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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 991 records · Page 55
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Impacts of High Variable Renewable Energy Futures on Electric-Sector Decision Making: Demand-Side Effects

Previous work by the Berkeley Lab describes how high shares of variable renewable energy (VRE) such as wind and solar power could change wholesale electricity price dynamics. These include the timing of when electricity is cheap or expensive, locational differences in the cost of electricity, and the degree of regularity or predictability in those costs. Many decentralized decision-makers on the demand-side may not yet have considered the implications of these possible future changes. In this report, we evaluate the sensitivity of a set of demand-side decisions to different levels of VRE penetration ranging from a low of 5-20% to a high of 40-50%. The analysis builds on hourly wholesale energy and capacity prices in different VRE scenarios for four wholesale markets in the United States for the year 2030 (CAISO, ERCOT, NYISO, and SPP). The principal question for this exploration is whether private and public electric-sector decisions that are made based on assumptions reflecting low VRE levels still achieve their intended objective in a high VRE scenario with 40-50% wind and solar? This scoping report evaluates the impacts of changing patterns of peak system needs on the benefits of demand reductions by examining the altered value of different energy efficiency (EE) measures. Similarly, we investigate new opportunities for large energy consumers that may arise from periods with very low wholesale electricity prices. We calculate the value of new process investments (e.g., hydrogen production and other generalized electro-commodities), showcase the varying value of new product storage investments (such as reservoir extensions at a desalination plant), and estimate the benefits of increased process flexibility that uses electricity as a process-input in addition to traditional fossil fuels (e.g., district energy systems). Finally, many decentralized decision-makers and end-use customers are not directly exposed to wholesale electricity prices but instead receive price signals from their retail electricity rates. As wind and solar shares increase, we compare the economic efficiency of flat retail rates relative to more dynamic time-of-use tariffs with and without critical peak-pricing events.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Optimization of key energy and performance metrics for drug product manufacturing

During the development of pharmaceutical manufacturing processes, detailed systems-based analysis and optimization are required to control and regulate critical quality attributes within specific ranges, to maintain product performance. As discussions on carbon footprint, sustainability, and energy efficiency are gaining prominence, the development and utilization of these concepts in pharmaceutical manufacturing are seldom reported, which limits the potential of pharmaceutical industry in maximizing key energy and performance metrics. Based on an integrated modeling and techno-economic analysis framework previously developed by the authors, this study presents the development of a combined sensitivity analysis and optimization approach to minimize energy consumption while maintaining product quality and meeting operational constraints in a pharmaceutical process. The optimal input process conditions identified were validated against experiments and good agreement resulted between simulated and experimental data. Here, the results also allowed for a comparison of the capital and operational costs for batch and continuous manufacturing schemes under nominal and optimized conditions. Using the nominal batch operations as a basis, the optimized batch operation results in a 71.7% reduction of energy consumption, whereas the optimized continuous case results in an energy saving of 83.3%.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Probing Higgs-muon interactions at a multi-TeV muon collider

Abstract We study the capabilities of a muon collider, at 3 and 10 TeV center-of-mass energy, of probing the interactions of the Higgs boson with the muon. We consider all the possible processes involving the direct production of EW bosons (W, ZandH) with up to five particles in the final state. We study these processes both in the HEFT and SMEFT frameworks, assuming that the dominant BSM effects originate from the muon Yukawa sector. Our study shows that a Muon Collider has sensitivity beyond the high-luminosity LHC, especially as it does not rely on the Higgs-decay branching fraction to muons. A 10 TeV muon collider provides a unique sensitivity on muon and (multi-) Higgs interactions, significantly better than the 3 TeV option. Particularly, we find searches based purely on multi-Higgs production to be particularly effective in probing these couplings.

