Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “custom”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 955 records · Page 53
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Our teams design high-resolution MeV x-ray radiography systems for National security missions [Poster]

The NNSS has been at the forefront of custom high-fidelity x-ray/gamma radiographic imaging solutions that serve our national security for over five decades. Our radiography team utilizes expertise in physics modeling and analysis, along with optical, mechanical, and electrical design, in close collaboration with our customers, to develop imaging methods and capabilities that go beyond their needs. Conceptual designs are developed through R&D efforts to provide solutions for the specific problem at hand. Field systems are designed and built in-house, then qualified utilizing a range of facilities across the National Security Enterprise. Radiographic imaging systems are deployed by our team in the most challenging environments. The NNSS has a strong math and programming team that provides novel on-site image analysis methods that extract crucial information from data returned in field tests.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2023

Blockchain for Fault-Tolerant Grid Operations

Radial topology and vast geographic coverage make distribution systems prone to widespread power outages upon the failure of a single (or multiple) upstream component. Fault-handling algorithms depend heavily on correct estimations of the system’s state to effectively isolate the affected area and reduce the number of affected customers while maintaining operational safety. The work described here leverages the core features of distributed, consensus-based decision-making processes and the immutability of blockchain, and demonstrates their value in improving fault-tolerant grid operations. In this work, blockchain was used to create a trusted data-sharing platform that enables independent actors to reconstruct the system state; this enables distributed resources to make intelligent decisions with limited knowledge. Although the process requires data sharing, its algorithms have been designed to limit the amount of private information that is exchanged, which helps preserve business-sensitive data and maintain customer privacy. In addition, by reducing the information that must be shared, the communication requirements are also reduced; (however, an in-depth analysis of the communication requirements is beyond the scope of this project). The proposed use cases are intended to represent a foundational basis for third parties to develop functional solutions that can eventually be deployed in the field. To further provide guidance, the envisioned use cases have incorporated design requirements that consider the blockchain characteristics and a need to limit information from surrounding resources, which preserve the assumption and the possibility that such resources could belong to different entities. This report presents a detailed design of the three use cases with the tools needed to enable the analysis being tested. The implemented gross error detection method can detect mismatches when the error exceeds 3.8 times the sensor’s rated accuracy. Detection of the circuit breaker state successfully identified the correct states across all simulation tests. A distribution-system power-flow solution in the simulator OpenDSS generally possesses a convergency tolerance of 0.01% on the voltage magnitude. The evaluation of possible reconnection using voltage magnitude—preserving the data ownership—has a voltage magnitude difference smaller than 0.001% from the OpenDSS result. The results preserving data ownership have a difference within the expected power flow tolerance with full knowledge of the system, which surpasses expectations.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2023

CRADA Number NFE-20-08292 with Quantum Lock Technologies LLC (CRADA Final Report)

At Quantum Lock Technologies, our mission is to use future-proof hardware and software to bridge the gap between physical access control and cyber security. Physical security includes access to doors, lockboxes/containers, and machinery/robots. Connecting physical access control to the cloud allows for remote detection, fast ledger updates, and mobile or remote access. However, this also opens physical security up to the world of cyber-attacks. At Quantum Lock, we use quantum random number generation to generate completely random and unpredictable digital keys to be used by connected equipment in a facility. This quantum technology is then paired with end-to-end encryption and a one-time-key communication protocol to ensure the highest level of security. Through the Innovation Crossroads program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, we have developed benchtop prototypes of our technology, connected with utility boards as our first target customers, and prepared for our first pilot with customers (target end of summer 2022).

