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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Front End Engineering Design of Linde-BASF Advanced Post-Combustion CO 2 Capture Technology at a Southern Company Natural Gas-Fired Power Plant (Final Scientific/Technical Report)

This document details the execution of Cooperative Agreement DE-FE0031847, “Front End Engineering Design of Linde-BASF Advanced Post-Combustion Carbon Dioxide (CO 2 ) Capture Technology at a Southern Company Natural Gas-Fired Power Plant” during the period of 10/1/2019 to 6/30/2022. The project was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) and managed by the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). Southern Company Services, Inc. (SCS) was the prime recipient and led the project team. Other members of the project team included Linde, Inc. (Linde), Linde Engineering – Dresden (LED), and BASF. The overall goal of the project was to complete a front-end engineering design (FEED) study for installing the Linde-BASF post-combustion capture (PCC) technology at an existing domestic natural gas-fired combined cycle (NGCC) power plant within Southern Company’s portfolio of assets. The CO 2 capture plant was to be of commercial scale (at least 375 MWe) and include process units for pre-conditioning of the flue gas system, the CO 2 capture plant island, storage vessels, the CO 2 compression train, and any necessary components for integration into the NGCC plant. Mississippi Power’s Plant Daniel Unit #4 was chosen as the host site for the FEED with the target of capturing 90% of CO 2 emissions from the existing combustion turbines. The information produced by the FEED was used to develop a cost estimate of +/- 15% accuracy. Capital costs, excluding financing, are estimated at approximately $\$752$ million dollars (2021). The execution of a project based on this FEED study has an estimated duration of almost five years.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Sorbent Based Post-Combustion CO 2 Slipstream Testing

TDA Research, Inc. has developed a low-cost sorbent (alkalized alumina) based technology for post-combustion CO 2 capture. The sorbent runs in an isothermal process for adsorption and regeneration. Neither temperature swing nor pressure swing is needed. TDA designed a system which operated 10 fixed beds to simulate a moving bed process. The flow pattern was optimized to minimize the steam usage for regeneration. An excellent sorbent (Batch 1) was also developed with collaboration with our partner. The sorbent degraded after long term operation. We developed a reprocessing procedure, which can be conducted in situ, to restore the sorbent capture capacity as the fresh sorbent after running for about 1250 hours. The reprocessing extended the sorbent longevity significantly. TDA designed a pilot unit (40’ x 32’ x 11.5’), processing flue gas equivalent to 0.5 MW of power generation. It had 10 beds and each bed could hold 1.75 m 3 of sorbent. We worked with Springs Fabrication, Inc. to complete the construction of the pilot unit. It was then shipped and installed at NCCC. The pilot unit was kept running in 24-hour mode when the flue gas and steam were available. It could run automatically without operator on site. Parametric and long-term (2 months) tests were carried out successfully. The results showed that TDA’s process can achieve 90% capture and 95% CO 2 purity for both coal and NG flue gases. For coal flue gas, the system reached performance target when processing up to 0.62 MW flue gas, 24% higher than the design capacity. Thus, capital cost could be saved on the reactors and sorbent. The strip air flow was designed to be 0.25 of that of the flue gas. The test data showed the strip/flue ratio can be reduced to as little as 0.18, which saves the power consumption for the strip air blower. The pressure drop was found to be lower than what the empirical equation calculated. The sorbent still had 91.7% of original capacity after 3-month test. With the data from the pilot test, we updated the TEA. For a 550-MW e supercritical coal fired power plant with CO 2 capture, the capture cost for TDA’s process is $34.9/tonne CO 2 captured, which meets DOE’s goal of $40/tonne and is 17.1% less than the DOE baseline Case 12. Therefore, TDA’s process has a good potential for commercialization.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2021

Producing ENDF/B-quality Evaluations of 239 Pu(n,f) and 235 U(n,f) Average Prompt Neutron Multiplicities using the CGMF Model

