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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 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Natrium Demonstration Reactor Support [Abstract]

TerraPower, LLC (TerraPower, Participant) and other private industry partners endeavor to design, license, construct, and operate a sodium-cooled fast-spectrum nuclear reactor technology demonstration plant called Natrium. This demonstration plant is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) through the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP; DE-FOA-0002271). TerraPower, together with its technology co-developer GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) and engineering and construction partner Bechtel, submitted a proposal under the program’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Pathway for its Natrium reactor and energy system and recently received an award. TerraPower is partnering with Battelle Memorial Institute, the Management and Operating Contractor of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL, Contractor) under the Natrium project to provide critical research outcomes necessary to demonstrate the reactor technology. Over the expected five-year timeframe of the project, PNNL will provide TerraPower and its partners with vital support in the areas of post-irradiation examination (PIE) of specimens irradiated in test reactors. These efforts will be combined and managed as a program titled “Natrium Demonstration Reactor Support.”

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2022

High throughput single cell multiomics platform [Abstract]

In this collaborative project, PNNL and Scienion will co-develop an integrated microfluidic technology to co-measure the transcriptome and proteome in single cells. The technology will enable us to efficiently separate proteins from mRNA transcripts between two microchips, barcode the molecules, and measure them separately with next-generation sequencing and mass spectrometry, respectively. Multicellular organisms contain diverse cell types and tremendous cell-to-cell heterogeneity that dictates a multitude of biological functions in both physiological and pathological environments. Even in the case of microbes, these genetically identical organisms can randomly differentiate into many subpopulations that assume different roles for the survival of the community. Bulk-scale measurements are insufficient to resolve such complexities. The development and applications of high throughput single-cell omics technologies have transformed our understanding of cellular heterogeneities and their differential responses to internal signaling events or external stimulations. Despite these advances, most current single-cell omic technologies provide information on only one type of biomolecule. Perse, such measurements provide incomplete information because the cell phenotype is determined by multiple layers of biomolecules and the interplay between genome, epigenome, transcriptome, and proteome. For example, mRNA abundance in one cell can not be precisely referred to the corresponding DNA and protein in other cells because of the potential subtle difference in genotype (e.g., somatic mutation or copy number variation) or phenotype (external microenvironment and cell-cell interactions). As such, parallel measurement of multiple biomolecules in the same single cells can offer unique advantages compared with measuring them separately in different single cells. Scienion is a world-leading biotech company focusing on precision liquid handling and its application in single-cell whole-genome sequencing and RNA sequencing. PNNL is the leading institution in ultrasensitive mass spectrometry, microfluidics, and untargeted single-cell proteomics (scProteomics). This collaboration will facilitate a unique fusion between scTranscriptomics capability at Scienion and scProteomics capabilities at PNNL to, for the first time, perform both untargeted transcriptomics and proteomics from the same single cells.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Extension of Cable Electrical Assessment Techniques to Detect and Discriminate Radiation Aging on Cable Insulation Systems (Abstract)

The purpose of this study of the electrical responses of gamma radiation aged low voltage nuclear cables is to advance tools to determine cable condition (extent of damage) and identify degradation location along the cable length. The developed technology will provide nuclear plant operators with the options to focus cable repair, mitigation, or replacement efforts locally and avoid wholesale cable replacement.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Low-Cost, Durable and Retrofittable Methane Oxidation Catalysts (Abstract)

There is significant concern over the contributions of GHG emissions to global warming which has sparked intense focus on reducing GHG emissions in industrial processes. In response, this project aims to develop and demonstrate a methane oxidation catalyst that can be deployed on NG engines used in US O&G industry and will serve to significantly reduce the carbon footprint associated with those midstream operations. The catalyst will achieve 90% oxidation efficiency while operating at 450°C or less and at 50% less Pd versus existing catalyst technology. This technology would enable the realization of nearly 30% reduced GHG emissions from NG engines (versus diesel) that methane slip from these engines otherwise negates.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

Simultaneous flow of zero-carbon and conventional fuel liquids through Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (Abstract)

