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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2012

Utility-Scale Concentrating Solar Power and Photovoltaic Projects: A Technology and Market Overview

Over the last several years, solar energy technologies have been, or are in the process of being, deployed at unprecedented levels. A critical recent development, resulting from the massive scale of projects in progress or recently completed, is having the power sold directly to electric utilities. Such 'utility-scale' systems offer the opportunity to deploy solar technologies far faster than thetraditional 'behind-the-meter' projects designed to offset retail load. Moreover, these systems have employed significant economies of scale during construction and operation, attracting financial capital, which in turn can reduce the delivered cost of power. This report is a summary of the current U.S. utility-scale solar state-of-the-market and development pipeline. Utility-scale solar energysystems are generally categorized as one of two basic designs: concentrating solar power (CSP) and photovoltaic (PV). CSP systems can be further delineated into four commercially available technologies: parabolic trough, central receiver (CR), parabolic dish, and linear Fresnel reflector. CSP systems can also be categorized as hybrid, which combine a solar-based system (generally parabolictrough, CR, or linear Fresnel) and a fossil fuel energy system to produce electric power or steam.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Computation Modeling and Assessment of Nanocoatings for Ultra Supercritical Boilers (Final Report)

Forced outages and boiler unavailability of coal-fired fossil plants is most often caused by fire-side corrosion of boiler waterwalls and tubing. Reliable coatings are required for Ultrasupercritical (USC) application to mitigate corrosion since these boilers will operate at a much higher temperatures and pressures than in supercritical (565° C @ 24 MPa) boilers. Computational modeling efforts have been undertaken to design and assess potential Fe-Cr-Ni-Al systems to produce stable nanocrystalline coatings that form a protective, continuous scale of either Al 2 O 3 or Cr 2 O 3 . The computational modeling results identified a new series of Fe-25Cr-40Ni with or without 10 wt.% Al nanocrystalline coatings that maintain long-term stability by forming a diffusion barrier layer at the coating/substrate interface. The computational modeling predictions of microstructure, formation of continuous Al 2 O 3 scale, inward Al diffusion, grain growth, and sintering behavior were validated with experimental results. Advanced coatings, such as MCrAl (where M is Fe, Ni, or Co) nanocrystalline coatings, have been processed using different magnetron sputtering deposition techniques. Several coating trials were performed and among the processing methods evaluated, the DC pulsed magnetron sputtering technique produced the best quality coating with a minimum number of shallow defects and the results of multiple deposition trials showed that the process is repeatable. The cyclic oxidation test results revealed that the nanocrystalline coatings offer better oxidation resistance, in terms of weight loss, localized oxidation, and formation of mixed oxides in the Al 2 O 3 scale, than widely used MCrAlY coatings. However, the ultra-fine grain structure in these coatings, consistent with the computational model predictions, resulted in accelerated Al diffusion from the coating into the substrate. An effective diffusion barrier interlayer coating was developed to prevent inward Al diffusion. The fire-side corrosion test results showed that the nanocrystalline coatings with a minimum number of defects have a great potential in providing corrosion protection. The coating tested in the most aggressive environment showed no evidence of coating spallation and/or corrosion attack after 1050 hours exposure. In contrast, evidence of coating spallation in isolated areas and corrosion attack of the base metal in the spalled areas were observed after 500 hours. These contrasting results after 500 and 1050 hours exposure suggest that the premature coating spallation in isolated areas may be related to the variation of defects in the coating between the samples. It is suspected that the cauliflower-type defects in the coating were presumably responsible for coating spallation in isolated areas. Thus, a defect free good quality coating is the key for the long-term durability of nanocrystalline coatings in corrosive environments. Thus, additional process optimization work is required to produce defect-free coatings prior to development of a coating application method for production parts.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2012

Understanding Nitrogen Fixation

The purpose of our program is to explore fundamental chemistry relevant to the discovery of energy efficient methods for the conversion of atmospheric nitrogen (N 2 ) into more value-added nitrogen-containing organic molecules. Such transformations are key for domestic energy security and the reduction of fossil fuel dependencies. With DOE support, we have synthesized families of zirconium and hafnium dinitrogen complexes with elongated and activated N-N bonds that exhibit rich N 2 functionalization chemistry. Having elucidated new methods for N-H bond formation from dihydrogen, C-H bonds and Broensted acids, we have since turned our attention to N-C bond construction. These reactions are particularly important for the synthesis of amines, heterocycles and hydrazines with a range of applications in the fine and commodity chemicals industries and as fuels. One recent highlight was the discovery of a new N 2 cleavage reaction upon addition of carbon monoxide which resulted in the synthesis of an important fertilizer, oxamide, from the diatomics with the two strongest bonds in chemistry.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Modes of Action and Functions of ERECTA-family Receptor-like Kinases in Plant Organ Growth and Development

