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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Performance evaluation of a dynamic wall integrated with active insulation and thermal energy storage systems

Thermal energy storage systems in buildings can store cooling/heating energy during non-peak load hours or when renewable energy sources are available for later use when demanded. Using the building envelope as a thermal battery can help to shave the peak load, reduce the burden in electric grids, and enhance the occupant's thermal comfort. Sensible energy storage on wall systems such as thermally activated building systems can provide an active thermal storage strategy. However, most of the stored energy is used through passive means directed by the thermal lag, which can impede the on-demand release of the stored energy. Integrating active insulation systems with building thermal storage systems can increase the flexibility of charging and discharging time and duration. In this study, a wall system equipped with an active insulation system and thermally activated storage system was designed, and its performance on active cooling energy contribution was studied. The performances of energy storage (charging), release (discharging) of the thermal energy storage energy, and the active insulation system were studied separately and together as an integrated system. Results showed that the thermal properties of the thermal energy storage core material and the pipe spacing of both embedded pipes in the thermal energy storage and hydronic pipes used in the active insulation system affected the wall performance the most out of all the tested wall system parameters. During discharging, the heat flux into the wall was as high as 81.92 W/m 2 . This active insulation system's dynamic R-value varied between less than 1ft 2 •°F•h/BTU (0.18 m 2 •K/W) to 98% of the equally thick foam insulation's R-value.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Production of levulinic acid and biocarbon electrode material from corn stover through an integrated biorefinery process

To overcome the inefficient biomass conversion, waste generation, and lack of co-production in biorefineries, an integrated process was proposed for the conversion of corn stover into levulinic acid and biocarbon electrode material. Corn stover was pretreated through hydrothermal process using 0.45 wt% K 2 CO 3 which removed 76 wt% lignin and 85 wt% xylan while preserving 83 wt% glucan. This was followed by acid hydrolysis to produce levulinic acid at varying H 2 SO 4 concentrations and reaction time in a batch reactor at 190 °C. At a reaction time of 5 min in 2 wt% H 2 SO 4 , 35.8 wt% and 30 wt% glucan in raw and pretreated corn stover was converted to levulinic acid, respectively. The residue from acid hydrolysis was converted into biocarbon for supercapacitor electrodes via a two-step thermal activation process which showed a specific capacitance of 120 F g -1 . The proposed integrated biorefinery concept provides multiple value-added products for a greater financial and environmental sustainability.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Integrated hydropyrolysis and vapor-phase hydrodeoxygenation process with Pd/Al 2 O 3 for production of advanced oxygen-containing biofuels from cellulosic wastes

This study focuses on developing advanced oxygen-containing biofuels with high furan, cyclic ketone, and ethanol content from holocellulose and cellulosic wastes. To achieve this, we employed an integrated process that combined hydropyrolysis and vapor-phase hydrodeoxygenation using Pd/Al 2 O 3 as a catalyst. In the first stage, the non-catalytic hydropyrolysis of hemicellulose resulted in furfural and acetic acid fractions that were effectively converted into furans, cyclic ketones, and ethanol in the second-stage reactor over Pd/Al 2 O 3 under 0.3 MPa H 2 . We found that a hydropyrolysis temperature of 440 °C in the first stage reactor resulted in the highest yield of oxygen-containing biofuels (171.1 mg/g) with 89.2% hemicellulose conversion. However, increasing the hydrodeoxygenation temperature in the second stage reactor reduced the yield of oxygen-containing biofuels, and at 400 °C, excess deoxygenation led to hydrocarbon production. The Pd/Al 2 O 3 catalyst demonstrated high stability during the vapor-phase hydrodeoxygenation of primary furfural and acetic acid intermediates, with only 2.1% coke formation after three reaction cycles. This scalable process enables the conversion of various cellulosic wastes into advanced oxygen-containing biofuels, with considerable total yields. Our findings suggest that this integrated process holds great promise for converting biomass waste into advanced oxygen-containing biofuels.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2021

High level of integration of front-end imaging optics system for electron cyclotron emission imaging diagnostics on the DIII-D tokamak

