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The United States Agency for International Development is drawing on U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory expertise to advance clean, resilient, and equitable energy systems in the developing world through the USAID-NREL Partnership.
Event Modeling Risk Assessment using Linked Diagrams (EMRALD) is a software tool developed at Idaho National Laboratory for researching the capabilities of dynamic probabilistic risk assessment. It provides a simple interface to represent complex interactions often seen when developing dynamic models. EMRALD can also interface with other applications by modifying inputs, running, and using their results within EMRALD for dynamic and integrated assessment. This report goes over the work performed as part of the Risk-Informed Systems Analysis Pathway under the Light Water Reactor Sustainability program to upgrade the EMRALD software.
Rare earth elements (REEs) are essential to most renewable energy technologies. Unfortunately, as we transition to sustainable energy production, the demand for REEs is rapidly growing well beyond current rates of production. As a result, novel means of efficient, scalable, and easily adaptable methods for processing primary and recycle feedstocks are needed. Development and integration of sensors for highly selective in-line monitoring can support more efficient design and testing of such novel separation processes, as well as more cost-effective deployment of those separation flowsheets. Work here will explore the application of fluorescence spectroscopy, a highly sensitive and selective technique, to quantify multiple lanthanides in complex mixtures including known interferents or quenching agents. Results include identification of the optimal excitation wavelength and the limit of detection of various rare earth elements as well as the performance of data-science-based quantification approaches in streams where “unknowns” are present. Overall, the data science tools in conjunction with optical sensor data were able to quantify analytes in the presence of other lanthanides which can be anticipated in the actual industrial stream. Here we include characterization of lanthanides in a microfluidic device similar to those used in new process development. This study demonstrates the capability of utilizing fluorescence spectroscopy to quantify analytes in a complicated solution matrix, suggesting this is a successful approach for in-line monitoring to optimize the separation efficiency in an industrial stream.
Gasification-based systems have recently received much attention due to their capability of converting wastes into useful fuels. The gasification of biomass, municipal solid waste (MSW), plastics, and other sustainable resources has shown promise in hydrogen production. When coupled to a CCU or CCS unit, these systems have the potential to achieve carbon neutrality or carbon-negative emissions. In addition, these systems have an edge over conventional incineration or landfill systems by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and recovering useful energy. However, the gasification of MSW and other wastes is still in its early stages. In particular, co-gasification of wastes with biomass has significant unknowns in optimizing the reaction kinetics, operability, design and performance improvements. Currently, Supercritical Water Gasifiers (SCWG) and Plasma Gasifiers are the major systems that are capable of producing high hydrogen amounts from Biomass and MSW, respectively. However, both systems have high capital and operating costs, adversely affecting efficiency and the hydrogen production cost. Additionally, due to lower temperatures, SCWGs are prone to tar formation and fouling in the heat exchangers. Hence, there is a need to look for alternative solutions for MSW and biomass gasifications, particularly in co-gasification. The current effort aims to develop a strategic plan to establish a sustainable gasification facility for hydrogen research at the University of Texas at El (UTEP). A major part of this effort involves an extensive literature survey to identify technological gaps and potential areas of interest. Several concepts were developed in accordance with the current demands from the literature survey. Based on the concepts, a center-wide capability assessment was conducted to measure the current capacity and feasibility of establishing hydrogen research. Afterward, a strategic research plan was developed, and a list of required resources was made for the expansion of hydrogen research at UTEP. In addition, successful partnerships with the local county and the city were developed to pursue hydrogen research. The strategic goal setting and planning of UTEP Aerospace Center resulted in securing $2.5 million in external support to expand the hydrogen research during the project performance period. In addition, during the project period, a course in Hydrogen Energy Systems was developed to expand the energy curriculum at the UTEP Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Department. The course focused on hydrogen production, storage, supply and delivery and application. The cross-listed course was offered at both undergraduate and graduate levels during the Spring 2024 semester and had 27 enrolled students. Moreover, the students supported under this award were trained in gasification process modeling, CAD, CFD and FEA during the project period. The training enabled the students to move into new projects to support gasification design, integrated gasification combined cycle process plant analysis, gasifier structural and operational analysis, and digitally threading the systems.