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Reducing Grid Costs while Abating Emissions: Opportunities for Flexible Building Loads

This study evaluates the value of technology-agnostic, shiftable flexible building loads in modeled 2030 and 2040 U.S. grids for four types of customers under three potential aggregated distributed energy resources programs. The value examined includes monetary value from providing grid services (e.g., energy, capacity, flexibility reserve, regulation reserve, contingency reserve) and from reducing greenhouse gas emissions. By comparing more than 845,164,800 simulated shifting opportunities, the study finds that the timing of consumption is critical for profit-driven customers. A program that is activated for 30 critical hours of system operation can result in to $73 per year in revenue for 1 kWh of shiftable load. Emission reduction, on the other hand, is best accumulated through a year-round program: 1 kWh of shiftable load can lead to up to 487.9 kg CO2e carbon reduction per year. The report also provides detailed insights on the trade-off between revenue and emissions, regional variation, short- versus medium- term value, and impacts from various building flexibility parameters, such as shifting window and dissipation.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2022

OPALCO - Decatur Island Solar and Energy Storage Project: An Assessment of Battery Technical Performance

Orcas Power & Light Cooperative (OPALCO) is a member-owned, nonprofit cooperative utility that provides energy services to approximately 11,200 customers across 20 islands in San Juan County, Washington. OPALCO’s mostly hydroelectric power is generated by Bonneville Power Administration and delivered to the islands by submarine cables. In 2016, as part of the second round of funding from the Washington state Clean Energy Fund, OPALCO received a $1 million matching grant to support a project that deployed a 504-kW LG community photovoltaic (PV) system in combination with a 1 MW/2 MWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery energy storage system (BESS) on Decatur Island, Washington. The Decatur Island Substation is essential to ensuring reliable energy for the residents of the San Juan Islands as it is the point of interconnection with the mainland transmission system. The BESS, in combination with the community solar array, will deliver an innovative method to both defer the costly upgrade of the transmission system and allow for other high-value applications intended to benefit the utility and its customers. In 2018, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) completed a preliminary economic assessment for several identified use cases in collaboration with OPALCO. Between August 2021 and May 2022, extensive testing was conducted, and the results were used to assess the technical performance of the BESS subjected to actual field operations. Both reference performance and use case tests were performed: (a) Reference performance tests assess the general technical capabilities of the BESS, such as energy capacity, round-trip efficiency (RTE), ramp rate, and signal tracking capability. These are the first tests performed (baseline) and are repeated after use case tests (post cycle). A standardized U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) energy storage performance protocol was used to characterize the BESS, including representative duty cycle profiles, test procedure guidance, and calculation guidance for determining key characteristics. (b) Use case tests examine the performance of the BESS for specific use cases using duty cycles developed by PNNL in collaboration with OPALCO. Four use cases were selected for testing: 1) demand charge reduction, 2) load shaping, 3) outage mitigation, and 4) transmission deferral. The use case duty cycles were developed based on utility and site-specific characteristics in addition to the technical characteristics and physical capabilities of the BESS. Use case tests were performed between the baseline and post cycle tests. This report describes the BESS and its components, presents testing and performance analysis results, and shares key insights and lessons learned from this project. Outcomes of the tests and analyses will help OPALCO understand the performance of the Decatur Island BESS in its current state and design appropriate operational strategies for this and other BESSs over the long term.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Incentivizing Cold-Climate Efficiency in Juneau (Final Report)