The optics system of the Electron Cyclotron Emission Imaging (ECEI) diagnostics on the DIII-D tokamak has been developed and installed for high-resolution temperature fluctuations measurement in the previous decade. The System-on-Chip approach upgrade was finished in June 2019 with high integrated receiver array with 20 individual modules. In this paper, we design new optics with high-level integration. In the new optics system, there will be two mirrors from plasma to receiver array, including one replaceable curved mirror out of the vacuum and one fixed curved mirror in the vessel. There are two options with 1:1 and 1:2 magnifications for high poloidal resolution and larger poloidal window modes. Overall, the new optics system has multiple improvements, including lighter weight, smaller size, more flexible installation and alignment. The synthetic ECEI module is used to evaluate the new optics system.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Integrating risk assessment methods for carbon storage: A case study for the quest carbon capture and storage facility

This paper documents how tools developed by the National Risk Assessment Partnership (NRAP) complement the Bowtie risk assessment approach through the demonstration of a risk-based Area of Review (AoR) determination for the Quest Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) facility near Edmonton, Alberta with the NRAP Open-Source Integrated Assessment Model (NRAP Open-IAM). The Bowtie risk assessment for the Quest CCS site was developed by Shell Canada Ltd., who operates the asset on behalf of the Athabasca Oil Sand Project — a joint venture, owned by Canadian Natural Resources Ltd, Chevron Canada and Shell Canada Ltd. The Quest Bowtie treats site risk comprehensively – considering a large set of technical and project risks (e.g., operational risks, above ground infrastructure, public perception, etc.). NRAP tools, methods, and analyses are focused on quantitative assessment of subsurface technical risks. NRAP-Open-IAM was used to evaluate potential groundwater impacts at the Quest site, i.e., a sufficient change above background groundwater quality levels to be measurable, should CO 2 and/or brine leak from the reservoir via a faulty and/or compromised wellbore. Our results show there is a low potential for groundwater impact and support a further reduction (from ~460 to 100 km 2 ) to the established AoR for the Quest site. Integrating both approaches early in the site characterization period could significantly benefit commercial-scale projects by drastically reducing the region over which leakage risks (e.g., legacy wells) need to be evaluated, i.e., the AoR. This is especially true for brownfield sites, which could contain hundreds to thousands of legacy wells. Further, basing monitoring network design on those regions where impacts are most likely to occur has the potential to facilitate more efficient deployment of monitoring technologies and improve the likelihood of detecting a leak should one occur.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Life cycle analysis of a hydrogen production system based on solid oxide electrolysis cells integrated with different energy and wastewater sources

Hydrogen production via water electrolysis is a promising and evolving technology. The solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) is one of the several technologies for this purpose. They are alternatives to the traditional hydrogen production from fossil fuels to enhance global energy decarbonization. However, in the bid for sustainability and a green economy, these technologies are not free from causing some environmental burdens. Using life cycle assessment (LCA), the greenhouse gas emission and degree of environmental impacts by these technologies can be identified and measured throughout their lifespan. This study addresses how to quantify these CO 2 emission impacts for an electrolytic system with different energy sources. The LCA of a novel integrated hydrogen production SOEC system with energy from solar photovoltaic and bituminous powerplant is performed using simaPro, the leading global LCA solution software. Measuring the environmental impact of the electrolytic operation in terms of weight, the bituminous powerplant poses damage which is, on average 700% more than solar PV. The thermal-to-hydrogen efficiency of the SOEC system is 56%, and a probable 28% reduction in carbon footprint with heat integration. The steam generation and the manufacturing of the SOEC have a very high environmental impact potential on the system. Here, we recommend LCA and net energy analysis is carried out for every new hydrogen technology and adequate comparison to enhance sustainable and green economy.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2022

Effects of time-dependent deformation of shale on the integrity of a geological nuclear waste repository

Safety assessment of geological nuclear waste repositories is essential for the permanent disposal of spent nuclear fuels and high-level radioactive waste. The long-term integrity of the host rock as well as the engineered barrier system (e.g., bentonite buffer) surrounding nuclear waste canisters is of particular importance as decay heat from nuclear waste canisters, which will last over thousands of years, significantly disturbs the thermo-hydromechanical (THM) state of the repository. In this study, THM coupled simulations were carried out to investigate the effect of time-dependent deformation (i.e., creep) of shale on the long-term integrity of a generic subsurface nuclear waste repository. The Norton-Bailey creep model, which is also known as the Lemaitre-Menzel-Schreiner model, was employed to simulate the power-law type creep that is observed in shales. The TOUGH-FLAC simulator was employed for the THM coupled modeling of the repository. The objective of this study is to assess the effect of creep in different shales (i.e., high creep shale vs. low creep shale) on long-term stress and permeability changes in the repository. Results show potential advantages of constructing repositories in the high creep shale, as deviatoric stress levels in the formation decreased to zero in 100 years since the emplacement of nuclear waste canisters and the permeability also decreased to the undamaged, intrinsic levels in 10,000 years. Also, mean effective stress levels in the bentonite buffer increased by 100% in the high creep shale case relative to the low creep shale case at 10,000 years due to creep-induced contraction of the nuclear waste disposal tunnel. However, in earlier periods (e.g., 1000 years), the stress levels in the bentonite buffer were twice smaller in the high creep shale case than in the low creep shale case, which shows a tradeoff between the intermediate- (~1000 years) and long-term (>10,000 years) compaction levels in the bentonite buffer depending on the creep characteristics of the host shale.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2021

