Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “STEAM”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,261 records · Page 70
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2012

Assessment of the SRI Gasification Process for Syngas Generation with HTGR Integration – White Paper

This white paper is intended to compare the technical and economic feasibility of syngas generation using the SRI gasification process coupled to several high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs) with more traditional HTGR-integrated syngas generation techniques, including: • Gasification with high-temperature steam electrolysis (HTSE), • Steam methane reforming (SMR), and • Gasification with SMR with and without CO 2 sequestration.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Development of the University of Washington Biofuels and Biobased Chemicals Process Laboratory

The funding from this research grant enabled us to design and build a bioconversion steam explosion reactor and ancillary equipment such as a high pressure boiler and a fermenter to support the bioconversion process research. This equipment has been in constant use since its installation in 2012. Following are research projects that it has supported: (1) Investigation of novel chip production method in biofuels production; (2) Investigation of biomass refining following steam explosion; (3) Several studies on use of different biomass feedstocks; (4) Investigation of biomass moisture content on pretreatment efficacy; and (5) Development of novel instruments for biorefinery process control. Having this equipment was also instrumental in the University of Washington receiving a $40 million grant from the US Department of Agriculture for biofuels development as well as several other smaller grants. The research that is being done with the equipment from this grant will facilitate the establishment of a biofuels industry in the Pacific Northwest and enable the University of Washington to launch a substantial biofuels and bio-based product research program.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2014

An Analysis of Methanol and Hydrogen Production via High-Temperature Electrolysis Using the Sodium Cooled Advanced Fast Reactor

Integration of an advanced, sodium-cooled fast spectrum reactor into nuclear hybrid energy system (NHES) architectures is the focus of the present study. A techno-economic evaluation of several conceptual system designs was performed for the integration of a sodium-cooled Advanced Fast Reactor (AFR) with the electric grid in conjunction with wind-generated electricity. Cases in which excess thermal and electrical energy would be reapportioned within an integrated energy system to a chemical plant are presented. The process applications evaluated include hydrogen production via high temperature steam electrolysis and methanol production via steam methane reforming to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen which feed a methanol synthesis reactor. Three power cycles were considered for integration with the AFR, including subcritical and supercritical Rankine cycles and a modified supercritical carbon dioxide modified Brayton cycle. The thermal efficiencies of all of the modeled power conversions units were greater than 40%. A thermal efficiency of 42% was adopted in economic studies because two of the cycles either performed at that level or could potentially do so (subcritical Rankine and S-CO2 Brayton). Each of the evaluated hybrid architectures would be technically feasible but would demonstrate a different internal rate of return (IRR) as a function of multiple parameters; all evaluated configurations showed a positive IRR. As expected, integration of an AFR with a chemical plant increases the IRR when “must-take” wind-generated electricity is added to the energy system. Additional dynamic system analyses are recommended to draw detailed conclusions on the feasibility and economic benefits associated with AFR-hybrid energy system operation.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Ferritic Alloys as Accident Tolerant Fuel Cladding Material for Light Water Reactors

The objective of the GE project is to demonstrate that advanced steels such as iron-chromium-aluminum (FeCrAl) alloys could be used as accident tolerant fuel cladding material in commercial light water reactors. The GE project does not include fuel development. Current findings support the concept that a FeCrAl alloy could be used for the cladding of commercial nuclear fuel. The use of this alloy will benefit the public since it is going to make the power generating light water reactors safer. In the Phase 1A of this cost shared project, GE (GRC + GNF) teamed with the University of Michigan, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory to study the environmental and mechanical behavior of more than eight candidate cladding materials both under normal operation conditions of commercial nuclear reactors and under accident conditions in superheated steam (loss of coolant condition). The main findings are as follows: (1) Under normal operation conditions the candidate alloys (e.g. APMT, Alloy 33) showed excellent resistance to general corrosion, shadow corrosion and to environmentally assisted cracking. APMT also showed resistance to proton irradiation up to 5 dpa. (2) Under accident conditions the selected candidate materials showed several orders of magnitude improvement in the reaction with superheated steam as compared with the current zirconium based alloys. (3) Tube fabrication feasibility studies of FeCrAl alloys are underway. The aim is to obtain a wall thickness that is below 400 µm. (4) A strategy is outlined for the regulatory path approval and for the insertion of a lead fuel assembly in a commercial reactor by 2022. (5) The GE team worked closely with INL to have four rodlets tested in the ATR. GE provided the raw stock for the alloys, the fuel for the rodlets and the cost for fabrication/welding of the rodlets. INL fabricated the rodlets and the caps and welded them to provide hermetic seal. The replacement of a zirconium alloy using a ferritic material containing chromium and aluminum appears to be the most near term implementation for accident tolerant nuclear fuels.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Modeling of the Reactor Core Isolation Cooling Response to Beyond Design Basis Operations - Interim Report

