements. After approval of the SFPs, Minnkota filed in 2022 applications for permits to reenter the J-ROC 1 well and to drill two new wells—all with the intended purpose to become Class VI injection wells. To establish eligibility under the Internal Revenue Code for Section 45Q tax incentives, a monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) plan was prepared and submitted by Minnkota to EPA in 2022, resulting in the first such plan approved in North Dakota. Also in 2022, under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Minnkota prepared and submitted an environmental information volume (EIV) describing the proposed CCS project and associated potential environmental impacts. Based on the EIV, DOE determined that the proposed construction project required an environmental assessment, and Minnkota submitted the first draft in 2023 and a revised draft in 2024. Both submissions were followed by a public comment period. Subsequently, DOE issued a finding of no significant impact (FONSI) on September 13, 2024. A successful outreach program, strongly based in the production, presentation, and dissemination of informational material, fostered an environment to aid stakeholders in making informed decisions regarding the planned project. Opportunities for public input were provided at various steps along the way, including at county planning and zoning meetings, before and during the SFP administrative hearing, and during environmental assessment public comment periods. In addition, land/pore space owners and mineral owners had various points of contact, including granting access rights, securing pore space leasing, and mineral owner notifications. Based upon the successful storage facility permitting issued by NDIC, approval of the MRV plan by EPA, and receipt of a FONSI under the NEPA, Minnkota is continuing its pursuit of Project Tundra. In December 2023, the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations under its Carbon Capture Demonstrations Projects Program announced funding for the capture system (Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, 2023) and a proposal for CarbonSAFE Phase IV: Construction funding was submitted in March 2024 for the storage project. A go/no-go decision to proceed with construction and operations in the Broom Creek Formation is anticipated in 2024. References National Energy Technology Laboratory, CarbonSafe Initiative, https://netl.doe.gov/carbon-management/carbon-storage/carbonsafe (accessed August 2024). Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, 2023, OCED selects three projects in CA, ND, and TX to reduce harmful carbon pollution, create new economic opportunities, and advance carbon reducing technologies, December, www.energy.gov/oced/articles/oced-selects-three-projects-ca-nd-and-tx-reduce-harmful-carbon-pollution-create-new (accessed August 2024).

Peck, Wesley↗
DOE OSTI2024

Analysis of Electric Heavy-Duty Driving and Infrastructure Requirements

The analysis discussed in this report was performed as part of DOE award DE-EE0009232 to model the effects of charging Heavy Duty Battery Electric Trucks (HDBETs) on the grid. This project combines best in class freight modeling by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) with advanced distribution modeling by EPRI using detailed data from Xcel Energy and Salt River Project to analyze the effects of depot charging and utility-grade transmission modeling by Tri-State Transmission and Generation Association Inc. to analyze the effects of en-route charging.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Glass Formulation and Testing with RPP-WTP HLW Simulants (Final Report)

This report presents the results from HLW glass formulation work that was conducted at the Vitreous State Laboratory of The Catholic University of America during Part B1 of the RPP-WTP Project (formally known as TWRS-P) in support of the Privatization contractor, BNFL, Inc. Glass formulation development is required to provide data that are essential for design of the vitrification facility in the near term and for safe and reliable operation of that facility in the longer-term. These data also form the bases from which contractually and technically acceptable immobilized high-level waste (IHLW) products will be devised. Glass formulation therefore impacts many aspects of the vitrification facility design, overall process economics, and contractual compliance. As an integral part of the overall system design, development of glass formulations requires input from many sources including tank waste characterization, pretreatment process definition, flow sheet development, and processing schedules. Accordingly, the glass formulation effort must be responsive to new information as the facility design basis evolves.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2024

FEED Study for Climeworks Direct Air Capture at a California Geothermal Facility with Long-Term Storage (Final Scientific/Technical Report)

The overall objective of the project is to execute and complete a front-end engineering and design (FEED) study of an advanced Direct Air Capture (DAC) and Storage (DAC+S) system that is capable of removing and sequestering a minimum of 5,000 tonne/yr of CO 2 from the air based on cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA). The project will examine retrofitting and utilizing an existing domestic geothermal resource. The selected DAC system will be technology from Climeworks AG (Climeworks) that consists of an adsorption-desorption process to remove CO 2 from ambient air by using a selective filter. The geothermal host site is operated by Ormat Technologies Inc. (ORMAT). The DAC system will capture CO 2 using thermal energy from the host geothermal resource. This Final Scientific/Technical Report is a collection of the deliverables for the project. The project team was not able to successfully complete all the necessary tasks for this project. Shortly after the start of the project, two (2) project partners removed themselves from the study. The Awardee attempted to find a replacement for the direct air capture technology provider and geothermal energy provider. Due to this the awardee submitted a letter of cancellation for the project, letter is attached in the appendix. No funds were expended during the course of the project.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Aberration corrected RF flipper for high resolution neutron spectroscopy