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2024

PPI DataHub Project Data Package: S. elongatus PCC 7942 Circadian Control Bioproduction Metabolomics (PB-DP5)

The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate how circadian clock regulation impacts carbon partitioning between storage, growth, and product synthesis in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 in providing insights to strategies for enhanced bioproduction. Culture samples were collected at 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 hours for extracellular sucrose analysis. Circadian metabolomics data was acquired using a Agilent single quadrupole gas chromatography-mass spectrometer and processed using Agilent Mass Hunter for targeted sucrose quantification. Metabolomic analysis of PCC 7942 light-dark cycle cultures transitioned to constant light revealed distinct temporal patterns in sucrose production. Processed metabolomic datasets are openly accessible from the PNNL DataHub project dataset download page and contain secondary processed GC-MS results files and supporting metadata materials linked to relevant source code information supporting data transparency and reuse.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Novel Modular Electrocatalytic Processing for Simultaneous Conversion of Carbon Dioxide and Wet Shale Gas into Valuable Products

This report examines solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC) technology as an alternative process for the manufacture of carbon monoxide (CO) and the separation of ethane (C 2 H 6 ) from wet natural gas (WNG). SOEC cathodes for the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) to CO and SOEC anodes for the selective electrochemical oxidation of C 2 H 6 to ethylene (C 2 H 4 ) are described and presented. Lifecycle and techno-economic analyses (LCA and TEA) utilizing SOEC technology for the production of CO are also reported.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Incoherent diffractive dijet production and gluon Bose enhancement in the nuclear wave function

We investigate the effect of gluon Bose enhancement in the nuclear wave function on the dijet production in incoherent diffractive processes in DIS and ultraperipheral collisions. We demonstrate that Bose enhancement leads to an enhancement of diffractive dijet production cross section when the transverse momenta of the two jets are aligned at zero relative angle. This enhancement is maximal when the magnitude of the transverse momenta of the two jets are equal, and disappears rather quickly as a function of the ratio of the two momenta. We study both the dilute limit and fully nonlinear dense regime where the nuclear wave function is evolved with the leading order JIMWLK equation. In both cases we observe a visible effect, with it being enhanced by the evolution due to the dynamical generation of the color neutralization scale.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

The end game(s) of photosynthetic carbon metabolism

Abstract The year 2024 marks 70 years since the general outline of the carbon pathway in photosynthesis was published. Although several alternative pathways are now known, it is remarkable how many organisms use the reaction sequence described 70 yrs ago, which is now known as the Calvin–Benson cycle or variants such as the Calvin–Benson–Bassham cycle or Benson–Calvin cycle. However, once the carbon has entered the Calvin–Benson cycle and is converted to a 3-carbon sugar, it has many potential fates. This review will examine the last stages of photosynthetic metabolism in leaves. In land plants, this process mostly involves the production of sucrose provided by an endosymbiont (the chloroplast) to its host for use and transport to the rest of the plant. Photosynthetic metabolism also usually involves the synthesis of starch, which helps maintain respiration in the dark and enables the symbiont to supply sugars during both the day and night. Other end products made in the chloroplast are closely tied to photosynthetic CO2 assimilation. These include serine from photorespiration and various amino acids, fatty acids, isoprenoids, and shikimate pathway products. I also describe 2 pathways that can short circuit parts of the Calvin–Benson cycle. These final processes of photosynthetic metabolism play many important roles in plants.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Engineering Innovations, Challenges, and Opportunities for Lignocellulosic Biorefineries: Leveraging Biobased Polymer Production

Alternative polymer feedstocks are highly desirable to address environmental, social, and security concerns associated with petrochemical-based materials. Lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) has emerged as one critical feedstock in this regard because it is an abundant and ubiquitous renewable resource. LCB can be deconstructed to generate valuable fuels, chemicals, and small molecules/oligomers that are amenable to modification and polymerization. However, the diversity of LCB complicates the evaluation of biorefinery concepts in areas including process scale-up, production outputs, plant economics, and life-cycle management. We discuss aspects of current LCB biorefinery research with a focus on the major process stages, including feedstock selection, fractionation/deconstruction, and characterization, along with product purification, functionalization, and polymerization to manufacture valuable macromolecular materials. We highlight opportunities to valorize underutilized and complex feedstocks, leverage advanced characterization techniques to predict and manage biorefinery outputs, and increase the fraction of biomass converted into valuable products.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Tritiated Sulfur Hexafluoride Disposition Strategies