Efforts are being pursued to develop and qualify a system-level model of a reactor core isolation (RCIC) steam-turbine-driven pump. The model is being developed with the intent of employing it to inform the design of experimental configurations for full-scale RCIC testing. The model is expected to be especially valuable in sizing equipment needed in the testing. An additional intent is to use the model in understanding more fully how RCIC apparently managed to operate far removed from its design envelope in the Fukushima Daiichi Unit 2 accident. RCIC modeling is proceeding along two avenues that are expected to complement each other well. The first avenue is the continued development of the system-level RCIC model that will serve in simulating a full reactor system or full experimental configuration of which a RCIC system is part. The model reasonably represents a RCIC system today, especially given design operating conditions, but lacks specifics that are likely important in representing the off-design conditions a RCIC system might experience in an emergency situation such as a loss of all electrical power. A known specific lacking in the system model, for example, is the efficiency at which a flashing slug of water (as opposed to a concentrated jet of steam) could propel the rotating drive wheel of a RCIC turbine. To address this specific, the second avenue is being pursued wherein computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses of such a jet are being carried out. The results of the CFD analyses will thus complement and inform the system modeling. The system modeling will, in turn, complement the CFD analysis by providing the system information needed to impose appropriate boundary conditions on the CFD simulations. The system model will be used to inform the selection of configurations and equipment best suitable of supporting planned RCIC experimental testing. Preliminary investigations with the RCIC model indicate that liquid water ingestion by the turbine decreases the developed turbine torque; the RCIC speed then slows, and thus the pump flow rate to the RPV decreases. Subsequently, RPV water level decreases due to continued boiling and the liquid fraction flowing to the RCIC decreases, thereby accelerating the RCIC and refilling the RPV. The feedback cycle then repeats itself and/or reaches a quasi-steady equilibrium condition. In other words, the water carry-over is limited by cyclic RCIC performance degradation, and hence the system becomes self-regulating. The indications achieved to date with the system model are more qualitative than quantitative. The avenues being pursued to increase the fidelity of the model are expected to add quantitative realism. The end product will be generic in the sense that the RCIC model will be incorporable within the larger reactor coolant system model of any nuclear power plant or experimental configuration.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Severe Accident Test Station Design Document

The purpose of the ORNL severe accident test station (SATS) is to provide a platform for evaluation of advanced fuels under projected beyond design basis accident (BDBA) conditions. The SATS delivers the capability to map the behavior of advanced fuels concepts under accident scenarios across various temperature and pressure profiles, steam and steam-hydrogen gas mixtures, and thermal shock. The overall facility will include parallel capabilities for examination of fuels and irradiated materials (in-cell) and non-irradiated materials (out-of-cell) at BDBA conditions as well as design basis accident (DBA) or loss of coolant accident (LOCA) conditions. Also, a supporting analytical infrastructure to provide the data-needs for the fuel-modeling components of the Fuel Cycle Research and Development (FCRD) program will be put in place in a parallel manner. This design report contains the information for the first, second and third phases of design and construction of the SATS. The first phase consisted of the design and construction of an out-of-cell BDBA module intended for examination of non-irradiated materials. The second phase of this work was to construct the BDBA in-cell module to test irradiated fuels and materials as well as the module for DBA (i.e. LOCA) testing out-of-cell, The third phase was to build the in-cell DBA module. The details of the design constraints and requirements for the in-cell facility have been closely captured during the deployment of the out-of-cell SATS modules to ensure effective future implementation of the in-cell modules.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2016