The purpose of this CRADA is to address key technical challenges specific to the transport of ammonia, a promising carbon-free fuel and hydrogen-carrier, through crude oil pipelines. Specifically, the project seeks to develop novel technologies for preparing liquid ammonia/ hydrocarbon mixtures for the dual purpose of (i) pipeline transport, and (ii) developing advanced marine fuel blends. By demonstrating compatibility with the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline System (TAPS) ammonia/oil blends may improve access to stranded natural gas and help overcome low-flow issues associated with declining oil productivity. In Alaska, this technology enhances the capabilities of TAPS allowing it to function as a statewide “Hydrogen Highway” for exporting green or blue ammonia. This is strategically important for Alaska which lacks statewide electrical transmission infrastructure but contains vast renewable and fossil resources located in remote regions with few local markets. Nationally, Alaska-sourced green (hydropower) or blue ammonia has the potential to improve reliability of a Pacific Northwest hydrogen storage hub as a hydrogen-carrier by helping to overcome seasonality of green hydrogen produced from solar or wind energy. Globally, this technology project has significant potential to improve the safety and efficacy of ammonia-rich fuel compositions for use in maritime propulsion and other mid-sized engines.

10 SYNTHETIC FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Vouchers to Enable Laboratory and Organizational Collaboration for Innovation and Technology Improvements (VELOCITI) (Abstract)

For the past several years, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) have provided technical assistance to the recipients of Department of Energy (DOE) -funded voucher programs, namely American-Made Challenges (AMC), the Incubator Program, and the Small Business Vouchers Program. Drawing on lessons learned and from first-hand experiences, NREL and SNL are co-leading a new holistic and streamlined voucher program aimed at strengthening ties between American innovators and the national labs. This new program, “Vouchers to Enable Laboratory and Organizational Collaboration for Innovation and Technology Improvements,” or VELOCITI, will leverage the successful elements of past programs, create administrative efficiencies, and enable the buildout of a national program to drive strong relationships between entrepreneurs and the national labs to accelerate the roll-out of new technologies in the US solar sector.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Methane Pyrolysis for CO2-free H2 and Carbon Nanomaterials (Abstract)

We propose to continue to develop a new process for producing CO2-free hydrogen (H2) from inexpensive and domestically-abundant natural gas (NG), while simultaneously reducing H2’s net production cost to $1.0/kg through the sale of valuable crystalline solid carbon co-product. Producing clean hydrogen at this price is a DOE Hydrogen Energy Earthshot goal. Cost effective production of clean H2 is also of commercial relevance to project partners Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) and startup company C4-MCP, who aim to further develop, demonstrate at scale, and ultimately deploy the new process technology developed on this project in order to meet regulatory demands in the State of California. In the current project we have focused on i) understanding the catalyst science for thermocatalytic decomposition of methane (TCD), which resulted in the development of a patent pending bimetallic catalyst offering favorable activity, stability, and selectivity under industrially relevant process conditions, ii) developing a novel, patent pending process to enable the separation of produced carbon and catalyst, and re-synthesis of the catalyst using recycled materials, iii) performing limited characterization of the produced carbon materials, and iv) performing detailed process modeling in order to perform techno economic assessment. The additional scope proposed here will accelerate the commercial deployment of TCD for CO2-free H2 and valuable solid carbon nanotubes (CNT) co-product, by i) scaling up the production of CNT co-product using a scalable, fluidized bed reactor (25 g catalyst scale versus the 1 g catalyst scale demonstrated to-date), ii) producing at least 40 g of CNT product, produced via multiple cycles of TCD, carbon-catalyst separation, and catalyst re-synthesis, to enable the production of sufficient quantities of solid carbon so as to explore its market potential, iii) understanding the quality of the co-product CNTs, produced at larger scale, through advanced characterization, and iv) beginning to explore multiple promising high volume carbon product applications (thermoplastics, automotive composites, battery, and cement reinforcement applications).