Project Summary Company: Adelphi Technology, Inc. Title: Aberration-corrected High Frequency RF Flipper for High-Resolution Neutron Spectroscopy PI: Dr. Jay Theodore Cremer Topic: C55-11 Enhancement of Scattering Instrumentation Technology Used at Pulsed and Continuous Sources Subtopic: d. Other Statement of the problem or situation that is being addressed. The quest to understand heterogeneous and hierarchical materials is gathering momentum, as described in a 2015 report by the Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee on Challenges at the Frontiers of Matter and Energy. For the past 40 years a technique called neutron spin echo (NSE) has been used to probe molecular motions in such non-crystalline materials over time scales from 10’s of picoseconds to 100’s of nanoseconds. The method has provided unique information about the dynamics of soft heterogeneous materials, including confirmation of the de Gennes model of polymer reptation and quantitative measurement of bending constants of biologically relevant lipid membranes. However, scientists continue to clamor for even higher resolution than NSE can provide. Biomaterials, polymers, glasses, and artificially nanostructured materials all manifest slow molecular motions because of weak or competing interactions between subunits and are amenable to study with neutrons, provided sufficiently long dynamical correlation times can be achieved. All these materials have important applications to advanced technologies so understanding them is key to technological progress. General statement of how this problem is being addressed. We will address the need for high-resolution neutron spectroscopy by using a technique called Neutron Resonance Spin Echo (NRSE). While similar to NSE in many respects, this method has the potential to exceed the NSE capabilities, if 2 technical hurdles can be overcome. The major impediments to successful high-resolution NRSE are the availability of two technologies: a very high frequency, efficient, radiofrequency (rf) flipper for neutrons and a method to correct certain magnetic aberrations. Based on previous STTR support and follow-on research we have developed a suitable rf flipper and we have invented a method to correct the magnetic aberrations. Both technologies need refinement to make them suitable for implementation at a neutron source such as the Oak Ridge National Laboratory nuclear reactor. In this proposal we seek to perfect the two technologies and to combine them into a single, operationally convenient device. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits In view of the increasing demand for the unique scientific information that high resolution neutron spectroscopy can provide, we expect several major instrumentation upgrades at both U.S. and foreign neutron centers will require make use of the NRSE method over the coming decade, creating a market for the devices we will design. These components will enhance scientists’ abilities to probe the time dependence of density fluctuations in a wide range of hierarchical and heterogeneous materials many of which are vital to existing and future technologies. Key Words – Polarized Neutrons, Neutron Spin Echo, Neutron Scattering, advanced materials. Summary for Members of Congress Neutron beams are a powerful materials-science probe that provide unique information about the structure of matter. The proposed devices will accelerate scientific discoveries required to achieve national goals for new technological materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Performance Testing of a Moving-Bed Gasifier Using Coal, Biomass, and Waste Plastic Blends with Washed and Unwashed Legacy Coals and Other Waste Fuels to Generate White Hydrogen