BISON Fuel Performance Analysis of FeCrAl cladding with updated properties

In order to improve the accident tolerance of light water reactor (LWR) fuel, alternative cladding materials have been proposed to replace zirconium (Zr)-based alloys. Of these materials, there is a particular focus on iron-chromium-aluminum (FeCrAl) alloys due to much slower oxidation kinetics in high-temperature steam than Zr-alloys. This should decrease the energy release due to oxidation and allow the cladding to remain integral longer in the presence of high temperature steam, making accident mitigation more likely. As a continuation of the development for these alloys, suitability for normal operation must also be demonstrated. This research is focused on modeling the integral thermo-mechanical performance of FeCrAl-cladded fuel during normal reactor operation. Preliminary analysis has been performed to assess FeCrAl alloys (namely Alkrothal 720 and APMT) as a suitable fuel cladding replacement for Zr-alloys, using the MOOSE-based, finite-element fuel performance code BISON and the best available thermal-mechanical and irradiation-induced constitutive properties. These simulations identify the effects of the mechanical-stress and irradiation response of FeCrAl, and provide a comparison with Zr-alloys. In comparing these clad materials, fuel rods have been simulated for normal reactor operation and simple steady-state operation. Normal reactor operating conditions target the cladding performance over the rod lifetime (~4 cycles) for the highest-power rod in the highest-power fuel assembly under reactor power maneuvering. The power histories and axial temperature profiles input into BISON were generated from a neutronics study on full-core reactivity equivalence for FeCrAl using the 3D full core simulator NESTLE. Evolution of the FeCrAl cladding behavior over time is evaluated by using steady-state operating conditions such as a simple axial power profile, a constant cladding surface temperature, and a constant fuel power history. The fuel rod designs and operating conditions used are based off the Peach Bottom BWR and design consideration was given to minimize the neutronic penalty of the FeCrAl cladding by changing fuel enrichment and cladding thickness. As this study progressed, systematic parametric analysis of the fuel and cladding creep responses were also performed.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Green Power Initiative

National energy policy supports the gathering of more detailed and authoritative data on the introduction of renewable bio-based fuels into new and existing district energy systems via the application of biomass gasification. The University of Iowa developed a biomass-fueled, university-scale steam generation system based on biomass gasification technologies. The system serves as a state-of-the-art research and educational facility in the emerging application of gasification in steam generation. The facility, which includes a smaller down-draft gasifier and a larger multi-stage biomass boiler, was designed to operate primarily on wood-based fuels, but has provisions for testing other biomass fuel sources produced within a 100-mile radius, providing enough flexibility to meet the fluctuating local supply of biomass from industry and Midwest agriculture. The equipment was installed in an existing, staffed facility. The down-draft gasifier unit is operated by College of Engineering staff and students, under the direct technical supervision of qualified Utilities plant staff. The Green Power Initiative also includes a substantial, innovative educational component. In addition to an onsite, graduate-level research program in biomass fuels, the investigators have integrated undergraduate and graduate level teaching – through classroom studies and experiential learning – and applied research into a biomass-based, university-scale, functioning power plant. University of Iowa is unique in that it currently has multiple renewable energy technologies deployed, including significant biomass combustion (oat hulls) at its Main Power Plant and a new reciprocating engine based renewable district energy system. This project complements and supports the national energy policy and State of Iowa initiatives in ethanol and biodiesel. Byproducts of ethanol and biodiesel processes (distiller grains) as well as industry residues (oat hulls, wood chips, construction and demolition waste), farm related material (seed corn and soybean seed), and poplar trees for cleaning up ground water are logical feed stocks for gasification.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Industrial Scale Demonstration of Smart Manufacturing, Achieving Transformational Energy Productivity Gains