Higher plants constitute the central resource for renewable lignocellulose biomass that can supplement for the world's depleting stores of fossil fuels. As such, understanding the molecular and genetic mechanisms of plant organ growth will provide key knowledge and genetic resources that enables manipulation of plant biomass feedstock for better growth and productivity. The goal of this proposal is to understand how cell proliferation and growth are coordinated during aboveground organ morphogenesis, and how cell-cell signaling mediated by a family of receptor kinases coordinates plant organogenesis. The well-established model plant Arabidopsis thaliana is used for our research to facilitate rapid progress. Specifically, we focus on how ERECTA-family leucine-rich repeat receptor kinases (LRR-RLKs) interact in a synergistic manner to promote organogenesis and pattern formation in Arabidopsis. This project was highly successful, resulted in fourteen publications including nine peer-reviewed original research articles. One provisional US patent has been filed through this DOE funding. We have addressed the critical roles for a family of receptor kinases in coordinating proliferation and differentiation of plants, and we successfully elucidated the downstream targets of this signaling pathway in specifying stomatal patterning.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2011

Macroalgae for CO 2 Capture and Renewable Energy - A Pilot Project

The objective of this project was to demonstrate, at a pilot scale, the beneficial use of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) through a technology designed to capture CO 2 from fossil-fuel fired power plant stack gas, generating macroalgae and converting the macroalgae at high efficiency to renewable methane that can be utilized in the power plant or introduced into a natural gas pipeline. The proposed pilot plant would demonstrate the cost-effectiveness and CO 2 / NO x flue-gas removal efficiency of an innovative algal scrubber technology where seaweeds are grown out of water on specially-designed supporting structures contained within greenhouses where the plants are constantly bathed by recycled nutrient sprays enriched by flue gas constituents. The work described in this document addresses Phase 1 of the project only. The scope of work for Phase 1 includes the completion of a preliminary design package; the collection of additional experimental data to support the preliminary and detailed design for a pilot scale utilization of CO 2 to cultivate macroalage and to process that algae to produce methane; and a technological and economic analysis to evaluate the potential of the system. Selection criteria for macroalgae that could survive the elevated temperatures and potential periodic desiccation of near desert project sites were identified. Samples of the selected macroalgae species were obtained and then subjected to anaerobic digestion to determine conversions and potential methane yields. A Process Design Package (PDP) was assembled that included process design, process flow diagram, material balance, instrumentation, and equipment list, sizes, and cost for the Phase 2 pilot plant. Preliminary economic assessments were performed under the various assumptions made, which are purposely conservative. Based on the results, additional development work should be conducted to delineate the areas for improving efficiency, reducing contingencies, and reducing overall costs.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Strategic Partnerships Final LDRD Report: Nanocomposite Materials for Efficient Solar Hydrogen Production

This 'campus executive' project sought to advance solar thermochemical technology for producing chemical fuels. The project advanced the common interest of Sandia National Laboratories and the University of Arizona in creating a sustainable and viable alternative to fossil fuels. The focus of this effort was in developing new methods for creating unique monolithic composite structures and characterizing their performance in thermochemical production of hydrogen from water. The development and processing of the materials was undertaken in the Materials Science and Engineering Department at the University of Arizona; Sandia National Laboratories performed the thermochemical characterization. Ferrite/yttria-stabilized zirconia composite monoliths were fabricated and shown to have exceptionally high utilization of the ferrite for splitting CO 2 to obtain CO (a process analogous to splitting H 2 O to obtain H 2 ).