This report documents evaluations of the neutron-induced 239 Pu and 235 U average prompt neutron multiplicities, $\overline{v}_p$, using the CGMF model developed at LANL. These evaluations are not updates of existing ENDF/B-VIII.0 nuclear data, but were both re-done from "scratch". That is, all experimental data were extracted from EXFOR, re-normalized to the newest nuclear data representing monitor observables, and detailed uncertainties were estimated from information in EXFOR as well as from templates of expected measurement uncertainties. We also included experimental data that were not yet available for ENDF/B-VIII.0, for instance, the data of Marini et al. for 239 Pu(n,f) $\overline{v}_p$ or the data of Khoklov et al. for 235 U(n,f) $\overline{v}_p$. Finally, we include the CGMF model; it computes $\overline{v}_p$ based on model parameters that at the same time calculate fission fragments as a function of mass, Y (A), the average total kinetic energy as a function of incident-neutron energy, $\langle TKE \rangle$(E inc ), etc. Such a detailed fission model that ties together many fission quantities has not been used to date for any $\overline{v}_p$ evaluation in ENDF/B. Here, we show that we can get evaluated 235 U(n,f) and 239 Pu $\overline{v}_p$ that not only correspond well to experimental $\overline{v}_p$, but that the associated evaluated model parameters also yield parameterizations of Y (A), $\langle TKE \rangle$(E inc ), etc., that correspond well to their respective experimental data. The new evaluated 239 Pu(n,f) $\overline{v}_p$ was also combined into a 239 Pu test file with the newest nuclear data for the 239 Pu prompt-fission neutron spectrum and fission cross sections. This new 239 Pu file performed reasonably well in predicting PU-MET-FAST assemblies, reaction rates in Jezebel and Flattop and three LLNL pulsed spheres. Due to that, the new 239 Pu(n,f) $\overline{v}_p$ evaluation presented here is being considered for ENDF/B-VIII.1. Hence, we can show here that CGMF is able to produce ENDF/B quality $\overline{v}_p$ nuclear data.

239Pu, 235U, Average Prompt-fission Neutron Multip↗
DOE OSTI2023

Performance Test Code for Determining and Reporting Annual Heat Rate and CO2 for Coal Fueled EGUs

This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy under Award Number DEFE0031933. The US Department of Energy (DOE) has retained the services of ASME Standards Technology LLC (ASME ST-LLC) to develop a standardized test method and calculation protocol for determining and reporting annual/long-term heat rate for coal-fueled plants electricity generating units. ASME ST-LLC has retained the services of McHale & Associates, Inc. and Licata Energy & Environmental Consultants, Inc. to provide the technical input to this study. This code applies to hydrocarbon fueled Rankine cycle power generating facilities of any size. It is intended to be used for the determination of continuous power output and heat rate of a generating facility in its operating load cycle and in its operational lineup during the reporting period.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2022

Drones for Decommissioning

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has responsibility for regulating the safe decommissioning of facilities and sites to meet the License Termination Rule in 10 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 20, Standards for Protection Against Radiation, Subpart E “Radiological Criteria for License Termination.” Decommissioning is performed in accordance with 10 CFR Part 50, Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities, as part of license termination (§50.82) and release of the facility or site for unrestricted use (§50.83). The guidance currently demonstrates the minimum requirements and necessary conditions for conducting radiological surveys by a person carrying a radiation detector(s). The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) evaluated the use of an unoccupied aerial vehicle (UAV) to conduct radiological surveys that could be used in decommissioning to potentially reduce time, cost, and worker safety compared to current survey methods. The objective of this project was to evaluate the performance and limitations of a UAV to support a decommissioning radiological survey and compare it to a radiological survey conducted by a human. The primary research questions of interest evaluated were: 1. Did observed UAV paths differ from human paths and, if so, how much? 2. Did survey path deviation affect survey results and, if so, how? 3. Were radiological measurements from human and UAV surveys significantly different? To answer these research questions, an experimental field was set up at PNNL’s 3440 test track, and it included radiological sources commonly surveyed during decommissioning: cobalt-60 (Co-60), cesium-137 (Cs-137), and americium-241 (Am-241). Nine check sources (three each of Am-241, Cs-137, and Co-60) with activities ranging from 3.54 µCi to 39.34 µCi were set over a path that also included an area for measuring background radiation. An Aurelia X6 UAV coupled with a GPS and lidar unit was used to conduct the radiological surveys. UAV and human surveys were conducted using two different NaI(Tl) scintillation radiation detectors (2 in. × 2 in. Ludlum, Inc. and 2 in. × 0.04 in. Alpha Spectra, Inc.) at a travel velocity of approximately 0.2 m/s at a low (15–40 cm median altitude) or high (87–105 cm median altitude) survey altitude. Since the survey velocity and altitude parameters were atypical for normal UAV operations, testing was done prior to conducting the radiological surveys to establish airworthiness, evaluate the navigation system, and establish flight control. Human and UAV surveys were paired according to the detector type and altitude regime to compare the survey data. The results of this proof-of-concept research determined that the UAV and human surveys followed similar survey paths and detected the radiological sources with no significant statistical difference (in 33 out of 36 surveys). However, further research is needed prior to deploying UAVs for decommissioning surveys.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗
DOE OSTI2023