While many U.S. manufacturing operations utilize optimization for individual unit processes, smart manufacturing (SM) systems that integrate manufacturing intelligence in real time across an entire production operation are rare in large companies and virtually nonexistent in smaller organizations. One example of an area where SM systems can be applied is in the management of waste heat. A smart system that not only seeks to recover waste heat, but also to use energy more efficiently, is a more cost-effective approach because energy use, waste energy loss and product output are optimized together. The overall objective of this project was to develop an industry-accepted SM Platform that enables smart systems by accelerating and lowering the cost of development and implementation scales for use in diverse sets of manufacturing industry sectors, manufacturing operations and company sizes. Specifically, the project (1) designed and demonstrated the application of a prototype SM Platform for two diverse commercial test beds, (2) demonstrated at one and estimated for the other test bed the potential reduction in waste heat generation, and (3) worked with leading automation vendors to catalyze low-cost commercialization of the technology developed. The Smart Manufacturing Application and Data Platform (SM Platform) developed during this project is an innovative approach that marries IT virtualization technologies with operational data and modeling system requirements to construct a ready-to-go platform for enabling sensor – data – modeling – actuation systems, driven by real-time plant data and performance metrics. This SM Platform allows manufacturing organizations, regardless of their industry or size, to assemble new operational systems at a much lower cost, optimizing process knowledge and improving energy productivity by integrating with existing process control and automation systems. Also developed during this project is a methodology for developing energy productivity metrics that use real-time process information and provide comparisons for potential, practical, and actual performance, as well as examples and the methodology for provisioning of an Energy Dashboard that displays alternatives to optimize energy use within specific business contexts aimed at helping improve energy productivity and reduce emissions in U.S. manufacturing. The SM Platform designed utilizes current manufacturing, operational and IT industry standards. The platform can be used to expedite sensor – data – model – actuation system development and deployment in a cloud-based environment using a novel end-to-end workflow as a service capability that is already integrated with data connection, ingestion, and contextualization services. In addition, the methodology for development of energy productivity metrics and reusable application templates called Toolkits have been defined so that they can be tailored to a specific business situation. The project’s two test beds, one in a hydrogen production plant and the other in a forging, heat treatment, and machining operation, utilize sensor-driven modeling, measurement, and simulation systems. In these two test beds, the implementation of these as a comprehensive system has made it possible for energy productivity to be managed in real-time throughout the plant and enterprise using an energy dashboard. The development pathway to direct machine actuation was articulated. During the first year, the project team developed the most highly instrumented steam-methane reformer (SMR) in the U.S. using infrared cameras and thermocouples. Real-time data are streamed to high fidelity and reduced-order models for analysis. A high fidelity CFD model, parallelized in the SM Platform cloud environment, was demonstrated for operational use. This is the first real-time operational productivity system of a steam methane reformer using both high fidelity and data-driven models together in a real time situation to balance natural gas flow to the reformer tubes. An infrared camera system was developed and shown to outperform thermocouples in coverage, accuracy, reliability, and cost effectiveness for use in a high temperature, harsh environment. A forging, heat-treating, machining line operation test bed includes new instrumentation for data capture analysis, modeling, and simulation and will be integrated into SM Platform workflows so that business performance can be managed in real-time. Composable metrics were developed using the SM Platform to drive improvements in energy productivity, environmental performance, safety, asset management, costs, and overall operations. A major focus of the SM systems developed was optimization of energy productivity at the enterprise level, which resulted in reductions in waste heat generation for the two project test beds. Reductions in the waste heat generated will result in greater energy savings than will waste heat recovery due to inefficiencies in the heat transfer process. For the SMR test bed an efficiency improvement of 1 – 2% with a corresponding waste heat reduction of 5% were demonstrated. It should be noted that the test bed SMR unit had an efficiency of more than 90% as compared to 70 to 80% efficiencies of most SMR units. So implementation of similar SM systems at typical SMR units could yield more than 15 to 25% waste heat reductions. Similarly the forging, heat-treating, machining line operation test bed is a DOE AMO Platinum Level Superior Energy Performance plant with a much higher than typical overall operating efficiency. For this test bed heat integration using recuperators is estimated to result in fuel savings of 15.9% due to waste heat recovery compared to the base case without recuperators with negligible changes in part exit conditions. This results in an 18.9% energy efficiency improvement. The project team estimates that broad multi-sector adoption of the developed technology could reduce waste heat generation by an amount equivalent to 1.3% of total U.S. energy use. This waste heat reduction is associated with 69 million tons reduction in annual carbon dioxide emissions. Other potential benefits include reducing process times, solid and liquid wastes, environmental impacts, and water use. It is estimated that this investment has an anticipated payback period of less than one year in energy-intensive applications. The SM Platform could also reduce the costs of deploying SM systems by 50% in manufacturing operations. Commercialization of the SM Platform will require significant cross-industry collaboration and technology provider market changes. Steps taken toward commercialization included 1) analyzing savings from deployment of the SM Platform and 2) holding SM Platform workshops, webinars, and conferences with targeted individual industry segments, with a focus on small and medium-sized organizations. An upgraded community website has been established as a portal for accessing and distributing information. Most importantly, the SM platform enabling technology developed during this project and its commercialization will continue, evolve and expand under the Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CESMII).