Access to reliable and sustainable energy in remote areas remains a pressing global challenge, significantly affecting economic development and the quality of life. This study focuses on the implementation of fully off-grid wind–biogas hybrid power systems to address this issue, with a focus on remote healthcare camp facilities. This paper investigates the performance of a hybrid renewable energy system within the context of one of Jordan’s northern remote areas, the Zaatari Syrian Refugee Camp, assessing its efficiency and environmental impact by taking the Zaatari hospital as the case study. Simulations were conducted to evaluate system components, including wind turbines, biogas generators, and diesel generators. A comprehensive evaluation was conducted, encompassing both the operational efficiency of the system and its impact on the environment. This study also considered various scenarios (SC#), including grid availability and autonomy levels, to optimize system configurations. The techno-economic assessment employed the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) as a key performance indicator, and sensitivity analyses explored the impact of diesel costs and wind power fluctuations on the system. Additionally, environmental assessment was conducted to evaluate the environmental effects of hybrid systems, with a specific focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This investigation involved an examination of emissions in three different scenarios. The results indicate that the lowest LCOE that could be achieved was 0.0734 USD/kWh in SC#1 with 72.42% autonomy, whereas achieving 100% autonomy increased the LCOE to 0.1756 USD/kWh. Additionally, the results reveal that in scenarios SC#2 and SC#3, which have a higher proportion of diesel generator usage, there were elevated levels of NO x and CO 2 emissions. Conversely, in SC#1, which lacks diesel generators, emissions were notably lower. The proposed hybrid system demonstrates its potential to provide a reliable energy supply to healthcare facilities in remote regions, emphasizing both economic feasibility and environmental benefits. These findings contribute to informed decision making for sustainable energy solutions in similar contexts, promoting healthcare accessibility and environmental sustainability.
The Transportation-Security, Tracking, and Reporting System (T-STAR) was developed by the National Nuclear Security Administration, NA-21, Office of Radiological Security (ORS) to provide a transportation security system for detection and tracking during transport of Category 1 and Category 2 radiological material. Few off-the-shelf systems for conveyance tracking offer detection of a cargo compartment breach or a removal of the cargo. Systems that do offer this capability often require permanent installation through modifying of the conveyance itself. This is not sustainable in many countries where ORS is building use, storage, and transport security capacity. The development of T-STAR has moved from fielding robust prototypes deployed in countries ranging from North America, Latin America and Central Asia to a commercially produced product that can now be deployed to provide enhanced security during transit. Each prototype deployment resulted in important lessons learned, which informed the requirements for the final commercial product. T-STAR uses both cellular and Iridium satellite modems to provide redundant communications to provide the configuration, status, and alerts to a server monitoring the shipment, which is accessible using a multilanguage browser-based user interface. A wireless security system employing using Z-wave sensors for intrusion detection located in the conveyance provide low cost but effective solution for a wide range of conveyance types. Additional capabilities include the ability to monitor a vehicles’ CANBUS (Controller Area Network) system, an ethernet port for high throughput sensor information such as video cameras, and the ability to power and use advanced external sensor payloads. These features make the T-STAR a capable and expandable security gateway that can be deployed on a variety of conveyances from box trucks to open trailers. The ability to provide tracking, monitoring, and detection provide a key component in overall best practices designed to protect shipments of radioactive material.
NREL will assist East Carolina University in its development of the foundational knowledge and proof of concept that are needed for future process scale up and commercialization of a sustainable wave-to-water (direct pressurization) desalination unit powered by a wave energy converter. NREL will provide guidance and support to East Carolina University on its: use of the NREL developed WEC-Sim based wave to water system, exploring the WEC-Sim/ASPEN Plus data exchange communication, and using experimental data to hopefully provide validation of analytical models.