The objective of this effort, primarily funded by the United States Department of Energy (DOE), and led by the Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. (EPRI), with support by Hamilton Maurer International (HMI) and Sotacarbo S.p.A. (Sotacarbo), has been to qualify coal, biomass, and plastic waste blends based on performance testing of selected fuel pellet compositions in a pilot-scale updraft moving-bed (UDMB) gasifier. The testing provided relevant data to advance the commercial-scale design of the moving-bed gasifier to be able to successfully use these feedstocks to produce hydrogen. In particular, the effects of waste plastics on feedstock development (i.e., blending and pelletizing) and the resulting products (i.e., syngas compositions, organic condensate production, and ash characteristics) are the focus. The gasifier used for testing is HMI’s moving-bed gasifier, which has been proven capable of gasifying nearly all coal ranks. It has also shown the ability in prior testing work to gasify wood chips (biomass). However, mixtures of these fuels with plastic wastes have not been prepared and gasified together. The three feedstocks were densified and pelletized by California Pellet Mill (CPM) to meet the feedstock size required by Sotacarbo’s 30mm ID UDMB gasifier, under contract to HMI. The technical tasks and results from this two-year research project included: (1) Feed Procurement and Preparation: Nine different tri-fuel pellets were prepared from varying compositions of fresh mined PRB coal, corn stover biomass, and car fluff waste plastics. Tri-fuel pellets were produced by CPM and shipped to Sotacarbo’s test facility in Carbonia, Sardinia, Italy. (2) Test Plan Development: A test plan was created to define the test runs to be performed. The test plan detailed the different UDMB gasification tests to be performed in Sotacarbo’s 12-inch ID pilot scale gasifier, the process monitoring instrumentation used, and the extractive samples recovered for analysis of the total gasification process mass and energy balance. (3) Gasifier Testing: Nine different gasification runs were performed in the pilot-scale gasifier at Sotacarbo using nine different fuel feedstock compositions generated from varying mixtures of PRB coal, biomass, and plastic wastes. The testing generated performance data on gasification reaction efficiency and performance, yielding relevant data for models used to scale up the gasifier design. This task also included work to refurbish and reassemble the pilot gasifier at Sotacarbo and perform a baseline 100% PRB coal run. (4) Data Analysis and Reporting: Review of the data, determination of figures of merit, and interpretation of the results are reported in the project’s final report, published in March 2024. The results show that all tri-fuel pellets gasified well and maintained structural integrity throughout the gasification process. The syngas generated can be shifted to hydrogen by using commercial syngas shifting technologies. (5) High Fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) Simulation: The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) team performed CFD simulations of the UDMB gasifier for two of the tri-fuel pellets gasified in Sotacarbo’s pilot scale gasifier. The kinetic mechanisms for the pyrolysis of each constituent, PRB coal, corn stover biomass, and waste plastics are based on thermogravimetric analysis performed by Sotacarbo. The gasification model was validated by comparing the predicted syngas composition at the exit of the gasifier with the measured syngas composition. In addition, the reactor’s measured internal temperature profile agreed well with the predicted internal reactor temperature profile. These results validate that the model can be used to predict the performance of the updraft moving bed gasifier for different feedstocks and operating conditions. This paper summarizes the results of the completed work in which the pelletizing procedure was validated to ensure the viability of the tri-fuel pellets for the gasification runs performed at Sotacarbo’s 30 mm UDMB gasifier. The gasification performance data from this series of nine runs will enable modeling of a full-scale HMI industrial scale gasifier supporting both combined heat and power, and Hydrogen production from coal (both fresh mined and legacy) combined with various biomass and waste plastics. Additionally, plans and progress on a follow-up project, being executed by the same project team, will be presented. In this project, a total of twenty (20) different feedstocks are being prepared from varying compositions of biomass (both woody biomass and corn stover) with a mixture of legacy coal waste, plastic waste, and refuse-derived fuel (RDF). The testing will provide information on gasification reaction efficiency/performance, yielding relevant data for models used to scale up the gasifier design to 50 megawatt electric (MWe) (equivalent hydrogen production). Tests will also be performed on a bench-scale fluidized-bed gasifier for comparison purposes. The results of this testing will be used to specify the range of feedstock blends that can be successfully gasified as well as quantify gasifier outputs based on specific blends.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2024

Passivated Contacts for Direct Wafer Product (Final Technical Report)

This TCF project developed a thin-oxide (SiO 2 )/polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) passivated contact solar cell on CubicPV's (formally 1366 Technologies, Inc.) Direct Wafer® Product (DWP) kerfless wafers. The project used two NREL-developed technologies described in U.S. Patent No. 9,911,873, Hydrogenation of Passivated Contacts and U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15/890,172, Doped Passivated Contacts . The project was motivated by a potential higher efficiency cell (compared to a PERC cell) using passivated contacts on the ultra-low cost kerfless wafers grown using the Direct Wafer process. The hope was to accelerate market adoption of the cell and wafer by delivering the lowest LCOE in the PV industry. The project tested both n-type and p-type SiO 2 /poly-Si passivated contacts grown by thermal oxidation and plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) of the poly-Si layer on DWP with varying wafer resistivities. Both deposition techniques are industry standards and thus economically viable methods for commercializing the contacts. The results indicated that both n-type and p-type poly-Si passivated contacts can be formed on polycrystalline DWP wafers, but implied open-circuit voltages (i Voc ) were limited to below 0.65 mV (compared with ~ 730 mV on n-Cz wafers). Diffusion of H to the Si/SiO 2 /poly-Si interface was key to obtaining high i Voc values. In this study, H was diffused from a high-temperature SiN x layer deposited over the poly-Si layer during a high-temperature firing step, similar to one used for screen printed metals. The study concluded that poly-Si passivated contacts on DWP wafers passivated the surface of the wafers as well as PERC passivated surfaces, which use a less expensive dielectric layer stack. The project showed that Direct Wafer Product wafers grown by CubicPV could produce high i Voc values (~0.647 mV), which could produce a cell over 20% efficient with proper processing and metallization. These cells, though not economically viable in 2024 as a stand-alone cell, could be integrated with a wide-bandgap top solar cell to form a two-junction tandem cell that could be viable under certain circumstances. This is because the bottom cell of a 30%, two-terminal tandem only needs to be a 20% cell under one-sun conditions. Thus, the DWP could be an ideal low-cost wafer for tandems. The project also revealed that a TOPCon type cell could be formed on a p-type DWP wafer using a P-diffused emitter and a p-type poly-Si contact. In fact, the p-type version of the poly-Si contact out-performed the n-type version for a variety of wafer resistivities, from highly doped to lowly doped. This curiosity requires more work to understand because on Cz wafers, the n-type poly-Si contact is of much higher quality than the p-type version.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