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2019

Flexible Geothermal Power Generation utilizing Geologic Thermal Energy Storage (Final Seedling Project Report)

This report concludes that there is a cost-effective strategy for seasonal storage of heat that will provide firm, but dispatchable, electrical generating capacity in times when other renewable energy is not available to meet demand. Deployment of the technology appears to require no new technology, but instead combines solar, geothermal, and conventional oil and gas drilling technologies in a novel way. The study basis is the use of sedimentary geologic formations as a medium for thermal energy storage (TES), specifically for heat collected in concentrating solar collectors. The study identifies methodologies that could be used to transport this heat into and out of the subsurface in order to produce dispatchable electrical power, and reports on initial optimization results. The GeoTES system (heat input, storage, heat recovery, and heat to electric conversion) described in this analysis has the potential to provide a unique pathway for increasing the grid penetration of renewable energy in large blocks of power and across many states and regions. Further, the system can be used both to meet the nation’s flexible energy needs while also improving grid stability and reliability. The present study evaluated the use of a large number of dedicated wells to store and recover the heat, essentially creating a synthetic geothermal reservoir. The use of sedimentary geology allows the wells to be drilled at low cost. Dedicated hot and cold wells are used, arranged in a five-spot well pattern with each hot or cold well surrounded at an appropriate distance by the opposite type of well. In large numbers this becomes alternating rows of hot and cold wells. Each hot and cold well is operated using a push-pull strategy. This configuration provides the ability to immediately recover stored hot fluid from a GeoTES reservoir, or to store the heat over many months for recovery at low loss when needed. This is a practical approach for managing the system’s fluid inventory and reducing parasitic load. The production and injection power requirements are reduced because the rows of wells operating in “push” mode provide help to the wells operating in “pull” mode, and vice-versa. Initial charging of a GeoTES system increases the heat recovery temperature. Increasing the duration of the charging period decreases the magnitude of the temperature fluctuations that occur following prolonged system operation. Because of direct contact of the heated water with the reservoir formation, the production of both hot water and steam from the TES, and the temperature ranges of the recovered fluid (190 – 230°C or 375 – 445°F), conventional geothermal power cycles were used to convert the stored heat to electricity. A power cycle configuration for the GeoTES system was selected following a screening study of a number of flash, and flash/binary hybrid options. This analysis concluded that, of the configurations evaluated, a dual-stage flash steam cycle provides the lowest capital costs per unit net power generation with an acceptable hot brine inlet fluid flow rate. The evaluation included the power plant cost estimate, the cost and number of wells and the associated parasitic loads. Annual power generation performance was simulated to evaluate capacity factor and LCOE. The LCOE calculated for the inherently high capacity GeoTES system was $\$$0.13/kWhe. This value was calculated for the case where the solar thermal collector was sized in such a way that the solar collectors permitted an annual power plant capacity factor of up to 97%. The power cycle was able to provide power to the grid every night of the year, and flexible base-load power during the winter, if needed. This LCOE value compares favorably with reported values for solar photovoltaic plus battery energy storage (PV+BES) systems in the open literature, i.e. $\$$0.148/kWhe for a PV+BES system with 4 hours of electrochemical battery energy storage capacity. Addition of battery energy storage with more hours of storage would further increase PV+BES system LCOE and increase the separation between GeoTES and PV+BES. A GeoTES system would therefore provide superior economics for high capacity and long duration solar energy storage.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Transformational Reduction Using Sealing Technology in LCOE Reduction for Coal

