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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 1,063 records · Page 59
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

Multifamily Heat Pump Water Heater Evaluation

Although heat pump water heaters (HPWHs) have gained significant attention in recent years as a high efficiency electric water heating solution for single family homes, central HPWHs for commercial or multi-family applications are not as well documented in terms of measured performance and cost effectiveness. To evaluate this technology, the Alliance for Residential Building Innovation team monitored the performance of a 10.5 ton central HPWH installed on a student apartment building at the West Village Zero Net Energy Community in Davis, California. Monitoring data collected over a 16 month period were then used to validate a TRNSYS simulation model. The TRNSYS model was then used to project performance in different climates using local electric rates. Results of the study indicate that after some initial commissioning issues, the HPWH operated reliably with an annual average efficiency of 2.12 (Coefficient of Performance). The observed efficiency was lower than the unit's rated efficiency, primarily due to the fact that the system rarely operated under steady-state conditions. Changes in the system configuration, storage tank sizing, and control settings would likely improve the observed field efficiency. Modeling results suggest significant energy savings relative to electric storage water heating systems (typical annual efficiencies around 0.90) providing for typical simple paybacks of six to ten years without any incentives. The economics versus gas water heating are currently much more challenging given the current low natural gas prices in much of the country. Increased market size for this technology would benefit cost effectiveness and spur greater technology innovation.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2017

Multifamily Heat Pump Water Heater Evaluation

Although heat pump water heaters (HPWHs) have gained significant attention in recent years as a high efficiency electric water heating solution for single family homes, central HPWHs for commercial or multi-family applications are not as well documented in terms of measured performance and cost effectiveness. To evaluate this technology, the Alliance for Residential Building Innovation team monitored the performance of a 10.5 ton central HPWH installed on a student apartment building at the West Village Zero Net Energy Community in Davis, California. Monitoring data collected over a 16 month period were then used to validate a TRNSYS simulation model. The TRNSYS model was then used to project performance in different climates using local electric rates. Results of the study indicate that after some initial commissioning issues, the HPWH operated reliably with an annual average efficiency of 2.12 (Coefficient of Performance). The observed efficiency was lower than the unit's rated efficiency, primarily due to the fact that the system rarely operated under steady-state conditions. Changes in the system configuration, storage tank sizing, and control settings would likely improve the observed field efficiency. Modeling results suggest significant energy savings relative to electric storage water heating systems (typical annual efficiencies around 0.90) providing for typical simple paybacks of six to ten years without any incentives. The economics versus gas water heating are currently much more challenging given the current low natural gas prices in much of the country. Increased market size for this technology would benefit cost effectiveness and spur greater technology innovation.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2013

Multifamily Heat Pump Water Heater Evaluation

Although heat pump water heaters (HPWHs) have gained significant attention in recent years as a high efficiency electric water heating solution for single family homes, central HPWHs for commercial or multi-family applications are not as well documented in terms of measured performance and cost effectiveness. To evaluate this technology, the Alliance for Residential Building Innovation team monitored the performance of a 10.5 ton central HPWH installed on a student apartment building at the West Village Zero Net Energy Community in Davis, California. Monitoring data collected over a 16 month period were then used to validate a TRNSYS simulation model. The TRNSYS model was then used to project performance in different climates using local electric rates. Results of the study indicate that after some initial commissioning issues, the HPWH operated reliably with an annual average efficiency of 2.12 (Coefficient of Performance). The observed efficiency was lower than the unit's rated efficiency, primarily due to the fact that the system rarely operated under steady-state conditions. Changes in the system configuration, storage tank sizing, and control settings would likely improve the observed field efficiency. Modeling results suggest significant energy savings relative to electric storage water heating systems (typical annual efficiencies around 0.90) providing for typical simple paybacks of six to ten years without any incentives. The economics versus gas water heating are currently much more challenging given the current low natural gas prices in much of the country. Increased market size for this technology would benefit cost effectiveness and spur greater technology innovation.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2013

Recovery Act: Advanced Interaction, Computation, and Visualization Tools for Sustainable Building Design