Modeling of Reactor Design and Optimization for Scale-Up of the Catalyxx Process for Ethanol Conversion to Higher Alcohol Biofuels

This report summarizes the results of a collaborative efforts between Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Catalyxx Inc. to investigate scale-up of Catalyxx’s Ethanol upgrading to higher alcohols process. The study was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) under CRADA (Cooperative Research and Development Agreement) No: NFE-20-08396. The project is part of the Direct Funding Opportunity (DFO) for Computational Science to Enable Bioenergy program which utilized computational toolsets developed by the Consortium for Computational Physics and Chemistry, a multi-laboratory consortium in BETO. The report here summarizes a packed-bed reactor modeling effort spanning the range from lab to industrial scale (from 4 gram to 5-ton catalyst beds), and examining reactor design, process optimization strategies, and suggested design and operating conditions for Catalyxx’s ethanol upgrading plants. The results in this report have been shared in monthly steering meetings and presentations are available in the shared data house owned by Catalyxx. The modeling effort helped to define optimum operation conditions for maximum alcohol selectivity and yield: i.e., temperature control scenarios ranging from adiabatic to isothermal, feed rate, pressure, and inlet H 2 /Ethanol ratio. The modeling results were verified at lab-(4 gram) and pre-pilot (4 kg) scales and has been used to evaluate a 5-ton packed-bed reactor and identify operating conditions to maximize the butanol yield. Special focus was given to understanding mass-transfer effects in the pre-pilot and pilot-scale reactors, over the domain of flow rate, pressure, feed composition, pellet size, shape, porosity, bed voidage, and reactor dimensions (i.e., length/diameter). Modeling was also used to evaluate innovative reactor design concepts such as water removal to improve alcohol selectivity and yield, and a reactor with an additional side inlet to facilitate quenching. These concepts were thoroughly explored, and potential benefits were disclosed. The results in this report are summarized and described qualitatively to protect the IP rights of Catalyxx. The details have been shared with the Catalyxx team in the regular steering meetings. At the end of the project, Catalyxx Inc. announced a successful demonstration of pilot scale operation in Seville, Spain.

02 PETROLEUM↗
DOE OSTI2021

DOE Support for the North American meeting of the International Society for Microbial Electrochemistry and Technology

The objective of the North American meeting of the International Society for Microbial Electrochemistry and Technology (NA-ISMET 2021, postponed from 2020 due to COVID-19) was to provide a welcoming space for an interdisciplinary group of researchers, primarily based in North America, to discuss their latest discoveries and innovative ideas on both basic science and applied technology in the field of microbial electrochemistry. After two years of limited travel and research interactions due to COVID-19, an in-person meeting was urgently needed to facilitate conversations and collaborations that help move the field forward. NA-ISMET 2021 was co-organized by Moh El-Naggar from the University of Southern California (USC) and Orianna Bretschger from Aquacycl Inc. The meeting took place on November 17 – 19, 2021 at the Michelson Center for Convergent Biosciences of USC. We hosted a total number of 65 registered participants from across the United States and several international participants. Thanks to the generous support from the Department of Energy, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Office of Naval Research, the Army Research Office, the ISMET organization, and Gamry Instruments Inc., we were able to waive registration fees for all participants and reduce travel cost for several early-career researchers. The scientific program included 28 talks (16 from early-career researchers) and 24 posters that highlighted recent advances in microbial electrochemistry.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
DOE OSTI2021