GE Power (GEP), in partnership with GE Global Research (GEGR), are working to mature, implement and commercialize sealing technologies for coal-fired steam power plants to reduce the heat rate of a coal-fired plant by 0.6% points and to reduce the installation cost of new plants by about $3.8M. The overall objective is to use sealing technologies to drive a step change in the performance, efficiency, and cost of electricity of new as well as existing coal-based power plants, which aligns with the goals of the DOE. The program objectives are the maturation of sealing technologies to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6, followed by their implementation in an existing operating coal-fired steam turbine to validate performance and reach TRL8, and then obtain running experience to reach TRL9 and drive commercialization. These technologies have either already been developed or are being actively developed at lab-scale in ongoing DOE-funded programs and at private expense.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Manufacturing Supply Chain Development for Modular Solar-Thermochemical Conversion Platform - CRADA 387 (Final Report)

Modular chemical process intensification (MCPI) is an emerging field where chemical processing is performed using small-scale modular equipment instead of conventional large centralized chemical plants. Conventional chemical plants benefit from economies of scale that encourage scale-up to ever larger plants. A goal of MCPI is to develop technology that intensifies processing so that equipment can be dramatically smaller and integrated into modular systems. Scale-up occurs by adding more modules in parallel rather than making the equipment larger. A key concept is that equipment and modules can ultimately be cheaper by leveraging economies of mass production, analogous to the automotive industry, in manufacturing the equipment. This project made significant progress toward this outcome by meeting the RAPID institute metric to reduce equipment cost by 20% for each doubling in manufacturing volume. The MCPI application was thermochemical technology that is being commercialized by STARS Technology Corporation, one of the CRADA partners. The technology converts solar and renewable power to chemical energy to produce renewable hydrogen, fuels, and chemicals. The benefit to the public is reduction in greenhouse gases that are contributing to climate change. The project transitioned the steam methane reforming (SMR) reactor from conventional fabrication methods to additive manufacturing (AM) direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) process. This is projected to reduce the cost of making a reactor by 58% when producing 100 reactors per year. Innovations in the DMLS process produced a patented design that reduces reactor weight by 60%. Reductions in material costs and processing time extend the DMLS advantage to higher production volumes. The new design promises to be 38% cheaper than the conventional processes at 1000 units per year. The resulting 87% reduction in the steam methane reforming (SMR) module cost in scaling from current costs meets the RAPID metric. The project was successful in producing and testing the first ever additively manufactured SMR reactors. A reactor achieved over 82% efficiency in converting electric power to chemical energy, which is a world record for an inductively heated SMR. The project has contributed to the design and assembly of a first demonstration plant that is headed to a hydrogen bus filling station in Thousand Palms, CA.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Potential Integration Between Residual Biogenic Process Resources and Green Hydrogen [Slides]

This presentation highlights previously published analysis on the use of off-gases from biomass pyrolysis processes towards energy utilities. The potential for use of pyrolysis off-gases in existing steam reformers for green hydrogen production is assessed. Impacts on various operations within a steam reforming system (with natural gas as the primary base feed) from the introduction of pyrolysis off-gases in various proportions are quantified to assess the feasibility of reusing existing industrial facilities with renewably sourced gases.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI1989

Nuclear Safety [Vol. 30, No. 3, July-September 1989]