This is the final technical report for the DOE EERE BTO project Incentivizing Cold-Climate Efficiency in Juneau. The project implemented a community energy campaign to deploy heat pumps and efficiency for residents of Juneau, in Southeast Alaska. The project helped Juneau make progress towards its renewable energy goal of reaching 80% renewable energy for space heating by 2045. The Incentivizing Cold-Climate Efficiency in Juneau (ICE-Juneau) project began in 2020 and concluded three years later in 2023. During that time, a group of implementation partners and a research advisory team instituted a beneficial electrification campaign to promote energy savings and carbon reduction in residences of Juneau, Alaska. The campaign, Thermalize Juneau, focused on the installation of single head ductless mini-split heat pumps along with other efficiency upgrades. Thermalize Juneau was the first campaign of its kind in Alaska. After several months of planning, registration opened to the public in early 2021, and over the course of six months 164 participants enrolled. Campaign staff provided education to homeowners on heat pumps and efficiency, and each participant received a one-on-one heat pump assessment using a custom Microsoft Excel-based calculator that estimated energy savings for their residence based on building characteristics and past utility bills. Participants could also obtain a free energy audit from one of the two local energy auditors to further inform their decision. A heat pump installer, electrician, and builder were selected via a competitive RFP process. Participants who felt ready to install a heat pump or other efficiency upgrades received a site visit and custom quote from each of these contractors free of charge, and if they still felt energy upgrades were right for them, could move forward with an individual contract. Participants received a $400 heat pump installation rebate, offered by the installer if 40 heat pump installations occurred through the campaign. Overall, the campaign facilitated 75 heat pump installations (including participants that went with another contractor or heat pump model) and 30 efficiency upgrades (including participants that went with another builder or did DIY upgrades). The campaign created 3 new jobs as the heat pump installer hired an administrative assistant and two apprentices over the course of the campaign. It also helped Juneau work toward achieving its renewable energy goal of 80% renewable energy for space heating by 2045 by upgrading houses from fuel oil to heat pumps powered by the hydropower electric grid. Researchers conducted four surveys to inform Thermalize Juneau and future energy campaigns. The first surveyed existing and prospective heat pump owners in Juneau to identify barriers the campaign could address and inform recruitment efforts. Entry and exit surveys provided information on participant demographics, goals, outcomes, and suggestions for improving future campaigns. And a final survey of community members who had not participated in Thermalize Juneau gave insight on ways future campaigns could include a greater diversity of participants so they could realize similar benefits. Researchers also used pre-campaign energy modeling to predict energy savings, which was then compared to the savings estimated through aggregation of heat pump assessments and energy audits, and later to actual energy savings of 10 participants who installed a heat pump and were able to provide complete energy use data sets. In addition to energy savings, and to assist the electric utility in future planning efforts, researchers analyzed the overall change in electric use across participants with energy data and heat pump installations. They also completed a life cycle cost analysis, showing positive net present values for those displacing a fuel oil appliance, and a more mixed case for those switching from electric baseboard. This project proved the feasibility of energy campaigns, with a goal of beneficial electrification, in cold, remote locations. The Thermalize Juneau team compiled a Guidebook to Thermalize Campaigns, available online. In addition to documenting what occurred in Alaska’s first thermalize campaign, it provides tips and resources for other communities wishing to implement a similar program.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Evaluation of LPBF Steels for Nuclear Applications

This report provides an update on the prioritization of existing reactor materials for advanced manufacturing. This report is a Milestone 3 deliverable in FY2023, under work package CT-23AN130401 to support research and qualification activities supported by the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies (AMMT) program here at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). The focus of FY23 for ANL included the determination of a decision criteria matrix for the prioritization of existing materials, the literature review of a select few Fe-based alloys, and working with vendors to obtain customized powders. The work package also includes fabricating test samples in a Renishaw AM400 Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) system and optimizing the process parameters. The major outcomes of this work package are: With collaborations from PNNL, ORNL, and INL, we were able to establish a decision criteria matrix containing a total of 6 categories and 31 different criteria. These will be used to downselect alloys for further evaluation; As part of that, 6 different Fe-based alloys were selected, 3 austenitic stainless steels (A709, D9, AFA) and 3 ferritic/martensitic steels (HT9, Grade 91, Grade 92). Customized powders were obtained from vendors in small quantities to fabricate initial prints to check printability of these specific alloys; A total of 72 single track experiments were performed on two alloy systems, 1 austenitic stainless steel (A709) and 1 ferritic/martensitic steel (Grade 91) in order to optimize the process parameters for the full 3d prints. The optimization led to the selection of 20 different processing conditions, 10 for each class of alloys; D9 and AFA alloys showed extensive cracking and porosity in the samples. This was due to less-than-ideal conditions present in the chamber during the deposition. A709 printed using the same process parameters showed almost fully dense samples with no noticeable porosity or any other defects. SEM and EBSD analysis revealed single phase FCC microstructure with cellular structure within the grains; HT9, Grade 91, Grade 92 alloys also showed no noticeable signs of cracking and ImageJ analysis showed porosity <0.5% in all conditions. While Grade 91 and Grade 92 showed single phase BCC microstructures, the presence of martensite laths was noted in HT9 alloy; Future work will include further characterization of these alloys to better understand the microstructural evolution during the 3d printing process.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Status and Trends in the U.S. Voluntary Green Power Market (2021 Data)