Effects of Single-Dose Versus Hypofractionated Focused Radiation on Vertebral Body Structure and Biomechanical Integrity: Development of a Rabbit Radiation-Induced Vertebral Compression Fracture Model

Vertebral compression fracture is a common complication of spinal stereotactic body radiation therapy. Development of an in vivo model is crucial to fully understand how focal radiation treatment affects vertebral integrity and biology at various dose fractionation regimens. We present a clinically relevant animal model to analyze the effects of localized, high-dose radiation on vertebral microstructure and mechanical integrity. Using this model, we test the hypothesis that fractionation of radiation dosing can reduce focused radiation therapy's harmful effects on the spine.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2025

A hereditary integral, transient network approach to modeling permanent set and viscoelastic response in polymers

An efficient numerical framework is presented for modeling viscoelasticity and permanent set of polymers. It is based on the hereditary integral form of transient network theory, in which polymer chains belong to distinct networks each with different natural equilibrium states. Chains continually detach from previously formed networks and reattach to new networks in a state of zero stress. The free energy of these networks is given in terms of the deformation gradient relative to the configuration at which the network was born . A decomposition of the kernel for various free energies allows for a recurrence relationship to be established, bypassing the need to integrate over all time history. The technique is established for both highly compressible and nearly incompressible materials through the use of neo-Hookean, Blatz–Ko, Yeoh, and Ogden-Hill material models. Multiple examples are presented showing the ability to handle rate-dependent response and residual strains under complex loading histories.

Finite element method↗
DOE OSTI2024

De-risking fault leakage risk and containment integrity for subsurface storage applications

The subsurface is pivotal in the energy transition, for the sequestration of CO 2 and energy storage. It is crucial to understand to what extent geological faults may form leakage pathways that threaten the containment integrity of these projects. Fault flow behavior has been studied in the context of hydrocarbon development, supported by observations from wells drilled through faults, but such observations are rare in geoenergy projects. Focusing on mechanical behavior as early indicator of potential leakage risks, a probabilistic Coulomb Failure Stress workflow is developed and demonstrated using data from the Decatur CO 2 sequestration project to rank faults based on their containment risk. The analysis emphasizes the importance of fault throw relative to reservoir thickness and pore pressure change in assessing reactivation risks. Integrating this mechanical assessment with geological and dynamic fault analyses contributes to derisking fault containment for geoenergy applications, providing valuable insights for the successful development of subsurface storage projects.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Optimal design of multi-stage vacuum membrane distillation and integration with supercritical water desalination for improved zero liquid discharge desalination

Herein this paper proposes a novel concept for the optimal design of multi-stage vacuum membrane distillation (VMD). Generally, a multi-stage VMD is designed with an equal temperature difference between each stage. However, such a design is energy inefficient and increases VMD area. An analytical methodology for calculating the optimal stage temperature is proposed. By selecting the optimal stage temperature, the energy efficiency and required membrane area can be potentially improved by 16% and 30%, respectively. The proposed concept applies to all heat sources, including latent, sensible, and waste heat. To illustrate the method, multi-stage VMD is integrated with the waste heat from a supercritical water desalination (SCWD) system to achieve zero liquid discharge. SCWD is an energy-intensive process, requires high-quality thermal heat (>450 °C), and exhibits high waste heat rejection. The integrated VMD-SCWD approach is approximately 50% more energy-efficient and 35% more cost-efficient than the standalone SCWD system. Compared to the commercially used brine concentrator and crystallizer, the multi-stage VMD-SCWD system is more energy efficient for feed concentrations >5%. VMD-SCWD system is 30% cheaper, due to less expensive membrane distillation modules compared to a brine concentrator. The proposed design concept can replace the brine concentrator and crystallizer as an improved alternative for a zero-liquid discharge desalination system.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Techno-economic and environmental assessment of solar-based electrical vehicles charging stations integrated with hydrogen production