Located on the shores of Lake Michigan, the Palisades Nuclear Generating Station (PNGS) was a nuclear power plant that operated in Covert Township, Michigan. The plant had a single pressurized water reactor that produced electricity for the region. The PNGS was shut down in 2022 after more than four decades of service. The PNGS included in its surveillance program a surveillance capsule, designated A-60, containing specimens of a weld metal with nickel content of about 1.36 wt% and copper content of about 0.20 wt%. The capsule was removed from its surveillance position in the early 1995 and has been resident in the spent fuel pool since that time. This capsule was irradiated to a fluence of 1.87×10 20 n/cm 2 (E> 1MeV) that is equivalent for more than 120 effective full power year (EFPY) for the US reactor pressure vessel (RPV) fleet. The material is also of special interest because of its very high nickel content and potential for development of NiMnSi (nickel-manganese-silicon) precipitates. Combination of very high fluence and very high Ni and Cu content makes the material in this capsule of the great interest as benchmark for currently developing embrittlement trend curves (ETC) aiming to predict embrittlement at high fluences. Thus, several years ago the Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program (LWRSP) initiated negotiations with Entergy to harvest this high fluence capsule since it did not present any regulatory interest for PNGS but could play a very important role for LWRSP efforts for developing ETC for very long-term operation. The negotiations resumed once PNGS ownership moved to the Holtec International in June 2022 which was very supportive to the LWRSP efforts to harvest the A-60 capsule from the spent fuel pool. As a result, the contract was placed with the Westinghouse Electric Company (WEC) to come to PNGS site, retrieve the A-60 capsule, bring it to WEC Churchill hot cell facility, open the capsule and send all surveillance specimens in the capsule to ORNL for future characterization. These specimens from the PNGS A-60 capsule have arrived to ORNL in July 2023 and this report summarizes activities to retrieve and deliver specimens to ORNL site for future evaluation.
Perennial grasses are candidates for biomass cropping systems that are focused on providing a wide range of ecosystem services in addition to sustainable bioenergy production. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) and big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman) are two of the dominant grasses of the tallgrass prairie and both are candidates for development of multifunctional diverse production systems. Breeding programs for both species are aimed at increasing biomass yield as a mechanism of improving economic sustainability without increasing production costs. The objective of this study was to determine if long-term selection for increased biomass yield in these two species has had any adverse impacts on biomass quality, or the ability to convert biomass into bioenergy. Check cultivars and improved breeding populations of both species were evaluated for a wide range of biomass quality traits at 13 locations in the North Central and Northeastern USA, and a subset of these populations were also subjected to more intensive and detailed fermentation analyses. In general, lignin and ferulates either remained constant or decreased following selection for increased biomass yield in the various genetic pedigrees. These changes resulted in some increases in predicted ethanol production and in vitro digestibility. Here, the prediction of increased digestibility was confirmed by higher glucose release by pretreatment and deconstruction of an advanced lowland population. However, bioreactor fermentations with two different biofuel-producing microbes showed no differences in ethanol production. Overall, these studies indicated that the improved switchgrass and big bluestem populations had greater biomass yields without significantly reducing biomass quality or conversion efficiency into ethanol, suggesting that selection can achieve increases in biomass productivity while maintaining consistent biomass quality.
Securing defense-critical supply chains, built on resilient and sustainable microelectronics fabrication and deployment, is a national imperative and one that requires an investment in basic and applied research, development, and deployment into industries in (and out of) the Defense Industrial Base (DIB). Critical next steps include the development of pilots for revolutionary concepts in a new formal verification model and the Cyber-Physical Passport (CPP) concept for chain of custody. Critical infrastructure leadership should take action with a sense of urgency. Working in conjunction with the Under Secretary for Acquisition and Sustainment, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering should establish pilot programs with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the service labs to build and test both concepts in legacy and new system development.. Additionally, the Pentagon may be aware that an existing Manufacturing Innovation Institute is piloting, with the semiconductor industry, cyber innovations to provide verifiable security properties and guarantees of physical functions to build a more cyber secure, resilient and efficient micro-electronics supply chain.