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2022

TEAMER: DAISY Flow-noise Testing (Abstract)

Evaluating impacts of marine energy devices is generally difficult given the dynamic environment where these devices need to be placed. The University of Washington’s (UW) DAISY (The Drifting Acoustic Instrumentation SYstem) is designed to measure radiated noise around marine energy converters operating in energetic waves and currents. In currents, a primary limitation for measurement fidelity at low frequencies (< 100 Hz) is the potential for non-propagating “flow-noise” to mask propagating sound and inflate estimates of the radiated noise from marine energy converters at frequencies that overlap with hearing sensitivities of fish and some marine mammals. While free-drifting measurements help to minimize the relative velocity that produces flow-noise, significant levels were still observed during initial DAISY tests. This motivated the development of a fabric “flow shield” around the hydrophone that disrupts both flow-noise generation mechanisms proposed by the initial tests. First, the flow shield is a source of substantial drag which keeps the hydrophone package moving with the approximate velocity of the surrounding water, compensating for differential wind or current forcing on the surface expression. By minimizing relative velocity around the hydrophone, turbulence shed by the hydrophone is also minimized. Second, the flow shield creates a largely quiescent pocket around the hydrophone, minimizing advection of free stream turbulence over the hydrophone element. Field data collected in these experiments will test effectiveness of these flow shields and provide quantitative data use and deployment.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2022

Large-scale Hydrogen Storage – Risk Assessment Seattle City Light and Port of Seattle [Abstract]

This CRADA presents the strategy that Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) will take to support Seattle City Light (SCL), and the Port of Seattle (Port) in performing a risk assessment of large-scale hydrogen storage. Risk assessment is often used to ensure that adequate measures are taken to protect workers and the public, the environment, infrastructure, and assets. A detailed risk assessment can also be used to direct funding and upgrades, to specific components and sub-systems in order to mitigate risks to the larger system. In this way risk assessments are often employed as a part of a larger risk management strategy, with the goal of minimizing the occurrence of hazards and to identify means to limit their consequences. Risk assessment is often used to engage and inform regulators, and to communicate how specific regulations are being met. However, it is important to note that the proposed work is not intended for SCL and the Port to use in order to gain regulatory acceptance for their proposed activities. The work performed as a part of this effort will be a preliminary risk assessment for early-stage component and system designs and should be considered research and development (R&D). As such, the proposed work will be performed to a quality level and design maturity consistent with R&D and is not considered appropriate for final safety analysis and regulatory compliance purposes. Previous and on-going work at SCL and the Port demonstrated the utility of deploying hydrogen systems at the Port. The deployment of hydrogen at the Port is a part of a larger vision of using hydrogen to address a range of issues for SCL and the Port. These include large-scale fueling of MD/HD vehicles, cargo-handling equipment (CHE), and harbor vessels to reduce emissions; support of adjacent LD vehicles; support of critical port operations during extreme events (i.e., resiliency); deferral of more capital- and time-intensive electrical distribution system upgrades while still supporting evolving port operations and decarbonization efforts; facilitating electrification by establishing energy storage as a grid resource, starting at strategic port locations; creation of a flexible market resource that can be used by SCL to generate revenue via arbitrage; support of planned future maritime operations that involve heavy use of hydrogen for ocean-going vessels; and future end-use applications involving natural gas pipeline hydrogen injection. Ultimately, the success of these activities is underpinned by the deployed storage capacity. Large-scale deployment of hydrogen systems will require hydrogen storage at a scale that has not been demonstrated. In addition, the ideal location for such multi-use systems is near the end user which will often necessitate deploying into urban and/or industrial areas. A detailed risk assessment using the Port as a test case is necessary to ensure the deployment of large-scale hydrogen is successful. Many technologies have been proposed for hydrogen storage; however, these technologies need to be analyzed as they apply to an actual site. The physical infrastructure and hydrogen use cases for the Port will be analyzed, and a risk assessment for compressed hydrogen, liquified hydrogen, and Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC) storage will be performed. These risk assessments will be useful for understanding how each of these technologies would perform in terms of facility and public safety. The operating states of the proposed hydrogen systems at the Port will be analyzed and incorporated into the storage risk assessment. Scalability will also be analyzed to understand how future port uses would affect the overall risk assessment. Finally, using the risk assessment as a tool to inform engagement and to gain stakeholder acceptance will be explored.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2022