Voluntary green power, for the purposes of this report, refers to renewable energy procurement by retail electricity customers above state renewable energy mandates. In this report, we present data and key trends for voluntary green power markets, except for a small portion of voluntary purchasing where no data are available. In 2021, about 8 million retail electricity customers procured about 244 million megawatt-hours (MWh) of voluntary green power (Figure ES-1), representing about 27% of all U.S. renewable energy sales, about 39% of non-hydro renewable energy sales, and about 6% of all U.S. retail electricity sales. Most of the remainder of U.S. renewable energy sales reflects renewable energy procured by load-serving entities to comply with state renewable energy mandates, also known as compliance-based procurement.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Packaged Combined Heat and Power Technology Overview and Market Profile

Combined heat and power (CHP), sometimes referred to as cogeneration, is an efficient and clean approach to generating electric power and useful thermal energy onsite from a single fuel source, offering reliable and affordable energy services to businesses and institutions. Furthermore, CHP provides a cost effective opportunity to improve the environmental footprint and resilience of industrial and commercial facilities across the United States. CHP equipment can be custom-engineered or installed as a predesigned and assembled package. A packaged CHP system is a standardized, pre-engineered system that includes all equipment, piping, wiring, and ancillary components to deliver electricity and thermal energy to a host facility with minimal onsite engineering and design time. Packaged CHP systems can be shipped as single or multiple modules with standard interconnections (e.g., fuel; electrical; thermal—hot water, steam, and/or chilled water), which simplifies installation and reduces the costs associated with the project. Most containerized or single packaged CHP system offerings range from 10 kW to 3 MW in capacity. Packaged CHP systems are extending the operating, efficiency, and emissions benefits of CHP to nontraditional markets in commercial, institutional, multifamily, light manufacturing, government, and military applications. These markets tend to be served by smaller systems (less than 5 MW) that are conducive to pre-engineered packaging and/or modularization. Many of these sectors have limited CHP experience and technical resources to adequately evaluate, install, and maintain onsite CHP systems. The introduction of packaged CHP offerings from experienced CHP Packagers and Solution Providers has accelerated CHP adoption, lowered energy costs, reduced emissions, and strengthened energy resilience in these sectors. In 2019, the US Department of Energy (DOE) launched the Packaged CHP eCatalog to promote increased acceptance of efficient, cost-effective CHP in these applications. The Packaged CHP eCatalog is a web-based, searchable platform that hosts DOE-recognized packaged CHP systems with features designed to reduce economic and performance risks for designers, developers, owners, and facility operators interested in installing CHP. DOE established the Packaged CHP Accelerator at the same time to help launch and publicize the eCatalog, and to validate project performance, cost, and installation time of CHP packages across a variety of applications. Accelerator efforts documented installed cost reductions and installation time reductions of more than 20% for packaged CHP systems over 100 kW compared with custom-engineered systems. The Packaged CHP Accelerator and eCatalog established a peer-to-peer network connecting public and private sector partners including utilities, state energy offices, and energy efficiency program administrators interested in promoting cost-effective, efficient CHP systems, Packagers, and Solution Providers. Feedback from these partners, along with input from DOE’s CHP Technical Assistance Partnerships (CHP TAPs), was critical in understanding the current market for packaged CHP technologies, stimulating investment in these technologies, and guiding future directions for packaged CHP systems and their applications. This report provides background on packaged CHP systems, an overview of their benefits, a profile of current packaged CHP installations, and a summary of future market trends; this report is intended for facility owners, project developers, engineers, policymakers, and other stakeholders looking to increase the adoption of efficient, flexible, and resilient packaged CHP systems.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Artificial Intelligence for Natural Gas Utilities: A Primer

