SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “resource selection”

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.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

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

At least 1,369 records · Page 76

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

DOE OSTI2012

Development of a site analysis tool for distributed wind projects

The Cadmus Group, Inc., in collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Encraft, was awarded a grant from the Department of Energy (DOE) to develop a site analysis tool for distributed wind technologies. As the principal investigator for this project, Mr. Shawn Shaw was responsible for overall project management, direction, and technical approach. The product resulting from this project is the Distributed Wind Site Analysis Tool (DSAT), a software tool for analyzing proposed sites for distributed wind technology (DWT) systems. This user-friendly tool supports the long-term growth and stability of the DWT market by providing reliable, realistic estimates of site and system energy output and feasibility. DSAT-which is accessible online and requires no purchase or download of software-is available in two account types; Standard: This free account allows the user to analyze a limited number of sites and to produce a system performance report for each; and Professional: For a small annual fee users can analyze an unlimited number of sites, produce system performance reports, and generate other customizable reports containing key information such as visual influence and wind resources. The tool’s interactive maps allow users to create site models that incorporate the obstructions and terrain types present. Users can generate site reports immediately after entering the requisite site information. Ideally, this tool also educates users regarding good site selection and effective evaluation practices.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2018

X-Ray Phase Contrast Imaging (XPCI) System

Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia) and Carestream Health, Inc. (CHI) collaborated on the development of a grating-based X-ray Phase Contrast Imaging (XPCI) system at Sandia. The purpose of the agreement was to share research and development knowledge, resources, and capabilities in the advancement of XPCI that would be mutually beneficial to CHI and Sandia. In the course of this agreement Sandia designed and built an XPCI apparatus including opto-mechanical design, source and x-ray detector selection, software interface, hardware assembly, and system alignment. Data acquisition and image reconstruction were demonstrated at both CHI and Sandia. XPCI is a new imaging modality that enables non-destructive inspection of low density materials not previously possible with conventional x-ray. The technique fills a capability gap valuable to both the industry partner in their technical portfolio and in national security applications important to Sandia and the DOE mission space.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

DOE OSTI2018

A GENERIC MICROGRID CONTROLLER

The main objective of this project was to develop and test a Generic Microgrid Controller (GMC) that provides (1) seamless islanding and reconnection of the microgrid, (2) efficient, reliable, and resilient operation of the microgrid with the required power quality, whether islanded or grid-connected, (3) existing and future ancillary services to the larger grid, (4) the capability for the microgrid to serve the resiliency needs of participating communities, (5) communication with the electric grid utility as a single controllable entity, and (6) increased reliability, efficiency and reduced emissions. The GMC developed under this project was designed to facilitate the deployment of microgrids, to be easily adapted to various microgrid configurations, and reduce up-front engineering costs associated with the design and development of microgrid controllers. Specifically, the GMC: 1. Provides a control structure amenable to accommodating an array of microgrid configurations and a portfolio of functional requirements; 2. Possesses a high level architecture that can readily be adopted by commercial suppliers; 3. Supports unlimited nesting of conforming microgrid control schemes; 4. Integrates into a full-featured Energy Management System (EMS) as a module. A select set of microgrids, operating a variety of microgrid configurations, served as “collaborating microgrid partners” in the project and assured thereby that the GMC developed under this program can readily be applied to microgrids of different sizes, and equipped with various resources, attributes, and equipment. Collaborating microgrid partners included the UCI Medical Center), the Port of Los Angeles, Port of Long Beach, and the Irvine Ranch Water District. The objectives of the project were achieved in two phases: (Phase I) Research, Development and Design (“Design”), and (Phase II) Testing, Evaluation, and Verification (“TEV”). In Phase I, specifications were developed for the GMC and a detailed test plan was established to test the functional requirements of the GMC. The GMC addresses two core functions, transition and dispatch, as well as several optional higher level functions such as economic dispatch, and renewable and load forecasting.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2015

Immobilized Low-Activity Waste Glass Release Data Package for the Integrated Disposal Facility Performance Assessment

The Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State has been used extensively by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to produce nuclear materials for the U.S. defense arsenal. A large inventory of radioactive and mixed waste has accumulated in 177 buried single- and double-shell tanks. Liquid waste recovered from the tanks will be pretreated to separate the low-activity fraction from the high-level and transuranic wastes. The low-activity waste (LAW) is planned to be immobilized in glass, via vitrification, and placed into a near-surface disposal system on the Hanford Site. Before the immobilized low-activity waste (ILAW) can be placed into the disposal system, DOE must approve a performance assessment (PA), which documents the assumptions and provides the quantitative demonstration of compliance with the performance objectives for the long-term protection of the public and the environment. A critical component of the PA will be to demonstrate that releases from the selected glass waste form do not result in the performance objectives being exceeded. The PA must also, for purposes of establishing limits on radionuclides that may be buried near-surface, assess impacts to a hypothetical intruder and impacts to water resources. The key information presented in this data package consists of the specific glass compositions and associated glass dissolution rate law parameters for five ILAW glasses. In addition, the results of geochemical modeling performed on several glasses that are not specifically described in this document are provided as supplemental data to help identify potential end-point alteration phases that may form during the weathering of ILAW glasses. These data (glass compositions, rate law parameters, and potential alteration phases) will be used to identify contaminant release source terms for the Integrated Disposal Facility PA. In addition, a general discussion on nuclear waste glass corrosion and a brief overview of modeling approaches and corresponding uncertainties are discussed. Table ES.1 through Table ES.4 provide the specific data to be used to support the 2017 PA.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

NASA NTRS1974

Design of the Skylab MDA window

Description of the optical and structural design requirements, mechanical and thermal response analyses, final design features, and testing procedures employed in the development of a large window mounted on the earth-facing side of the multiple docking adapter (MDA) of the Skylab manned space vehicle. This window was designed for the S190 earth resources multispectral camera and was protected from the space environment during nonuse periods by a hinged cover operated from within the MDA. The camera required a viewing area approximately 43 by 58 cm. A single glass pane 4.1 cm thick was selected to minimize optical distortions. Heaters on the glass and frame were designed to control distortions caused by thermal gradients in the glass.

Trent, D. J.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Synthesis of regional crust and upper-mantle structure from seismic and gravity data

Available seismic and ground based gravity data are combined to infer the three dimensional crust and upper mantle structure in selected regions. This synthesis and interpretation proceeds from large-scale average models suitable for early comparison with high-altitude satellite potential field data to more detailed delineation of structural boundaries and other variations that may be significant in natural resource assessment. Seismic and ground based gravity data are the primary focal point, but other relevant information (e.g. magnetic field, heat flow, Landsat imagery, geodetic leveling, and natural resources maps) is used to constrain the structure inferred and to assist in defining structural domains and boundaries. The seismic data consists of regional refraction lines, limited reflection coverage, surface wave dispersion, teleseismic P and S wave delay times, anelastic absorption, and regional seismicity patterns. The gravity data base consists of available point gravity determinations for the areas considered.

Alexander, S. S.↗

NASA NTRS2019

MERRA-2 Data and Analytic Services at NASA GES DISC for Climate Extremes Study

NASA's climate reanalysis datasets from the Modern Era Retrospective-analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2) contains numerous long-term atmosphere, land, and ocean data products from 1980-present. MERRA-2 datasets, such as precipitation, soil moisture, and temperature, have been used widely to study extreme events. The native archived MERRA-2 data files are day-file (hourly time interval) and month-file, containing up to 125 parameters in one file. Due to the large number of data files and volumes, it is challenging for users, especially the applications research community, to handle the original hourly data files for long time periods to analyze extreme events. In this presentation, we review MERRA-2 data for studies of extreme conditions, and demonstrate analytic services at the NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC). One of the current operational services, 'subsetter', allows users to download only specific data of interest, i.e. data selected by parameter, region, and time period. New services are under development that will provide more 'on-the-fly' statistical calculations when downloading data; improve efficiency when accessing long time-series data. We will provide additional "How-to" resources that include step-by-step instructions on data access and usage. We have tested restructuring of day-files in an optimized data cube, which has significantly improved system performance for accessing long time-series. Overall performance is associated with cube size and structure, data compression method, and how the data are accessed. The optimized data cube structure will enable better online analytic services for statistical analysis and extreme events mining. To demonstrate the service, we use an extreme drought associated with the anomalous 2016 monsoon over southern Asia. This prototype time-series service may be augmented in the cloud infrastructure in the future.

data access↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Navigation Sensor Technology Assessment Capability for Data-Driven Systems Analysis