Current building energy simulation technology requires excessive labor, time and expertise to create building energy models, excessive computational time for accurate simulations and difficulties with the interpretation of the results. These deficiencies can be ameliorated using modern graphical user interfaces and algorithms which take advantage of modern computer architectures and display capabilities. To prove this hypothesis, we developed an experimental test bed for building energy simulation. This novel test bed environment offers an easy-to-use interactive graphical interface, provides access to innovative simulation modules that run at accelerated computational speeds, and presents new graphics visualization methods to interpret simulation results. Our system offers the promise of dramatic ease of use in comparison with currently available building energy simulation tools. Its modular structure makes it suitable for early stage building design, as a research platform for the investigation of new simulation methods, and as a tool for teaching concepts of sustainable design. Improvements in the accuracy and execution speed of many of the simulation modules are based on the modification of advanced computer graphics rendering algorithms. Significant performance improvements are demonstrated in several computationally expensive energy simulation modules. The incorporation of these modern graphical techniques should advance the state of the art in the domain of whole building energy analysis and building performance simulation, particularly at the conceptual design stage when decisions have the greatest impact. More importantly, these better simulation tools will enable the transition from prescriptive to performative energy codes, resulting in better, more efficient designs for our future built environment.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Dose Modeling for Harborview Research and Training Facility

The Harborview Research and Training (R&T) Facility at the University of Washington (UW) was accidently contaminated from a breached sealed source of Cesium-137. The release occurred during removal of the sealed source from its holder within a portable hot cell in the loading dock area near room 220. The loading dock and northeast corner of the building above the ground floor were impacted by the release, whereas the remaining portions of the R&T Facility were minimally affected. Detailed descriptions of the R&T Facility and the affected area/rooms are included in Section 2. The RESRAD Team in the Environmental Science Division of Argonne National Laboratory visited the site on August 12, 2019, and interviewed the R&T Facility building manager and staff working in the building at that time. Site- and building-specific data were collected including building floor plan CAD drawings, building occupants’ working hours, contaminated rooms photos and their dimensions, building air exchange rates, building materials and “curtain wall” details, and so forth. These data are being used in the dose modeling for potential occupants of the building after it is remediated. The dose modeling was performed using the RESRAD-BUILD computer code, which is designed for the evaluation of radiologically contaminated buildings (Yu et al. 2003). Two hypothetical building occupants of the Harborview R&T Facility were evaluated: a researcher occupying room 726 (a research laboratory on the seventh floor) and a custodian occupying room 220 (loading dock and trash compactor room with a rollup door). A maintenance worker that will be spending less time in impacted areas was not modeled because it will be bounded by other two hypothetical building occupants modeled. A summary description of the RESRAD-BUILD is provided in Appendix A, and the modeling of potential doses to a researcher and a custodian is described in detail in Section 3. A summary and a discussion of the dose modeling results are included in Section 4. The parameters used in the RESRAD-BUILD modeling are included in Appendix B. This report documents the dose modeling results; it does not describe measurements of the actual radioactivity levels at the Harborview R&T Facility, nor does it set any expectation for the actual final radioactivity levels. The radiation doses presented are modeling results based on the generic screening values of Cs-137 and several conservative assumptions and are meant only to assist in decision making regarding decontamination of the Harborview R&T Facility.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Sacramento State Solar Decathlon 2015: Research Performance Final Report

Our primary objective is to design and build a 600-1000sf home that produces more energy than it consumes and to showcase this home at the 2015 Solar Decathlon in Irvine, CA. Further objectives are to educate consumers and home builders, alike (including K-12 students – the industry’s future consumers), inspire a shift towards the adoption of net-zero energy solutions in residential building, and to be a leader in the transformation of the California residential marketplace to a net-zero standard. Our specific mission statement for this project is as follows: Solar NEST strives to discover the future of sustainable, energy-efficient housing and deliver these innovations to home buyers at an affordable price. To make substantial improvements to conventional building methods with regard to aesthetics, performance, and affordability. Through our efforts, we aspire to bridge the gap between ‘what is’ and ‘what is possible’ by providing unique, elegant simplicity.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
NASA NTRS2024

Launch Complex 39A Operations Support Building Area SWMU 111 Year 3 Air Sparge System Performance Monitoring Report

This Air Sparge (AS) System Performance Monitoring Report (PMR) presents the findings, observations, and results for Year 3 of operation, maintenance, and monitoring activities for the AS Interim Measure (IM) at the Launch Complex 39A Operations Support Building Area (AOSB) at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida. This report was presented as an Advance Data Package during the October 2024 KSC Remediation Team (KSCRT) meeting. The reporting period for activities covered under this PMR is from August 2023 through October 2024.