Modern natural gas utilities face numerous challenges and competing priorities from various stakeholders. Policymakers, customers, and advocacy groups want to see gas utilities improve performance on safety, reliability, resilience, affordability, and environmental stewardship. State utility regulators — public utility commissions — are responsible for overseeing utility performance, ensuring that ratepayer funds are being spent in the public interest, and aligning utility goals with public goals. The use of new technologies is critical to enabling cost-effective performance on these attributes. Artificial intelligence (AI) is a widely used term among utilities and regulators, but the term means different things to different stakeholders, and it is often used to describe data analytics approaches that fall short of the formal definition of AI, which is: “…the ability of a machine to receive inputs and produce a behavior or reaction similar to that of an intelligent human being.” AI (and related tools, techniques, and technologies) can help utilities solve current and emerging challenges. By combining customer and system data with analytical tools and technologies, AI can augment human decision-makers by assisting in identifying problems and events before they occur, enabling resources to be more efficiently directed across utility infrastructure. The intended primary audience for this primer is state regulators, although utilities and other stakeholders might also find it useful and relevant to improve their awareness of AI. The objectives of this primer are to: (a) offer a set of broadly applicable definitions for AI and related terms, allowing regulators, utilities, and other stakeholders to speak the same language; (b) discuss how AI is currently being implemented in the gas utility sector; and (c) understand the challenges affecting AI solutions and how tools might be implemented in the future. This primer fits within NARUC’s goals of providing impartial information to improve the ability of public utility commissions to regulate in the public interest. As such, this primer does not seek to recommend AI over any other investment, nor does it endorse any particular vendor, product, or approach. It does seek to prepare state regulators to oversee AI investments by sharing information about the current landscape of commercially available tools. To these ends, the primer is organized as follows: Section I discusses the current environment in which natural gas utilities operate and how AI, when thoughtfully designed and implemented, can enable utilities to achieve performance goals; Section II offers definitions of AI and related terms within the data analytics discipline; Section III provides three current opportunities for which AI can offer solutions: replacing aging gas distribution infrastructure, preventing excavator damage to gas distribution infrastructure, and improving energy efficiency programs. This section discusses each problem statement in detail. Second, Section III includes a discussion of how costs and benefits of investments to solve each problem are measured. And third, this section offers real-world examples of utility implementation of AI solutions; Section IV discusses challenges with implementing AI, both from the perspective of utilities and regulators; Section V suggests areas in which AI could feasibly be implemented in the near future; Finally, Section VI offers concluding thoughts and areas for further research.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Unlocking Metamaterials At The Macro Scale (CRADA Final Report)

This project was part of the Cyclotron Road program, which supports scientific entrepreneurs in their efforts to commercialize novel technologies with potential to address energy, manufacturing and climate related issues. The participants' technology is a lightweight cellular material system which could be applied to a range of products and markets and offer benefits of reduced weight, cost, waste, and carbon footprint. The objective of the project was to investigate potential opportunities and de-risk technical and market barriers in pursuit of successful commercialization. This project’s purpose was to find market pathways and technical roadmaps for commercializing the lightweight cellular material technology. The main problems to overcome are the risks in both tech and market. On the technical side, performance, weight, cost and speed of manufacturing, and other scaleup problems needed to be addressed. On the market side, the challenges included finding product/market fit, developing business models and go to market strategies, and developing commercial relationships within various industries. Our approach typically started with market analysis, in order to identify potential applications where our technology could solve problems and address pain points. To do this, we performed customer discovery, interviewing hundreds of industry stakeholders along all parts of the value chain for a given product or industry. From here, we would develop technoeconomic models which combined aspects of numerical modeling for structural and mechanical performance based on criteria from customers or industry guidelines such as stiffness, strength, weight, and other physical properties. Then, this would be combined with detailed cost models to translate the engineering solution into a manufacturable, scalable product. The challenge here was to have equal or better performance at lower cost and higher speed than existing solutions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