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2012

Evaluating the Effects of the Kingston Fly Ash Release on Fish Reproduction: Spring 2009 – 2010 Studies

On December 22, 2008, a dike containing fly ash and bottom ash at the Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) Kingston Fossil Plant in East Tennessee failed and released a large quantity of ash into the adjacent Emory River. Ash deposits from the spill extended 4 miles upstream of the facility to Emory River mile 6 and downstream to Tennessee River mile 564 ({approx}8.5 miles downstream of the confluence of the Emory River with the Clinch River, and {approx}4 miles downstream of the confluence of the Clinch River with the Tennessee River). A byproduct of coal combustion, fly ash contains a variety of metals and other elements which, at sufficient concentrations and in specific forms, can be harmful to biological systems. The ecological effects of fly ash contamination on exposed fish populations depend on the magnitude and duration of exposure, with the most significant risk considered to come from elevated levels of certain metals in the ash, particularly selenium, on fish reproduction and fish early life stages (Lemly 1993; Besser and others 1996). The ovaries of adult female fish in a lake contaminated by coal ash were reported to have an increased frequency of atretic oocytes (dead or damaged immature eggs) and reductions in the overall numbers of developing oocytes (Sorensen 1988) associated with elevated body burdens of selenium. Larval fish exposed to selenium through maternal transfer of contaminants to developing eggs in either contaminated bodies of water (Lemly 1999) or in experimental laboratory exposures (Woock and others 1987, Jezierska and others 2009) have significantly increased incidences of developmental abnormalities. Contact of fertilized eggs and developing embryos to ash in water and sediments may also pose an additional risk to the early life stages of exposed fish populations through direct uptake of metals and other ash constituents (Jezierska and others 2009). The establishment and maintenance of fish populations is intimately associated with the ability of individuals within a population to reproduce. Reproduction is thus generally considered to be the most critical life function affected by environmental contamination. From a regulatory perspective, the issue of potential contaminant-related effects on fish reproduction from the Kingston fly ash spill has particular significance because the growth and propagation of fish and other aquatic life is a specific classified use of the affected river systems. To address the potential effects of fly ash from the Kingston spill on the reproductive health of exposed fish populations, ORNL has undertaken a series of studies in collaboration with TVA that include: (1) a combined field study of metal bioaccumulation in ovaries and other fish tissues (Adams and others 2012) and the reproductive condition of sentinel fish species in reaches of the Emory and Clinch Rivers affected by the fly ash spill (the current report); (2) laboratory tests of the potential toxicity of fly ash from the spill area on fish embryonic and larval development (Greeley and others 2012); (3) additional laboratory experimentation focused on the potential effects of long-term exposures to fly ash on fish survival and reproductive competence (unpublished); and (4) a combined field and laboratory study examining the in vitro developmental success of embryos and larvae obtained from fish exposed in vivo for over two years to fly ash in the Emory and Clinch Rivers (unpublished). The current report focuses on the reproductive condition of adult female fish in reaches of the Emory and Clinch Rivers influenced by the fly ash spill at the beginning of the spring 2009 breeding season - the first breeding season immediately following the fly ash release - and during the subsequent spring 2010 breeding season. Data generated from this and related reproductive/early life stage studies provide direct input to ecological risk assessment efforts and complement and support other phases of the overall biomonitoring program associated with the fly ash spill.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2012

Evaluation of Invertebrate Bioaccumulation of Fly Ash Contaminants in the Emory, Clinch, and Tennessee Rivers, 2009 – 2010

This report provides a summary of results from studies on invertebrate bioaccumulation of potential contaminants associated with a major fly ash spill into the Emory River following the failure of a dike at the Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) Kingston Fossil Plant (KIF) in Kingston, Tennessee, in late December 2008. Data included in this report cover samples collected in calendar years 2009 and 2010. Samples collected from most sites in 2009 were processed by two different laboratories using different approved U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) analytical methods: ALS Laboratory Group in Ft. Collins, CO, processed sampling using EPA method 6010 (but method 6020 for uranium and SW7470 for mercury), and PACE Analytical in Minneapolis, MN, used EPA method 6020. A preliminary evaluation of results from both laboratories indicated that some differences exited in measured concentrations of several elements, either because of specific differences of the two methods or inter-laboratory differences. While concentration differences between the laboratories were noted for many elements, spatial trends depicted from the results of both methods appeared to be similar. However, because samples collected in the future will be analyzed by Method 6020, only the results from PACE were included in this report to reduce data variation potentially associated with inter-laboratory and analytical method differences.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Fish Health Studies Associated with the Kingston Fly Ash Spill, Spring 2009 – Fall 2010