The capability to assess the mission performance of novel navigation technologies from a systems-level approach and to provide quantitative results is crucial. With growing interest and innovations from NASA’s commercial partners, data-driven results that quantify the technological impact will guide research developments and facilitate stakeholder decision-making while requiring less time and resources. This paper presents a method to evaluate various sensor combinations and their impact on the overall system performance using an existing six degrees-of-freedom, physics-based engineering simulation for a government reference lunar lander as a testbed. Selected navigation technologies over various technology readiness levels, including Inertial Measurement Units, Navigation Doppler Lidar, and radar altimeter-radar velocimeter, were studied in this paper. Results using this testbed to perform sensitivity studies and to provide quantitative assessments are reported. One key finding is that there are diminishing returns for reducing sensor errors. The most influential sensor parameter to landing success are vehicle configuration and mission dependent. Results from this method could be used by stakeholders to make data-driven systems-based decisions and by technology developers as guidance for the specific parameter improvements that will have the most significant impact on mission success. This capability could be further used to assess alternative scenarios should one type of technology become unavailable or to re-assess initial assumptions and identify appropriate requirements from a system perspective.

Esther Lee↗

DOE OSTI2020

Stochastic Analysis for Long Term Capital Structures, Systems, and Components Refurbishment and Replacement

As commercial Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) pursue extended plant operation in the form of Second License Renewal (SLR), opportunities exist for these plants to provide capital investments to ensure long-term safe and economic performance. At the current time, several utilities have announced an intention to pursue extended operation for one or more of their NPPs via SLR . The goal of this research is to develop a risk-informed approach to evaluate and prioritize plant capital investments made in preparation for, and during the period of, extended plant operations to support decisions for NPP operations. Since the capital investments are influenced by various factors, such as markets, safety and regulatory, the decision-making process of NPP operations should take into account relevant factors for balancing risks, costs and profits. The traditional method of capital budgeting is based on the priority list of candidate projects using economic measures such as benefit-investment ratio, net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return. In the literatures, the problem of capital budgeting or the variant can be represented by an appropriate knapsack problem. The knapsack approach to capital budgeting takes as input as investment, along with the cost and profit of each project. The objective of capital budgeting is to find the combination of the binary decisions for every investment such that the overall profit is as large as possible. The output is a collection of projects to be carried out, and we refer this selected collection of projects as a project portfolio. One limitation of traditional optimization models for capital budgeting is that they do not account for risk/uncertainty in profit and cost streams associated with individual projects, they do not account for risk in resource availability in future years [1,2,3]. Projects can incur cost over-runs, especially when projects are large, performed infrequently, and when there is risk regarding technical viability, external contractors, and/or suppliers of requisite parts and materials. Occasionally, projects are performed ahead of schedule and with cost savings. Planned budgets for capital improvements can be cut and key personnel may be lost. Or, there may be surprise windfalls in budgets for maintenance activities due to decreased costs for “unplanned” maintenance. In these cases, how should we resolve capital budgeting when we have risk forecasts for costs, profits and budgets? One approach we proposed in this summary is to re-solve the optimization models based on assumed statistical distributions of given parameters. If these distributions were not available, a two-stage stochastic optimization approach can be used to provide priority lists to decision-makers to support better risk-informed decisions [4, 5]. In this summary, we will only focus on the first approach.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2021

Reliability Barriers to Enhanced Solar PV Deployment: Selected Research Findings - State Outreach Technical Sessions

This presentation provides summaries of three reports selected from a body of work that examines potential reliability challenges related to planning future power systems with higher solar photovoltaic (PV) penetrations in the western United States. The three topics covered are 1) Power system flexibility requirements and supply; 2) Resource adequacy and the capacity credit of solar; 3) Simulating distributed energy resource responses to transmission system-level faults considering IEEE 1547 performance categories on three major WECC transmission paths. The full reports and related resources are available at the project website, https://www.westernenergyboard.org/western-interstate-energy-board/barrier-mitigation-to-enhanced-distributed-solar-photovoltaic/. This presentation is targeted toward a technical audience. A companion policy presentation provides higher-level summaries of the same material.

distributed energy resource↗

DOE OSTI2021

Reliability Barriers to Enhanced Solar PV Deployment: Selected Research Findings - State Outreach Policy Sessions

This presentation provides high-level summaries of three reports selected from a body of work that examines potential reliability challenges related to planning future power systems with higher solar photovoltaic (PV) penetrations in the western United States. The three topics covered are 1) Power system flexibility requirements and supply; 2) Resource adequacy and the capacity credit of solar; 3) Simulating distributed energy resource responses to transmission system-level faults considering IEEE 1547 performance categories on three major WECC transmission paths. The full reports and related resources are available at the project website, https://www.westernenergyboard.org/western-interstate-energy-board/barrier-mitigation-to-enhanced-distributed-solar-photovoltaic/. This presentation is targeted toward policy decision makers. A companion technical presentation provides more in-depth summaries of the same material.