User Objectives and Design Approaches for Microgrids: Options for Delivering Reliability and Resilience, Clean Energy, Energy Savings, and Other Priorities

In fall 2019, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) and the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) initiated a joint Microgrids State Working Group (MSWG), funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Electricity (OE). The MSWG aimed to bring together NARUC and NASEO members to explore the capabilities, costs, and benefits of microgrids; discuss barriers to microgrid development; and develop strategies to plan, finance, and deploy microgrids to improve resilience. Based on member input, the MSWG developed two companion briefing papers to answer key questions about microgrids: (1) User Objectives and Design Approaches for Microgrids: Options for Delivering Reliability and Resilience, Clean Energy, Energy Savings, and Other Priorities and (2) Private Sector, State, and Federal Funding and Financing Options to Enable Resilient, Affordable, and Clean Microgrids. Read together, these resources provide readers with an understanding of both why and how customers—whether an investor-owned, cooperative, or municipal utility; federal, state, or local government entity; individual or group of residential, commercial, and/or industrial customers; or other organization—select, design, and pay for microgrid projects.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2023

FY23 Report on Water NSTF Testing at Two-Phase Conditions: Off-normal Scenarios

Under support from the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Office of Advanced Reactor Technologies (ART), a large-scale test facility has been constructed at Argonne National Laboratory to generate NQA-1 qualified validation data for passive decay heat removal systems in advanced reactors. The Natural convection Shutdown heat removal Test Facility (NSTF) reflects key features of a ½ scale, water-based, Reactor Cavity Cooling System (RCCS) and is intended to study the behavior, bound performance, and ultimately guide design decisions for passive decay heat removal systems for advanced reactors. In addition to the experimental activities detailed in this report, a supportive computational modeling effort is on-going which has been demonstrated to significantly strengthen the experimental program while also improving accuracy of the computer models. Together these create a mutually beneficial relationship integral to meeting the overall program objective of examining the heat removal performance of the RCCS concept. This report details the experimental activities and upgrades performed during the program’s fifth year of water-based operation. The theme of this year of testing was examining off-normal scenarios. In practice, that meant examining scenarios with blockages or other design basis conditions. From a maintenance and capability standpoint that meant assessing valving options for implementing blockages, assessing drain and refill capabilities, and ensuring in all cases that operators could safely, efficiently, and repeatably bring the facility to an off-normal condition and return it to the normal operating state. In one notable case, no solution existed, nor was a solution commercially available, that met the facility needs for implementing blockages within the two-phase region of the chimney. A valve and feedthrough were custom-designed for NSTF to operate submerged in saturated water while being safely actuated from outside the tank. The fifth year of testing included eight matrix tests consisting of 162 hours of active heating, 9,735 kWh of electrical heating, with seven tests classified as Accepted per NQA-1 and one as Trending. All matrix tests were performed at two-phase flow conditions. The power parametric series from previous years was extended to include another scenario with a decay load equivalent to 1.75 MWt, full scale, further resolving the system flow oscillation response as a function of input power. A depletion test was performed to extend previous work and examine the system’s approach to stagnation and geysering that were not previously observed. This test began at an initial inventory level of 50%, prototypic power of 2.1 MWt, and employed an accelerated drain of 0.75 gpm plus boiloff until stagnation conditions were achieved and multiple geysering events were recorded. Further exploring the geysering phenomenon was a separate effects test examining static boiling in the risers and chimney. This static boiling test was performed at 48 kWe, a higher power than testing in the previous year, and included enhancements to the drain system to remove inventory in a better-controlled and more reliable manner. Two tests were performed, at prototypic conditions of 1.4 MWt and 2.4 MWt, respectively, examining the system response to throttled conditions in the singlephase region of the piping. A ball valve immediately before he riser inlet header was increasingly throttled, progressing the system through a repeatable pattern of two-phase oscillations and stable regimes before ultimately inducing stagnation and geysering. Concluding the year, two tests were performed at baseline conditions of 70% initial inventory level and 2.1 MWt of prototypic decay heat to examine both repeatability and the response to throttling within the two-phase region, at the inventory tank inlet using the custom valve mentioned above. The first such test repeated transient operating conditions and revealed significant sensitivity t