On December 22, 2008, over 4 million cubic meters of fly ash slurry was released into the Emory River when a dike surrounding a solid waste containment area at the Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) Kingston Fossil Plant ruptured. One component of TVA's response to the spill is a biological monitoring program to assess short- and long-term ecological responses to the ash and associated chemicals, including studies on fish health and contaminant bioaccumulation. These studies were initiated in early Spring 2009 for the purposes of: (1) documenting the levels of fly ash-associated metals in various tissues of representative sentinel fish species in the area of the fly ash spill, (2) determining if exposure to fly ash-associated metals causes short, intermediate, or long-term health effects on these sentinel fish species, (3) assessing if there are causal relationships between exposure to metals and health effects on fish, (4) evaluating, along with information from other ecological and physicochemical studies, the nature and route of contaminant transfer though food chains into higher level consumers, (5) providing important information for the Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) for the Kingston fly ash project, and (6) serving as an important technology information transfer or model study focused on how to best evaluate the environmental effects of fly ash (and related environmental stressors), not only at the Kingston site, but also at sites on other aquatic systems where coal-fired generating stations are located. This report presents the results of the first two years of the fish health study. To date, fish health and bioaccumulation studies have been conducted from Spring 2009 though Fall 2011 and includes 6 seasonal studies: Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Spring 2011, and Fall 2011. Both the Spring and Fall studies have focused on 3-4 sentinel fish species that represent different feeding habits, behaviors, and home ranges. In addition to fish health and bioaccumulation, the Spring investigations also included reproductive integrity studies on the same fish used for bioaccumulation and fish health. In this report, results of the fish health studies from Spring 2009 through Fall 2010 are presented while an associated report will present the fish reproductive studies conducted during Spring 2009 and Spring 2010. A report on fish bioaccumulation was submitted to TVA in June 2011. The fish health study conducted in conjunction with the bioaccumulation and reproductive study is critical for assessing and evaluating possible causal relationships between contaminant exposure (bioaccumulation) and the response of fish to exposure as reflected by the various measurements of fish health.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Fish Bioaccumulation Studies Associated with the Kingston Fly Ash Spill, Spring 2009 – Fall 2010

In December 2008, an ash dike at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Kingston Fossil Plant ruptured, releasing over one billion gallons of coal fly ash into the Emory and Clinch Rivers. Coal fly ash may contain several contaminants of concern, but of these selenium (Se) and arsenic (As) have been highlighted because of their toxicity and tendency to bioaccumulate in aquatic food chains. To assess the potential impact of the spilled fly ash on humans and the environment, a comprehensive biological and environmental monitoring program was established, for which resident aquatic organisms (among other sample media) are collected to determine contaminant exposure and evaluate the risk to humans and wildlife. Studies on bioaccumulation and fish health are major components of the TVA Biological Monitoring Program for the Kingston fly ash project. These studies were initiated in early Spring 2009 for the purposes of: (1) documenting the levels of fly ash-associated metals in various tissues of representative sentinel fish species in the area of the fly ash spill, (2) determining if exposure to fly ash-associated metals causes short, intermediate, or long-term health effects on these sentinel fish species, (3) assessing if there are causal relationships between exposure (to metals) and effects on fish, (4) evaluating, along with information regarding other ecological and physicochemical studies, the nature and route of contaminant transfer though food chains into higher level consumers, (5) providing important information for the Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) for the Kingston fly ash project, and (6) serving as an important technology transfer or model study focused on how to best evaluate the environmental effects of fly ash, not only at the Kingston site, but also at sites on other aquatic systems where coal-fired generating stations are located. This report summarizes the bioaccumulation results from the first two years of study after the fly ash spill, including four seasonal collections: Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Spring 2010, and Fall 2010. Both the Spring and Fall studies have focused on 3-4 sentinel fish species that represent different feeding habits, behaviors, and home ranges. In addition to bioaccumulation studies, the Spring investigations also included evaluation of fish health and reproductive integrity on the same fish used for bioaccumulation. Two associated reports present the fish health (Adams et al 2012) and reproductive studies (Greeley et al 2012) conducted in 2009 and 2010. The fish health study conducted in conjunction with the bioaccumulation and reproductive study is critical for assessing and evaluating possible causal relationships between contaminant exposure (bioaccumulation) and the response of fish to exposure as reflected by the various measurements of fish health. This report emphasizes evaluation of arsenic and selenium bioaccumulation in fish and consists of four related studies (Sections 2-5) including, (1) bioaccumulation in liver and ovaries, (2) bioaccumulation in whole body gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum), (3) bioaccumulation in muscle tissue or fillets, and (4) a reconstruction analysis which establishes the relationship between selenium in muscle tissue and that of the whole body of bluegill (Lepomis machrochirus). Metals other than arsenic and selenium are evaluated separately in Section 6. This report focuses on selenium and arsenic for the following reasons: (1) based on baseline studies conducted in early 2009 in the Emory and Clinch River, only two potentially fly-ash related metals, selenium and arsenic, appeared to be elevated above background or reference levels, (2) selenium and arsenic are two of the metals in coal ash that are known to bioaccumulate and cause toxicity in wildlife, and (3) based on bioaccumulation studies of bluegill and carp (Cyprinus carpio) in the Stilling Pond during Spring 2009, which would represent a worst case situation for metal bioaccumulation, selenium and arsenic were the only two metals consistently elevated above background levels in fish. Each of the four selenium and arsenic evaluations presented in this report include an approach section, a results section which addresses primarily spatial and temporal patterns in bioaccumulation, an interpretation and discussion section, and a synthesis section which provides the main summary points of each study. Other metals in fish from near the spill site are evaluated by comparison with reference sites and evaluation of spatial and temporal trends. Statistical approaches to data analysis will be conducted after the third year of bioaccumulation monitoring when there is a larger n size available for analysis, there has been sufficient time for food-chain driven bioaccumulation (2009 data was likely closer to pre-spill exposures), and data correction factors for selenium and mercury (because of poor analytical recoveries for some samples) have been fully codified by the study team.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2012