High Performance PEFC Electrode Structures

Raytheon Technologies Research Center (RTRC) in collaboration with Ion Power Inc. and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and the FC-PAD consortium executed a project that: (1) developed comprehensive models of oxygen and proton transport in cathode catalyst layers that provided new insights about losses associated with reducing platinum loading to 0.1 mg/cm 2 , (2) designed, fabricated, characterized, and tested cells featuring carbon-supported catalyst layers with low platinum loadings that met efficiency and power density targets set forth by the Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Technology Office, and (3) designed, fabricated, characterized, and tested novel catalyst structures. The modeling efforts produced eight scientific publications that shared new descriptions of oxygen and proton transport in catalyst layers with the broader technical community. The key physical insights from the models are expressed in straightforward algebraic expressions, facilitating easy adoption by other researchers. The models developed during the project explain why resistance to oxygen transport is inversely proportional to interfacial area of platinum – an observation that eluded quantitative explanation for a decade. The models quantitatively predict polarization when measured morphological parameters and transport properties are input. Membrane-electrode assemblies made during the project met stated goals for current at high voltage and power density at rated voltage for transportation fuel cells at the end of budget period 2. High performance was achieved by developing a diffusion layer with low resistance to oxygen transport and a PtCo/C cathode catalyst layer capable of supporting rapid proton and oxygen transport. The project was subsequently directed to curtail experimental work and focus on modeling during budget period 3. Ion Power Inc. developed new expertise in fabricating catalyst layers containing platinum-cobalt catalysts, and processing very thin membranes. The University of Arkansas at Little Rock developed novel nanocolumnar self-supported thin film electrocatalysts that can be grown on carbon supports using a simple high pressure sputter deposition method. The nanocolumnar microstructure provides adequate surface-to-volume ratio for efficient platinum utilization, and the conformal platinum shell with larger crystal grain sizes covering the carbon support surface may eliminate durability issues associated with catalyst dissolution, agglomeration, and carbon corrosion.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2023

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

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

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2024

Technology Development and Integration for Volume Production of High Purity Rare Earth Metals from Phosphate Processing

Under this project and in collaboration with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Florida International University (FIU), and Mosaic, the FIPR Institute successfully developed and demonstrated on laboratory batch scale a complete processing technology for production of high-purity rare earth elements (REE) in the form of mixed rare earth oxides (MREO) and rare earth metals (REM) using phosphoric acid sludge (a byproduct from phosphate mining) as the REE feedstock. Based on the research results, a technical research plan has been developed with expanded team members to elevate the technology readiness level (TRL) of the subject technology from 4 to 6 by conducting continuous testing of the processing flowsheet with the ultimate goal of producing about 900 tons per year of REM using the phosphate mining byproduct. Those 900 tons of REM would contain approximately 180 tons of Y, 120 tons of Nd, 50 tons of Gd, 37 tons of Dy, 33 tons of Sm, and 31 tons of Pr, meeting the US demand of roughly 39%, 6%, 42%, 48%, 101% and 7% for these elements, respectively. The advanced technologies for REE separation and purification involves three technology companies: K-Technologies, Inc. would test their continuous-ion-exchange/continuous-ion chromatography technologies on both the REE leachate and solvent extraction concentrate for 4 production of high-purity individual or binary REM. Rare Earth Salts would test their innovative electrochemical technology on the REE leachate or re-dissolved MREO in dilute acid for production of high-purity individual or binary REM. Rare Earth Technologies, Inc. would evaluate their advanced chromatographic separation technology on the dissolved MREO product for production of high-purity individual or binary REM.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Demonstrate the Catalytic Conversion Fermentation Derived Intermediate to Isoprene

The work proposed under this TAPA will support Visolis, Inc. to evaluate solid acid catalyst(s) to convert the fermentation derived intermediate to isoprene. This work will help Visolis, Inc. to develop the techno economic modeling and further develop the overall process for application.

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

Performance Testing of a Moving-Bed Gasifier Using Coal, Biomass, and Waste Plastic Blends to Generate White Hydrogen

The objective of this DOE-funded project by the Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. (EPRI), Hamilton Maurer International (HMI) and Sotacarbo S.p.A. (Sotacarbo), is to qualify coal, biomass, and plastic waste blends based on performance testing of selected pellet recipes in a pilot-scale updraft moving-bed gasifier. The testing provides relevant data to advance the commercial-scale design of the moving-bed gasifier to be able to successfully use these feedstocks to produce hydrogen. In particular, the effects of the waste plastics on feedstock development (i.e., blending and pelletizing) and the resulting products (i.e., syngas compositions, organic condensate production, and ash characteristics) are a focus. The gasifier is Hamilton Mauer International, Inc. (HMI)’s moving-bed gasifier, which has been proven capable of gasifying nearly all coal ranks. It has also shown the ability in prior testing work to gasify wood chips. However, mixtures of these fuels with plastic wastes had not yet been prepared and gasified together. The feedstocks were prepared by California Pellet Mill (CPM) under contract to HMI.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2024