Optimization and Commercialization of the Juvenile Eel/Lamprey Acoustic Transmitter and Micro-battery (Abstract)

Enhance studies to track in 3D and sub-meter accuracy the movements of sensitive species and early life stages of fish to advance understanding of migration timing and behaviors, habitat use, and survival rates, resulting in more informed management decisions regarding new and existing hydroelectric facilities and better designs of new hydropower systems that minimize or avoid environmental impacts.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Flow Forecasting on New England’s Great River Hydro (Abstract)

Great River Hydro (GRH) operates 13 generating stations and 3 storage-only reservoirs along the Upper Connecticut River, draining 6,266 square miles. Managing the reservoirs requires coordination over a couple days. So far seasonal flow-forecast and medium range probabilistic flow forecast during high flow conditions are leading to satisfactory management. Great River Hydro is seeking technical assistance to evaluate potential improvements in inflow forecasting and scheduling accuracy, particularly during short- to medium- duration periods (1-10 days). Improved accuracy is anticipated to enhance the efficiency with which GRH utilizes water, improving GRH’s ability to hit the best priced hours throughout the system and enhancing revenues as a result.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Production of 1,3-Butadiene from Renewable Oxygenated Feedstocks (Abstract)

Reproduce and ascertain additional experimental catalyst performance data for 1-step conversion of oxygenated feedstocks to butadiene. Experimental data will also be obtained for a 2-step processing configuration where we will tailor the PNNL catalyst originally developed for 1-step processing by tailoring the Lewis acidity and metal properties, with a limited number of experiments. We will measure preliminary catalyst performance results for producing Butadiene from the two oxygenated feedstocks. Additionally, we will produce 30 g of butadiene that will be sent to the client for use in producing polybutadiene. Finally, experimental results will inform techno-economic analysis (TEA) modeling. TEA will focus on identifying the most economically favorable processing route to BD from either oxygenated feedstock. We will also project GHG emissions associated with each of the process models being considered for BD production, and compare such results to GHG emissions when produced from conventional methods (e.g., cracking of naphtha) using values from the literature.

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

Enrichment of H2 to CO2 ratio using formic acid as a hydrogen carrier - CRADA 581 (Abstract)

The collaboration between PNNL and OCOchem will investigate approaches to enhance the hydrogen (H2) content from a stream of H2 and carbon dioxide (CO2) gases produced in the catalytic decomposition of aqueous formic acid (FA85). OCOchem uses an electrochemical process to generate FA85 from captured CO2 using electricity from renewable resources. The FA85 is a liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC) that provides the opportunity to transport and store hydrogen, in liquid form, at volumetric densities significantly greater than compressed H2 gas, i.e., 50 grams H2/liter FA. PNNL has developed and tested catalytic reactors to release H2 from LOHCs like FA and aqueous formate salts (FS). The H2 released from the LOHC can be oxidized in a proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEM-FC) to generate electricity with water as the only by-product. The purpose of the proposed project is to increase the purity of the hydrogen released from the LOHC to enhance the operation efficiency of the PEM FC. The PEM FC in combination with the LOHC provides an approach to demonstrate a portable generator that utilizes hydrogen as the energy carrier instead of conventional diesel generator. The ‘hydrogen generator’ can be used to supply emergency backup power and significantly reduce CO2 emissions relative to a diesel generator.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Electrochemical Acid Sequestration to Ease Ocean Acidification (EASE-OA) - CRADA 600 (Abstract)