Diffusion Welding of Alloys for Molten Salt Service – Status Report

The present work is concerned with heat exchanger development for molten salt service, including the proposed molten salt reactor (MSR), a homogeneous reactor in which the fuel is dissolved in a circulating fluid of molten salt. It is an outgrowth of recent work done under the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) program; what the two reactor systems have in common is an inherently safe nuclear plant with a high outlet temperature that is useful for process heat as well as more conventional generation The NGNP program was tasked with investigating the application of a new generation of nuclear power plants to a variety of energy needs. One baseline reactor design for this program is a high temperature, gas-cooled reactor (HTGR), which provides many options for energy use. These might include the conventional Rankine cycle (steam turbine) generation of electricity, but also other methods: for example, Brayton cycle (gas turbine) electrical generation, and the direct use of the high temperatures characteristic of HTGR output for process heat in the chemical industry. Such process heat is currently generated by burning fossil fuels, and is a major contributor to the carbon footprint of the chemical and petrochemical industries. The HTGR, based on graphite fuel elements, can produce very high output temperatures; ideally, temperatures of 900°C or even greater, which has significant energy advantages. Such temperatures are, of course, at the frontiers of materials limitations, at the upper end of the performance envelope of the metallic materials for which robust construction codes exist, and within the realm of ceramic materials, the fabrication and joining of which, on the scale of large energy systems, are at an earlier stage of development. A considerable amount of work was done in the diffusion welding of materials of interest for HTGR service with alloys such as 617 and 800H. The MSR output temperature is also materials limited, and is projected at about 700°C. (RR E) A different set of alloys, such as Alloy N and 242, are needed to handle molten salts at this temperature. The diffusion welding development work described here builds on techniques developed during the NGNP work, as applied to these alloys. There is also the matter of dissimilar metal welding, since alloys suitable for salt service are generally not suited for service in gaseous oxidizing environments, and vice versa, and welding is required for the Class I boundaries in these systems, as identified in the relevant ASME codes.