Accelerated Lifetime Testing of Main Shaft Seals for Tidal Turbine Rotors

This document will briefly discuss the observations and results from an NREL conducted accelerated lifetime testing of the main shaft seal for the Verdant Power fifth generation Gen5 underwater Tidal Energy Converter (TEC) turbine, which successfully performed at the RITE project in 2020-2021. In order to evaluate a 5-year Service Interval ( SI) for this component, testing at NREL operated the main shaft seal nearly continuously for over 135 (text says 130 days on page 5 and 125 days on page 7 and 137 days on page 11) days at a rotational velocity of 160 rpm while the test stand recorded water pressure, barrier fluid pressure, temperature, and number of cycles., representing ~ 40% of the SI. An additional separate test was conducted to measure the aging behavior of the rubber drive rings. The water pressure reservoir was held constant as 29 psi. Barrier fluid pressure remained relatively constant throughout the duration of the test but was seen to sink to as low as 10.1 psi. No barrier fluid leakage was observed throughout the test. A sudden failure occurred within the seal after the power to test machine was interrupted for a scheduled building maintenance procedure. Upon restarting, the main shaft seal lost all ability to prevent water ingress. The exact cause is not known but is believed to be either a seal assembly issue or a change in the alignment of the seal components during or following the power outage. Following seal disassembly, significant wear was seen on one of the graphite sealing rings. Based on these results it is recommended that a follow-on TEAMER be conducted to rectify protocol and assembly issues to further evaluate SI of this component. The support and participation of Verdant Power Inc, Dovetail Solutions LLC and Garlock Manufacturing Inc were instrumental in understanding the results. NREL thanks them for their significant effort.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

The Port of Los Angeles Zero- and Near-Zero-Emission Freight Facilities Shore to Store Project

The City of Los Angeles Harbor Department (Harbor Department, Port of Los Angeles) partnered with Equilon Enterprises LLC (d/b/a Shell Oil Products US) (Shell), Toyota Motor North America (Toyota), and Kenworth Truck Company (Kenworth) partnered with the Port of Hueneme, United Parcel Service, Total Transportation Services Inc., Southern Counties Express, Toyota Logistics Services, Air Liquide, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Coalition For A Safe Environment, and the South Coast Air Quality Management District to introduce hydrogen fuel into the Southern California drayage truck market by demonstrating near-commercial heavy-duty hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks at and between freight facilities throughout the region, while continuing to lay the groundwork for battery-electric operations. The Shore to Store project built on project team experience to help realize our vision of zero-emission freight operations in the future. Ten Kenworth zero-emission Class 8 fuel cell electric trucks, integrated with Toyota’s fuel cell drive technology, were operated by United Parcel Service, Total Transportation Services Inc., Southern Counties Express, and Toyota Logistics Services in commercial service. The demonstration fleet fueled at the Shore to Store hydrogen fueling stations that were built in Ontario, California, and Wilmington, California. An additional station at the Port of Long Beach (Portal Station) was available for fueling the fleet. Portal Station was supported by grants from the California Energy Commission and South Coast Air Quality Management District and used as match funding for the Shore to Store project. The Port of Hueneme demonstrated two battery-electric yard tractors, and Toyota Logistics Services demonstrated two zero-emission forklifts at their warehouse facility, showcasing elements of the entire supply chain operating with zero emissions. This project showcased a snapshot of the zero-emission supply chain of the future, providing a model by which freight facilities can support zero-emission operations. The Shore to Store project: Demonstrated the technical feasibility of zero-emission hydrogen fueled Class 8 heavy-duty trucks and electric cargo handling equipment in rigorous goods movement operation throughout the Southern California region. Cumulatively completed 59,212 miles of zero-emission operation, with 21,650 miles driven in-service with the fleets, using hydrogen fuel cell electric Class 8 heavy-duty trucks. Operated zero-emission yard tractors for a total of 2,749.6 hours. Created direct localized emission reductions in designated disadvantaged communities, including those in zip codes 90220, 90247, 90248, 90731, 90744, 90802, and 91761. For the 59,212 miles of zero-emission operation, reduced emissions by an estimated total of 15.5 kg NOX (0.163 g/km), 1.01 kg SOX (0.0106 g/km), and 304.8 metric tonnes of CO2e (3.2 kg/km) compared to diesel baseline vehicles including both tailpipe emissions and the emissions from producing the fuel sources.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2024