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Gripper Test Assembly Status of Fabrication and Assembly Report – FY2023

The Gripper Test Assembly (GrTA) is an experimental test article designed for use at the Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop (METL) at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). The GrTA will test mechanical components intended for use in compact in-vessel fuel handling machines (FHM) for sodium cooled fast reactors (SFR). The GrTA will test radial and thrust ball bearings, radial and thrust roller bearings, ball screws and nuts, spline shafts and ball nuts, radial spur gears, and universal joints submerged in liquid sodium at high temperatures (250°C-650°C). These components will be tested in a prototypic, full-scale gripper head and under prototypic SFR fuel handling loads. The design of the GrTA was completed in FY2022 and has progressed into fabrication and initial assembly. All custom manufactured components have been fabricated and delivered to ANL following inspection. All custom gears have been fabricated and delivered to ANL. Bearings, ball screws, and spline shafts have been purchased to allow for initial assembly in air, and sodium compatible versions have either been purchased or are in design at appropriate manufacturers. The drive motor systems that operate the various functions of the GrTA have been purchased and delivered to ANL. Instrumentation and control hardware has been purchased and delivered to ANL as well. All sodium facing components of the GrTA have been assembled and show proper fit. The three main functions of the GrTA are to raise or lower a gripper head under prototypic fuel handling loads, rotate the gripper head while carrying a fuel handling load, and extend or retract gripper jaws that lock a fuel assembly to the gripper head. All three functions have been demonstrated in air, while under no load. The GrTA project will move forward next fiscal year by completing the initial assembly, incorporating the drive system and I&C, and preparing the assembly for introduction to sodium.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Radiation-Hardened GaN HEMT and Cell Design, Modeling, and Fabrication for Nuclear Instrumentation Applications

Recent advances in nuclear power generation technologies show great promise for efficient, safe generation of carbon-free power in the near future. Consequently, many new generation reactor designs are being pursued by government and industry groups, including both fission- and fusion-based technologies. Radiation- and temperature-tolerant sensor technology continues to advance, yet development of the electronics/instrumentation technologies suitable for these environments have fallen behind. Industry has adequately addressed harsh environment electronics needs for low earth orbit satellites, but the much more extreme conditions associated with electronics placed near or in a reactor core remain unaddressed. This project investigates the use of gallium nitride (GaN) circuit technology to address the unique needs for sensor interface electronics and communications in reactor environments. This report provides a summary of the first year’s project activities related to developing and optimizing devices and circuits for this GaN high electronic mobility transistor (HEMT) process. Activities reported include multiple analog and digital circuit designs simulated using custom Verilog-A models generated from measured GaN devices fabricated in the target process. Digital circuit designs included fundamental logic circuits such as an inverter, NAND, NOR, AND and OR gates, as well as a 5-stage ring oscillator. Each design was simulated using an open-source SPICE simulator, and an integrated circuit layout was produced of each design for use in future fabrication. Analog circuit designs focused on the fundamental building blocks to be used to construct sensor interface and communications circuits. These included current mirrors, matched differential pairs, and a Gilbert cell mixer design, each with an associated integrated circuit layout. Layout tools used for these designs included two open-source packages—KLayout and Magic—which were customized for specific use with the OSU GaN process layers. Design rules and preliminary device extraction capabilities were built for the Magic tool to enable device extraction and subsequent netlist generation for SPICE simulation. Finally, future research directions for year two are summarized. When the year-two directions are implemented, the project will be in position to advance the state of the art in electronics for near- or in-reactor sensor interfacing and communications.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Backup Power Performance of Solar-plus-Storage Systems during Routine Power Interruptions: A Case Study Application of Berkeley Lab’s PRESTO Model