Tritium (T 2 ) is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that is produced in nuclear fission reactions and is often used in nuclear fusion reactions and accelerator-based applications for medical isotope production. As a hydrogen isotope, tritium can readily bind to hydroxyl radicals (OH), forming tritiated water (HTO or T 2 0), and to carbon atoms. Tritium decays to helium-3 ( 3 He) via beta-decay with max decay energy of 18.6 keV. While it is not an external radiation hazard, it can be an internal radiation hazard if tritium is inhaled, ingested, or absorbed through the skin. In applications where tritium is handled, tritium confinement is performed using different barriers to minimize releases to the environment. For gaseous (elemental), liquid (oxide), and metal (hydride) tritium, process piping and components provide the primary confinement function. Secondary tritium confinement is typically provided by inert (i.e. non-flammable gases such as nitrogen, argon, or helium) gloveboxes which are connected to a tritium stripper system. Primary tritium confinement barriers typically produce low volumes of high tritium concentrations of tritiated methane from carbon in steels or organic materials along with tritiated water/tritium oxide (e.g. HTO) and tritiated ammonia from reactions with oxygen and nitrogen. Tritium escaping primary confinement into secondary confinement atmospheres (e.g. gloveboxes) produce higher volumes of lower activity contamination than found in process piping. Tritium contamination also occurs by leaks or tritium permeation/diffusion through confinement materials. Tritium from inside primary confinement barriers will diffuse or leak out of the primary confinement barrier and usually into the air, if the system is inside an air hood or ventilated hot cell, or into the secondary confinement (e.g. glovebox) atmosphere which is either exhausted or stripped based on the function of the secondary confinement (glovebox) system. Accelerator based processes for medical isotope production represent an atypical tritium contamination challenge. In medical isotope production, deuterium supply gas is ionized and accelerated to a tritium gas target to produce neutrons that are then used to produce the medical isotopes through additional nuclear fission reactions. To create large voltage differentials for accelerator operations, an electrical insulation medium is needed to prevent or rapidly quench electric discharges. A common electrical insulation medium utilized in accelerator applications is sulfur hexafluoride (SF 6 ) gas. SF 6 has a high dielectric strength and allows for the construction of smaller accelerator systems compared to other electrical insulation mediums such as air or dry nitrogen. Due to tritium permeation/diffusion through accelerator process and confinement materials, there is the possibility that tritium can contaminate the electrical insulation medium of the accelerator. Tritium contaminated SF 6 creates a material without any obvious processes for managing the contamination, reuse, or disposal of the used SF 6 . This document will discuss possible management strategies for tritium contaminated SF 6 for accelerator-based processes for Molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) production.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Upstream considerations for gas fermentation processes

Gas fermentation enables the production of fuels, chemicals, and foods from gaseous carbon sources and could serve as a technology for valorizing carbon that may otherwise be emitted to the atmosphere. In this review, we focus on upstream feedstock considerations: the supply of carbon and the supply of electrical power. Electrical power serves a dual role, providing both process energy and biochemical redox potential (via hydrogen or reduced intermediates). We define gas fermentation as bioprocesses involving gaseous feedstocks metabolized by microbes, distinct from microbial electrosynthesis. Trends in CO 2 point sources and low-carbon electricity systems are analyzed, highlighting opportunities and challenges for future deployment. This review synthesizes current knowledge and identifies key R&D priorities for process integration at industrial scale.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Laboratory-Scale Melter Systems for Simulated and Real AP-107 Tank Waste - 20483

The Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) will process and stabilize waste that is stored in underground tanks on the Hanford Site. At the WTP, the tank waste will be combined with glass-forming and modifying additives to form an aqueous and solid mixture called melter feed, which will then be vitrified in joule-heated melters. A small-scale melter system, the continuous laboratory-scale melter (CLSM), is designed to operate with a continuous feeding process while periodically pouring glass product and collecting off-gas. Two CLSMs were constructed: one in a non-radioactive environment for processing waste simulants and another in a fume hood capable of handling radioactive material for processing actual Hanford tank waste. The waste sample received for vitrification in the CLSM was from Hanford tank 241-AP-107. Approximately 12 liters of melter-feed slurry was vitrified into 7 kilograms of glass product over the course of 10 hours of charging to the CLSM. The partitioning of technetium-99 in the product streams was used to calculate the technetium-99 recovery and help determine when the vitrification process had reached a steady state. The average single-pass retention of technetium-99 in the glass product was then calculated for the processing of AP-107 waste in the CLSM system. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2026

Biochemical parallels between catabolic pathways for lignin-associated aromatic dimers

Lignin is one of the most common biopolymers on Earth. In nature, lignin is primarily deconstructed by fungi into mixtures of aromatic compounds that are then assimilated by bacteria and fungi. Industrially, lignin is primarily generated as a byproduct of pulp and paper production and burned for process heat. However, if the appropriate assimilatory pathways were identified, deconstructed lignin could be funneled into value-added products using engineered bacteria. Foundational work has described pathways for assimilation of diverse monomeric aromatic compounds such as protocatechuate, ferulate, and syringate, as well as select dimers including those with β-O-4 and 5-5 interunit linkages. Recent advances have elucidated additional pathways for dimer assimilation, including pathways for new substrates as well as parallel pathways for previously characterized substrates. Comparing these dimer assimilation pathways can illuminate the underlying biochemical logic of assimilation for lignin-associated aromatic dimers and provide opportunities for metabolic engineering to enhance lignin valorization.

Sphingomonas↗
DOE OSTI2024

Liquid Fed Pyrolysis of Polyethylene Films: Environmental and Economic Assessments of Co-located and Remotely-Located U.S. Facilities

Polyethylene (PE) films are one of the highest production volume plastic products, but they have very low recycling rates. A novel liquid fed pyrolysis process (LFP) is an advanced recycling technology that can be applied to waste PE films. In this work, two environmental and six economic metrics were evaluated for the LFP process under different scenarios with a baseline production capacity of 8,400 Metric Tons (MT) of pyrolysis products/year. The studied scenarios considered process improvement such as heat integration, changing the final product yields, and location of the LFP process facility (i.e., co-located at a petrochemical facility or located remotely). Results show that producing refined pyrolysis wax in remote areas is the most environmentally favorable and profitable scenario. The LFP process co-located at a petrochemical facility and selling only liquid and gaseous pyrolysis products to the facility would require a capacity of >18,000 MT/year to be economically feasible. Heat integration led to greenhouse gas emission savings of at least 14%, 19%, and 32% for the pyrolysis oil, gas, and wax products, respectively. Fianlly, the LFP process in remote and less populated locations producing a high yield of refined wax may be a feasible solution for increasing recycling rates of PE films.

Advanced recycling↗
DOE OSTI2022

Discrete-event Simulation Process Model for the Pyrochemical Processing of Plutonium at Los Alamos National Laboratory

The pyrochemical metal production operations that occur in the Plutonium Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory perform plutonium purification with the aim to provide plutonium metal for a variety of defense- and non-defense missions within the National Nuclear Security Administration. The demands and constraints associated with the pyrochemical processing of plutonium are complex, making decision analyses challenging for program managers who require plutonium production for their mission applications. The construction of a discrete-event simulation process model is proposed to measure and report the process capacity, material throughput, equipment requirements, and dose accumulation for operators of the pyrochemical metal production operations. The process model, constructed in the ExtendSim™ software, will represent the cause-and-effect relationships between the pyrochemical processing environment and the process constraints, including criticality limitations, material control and accountability measures, chemical analysis requirements, and equipment availability. An accurate representation of the pyrochemical metal production process capacity through simulation modeling will be helpful to program managers in their efforts to forecast plutonium availability for mission applications. Furthermore, the proposed process model will be vital for future analyses that will measure the interactions between the pyrochemical metal production operations and the aqueous reprocessing operations and their ability to minimize transuranic waste disposal.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Metabolic engineering of non-pathogenic microorganisms for 2,3-butanediol production