This study aims to support the prioritization of research and development (R&D) pathways of an anaerobic technology leveraging hydrogel-encapsulated biomass to treat high-strength organic industrial wastewaters, enabling decentralized energy recovery and treatment to reduce organic loading on centralized treatment facilities. To characterize the sustainability implications of early-stage design decisions and to delineate R&D targets, an encapsulated anaerobic process model was developed and coupled with design algorithms for integrated process simulation, techno-economic analysis, and life cycle assessment under uncertainty. Across the design space, a single-stage configuration with passive biogas collection was found to have the greatest potential for financial viability and the lowest life cycle carbon emission. Through robust uncertainty and sensitivity analyses, we found technology performance was driven by a handful of design and technological factors despite uncertainty surrounding many others. Hydraulic retention time and encapsulant volume were identified as the most impactful design decisions for the levelized cost and carbon intensity of chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal. Encapsulant longevity, a technological parameter, was the dominant driver of system sustainability and thus a clear R&D priority. Ultimately, we found encapsulated anaerobic systems with optimized fluidized bed design have significant potential to provide affordable, carbon-negative, and distributed COD removal from high strength organic wastewaters if encapsulant longevity can be maintained at 5 years or above.
Gold-based catalysts offer tremendous opportunities for developing new technologies for selective oxidation reactions that directly use gas-phase oxygen as a benign reagent and produce either no byproducts or water as the only byproduct. These processes are urgently needed and critical for achieving the sustainable production of chemicals. While recent studies demonstrate that the catalytic properties of gold can be significantly enhanced by addition of other metals, the development of these catalysts with sufficient performance for commercialization is hindered by a lack of fundamental understanding of how the catalytic properties of gold can be controlled and tailored. This project addressed this need by synergistically combining experimental and computational studies to establish fundamental composition-structure-activity relationships for gold-based catalysts for several industrially important reactions. Results from surface spectroscopy, atomic imaging and thermal desorption experiments were combined with molecular models and reaction mechanisms from quantum chemical calculations to link observable reaction rates to the structure and composition of surfaces at the molecular level. The results were used to develop improved catalyst formulations and identify optimized reaction conditions for gold-based catalysts. For broader impacts, the developed methodology was extended to other metallic catalysts, such as silver, platinum-molybdenum and nickel-tin, for improved catalytic efficiency and sustainable production of specialty and commodity chemicals.
Synthetic ammonia is essential for agriculture, but its production at present is unsustainable. Ammonia synthesized with hydrogen from renewable-powered electrolysis and nitrogen separated from air has the potential to alleviate these sustainability concerns while also having promise as a low-cost storage medium for intermittent renewable energy. This paper reviews recent research and development on the topic of renewable ammonia production and utilization as fertilizer and as energy storage. We describe our vision for synergistically combining these renewable ammonia applications to improve sustainability. Furthermore, we outline opportunities for systems engineering to play a crucial role in advancing the adoption of renewable ammonia in a manner which is sustainable, economically competitive, and reliable.
The increasing global demand for energy underscores the importance of energy efficiency and sustainability. To address these challenges in the US manufacturing sector, the US Department of Energy has implemented the Better Plants and Better Climate Challenge programs. These initiatives aim to reduce energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and water usage in industrial facilities. This paper highlights a critical component of these programs, workforce development, which equips individuals with the skills and knowledge to implement energy-saving measures. Through the variety of training opportunities discussed, including bootcamps, in-plant trainings, virtual trainings, and annual events, the programs are able to cater to a wide range of industrial participants, from entry-level professionals to experienced engineers. By fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing and by leveraging certifications offered by organizations like the Association of Energy Engineers, these initiatives empower individuals to drive innovation and sustainable practices.
In recent years, academic researchers and engineers in the industry have widely recognized the necessity of integrating remanufacturing considerations into product design iterations to advance sustainability objectives. Acknowledging the importance of design for remanufacturing (DfRem), efforts were made to develop tools and guidelines that could be implemented in practice. However, such methods largely rely upon experiential insights and qualitative assessments, leaving a gap in the ability to quantitatively assess the economic and environmental impacts of design choices. To bridge this gap, we investigate existing efforts and present a framework for DfRem that integrates established design and remanufacturing practices into a cohesive workflow with quantitative assessments. To demonstrate its efficacy for making practical design changes for remanufacturing, we apply the framework to a hydraulic manifold in a transmission system for heavy-duty tractors. Through this industry-relevant case study, we focus on showcasing the practical utility of our framework. Based on the identified design modifications from remanufacturability analysis, we estimate the reductions in life cycle costs, energy consumption, and emissions. Afterward, the modifications are tested using physical experiments with plans for integration into future iterations of the hydraulic manifold design and production. Here, we anticipate this framework can illustrate the process of remanufacturing that ensures improvements in sustainability while maintaining performance and reliability standards.