This technical brief estimates the expected performance of a solar photovoltaic and energy storage system (PVESS) for providing backup power during short-duration power interruption events, accounting for the unpredictable nature of those events. The analysis relies on the Power Reliability Event Simulation TOol (PRESTO), a publicly available model developed by Berkeley Lab to simulate the occurrence of short-duration power interruption events at the county-level. A separate storage dispatch model is then used to simulate PVESS operation and backup performance for each of the large number of interruption events produced by PRESTO. In performing this simulation, the analysis accounts for how the customer operates its battery on a day-to-day basis—in this case, we assume the battery is cycled each day in response to time-of-use rates—and how that, in turn, impacts the battery’s state of charge at the beginning of each interruption event. The analysis presented here is intended to demonstrate an application of the PRESTO model as well as to illustrate some of the key determinants of PVESS backup power performance during short-duration power interruption events. The analysis focuses initially on a typical single-family home in Maricopa County, Arizona, and includes a limited set of scenarios related to system sizing, backup power configuration, and whether the customer charges its battery storage system from the grid during normal operating conditions. The analysis also presents comparative results for two other counties, in Massachusetts (Middlesex) and California (Los Angeles), illustrating how regional differences in climate, interruption patterns, and retail rate structures can affect PVESS performance as a backup power source. In the conclusions, we highlight a number of other important considerations for evaluating PVESS backup power capabilities.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Smart pixel sensors Towards on-sensor filtering of pixel clusters with deep learning

High granularity silicon pixel sensors are at the heart of energy frontier particle physics collider experiments. At an collision rate of 40\,MHz, these detectors create massive amounts of data. Signal processing that handles data incoming at those rate and intelligently reduces the data within the pixelated region of the detector \textit{at rate} will enhance physics performance and enable physics analyses that are not currently possible. Using the shape of charge clusters deposited in an array of small pixels, the physical properties of the traversing particle can be extracted with locally customized neural networks. In this first work, we present a neural network that can be embedded into the on-sensor readout and filter out hits from low momentum tracks, reducing the detector's data volume by 54.4-75.4\%. The network is designed and simulated as a custom readout integrated circuit with 28\,nm CMOS technology and is expected to operate at less than 300\,$\mu W$ with an area of less than 0.2\,mm$^2$.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Incorporating Wind Turbine Choice in High-Resolution Geospatial Supply Curve and Capacity Expansion Models

To achieve national decarbonization goals, U.S. annual deployment of wind energy will need to increase by at least fivefold compared to the recent past. Modeling and analysis frameworks can help inform where and how wind energy deployment might occur and thereby help enable the achievement of decarbonization goals. However, most prior wind energy modeling and analysis studies rely on generalized representations of wind energy technologies. Since wind energy technology advancements are expected to increase the competitiveness of wind energy, it is important to incorporate more detailed representations of turbine technology into wind energy modeling. Here we present a new method that incorporates wind turbine choice into the technology representation of land-based wind energy in long-term planning models. Our method integrates three previously published modeling and analysis capabilities: 1) bottom-up cost modeling to estimate future technology costs, 2) geospatial modeling to represent siting decisions, and 3) power sector modeling to evaluate potential deployment. We refer to this approach as a "customized turbine choice" methodology because it creates a composite turbine scenario by choosing from multiple wind turbine technologies—using site-specific optimized turbine layout and selecting the least-cost technology at each location. We demonstrate the capabilities of this new modeling pipeline by examining how the selection of four different wind turbine configurations might evolve from 2021 through 2040. Our results show that using our customized turbine choice methodology could lead to higher estimates for wind future deployment, which indicates that more simplified modeling might underestimate the role that wind energy could play in meeting decarbonization goals. Future research is needed to further explore the implications of turbine choice and to better inform technology researchers, original equipment manufacturers, and other wind industry stakeholders about the market potential of different wind turbine technologies.

17 WIND ENERGY↗