02 PETROLEUM↗
DOE OSTI2012

Ultra Thin Quantum Well Materials

This project has enabled Hi-Z technology Inc. (Hi-Z) to understand how to improve the thermoelectric properties of Si/SiGe Quantum Well Thermoelectric Materials. The research that was completed under this project has enabled Hi-Z Technology, Inc. (Hi-Z) to satisfy the project goal to understand how to improve thermoelectric conversion efficiency and reduce costs by fabricating ultra thin Si/SiGe quantum well (QW) materials and measuring their properties. In addition, Hi-Z gained critical new understanding on how thin film fabrication increases the silicon substrate's electrical conductivity, which is important new knowledge to develop critical material fabrication parameters. QW materials are constructed with alternate layers of an electrical conductor, SiGe and an electrical insulator, Si. Film thicknesses were varied, ranging from 2nm to 10nm where 10 nm was the original film thickness prior to this work. The optimum performance was determined at a Si and SiGe thickness of 4nm for an electrical current and heat flow parallel to the films, which was an important conclusion of this work. Essential new information was obtained on how the Si substrate electrical conductivity increases by up to an order of magnitude upon deposition of QW films. Test measurements and calculations are accurate and include both the quantum well and the substrate. The large increase in substrate electrical conductivity means that a larger portion of the electrical current passes through the substrate. The silicon substrate's increased electrical conductivity is due to inherent impurities and thermal donors which are activated during both molecular beam epitaxy and sputtering deposition of QW materials. Hi-Z's forward looking cost estimations based on future high performance QW modules, in which the best Seebeck coefficient and electrical resistivity are taken from separate samples predict that the electricity cost produced with a QW module could be achieved at < $\$$ 0.35/W. This price would open many markets for waste heat recovery applications. By installing Hi-Z's materials in applications in which electricity could be produced from waste heat sources could result in significant energy savings as well as emissions reductions. For example, if QW thermoelectric generators could be introduced commercially in 2015, and assuming they could also capture an additional 0.1%/year of the available waste heat from the aluminum, steel, and iron industries, then by 2020, their use would lead to a 2.53 trillion Btu/year reduction in energy consumption. This translates to a $\$$ 12.9 million/year energy savings, and 383.6 million lb's of CO 2 emissions reduction per year. Additionally, Hi-Z would expect that the use of QW TE devices in the automotive, manufacturing, and energy generation industries would reduce the USA's petroleum and fossil fuel dependence, and thus significantly reduce emissions from CO 2 and other polluting gasses such as NOx, SOx, and particulate matter (PM), etc.

02 PETROLEUM↗
DOE OSTI2013

Determining Optimal Performance in Adapting Onsite Electrical Generation Platforms to Operate on Producer Gas from Fuels of Opportunity

The University of Minnesota is pleased to submit the final report for “Determining the Optimal Performance in Adapting Onsite Electrical Generation Platforms to Operate on producer Gas from Fuels of Opportunity, Concept Definition through Technology Development.” The University of Minnesota Morris campus was selected for this study primarily due to the advanced work the Morris campus has done in developing local fuels as a replacement for conventional fossil fuel supplies. Morris collaborated within the U of MN organization to bring the best research capabilities to the project. In addition, a core group of leading private partners was brought into the project based on their knowledge and expertise in portable energy platforms. The following report will illustrate the design and development process of comparing a nonconventional stationary biofueled combined heat and power plant with the state of the art biofueled portable internal combustion generator. The common denominator in this comparison is the focus on fuels of opportunity, which in this case is locally grown corn cobs. Both platforms used local sustainable fuel supplies to conduct the research and measure the outcomes.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Bench-Scale Development of a Hot Carbonate Absorption Process with Crystallization-Enabled High Pressure Stripping for Post-Combustion CO 2 Capture

This report summarizes the methodology and preliminary results of a techno-economic analysis on a hot carbonate absorption process (Hot-CAP) with crystallization-enabled high pressure stripping for post-combustion CO 2 capture (PCC). This analysis was based on the Hot-CAP that is fully integrated with a sub-critical steam cycle, pulverized coal-fired power plant adopted in Case 10 of the DOE/NETL’s Cost and Performance Baseline for Fossil Energy Plants. The techno-economic analysis addressed several important aspects of the Hot-CAP for PCC application, including process design and simulation, equipment sizing, technical risk and mitigation strategy, performance evaluation, and cost analysis. Results show that the net power produced in the subcritical power plant equipped with Hot-CAP is 611 MWe, greater than that with Econoamine (550 MWe). The total capital cost for the Hot-CAP, including CO 2 compression, is $\$ $399 million, less than that for the Econoamine PCC ($\$ $493 million). O&M costs for the power plant with Hot-CAP is $\$ $175 million annually, less than that with Econoamine ($\$ $178 million). The 20-year levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for the power plant with Hot-CAP, including CO 2 transportation and storage, is 119.4 mills/kWh, a 59% increase over that for the plant without CO 2 capture. The LCOE increase caused by CO 2 capture for the Hot-CAP is 31% lower than that for its Econoamine counterpart.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Subtask 5.10 - Testing of an Advanced Dry Cooling Technology for Power Plants