Mark P Speranza↗
NASA NTRS2015

Material Characterization of Additively Manufactured Components for Rocket Propulsion

To advance Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies for production of rocket propulsion components the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) is applying state of the art characterization techniques to interrogate microstructure and mechanical properties of AM materials and components at various steps in their processing. The materials being investigated for upper stage rocket engines include titanium, copper, and nickel alloys. Additive manufacturing processes include laser powder bed, electron beam powder bed, and electron beam wire fed processes. Various post build thermal treatments, including Hot Isostatic Pressure (HIP), have been studied to understand their influence on microstructure, mechanical properties, and build density. Micro-computed tomography, electron microscopy, and mechanical testing in relevant temperature environments has been performed to develop relationships between build quality, microstructure, and mechanical performance at temperature. A summary of GRCs Additive Manufacturing roles and experimental findings will be presented.

Additive Manufacturing↗
NASA NTRS2015

Materials Characterization of Additively Manufactured Components for Rocket Propulsion

To advance Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies for production of rocket propulsion components the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) is applying state of the art characterization techniques to interrogate microstructure and mechanical properties of AM materials and components at various steps in their processing. The materials being investigated for upper stage rocket engines include titanium, copper, and nickel alloys. Additive manufacturing processes include laser powder bed, electron beam powder bed, and electron beam wire fed processes. Various post build thermal treatments, including Hot Isostatic Pressure (HIP), have been studied to understand their influence on microstructure, mechanical properties, and build density. Micro-computed tomography, electron microscopy, and mechanical testing in relevant temperature environments has been performed to develop relationships between build quality, microstructure, and mechanical performance at temperature. A summary of GRC's Additive Manufacturing roles and experimental findings will be presented.

Additive Manufacturing↗
DOE OSTI2017

Field test and simulation evaluation of variable refrigerant flow systems performance

Our study aims to compare the performance of a Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) system with a Roof Top Unit, (RTU) and a variable-air-volume (VAV) system through field tests and energy simulations. The field test was conducted in as similar conditions as possible between the two systems, such as the installation and operating environments of heating, the ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, including internal heat gain and outdoor conditions, including buildings to compare the performance of the two systems accurately. A VRF system and RTU were installed at the test building located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, in the USA. The same internal heat gain was generated at the same operating time of the two systems using lighting, electric heaters, and humidifiers inside the building. The HVAC system was alternately operated between cooling and heating operations to acquire energy performance data and to compare energy usage. Furthermore, an hourly building energy simulation model was developed with regard to the VRF system and RTU, and then the model was calibrated using actual measured data. Then, annual energy consumption of the two systems were compared and analyzed using the calibrated model. Moreover, additional analysis was conducted when the controlled discharge air temperature in the RTU was changed. The field test result showed that when energy consumptions of two systems were compared at the same outdoor conditions, using the weather-normalized model, the VRF system exhibited an energy reduction of approximately 17% during cooling operation and of approximately 74% during heating operations. A comparison on the annual energy consumption using simulations showed that the VRF system reduced energy consumption more than that of the RTU by 60%. Furthermore, when the discharge air temperature in the RTU was controlled according to the outdoor air temperature, energy consumption of the RTU was reduced by 6% in cooling operations and by 18% in heating operation. As a result, energy consumption of the VRF system was reduced by more than that of the RTU by 55% approximately.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2014

Performance Results for Massachusetts and Rhode Island Deep Energy Retrofit Pilot Community

Between December, 2009 and December, 2012 42 deep energy retrofit (DER) projects were completed through a DER pilot program sponsored by National Grid and conducted in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. 37 of these projects were comprehensive retrofits while 5 were partial DERs, meaning that high performance retrofit was implemented for a single major enclosure component or a limited number of major enclosure components. The 42 DER projects represent 60 units of housing. The comprehensive projects all implemented a consistent 'package' of measures in terms of the performance targeted for major building components. Projects exhibited some variations in the approach to implementing the retrofit package. Pre- and post-retrofit air leakage measurements were performed for each of the projects. Each project also reported information about project costs including identification of energy-related costs. Post-retrofit energy-use data was obtained for 29 of the DER projects. Post-retrofit energy use was analyzed based on the net energy used by the DER project regardless of whether the energy was generated on site or delivered to the site. Homeowner surveys were returned by 12 of the pilot participants. Based on the community experience, this DER package is expected to result in yearly source energy use near 110 MMBtu/year or approximately 40% below the Northeast regional average. Larger to medium sized homes that successful implement these retrofits can be expected to achieve source EUI that is comparable to Passive House targets for new construction. The community of DER projects show post-retrofit airtightness below 1.5 ACH50 to be eminently achievable.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2014

National Grid Deep Energy Retrofit Pilot, Massachusetts and Rhode Island (Fact Sheet)