The PNNL team will coordinate logistics involved with setting up the field trial on the PNNL Sequim campus in collaboration with Ebb Carbon. Facilities on the PNNL Sequim campus are capable of pumping raw or filtered seawater from Sequim Bay at a rate ~45,000 L hr -1 , which can accommodate the 4000 L hr -1 requirement of the 200 ton CO2 yr-1 Ebb Carbon marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) system. The primary tasks for the PNNL team are 1) laying out appropriate indoor and outdoor spaces for installing the Ebb Carbon’s mCDR system, 2) facilitating Ebb Carbon’s access to the PNNL’s seawater intake on the PNNL Sequim campus, 3) conducting mesocosm experiments within the PNNL Sequim campus laboratories to test how the brine and base discharged from the Ebb Carbon system affect marine life, and 4) facilitating Ebb Carbon access to the PNNL Sequim installation site and aiding in maintenance as needed. In addition to these tasks, the PNNL team will provide surface water quality data (e.g., salinity, temperature, pH, dissolved O2) from a monitoring station located on the pier to contextualize starting conditions of the seawater used in the mCDR process. Finally, the PNNL team will also consult with Ebb Carbon on strategies for improving overall system performance and next steps for further scaling and/or monitoring the effectiveness of the mCDR system.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

TEAMER - Acoustic Particle Velocity Measurements - CRADA 601 (Abstract)

With relatively few deployments of tidal turbines, the extent and effect of underwater sounds generated from these turbines is not well understood. The University of Washington (UW) is deploying a cross-flow turbine system, the Turbine Lander, in the entrance channel to Sequim Bay. The deployment of this system provides an opportunity to understand the noise radiated by the turbine and its sources. There are three hypothesized sound sources associated with operation of the turbine: 1) a continuous tone associated with energized power electronics; 2) sound associated with the generator when the turbine is rotating; and 3) sound associated with the bearing pack that supports the rotor. PNNL is collaborating with UW and Integral Consulting Inc. (Integral) to simultaneously measure sound sources using three different devices. The NoiseSpotter®, an acoustic sensor system designed by Integral, measures acoustic pressure and a three-dimensional particle velocity vector. The NoiseSpotter, along with a commercial-off-the-shelf acoustic particle motion and pressure sensor (M20-105, Geospectrum Technologies Inc.) owned by PNNL will be deployed on the seabed approximately 50-100 m from the Turbine Lander. UW will concurrently deploy Drifting Acoustic Instrumentation SYstems (DAISYs) to characterize acoustic pressure near the Turbine Lander and localize sounds using a Time Delay of Arrival (TDOA) algorithm. Integral, UW, and PNNL will collaborate on data analysis and interpretation, with the intention of jointly authoring an archival paper on the results. The noise generated from the Turbine Lander is not expected to be significant, yet this experiment will help to evaluate the efficacy of combining technologies to characterize noise and provide insights for approaches to consider for future turbine deployments at other locations.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2023

Transactive Campus Energy Systems: An R&D Testbed for Renewalables Integration, Efficiency, and Grid Services - CRADA 356 (Abstract)

Under this Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA), the project team consisting of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), acting on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy, and the University of Washington (UW) and Washington State University (WSU), acting under the purview of the State of Washington’s Department of Commerce (the “industrial” partner), will connect the PNNL, UW, and WSU campuses to form a multi-campus test bed for transaction-based energy management – transactive – solutions (see sidebar). Building on the foundational transactive system established by the Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration (PNWSGD), it is proposing to construct the test bed as both a regional flexibility resource and as a platform for R&D on buildings/grid integration and information-based energy efficiency.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Accelerating Engineered Microbe Optimization through Machine Learning and Multi-Omics Datasets [Abstract]

The Agile Biofoundry (ABF) is a multi-national lab consortium funded by the DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office that has developed a biofoundry enabling the rapid deployment of bioproducts into the market. The ABF is a flexible platform that can adjust to the needs of numerous government, academic and industrial partners, thus enabling them to rapidly develop and optimize the production of a wide range of bioproducts. To demonstrate this capability, three ABF labs (NTESS, LBNL, and PNNL) have collaborated with the biomanufacturer Lygos, Inc. to use the ABF to demonstrate a high-throughput Design-Build-Test-Learn (DBTL) engineering cycle incorporating multi-omics analysis and machine learning with best in industry cycle times.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