With the growing interest in adopting both commercial and residential electric vehicles (EVs) utilizing green renewable energy, the techno-economic assessment of EV charging stations with solar energy is a critical aspect of the transition to sustainable transportation. However, battery storage capacity for variable solar energy production is becoming increasingly less cost-effective due to the higher Lithium price. Complementing solar energy production and battery storage, the potential of combining green hydrogen fuel energy integration with solar energy for EV charging stations can provide a sustainable alternative to reach carbon-free transportation. This research aims to assess the technical and economic viability of grid-connected Photovoltaic (PV)-based EV charging stations across Kentucky based on existing EV load profiles. The study considers different PV system sizes, locations, orientations, and the impact of net metering policies and electricity tariffs on the profitability of the PV systems. Further, using excess PV energy, Lithium-Ion batteries will be charged, which will be assessed considering the techno-economic and environmental impacts of green EV charging stations. To further enhance green renewable energy production, we also investigated the feasibility of on-grid PV-based EV charging stations with Lithium-Ion batteries charged during low tariff periods. In comparison with these scenarios, we studied the potential benefits of integrating green hydrogen energy production using excess solar energy with and without governmental incentives. Furthermore, we assess the environmental impact of these green EV charging stations across Kentucky. Our study indicates that EV stations across Kentucky have similar techno-economic feasibility with insignificant deviation in the levelized cost of electricity, payback period, and PV energy fraction with/without Li-Ion batteries. However, with green hydrogen production, the marginal H 2 production cost indicates the first scenario (on-grid PV energy charging) is the most significant, roughly 10 USD/Kg, which is similar to 1.5 times higher than the second (charging during low-tariff periods) and the third scenarios (power grid to satisfy the demand deficit - approximately 6.5 USD/Kg). From the environmental perspective, the second scenario would be a good option for either hybrid EV/H 2 or EV charging stations in Kentucky, factoring in the hydrogen production cost and the carbon footprint.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2020

An energy-conserving and asymptotic-preserving charged-particle orbit implicit time integrator for arbitrary electromagnetic fields

Here we present a new implicit asymptotic preserving time integration scheme for charged-particle orbit computation in arbitrary electromagnetic fields. The scheme is built on the Crank-Nicolson integrator and continues to recover full-orbit motion in the small time-step limit, but also recovers all the first-order guiding center drifts as well as the correct gyroradius when stepping over the gyration time-scale. In contrast to previous efforts in this direction, the new scheme also features exact energy conservation. In the derivation of the scheme, we find that a new numerical time-scale is introduced. This scale is analyzed and the resulting restrictions on time-step are derived. Based on this analysis, we develop an adaptive time-stepping strategy the respects these constraints while stepping over the gyration scale when physically justified. It is shown through numerical tests on single-particle motion that the scheme's energy conservation property results in tremendous improvements in accuracy, and that the scheme is able to transition smoothly between magnetized and unmagnetized regimes as a result of the adaptive time-stepping.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Meshless discretization of the discrete-ordinates transport equation with integration based on Voronoi cells

The time-dependent, gray, linear radiation transport equation is discretized using the meshless local Petrov-Galerkin method with reproducing kernels. The integration is performed using a Voronoi tessellation, which creates a partition of unity that only depends on the position and extent of the kernels. The resolution of the integration automatically follows the particles and requires no manual adjustment. The discretization includes streamline-upwind Petrov-Galerkin stabilization to prevent oscillations and improve numerical conditioning. The angular quadrature is selectively refineable to increase angular resolution in chosen directions. The time discretization is done using backward Euler. The transport solve for each direction and the solve for the scattering source are both done using Krylov iterative methods. The results indicate first-order convergence in time and second-order convergence in space for linear reproducing kernels.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2021