Between December, 2009 and December, 2012 42 deep energy retrofit (DER) projects were completed through a DER pilot program sponsored by National Grid and conducted in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. 37 of these projects were comprehensive retrofits while 5 were partial DERs, meaning that high performance retrofit was implemented for a single major enclosure component or a limited number of major enclosure components. The 42 DER projects represent 60 units of housing. The comprehensive projects all implemented a consistent "package" of measures in terms of the performance targeted for major building components. Projects exhibited some variations in the approach to implementing the retrofit package. Pre- and post-retrofit air leakage measurements were performed for each of the projects. Each project also reported information about project costs including identification of energy-related costs. Post-retrofit energy-use data was obtained for 29 of the DER projects. Post-retrofit energy use was analyzed based on the net energy used by the DER project regardless of whether the energy was generated on site or delivered to the site. Homeowner surveys were returned by 12 of the pilot participants. Based on the community experience, this DER package is expected to result in yearly source energy use near 110 MMBtu/year or approximately 40% below the Northeast regional average. Larger to medium sized homes that successful implement these retrofits can be expected to achieve source EUI that is comparable to Passive House targets for new construction. The community of DER projects show post-retrofit airtightness below 1.5 ACH50 to be eminently achievable.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2016

Heart of the Hearth: Making the Popular Clean, Not the Clean Popular - Technology Research, Development, and Tools for Clean Biomass Cookstoves

This technical report summarizes the work completed by BioLite in fulfilment of the US DOE EERE award. The work plan focused on three key objectives: developing an optimized combustion system that demonstrates high combustion efficiency and low PM 2.5 and CO emissions, integrate the system into popular stove phenotypes – side-fed rocket stove architecture like the BioLite HomeStove, and the Patsari chimney stove in Mexico such that they maintain their important phenotypical characteristics, independently evaluate quantitative fuel and emissions performance of the integrated ‘Turbo-Patsari’ in Mexican households. The project activities were organized into six major tasks: A. Develop, fabricate, and test proof-of-concept prototypes B. Develop field prototypes, assess user feedback and field performance C. Define revised stove design for pre-production model, Identify manufacturing requirements and estimated cost to build, Conduct reliability, emissions, and performance testing of pre-production Turbo-Patsari D. Build pre-production Turbo-Patsari stove combustion cores E. Conduct pre-production field trials F. Summarize field trial results and evaluate Turbo-Patsari for potential volume production. A two-pronged approach was adopted for the above tasks. The first involved building a modular test platform that allowed parametric variation of multiple stove design parameters that directly affect its performance – heat output, thermal efficiency, and emissions. The second part of the approach comprised of building a surrogate Patsari based on GIRA’s specifications that could then be modified or retrofitted for optimum performance based on the learnings from the modular test platform. The following sections of the report will describe the findings of tests on these platform, the subsequent development, design, and installation of the Turbo-Patsari, and finally the in-home field trial.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2018

GASNet-EX: A High-Performance, Portable Communication Library for Exascale

Partitioned Global Address Space (PGAS) models, typified by such languages as Unified Parallel C (UPC) and Co-Array Fortran, expose one-sided communication as a key building block for High Performance Computing (HPC) applications. Architectural trends in supercomputing make such programming models increasingly attractive, and newer, more sophisticated models such as UPC++, Legion and Chapel that rely upon similar communication paradigms are gaining popularity. GASNet-EX is a portable, open-source, high-performance communication library designed to efficiently support the networking requirements of PGAS runtime systems and other alternative models in future exascale machines. The library is an evolution of the popular GASNet communication system, building upon over 15 years of lessons learned. We describe and evaluate several features and enhancements that have been introduced to address the needs of modern client systems. Microbenchmark results demonstrate the RMA performance of GASNet-EX is competitive with several MPI-3 implementations on current HPC systems.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2012

MIT - Mighty Steps toward Energy Sustainability

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop and implement solutions to retrofit existing buildings to reduce energy consumption by at least 30% as part of DOE’s Commercial Building Partnerships (CBP) Program.1 Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) provided technical expertise in support of this DOE program. MIT is one of the U.S.’s foremost higher education institutions, occupying a campus that is nearly 100 years old, with a building floor area totaling more than 12 million square feet. The CBP project focused on improving the energy performance of two campus buildings, the Ray and Maria Stata Center (RMSC) and the Building W91 (BW91) data center. A key goal of the project was to identify energy saving measures that could be applied to other buildings both within MIT’s portfolio and at other higher education institutions. The CBP retrofits at MIT are projected to reduce energy consumption by approximately 48%, including a reduction of around 72% in RMSC lighting energy and a reduction of approximately 55% in RMSC server room HVAC energy. The energy efficiency measure (EEM) package proposed for the BW91 data center is expected to reduce heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) energy use by 30% to 50%, depending on the final air intake temperature that is established for the server racks. The RMSC, an iconic building designed by Frank Gehry, houses the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems, and the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2016