distributed energy resource↗

DOE OSTI2024

Super Resolution for Renewable Energy Resource Data With Wind From Reanalysis Data (Sup3rWind) and Application to Ukraine [Slides]

In this work we present a novel deep learning-based downscaling method, using generative adversarial networks (GANs), for generating high-resolution wind resource data from ECMWF Reanalysis v5 data (ERA5). We show that by training a GAN model on ERA5, as opposed to coarsened high-resolution data, we achieve results that are competitive with conventional dynamical downscaling. This GAN-based downscaling method additionally reduces computational costs over dynamical downscaling by two orders of magnitude. All GANs are trained on data sampled from CONUS, selected to provide a diverse sampling of terrain conditions, and validated on observational data along with data held out from training. This cross-validation shows low error and high correlations with observations and excellent agreement with hold out data across physical distributions. Our approach is finally used to downscale 30km hourly ERA5 to 2-km 5-minute wind data, for January 2000 through December 2023, at multiple hub heights, over Ukraine, Moldova, and part of Romania. Comparisons against observational data from Meteorological Assimilation Data Ingest System (MADIS) and multiple wind farms show the same level of performance as for CONUS validation. This 24 year data record is the first member of the "super resolution for renewable energy resource data with wind from reanalysis data" dataset (Sup3rWind).

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2015

Biomass for bio-energy and bio-char applications - 15653

Exponential population growth is a growing challenge that will increase the global demand for both food and bio-energy, increase the pressure on land and water resources and change its availability, and also influence the pattern of biomass production. The objective of this study is to evaluate and compare the efficiency of bio-sorbents obtained from different parent materials, zeolite, and activated carbon as an infiltration media of contaminated surface-groundwater by assessing reductions of chemical oxygen demand, nitrogen and phosphorus compounds, as well as sum selected trace elements. Furthermore, the current research will investigate how long the cleaning capacity of the selected bio-sorbents lasts and how the performance of the filter changes under an increased load of contaminants. Bio-sorbents characteristics, its applications as a green environmental sorbents for the contaminated water and soil, and its importance for the soil sustainable use are also reviewed. (authors)

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2024

A Resilient Integrated Resource Planning Framework for Transmission Systems: Analysis and Optimization

This article presents a resilient Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) framework designed for transmission systems, with a specific focus on analyzing and optimizing responses to High-Impact Low-Probability (HILP) events. The framework aims to improve the resilience of transmission networks in the face of extreme events by prioritizing the assessment of events with significant consequences. Unlike traditional reliability-based planning methods that average the impact of various outage durations, this work adopts a metric based on the proximity of outage lines to generators to select HILP events. The system’s baseline resilience is evaluated by calculating load curtailment in different parts of the network resulting from HILP outage events. The transmission network is represented as an undirected graph. Graph-theoretic techniques are used to identify islands with or without generators, potentially forming segmented grids or microgrids. This article introduces Expected Load Curtailment (ELC) as a metric to quantify the system’s resilience. The framework allows for the re-evaluation of system resilience by integrating additional generating resources to achieve desired resilience levels. Optimization is performed in the re-evaluation stage to determine the optimal placement of distributed energy resources (DERs) for enhancing resilience, i.e., minimizing ELC. Case studies on the IEEE 24-bus system illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework. In the broader context, this resilient IRP framework aligns with energy sustainability goals by promoting robust and resilient transmission networks, as the optimal placement of DERs for resilience enhancement not only strengthens the system’s ability to withstand and recover from disruptions but also contributes to efficient resource utilization, advancing the overarching goal of energy sustainability.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

NASA NTRS2003

International Space Station Microgravity Analytical Model Correlation And Update

The acceleration environment aboard the completed International Space Station (ISS) is a key resource for scientific and technological endeavors. Hardware verification activIties and early measurements indicate that the ISS is well on the way of meeting these "Assembly Complete" "microgravity" provisions, however, the simulation models that compute these accelerations have, to date, lacked the high degree of empirical validation typical of standard aerospace industry practices. Assembly stage, on-orbit measurements are used to address this shortcoming and to develop higher confidence in the simulation models. The Phase I correlation results show the analyses to be consistently conservative, producing higher than measured levels. The 25 to 30% greater quasi-steady computations are deemed acceptable for verification. Updates are made to localized structural dynamic and vibroacoustic parameters that reduce responses in selected one-third octave bands by almost 50%. These models are then used for the Assembly Complete verification analysis which concludes that the ISS vehicle meets the ISS microgravity requirements with minor reservations. Two of the sixteen rack are marginally non-compliant in the quasi-steady regime, and operational constraints are needed on the U. S. Lab and ESA APM vacuum resource vents, and the Russian Resistive Exercise Device in the structural dynamic regime.