2,3-Butanediol (2,3-BDO) is a promising commodity chemical with various industrial applications. While petroleum-based chemical processes currently dominate the industrial production of 2,3-BDO, fermentation-based production of 2,3-BDO pro- vides an attractive alternative to chemical-based processes with regards to economic and environmental sustainability. The achievement of high 2,3-BDO titer, yield, and productivity in microbial fermentation is a prerequisite for the production of 2,3-BDO at large scales. Also, enantiopure production of 2,3-BDO production is desirable because 2,3-BDO stereoisomers have unique physicochemical properties. Pursuant to these goals, many metabolic engineering strategies to improve 2,3-BDO pro- duction from inexpensive sugars by Klebsiella oxytoca, Bacillus species, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been developed. Furthermore, this review summarizes the recent advances in metabolic engineering of non-pathogenic microorganisms to enable efficient and enantiopure production of 2,3-BDO.

2,3-BDO stereoisomers↗
DOE OSTI2020

Multiple dye interactions in plastic scintillators: Effects on pulse shape discrimination

The scintillation process in plastic scintillators has been studied with mixed systems containing high concentrations of multiple fluorescence dyes. It has been shown that the triplet–triplet interaction phenomena leading to the production of delayed light and pulse shape discrimination (PSD) can vary depending on the triplet energies of the interacting dyes. At small differences between the first excited triplet state energies, found to be below 0.1 eV, a pair of interacting dyes of different molecular species can be involved in heterogeneous excitation migration and triplet–triplet annihilation that result in the enhancement of delayed light and PSD, due to the engagement of both dyes in the process. At differences above 0.27 eV, excitation trapping on the lower energy triplet molecules leads to conditions when triplet–triplet migration and annihilation can proceed only homogeneously between molecules of the same species. The results explain the different effects produced by the selection of fluorescent dyes in previously reported PSD systems containing one primary and one secondary dyes. They also demonstrate a non-traditional approach to the design of new plastic scintillators with multiple dyes that, at improved scintillation and PSD performance, may simplify the production process.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

RapidClave Technology Demonstrations-II Kevlar Composite Vehicle Floor

This Demonstration’s objective was to develop enhanced methods to produce a complex preform comprised of Kevlar fabric and thermoplastic adhesive and rapidly consolidate the preform into the desired functional shape of a vehicular floor protection system. The approach and outcome goals were to reduce the tooling cost by 50% and shorten the processing time by 50% using the RapidClave® to consolidate the part rather than an autoclave. UDRI partnered with O’Gara Armoring who currently produces one piece Kevlar floor composite laminates that offer enhanced impact resistance at lighter weights as compared to steel. These laminates are constructed by hand layup of 3000 denier K29 fiber in a plain weave architecture with a thermoplastic film adhesive layer manufactured by Barrday and will be referred to as semi-preg throughout this paper. The current process is labor intensive and costly. Current production rates are only about one per month but an improved process is expected to enable product growth. A 50% reduction in tooling cost was achieved through the use of additive tooling, and the RapidClave® process enabled a 60% reduction in cycle time. Further cost savings were realized through the implementation of a preforming process that resulted in a 65% reduction in labor hours. This new approach for manufacturing reinforced vehicle floors has been partially implemented by O’Gara with plans to continue work on additional vehicle models. The cost savings has potential for increasing O’Gara’s production to reach new markets, and lead to job creation.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