A unified formulation of splitting-based implicit time integration schemes

Splitting-based time integration approaches such as fractional step, alternating direction implicit, operator splitting, and locally one dimensional methods partition the system of interest into components, and solve individual components implicitly in a cost-effective way. Here this work proposes a unified formulation of splitting time integration schemes in the framework of general-structure additive Runge–Kutta (GARK) methods. Specifically, we develop implicit-implicit (IMIM) GARK schemes, provide the order conditions for this class, and explain their application to partitioned systems of ordinary differential equations. We show that classical splitting methods belong to the IMIM GARK family, and therefore can be studied in this unified framework. New IMIM-GARK splitting methods are developed and tested using parabolic systems.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2022

Fast nonlinear iterative solver for an implicit, energy-conserving, asymptotic-preserving charged-particle orbit integrator

Here recently, an asymptotic-preserving (AP) particle orbit integrator has been proposed with remarkable properties including exact energy conservation, the ability to capture of all first-order drifts (including the ∇B-drift), the ability to capture trapped-passing boundaries with parallel velocity extremely close to the critical velocity, and the ability to transition from strongly to weakly magnetized spatial regions. The new AP orbit integrator is implicit, employing a Crank-Nicolson (CN) temporal discretization to ensure exact energy conservation. This, in turn, requires a local nonlinear iteration involving particle velocities and positions, and the local electromagnetic fields, to obtain the new-time solution. Ref. [1] did not attempt to provide an efficient solver for this system, and employed a brute-force GMRES-driven Jacobian-free Newton-Krylov (JFNK) solver to invert the particle orbit equations at every timestep for expediency. While JFNK is robust and reliable, it is also expensive and very intrusive for practical implementations of the method (it requires having the JFNK machinery available and solving a 6 x 6 Jacobian system iteratively once per iteration per particle).

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2025

A fully-integrated lattice Boltzmann method for fluid–structure interaction

Here we present a fully-integrated lattice Boltzmann (LB) method for fluid–structure interaction (FSI) simulations that efficiently models deformable solids in complex suspensions and active systems. Our Eulerian method (LBRMT) couples finite-strain solids to the LB fluid on the same fixed computational grid with the reference map technique (RMT). An integral part of the LBRMT is a new LB boundary condition for moving deformable interfaces across different densities. With this fully Eulerian solid–fluid coupling, the LBRMT is well-suited for parallelization and simulating multi-body contact without remeshing or extra meshes. We validate its accuracy via a benchmark of a deformable solid in a lid-driven cavity, then showcase its versatility through examples of soft solids rotating and settling. The LBRMT achieves a spatial convergence rate between first-order and second-order for FSI simulations and is designed for low to intermediate Reynolds number flows with finite inertia at small Mach numbers. With simulations of complex suspensions mixing, we highlight the potential of the LBRMT for studying collective behavior in soft matter and biofluid dynamics.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Integrating field observations and process-based modeling to predict watershed water quality under environmental perturbations

Watersheds play a critical role in supplying water resources needed for human use and ecosystem health. Understanding and predicting how, when, and where changes in the quantity and quality of water resources occur under different environmental stresses including extreme events is crucial for sustainable management of water resources under a changing environment. However, few studies have attempted to quantify or identify the factors and process interactions controlling the impact of extreme events across water-shed systems. Only few large-scale studies include coordinated monitoring and modeling efforts, which limits our ability to assess the large-scale impact of extreme events on water supply and quality. Methods are lacking to propagate uncertainty in process understanding through an integrated hydro-biogeochemical model framework and evaluate its importance, thus failing to take full advantage of the information potentially available through transformative advances in characterization technologies from high-resolution mass spectrometry to airborne and satellite-based remote sensing. There are consequent risks to our nations water security and to human and ecosystem health that may become exacerbated with the increasing frequency of extreme events that is projected for the coming decades. This paper reviews the current status of watershed science for both water quantity and quality and identifies critical gaps in our current knowledge and modeling capability in addressing the emergent needs in predicting watershed hydrologic and biogeochemical responses (i.e., water quantity and quality) under natural and anthropogenic perturbations. We highlight the need to (1) understand how environmental perturbations including extreme events like floods and droughts propagate through watershed systems and assess their short- and long-term impacts on watershed biogeochemistry, water quality and their recovery pathways; (2) develop and improve a watershed water quality model that reflects the state of scientific understanding gained from observations; and (3) construct a data-model fusion system for watershed characterization, process identification, and mechanistic model parameterization. A large base of modeling, monitoring and data capabilities have been built by various federal government agencies given the relevance of water to their critical missions. An emerging need is to build an integrated national capability for watershed water availability and quality that can address water-related missions across multiple federal agencies.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