The University of North Dakota’s Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) is developing a market-focused dry cooling technology that is intended to address the key shortcomings of conventional dry cooling technologies: high capital cost and degraded cooling performance during daytime temperature peaks. The unique aspect of desiccant dry cooling (DDC) is the use of a hygroscopic working fluid—a liquid desiccant—as a heat-transfer medium between a power plant’s steam condenser and the atmosphere. This configuration enables a number of beneficial features for large-scale heat dissipation to the atmosphere, without the consumptive use of cooling water. The overall goal of this project was to accurately define the performance and cost characteristics of DDC to determine if further development of the concept is warranted. A balanced approach of modeling grounded in applied experimentation was pursued to substantiate DDC-modeling efforts and outline the potential for this technology to cool full-scale power plants. The resulting analysis shows that DDC can be a lower-cost dry cooling alternative to an air-cooled condenser (ACC) and can even be competitive with conventional wet recirculating cooling under certain circumstances. This project has also highlighted the key technological steps that must be taken in order to transfer DDC into the marketplace. To address these issues and to offer an extended demonstration of DDC technology, a next-stage project should include the opportunity for outdoor ambient testing of a small DDC cooling cell. This subtask was funded through the EERC–U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Program on Research and Development for Fossil Energy-Related Resources Cooperative Agreement No. DE-FC26-08NT43291. Nonfederal funding was provided by the Wyoming State Legislature under an award made through the Wyoming Clean Coal Technologies Research Program.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Advanced Energy Systems Fuels (Sample Annual Report for SCC)

Increasing global population and quality of life demands will continue to drive the necessity for abundant and affordable potable water, clean energy, and food supplies into the future. The thermochemical conversion of carbon-based feedstocks is a promising route for the production of affordable and clean energy commodities (heat, power, transportation fuels, chemicals, plastics, etc.) due to its flexibility to accommodate a variety of feeds, as well as the inherent nature of the process to facilitate near zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions when coupled with carbon capture and storage. Leveraging large domestic fossil energy resources (i.e., coal) with other opportunistic energy sources (i.e., biomass) in co-feed configurations has the potential to produce nationally derived, abundant, and affordable energy commodities, including transportation fuels through coal-biomass to liquids (CBTL) routes.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2012

Carbon Capture (30 September 2012) (Annual Report)

Capture of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is a critical component in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-based processes. The Carbon Capture research to be performed is aimed at accelerating the development of efficient, cost-effective technologies which meet the post-combustion programmatic goal of capture of 90% of the CO 2 produced from an existing coal-fired power plant with less than a 35% increase in the cost of electricity (COE), and the pre-combustion goal of 90% CO 2 capture with less than a 10% increase in COE. The specific objective of this work is to develop innovative materials and approaches for the economic and efficient capture of CO 2 from coal-based processes, and ultimately assess the performance of promising technologies at conditions representative of field application (i.e., slip stream evaluation).

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Novel Non-Aqueous CO 2 Solvents and Capture Process with Substantially Reduced Energy Penalties (Final Scientific/Technical Report)

The overall objective of this 3 year project was to rapidly advance the development a family of promising NAS formulations from proof-of-concept testing through to testing in a representative process arrangement to determine the potential for this novel solvent-based process to substantially reduce (i.e., >40%) the energy demand and cost of CO 2 capture from fossil fuel-fired electricity generating units. The goal of this project was to thoroughly characterize the NASs and evaluate their performance in a small process unit to understand their potential to lower the energy demand of a CO 2 capture process and demonstrate feasibility. Detailed characterization of the thermodynamic properties of the NASs revealed large working capacities under low regeneration temperatures (i.e., <100°C) and lower heats of absorption than conventional aqueous amine solvents. The thermal energy demand for these promising NAS formulations was estimated to be approximately 40% less than conventional aqueous-amine solvents (2.06-2.15 GJt / tonne CO 2 vs 3.6 GJt / tonne CO 2 ).

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