EnergyIQ

EnergyIQ-the first "action-oriented" benchmarking tool for non-residential buildings-provides a standardized opportunity assessment based on benchmarking results. along with decision-support information to help refine action plans. EnergyIQ offers a wide array of benchmark metrics, with visuall as well as tabular display. These include energy, costs, greenhouse-gas emissions, and a large array of characteristics (e.g. building components or operational strategies). The tool supports cross-sectional benchmarking for comparing the user's building to it's peers at one point in time, as well as longitudinal benchmarking for tracking the performance of an individual building or enterprise portfolio over time. Based on user inputs, the tool generates a list of opportunities and recommended actions. Users can then explore the "Decision Support" module for helpful information on how to refine action plans, create design-intent documentation, and implement improvements. This includes information on best practices, links to other energy analysis tools and more. The variety of databases are available within EnergyIQ from which users can specify peer groups for comparison. Using the tool, this data can be visually browsed and used as a backdrop against which to view a variety of energy benchmarking metrics for the user's own building. User can save their project information and return at a later date to continue their exploration. The initial database is the CA Commercial End-Use Survey (CEUS), which provides details on energy use and characteristics for about 2800 buildings (and 62 building types). CEUS is likely the most thorough survey of its kind every conducted. The tool is built as a web service. The EnergyIQ web application is written in JSP with pervasive us of JavaScript and CSS2. EnergyIQ also supports a SOAP based web service to allow the flow of queries and data to occur with non-browser implementations. Data are stored in an Oracle 10g database. References: Mills, Mathew, Brook and Piette. 2008. "Action Oriented Benchmarking: Concepts and Tools." Energy Engineering, Vol.105, No. 4, pp 21-40. LBNL-358E; Mathew, Mills, Bourassa, Brook. 2008. "Action-Oriented Benchmarking: Using the CEUS Database to Benchmark Commercial Buildings in California." Energy Engineering, Vol 105, No. 5, pp 6-18. LBNL-502E.

MILLS, EVAN↗
DOE OSTI2022

Challenges and Lessons Learned from an Analysis of Three Zero Energy Buildings

Zero energy buildings, or zero energy ready buildings, which are designed and operated by public or private commercial property owners can play an important role in reducing carbon emissions. This paper discusses lessons learned and key takeaways from an in-depth analysis of three zero energy buildings that took an integrated design and construction approach to significantly reduce energy use. Two of these projects are new construction and one is a retrofit to zero energy. Findings are based on project literature review, data analysis, and in-depth interviews with the building design teams and staff who were involved during the design, construction, and operation of the buildings. The paper addresses value proposition and cost data in such a way that other building owners can replicate the strategies and technology solutions in response to regulatory mandates or organizational goals. It also provides details on operational improvements taken at each zero energy building to enhance energy performance and increase the potential for load flexibility, and discusses challenges and lessons gleaned from design teams and building staff. The findings serve as a reference for building owners, designers, engineers, contractors, or others interested in, or involved with, the design, construction, or use of new or existing buildings. The paper also includes recommended pathways for widespread adoption of zero energy strategies that can be applied in various locations.

ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Commercial Building Prototypes Based on ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2019 Appendix G PRM: Technical Support Document

The two paths for documenting compliance with ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1 are the prescriptive path and the performance path. Beyond code programs and rating systems (for example, USGBC-LEED ) are primarily known to use a third path – the Appendix G Performance Rating Method. An update in the 2016 edition of Standard 90.1 approved the Appendix G Performance Rating System for code compliance, extending its application and allowing for greater consistency of modeling rules for code and beyond code building energy modeling. The Appendix G PRM provides rules for the development of whole building energy models of baseline and proposed models for calculating the “performance cost index target” value using the simulated energy results of the baseline and proposed models and the building performance factors published in Table 4.2.1.1 of the Standard. This report documents (1) the methodology used for development of the baseline and proposed energy models of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and U.S. Department of Energy commercial building prototypes using the Appendix G Performance Rating Method; and (2) the building performance factors that were calculated using those models.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