Conference presentation at American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Annual Meeting, San Diego, California, October 27–31, 2024. Trends in the manufacture of electric vehicles that use graphite-based LIBs are rising steeply in the United States and globally, but the U.S. domestic supply chains for graphite, the largest component in an LIB by mass, is severely limited and faces complicated geopolitical dynamics with foreign sources. Consequently, the United States has designated graphite as a critical mineral to focus attention and resources to develop technologies to meet the challenge of limited domestic graphite supply chains. Results obtained so far based on the UCOP process have successfully validated the technology at the laboratory scale, with the produced graphite material showing up to 95% degree of graphitization, high carbon purity of ~99.98%, residual ash content of ≤0.02%, negligible moisture, low trace elements, and high electrochemical stability. These results suggest that the emerging UCOP technology is a promising approach to effectively synthesize high-quality graphite from abundant coal and coal waste resources in the United States to create a sustainable domestic critical graphite supply chain. A brief description of the status of UCOP process development and representative results will be presented.
Comprehensive Land Use and Environmental Stewardship (CLUES) Report serves as a summary document of the land use and environmental stewardship activities occurring on the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Site (Desert) and the Research and Education Campus (REC) within Idaho Falls. Land and facility use planning and decisions at the INL Site are guided by a comprehensive planning process in accordance with the United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE) Order 430.1C, “Real Property Asset Management,” which states "Establish a data-driven, risk-informed, performance-based approach to the life-cycle management of real property assets that aligns the real property portfolio with DOE mission needs; acquire, manage, positively account for, and dispose of real property assets in a safe, secure, cost-effective, and sustainable manner; and ensure the real property portfolio is appropriately sized, aligned, and in the proper condition to support efficient mission execution." Land use planning, like Campus Master Planning and 5-Year Facility Planning, provides a means for better, more sustainable use of the INL Site in a coordinated effort to ensure current and future mission needs are met, including acquisition, recapitalization, maintenance, disposition, real property utilization and long-term stewardship. This document and all functions of INL are guided by the DOE Vision for INL and the INL Mission and builds on the baseline established in the FY 2015 CLUES Report. However, it delivers a revised structure with focus on new resource management zones, which provide organization of key management considerations and access restrictions to optimize land use and environmental stewardship. A new set of thematic Guiding Principles presented in this report provide the intent and sustainable management direction to protect the INL Site natural environment. They demonstrate that the mission and vision of DOE and INL can be realized with inclusion of first of a kind technology, private sector development, and globally recognized testing and demonstration. This CLUES Report encourages comprehensive management decision-making with additional resource discussions for sustainability, the built environment, and the ecological landscape at the INL Site. Enhanced resource considerations and trends emphasize the importance of air, land use, environmental, subsurface, and cultural resources. The INL Site supports exceptional and interdependent resources. A diversity of bat species are accommodated by culturally significant caves distributed around the Site. Big game species like elk, deer, and moose seek vegetation communities which are protected by long-term stewardship and monitoring programs.
China has a large and growing energy performance contracting (EPC) market, which has played a significant role in driving energy efficiency retrofits and improvements This paper evaluates how policies and business innovations have worked synergistically to expand China’s EPC market. We analyze the interconnected roles of four key factors: incentive policies, China’s Five-Year Plans, and business innovations in diversifying contract models and strengthening measurement and verification. We use multiple data sources for the analysis, including detailed information on business choices in 21 pilot projects, industry-wide surveys, and policy information. Our study indicates that supportive policies were important for the initial market development. As the market was established and continued to grow, the private sector started to take initiatives to address the issues that are left out of the policies, which helped overcome certain market barriers and enabled the sustainable growth of the market. Future policies could incorporate the successful innovations from the businesses to ensure long-term development of China’s EPC market. Understanding these policy and business drivers in a holistic way is critical to understanding how China was able to leverage its relatively small policy investments into much larger transformation of its existing buildings and industrial facilities through energy efficiency retrofits. This in turn can be informative for other countries seeking to achieve large-scale energy efficiency improvements.