Nuclear Safety is a review journal that covers significant developments in the field of nuclear safety. Its scope includes the analysis and control of hazards associated with nuclear energy, operations involving fissionable materials, and the products of nuclear fission and their effects on the environment. Primary emphasis is on safety in reactor design, construction, and operation; however, the safety aspects of the entire fuel cycle, including fuel fabrication, spent-fuel processing, nuclear waste disposal, handling of radioisotopes, and environmental effects of these operations, are also treated. Table of Contents for this issue follows. GENERAL SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS: 325 Safety of Framatome Advanced Nuclear Steam Supply Systems Designs by J. A. Charles and D. Lange, 333 Book Review of Nuclear Accidents: Intervention Levels for the Protection of the Public by H. B. Piper; ACCIDENT ANALYSIS: 335 Living PRA Computer Systems by S. C. Dinsmore and H.-P. Balfanz, 343 Summary of ICAP Assessments of RELAP5/MOD2 by W. E. Driskell and R. G. Hanson; CONTROL AND INSTRUMENTATION: 352 Thermal Performance Monitoring System at Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant by H.-J. Chao, Y.-P. Lin, G.-H. Jou, L.-Y. Liao, and Y.-B. Chen; DESIGN FEATURES: 358 Warning Systems for Nuclear Power Plant Emergencies by J. H. Sorensen and D. S. Mileti; WASTE AND SPENT FUEL MANAGEMENT: 371 Activities Related to Waste Management Compiled by E G. Silver; OPERATING EXPERIENCES: 382 Steam Generator Tube Performance: Experience with Water-Cooled Nuclear Power Reactors During 1985 by O. S. Tatone and R. L. Tapping, 400 Systems Interaction Analyses: Concepts and Techniques (Part II) by M. D. Muhlheim and G. A. Murphy, 413 Reactor Shutdown Experience Compiled by J. W. Cletcher, 416 Operating U.S. Power Reactors Compiled by E G. Silver; RECENT DEVELOPMENTS: 440 General Administrative Activities Compiled by E G. Silver, 460 Reports, Standards, and Safety Guides by D. S. Queener, 466 Status of Power-Reactor Licensing Activities Compiled by E G. Silver, 470 Proposed Rule Changes as of Mar. 31, 1989; ANNOUNCEMENTS: 334 Proceedings Published, 351 CEC Seminar on Methods and Codes for Assessing the Off-Site Consequences of Nuclear Accidents, 357 Short Course on Multiphase Flow and Heat Transfer: Bases and Applications in A: The Nuclear Power Industry B: The Process Industries, 357 International Conference on Probabilistic Safety Assessment and Management, 478 International Topical Meeting on the Safety, Status, and Future of Non-Commercial Reactors and Irradiation Facilities, 475 The Authors.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
NASA NTRS2017

Current EBC Development and Testing at NASA

SiC SiC Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMCs) are a game changer for advanced power generation equipment because of their high temperature capability, oxidation resistance, and light weight that translate to significant reduction in fuel consumption and emission. Limitations of SiC SiC CMCs include surface recession and component cracking and associated chemical and physical degradation in the CMC. The solution pursued to mitigate surface recession of SiC SiC CMCs is the incorporation of coating systems that provide surface protection, which has become known as an Environmental Barrier Coating (EBC). The development of EBCs for the protection of SiC SiC CMCs was a continuation of coating development work for corrosion protection of silicon-based monolithics. The first and second generation EBCs developed in mid 1990s-early 2000s laid the foundation for current EBCs. Environmental degradation that limits EBC life includes surface recession by steam, oxidation in steam environments, and CMAS-EBC reactions. Many engine tests have been conducted since late 1990s and a first CMC component entered into service in 2016 in a commercial engine. The introduction of CMCs represents significant challenges as failure of the EBC means rapid reduction in component life. A reliable lifing method and engine-relevant testing methods to validate life need to be developed. This paper will current activities on EBC development and testing at NASA.

CMC↗
DOE OSTI2011

THE POTENTIAL OF NANOPARTICLE ENHANCED IONIC LIQUIDS (NEILS) AS ADVANCED HEAT TRANSFER FLUIDS

Interest in capturing the energy of the sun is rising as demands for renewable energy sources increase. One area of developing research is the use of concentrating solar power (CSP), where the solar energy is concentrated by using mirrors to direct the sunlight towards a collector filled with a heat transfer fluid (HTF). The HTF transfers the collected energy into pressurized steam, which is used to generate energy. The greater the energy collected by the HTF, the more efficent the electrical energy production is, thus the overall efficiency is controlled by the thermal fluid. Commercial HTFs such as Therminol{reg_sign} (VP-1), which is a blend of biphenyl and diphenyl oxide, have a significant vapor pressure, especially at elevated temperatures. In order for these volatile compounds to be used in CSP systems, the system either has to be engineered to prevent the phase change (i.e., volatilization and condensation) through pressurization of the system, or operate across the phase change. Over thirty years ago, a class of low-melting organic compounds were developed with negligible vapor pressure. These compounds are referred to as ionic liquids (ILs), which are organic-based compounds with discrete charges that cause a significant decrease in their vapor pressure. As a class, ILs are molten salts with a melting point below 100 C and can have a liquidus range approaching 400 C, and in several cases freezing points being below 0 C. Due to the lack of an appreciable vapor pressure, volatilization of an IL is not possible at atmospheric pressure, which would lead to a simplification of the design if used as a thermal fluid and for energy storage materials. Though the lack of a vapor pressure does not make the use of ILs a better HTF, the lack of a vapor pressure is a compliment to their higher heat capacity, higher volummetric density, and thus higher volumetric heat capacity. These favorable physical properties give ILs a pontential advantage over the current commerically used thermal fluids. Also within the past decade nanofluids have gained attention for thermal conductivity enhancment of fluids, but little analysis has been completed on the heat capacity effects of the nanoparticle addition. The idea of ILs or nanofluids as a HTF is not new, as there are several references that have proposed the idea. However, the use of ionic liquid nanofluids containing nanomaterials other than carbon nanotubes has never before been studied. Here, for the first time, nano-particle enhanced ILs (NEILs) have been shown to increase the heat capacity of the IL with no adverse side effects to the ILs thermal stability and, only at high nanoparticle loading, are the IL physical properties affected. An increase of volumetric heat capacity translates into a better heat transfer fluid as more energy is stored per volumetric unit in the solar concentrating section, thus more efficency in increased steam pressure. Results show that the properties of the NEIL are highly dependant on the suspended nanomaterial and careful materials selection is required to fully optimize the nanofluid properties.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