DelBasso, Steve↗

DOE OSTI2023

Distributed Energy Resource Visual Emulator: Phase 1

To help federal energy managers assess, monitor, and manage cybersecurity while achieving decarbonization, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Distributed Energy Resource Cybersecurity Framework (DER-CF) offers a comprehensive, web-based assessment tool focusing on cyber governance or policies, technical management, and physical security. The DER-CF currently presents users with a series of pertinent cybersecurity questions, which are used to generate a site-specific report and recommendations. This paper outlines a technical approach to integrate the DER-CF with another key asset—NREL's Advanced Research on Integrated Energy Systems (ARIES) Cyber Range—to visualize cybersecurity resilience and compliance and to enhance the usability and accessibility of the DER-CF. The result is a new tool called the Distributed Energy Resource Visual Emulator (DER-VE). Its development will include regular conversations with stakeholders to assess the effectiveness of these efforts, refine the visualization capability, and ensure its value to our partners. Phase 0 of the integration project was concluded in 2021. Phase 1, completed in 2022, has two components: The first is developing a working visualization of system compliance using the DER-CF, and the second is planning the design of a server application that takes input data from the DER-CF and creates a personal emulated environment of the user's system or a selected reference architect. Major components that were addressed in this phase are the DER-CF output, compliance visualization, data model, and compliance server design.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Earth-Independent Medical Operations (EIMO) Concept of Operations

Compared to the current paradigm for crew health in low-Earth orbit and Lunar missions that rely on constant communication with Mission Control, there is an anticipated shift in medical operations for deep-space exploration missions. This shift stems from mission constraints imposed by the considerable distance from Earth, which include resource limitations due to a lack of resupply, mass, power, volume, and data limitations, challenges imposed by communication latency and the inability to evacuate in case of emergencies. To transition towards a more self-reliant medical approach, a comprehensive strategy is essential to progressively enable crew autonomy and mitigate mission success risks in the challenging environment of space. This transformative shift is collectively referred to as "Earth-Independent Medical Operations" (EIMO), signifying the gradual transfer of medical care and decision-making from terrestrial resources to space-based assets. This transition is aimed at bolstering astronaut health and performance while simultaneously reducing the overall risks associated with space missions. The constraints related to EIMO necessitate an integrated development of medical systems, featuring interoperability with mission planning, vehicle design, spacesuit design, and data architecture. This integration is vital in establishing a robust medical infrastructure that not only supports the well-being of astronauts but also ensures the success of the mission as a whole. The Human Research Program (HRP) Exploration Medical Capability (ExMC) Element has developed a model-based Concept of Operations (ConOps) outlining an initial vision for EIMO. Within this ConOps, a comprehensive view is presented, encompassing stakeholder needs, system objectives, and system goals associated with EIMO. Additionally, it provides illustrative examples of the various activities (scenarios) for which the system will be employed during missions. The selection of these activities has been meticulous, aiming to encompass a wide spectrum of medical conditions, including those falling under different risk categories, such as low-likelihood-low-consequence, low-likelihood-high-consequence, and high-likelihood-low-consequence. The selection of these activities (scenarios) effectively encompasses the wide range of medical events situated within an assumed probability-consequence bell curve. In each scenario, at least one of the five main EIMO components identified is captured. Those EIMO components are: Pre-mission Planning, Acute and Emergent Management Decision Making, Prolonged Medical Management Decision Making, Supplies and Resource Management, and Task Load Management. The ConOps was developed by a multidisciplinary team consisting of systems engineers, scientists, and clinicians across NASA and aims to serve as an initial recommendation to gradually and safely enabling crew autonomy for Mars missions and beyond.

Earth Independent Medical Operations↗

NASA NTRS2024

Earth-Independent Medical Operations (EIMO) Concept of Operations (ConOps)

Earth Independent Medical Operations↗