THE MATHEMATICAL ANALYSIS OF A NOVEL APPROACH TO MAXIMIZE WASTE RECOVERY IN A LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM

NASA has been evaluating closed-loop atmosphere revitalization architectures that include carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction technologies. The CO2 and steam (H2O) co-electrolysis process is one of the reduction options that NASA has investigated. Utilizing recent advances in the fuel cell technology sector, the Idaho National Laboratory, INL, has developed a CO2 and H2O co-electrolysis process to produce oxygen and syngas (carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2) mixture) for terrestrial (energy production) application. The technology is a combined process that involves steam electrolysis, CO2 electrolysis, and the reverse water gas shift (RWGS) reaction. Two process models were developed to evaluate novel approaches for energy storage and resource recovery in a life support system. In the first model, products from the INL co-electrolysis process are combined to produce methanol fuel. In the second co-electrolysis, products are separated with a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) process. In both models the fuels are burned with added oxygen to produce H2O and CO2, the original reactants. For both processes, the overall power increases as the syngas ratio, H2/CO, increases because more water is needed to produce more hydrogen at a set CO2 incoming flow rate. The power for the methanol cases is less than pressure swing adsorption, PSA, because heat is available from the methanol reactor to preheat the water and carbon dioxide entering the co-electrolysis process.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2011

Integrating Nuclear Energy to Oilfield Operations – Two Case Studies

Fossil fuel resources that require large energy inputs for extraction, such as the Canadian oil sands and the Green River oil shale resource in the western USA, could benefit from the use of nuclear power instead of power generated by natural gas combustion. This paper discusses the technical and economic aspects of integrating nuclear energy with oil sands operations and the development of oil shale resources. A high temperature gas reactor (HTGR) that produces heat in the form of high pressure steam (no electricity production) was selected as the nuclear power source for both fossil fuel resources. Both cases were based on 50,000 bbl/day output. The oil sands case was a steam-assisted, gravity-drainage (SAGD) operation located in the Canadian oil sands belt. The oil shale development was an in-situ oil shale retorting operation located in western Colorado, USA. The technical feasibility of the integrating nuclear power was assessed. The economic feasibility of each case was evaluated using a discounted cash flow, rate of return analysis. Integrating an HTGR to both the SAGD oil sands operation and the oil shale development was found to be technically feasible for both cases. In the oil sands case, integrating an HTGR eliminated natural gas combustion and associated CO2 emissions, although there were still some emissions associated with imported electrical power. In the in situ oil shale case, integrating an HTGR reduced CO2 emissions by 88% and increased natural gas production by 100%. Economic viabilities of both nuclear integrated cases were poorer than the non-nuclear-integrated cases when CO2 emissions were not taxed. However, taxing the CO2 emissions had a significant effect on the economics of the non-nuclear base cases, bringing them in line with the economics of the nuclear-integrated cases. As we move toward limiting CO2 emissions, integrating non-CO2-emitting energy sources to the development of energy-intense fossil fuel resources is becoming increasingly important. This paper attempts to reduce the barriers that have traditionally separated fossil fuel development and application of nuclear power and to promote serious discussion of ideas about hybrid energy systems.

03 NATURAL GAS↗