Testing of Participant's Power Electronics Component for Circuit Performance and Efficiency (CRADA Final Report)

The "Solar SEED Smart Controller is a charge control device to condition solar power to load voltage with or without Battery (also called a "DC Power Platform") invented by David Gibbs and T4D Labs Inc. T4D Inc. and the SEED Smart Controller invention were selected for American Made Challenges Solar Prize, which includes voucher for NREL to provide technical assistance.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Spatiotemporal Adaptive Passive Direct Air Capture

Carbon Collect Inc., along with Arizona State University, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), PM Group, and Trimeric Corporation, completed an initial design of a commercial-scale, passive direct air capture (DAC) system termed “carbon trees” that will capture, separate, and store at least 100,000 tonnes/year of carbon dioxide (CO2) from air (net basis). Passive DAC is unique among DAC technologies in that passive air delivery by wind avoids the energy penalty of forced convection. Carbon Collect Inc.’s sorbent-agnostic approach offers the flexibility to choose sorbents for a wide range of climates. A combination of steam, low-grade heat, and vacuum releases the CO2 from the sorbent, which is extracted from the chamber and purified and compressed for geological storage. A commercial carbon tree forest combines the output of several thousand trees for compression and purification with high heat and energy integration. The project team prepared an initial engineering design package for each of three geographically diverse host sites throughout the United States to better understand the effect of local/regional ambient conditions on DAC system performance and project costs. A techno-economic analysis, life cycle analysis, business case analysis, and an environmental, health, and safety risks assessment were also completed for each of the three geographically diverse host sites.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

NPP Simulators for Coupled Thermal and Electric Power Dispatch

The Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) program within the United States Department of Energy supports extending the operation of the U.S. commercial nuclear power plant (NPP) fleet. Within the LWRS program, the Flexible Plant Operation and Generation (FPOG) Pathway works to diversify the revenue streams of light water reactors (LWRs) by opening opportunities for the co-generation of non-electric products in addition to supplying electrical power to the grid. Recent events have added greater motivation to these efforts. For example, the recent Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed by the U.S. federal government offers substantial tax incentives for producing clean hydrogen, the technology readiness level of dispatchable and high-efficiency hydrogen production has dramatically increased in a short time, and societal response to world climate change is driving a transition away from fossil fuels. Producing hydrogen with maximum efficiency using nuclear power requires dispatching both electrical and thermal power from the nuclear plant to the hydrogen plant, so testing concepts of operations for combined electrical and thermal power dispatch (TPD) from an NNP to a hydrogen plant is of interest. This report documents achievement of the Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) program milestone “Install and demonstrate a vendor-developed simulator on the Human Systems Simulation Laboratory (HSS) for dispatch of LWR electrical power to a close-coupled electrolysis plant” with a due date of Dec. 22, 2022. Several factors provide motivation for this effort. Coupling the power generation deck of a nuclear power plant to a hydrogen production facility introduces new possibilities for operational transients that must be addressed. In particular, the performance of the integrated system during startup and shutdown of the hydrogen production facility, as well as offnormal conditions, need to be evaluated to ensure there are no adverse effects on the operation of the existing NPP. The concept of operations involving the NPP, the hydrogen plant, and the electric power grid must be tested using NPP simulators and operating procedures that have been modified for TPD operations. These tests must also include dynamic simulations of the coupled tertiary thermal and electric loads as well as coordinated activities with NPP operators, tertiary load operators and grid power coordinators. The report summarizes progress in developing and testing full-scope NPP simulators at the HSSL, including a generic BWR simulator from GSE Systems, Inc. and generic PWR simulator from Westinghouse. In the case of the TPD-GBWR Simulator from GSE Systems, Inc., a BWR is thermally coupled to a high temperature electrolysis (HTE) plant that produces hydrogen and oxygen from de-ionized water. The hydrogen plant is not explicitly simulated but only included as a transient heat sink. A thermal power dispatch (TPD) system transfers heat between the steam systems at the BWR and the hydrogen plant. Operational results from two versions of the modified simulator are presented. The first version uses synthetic oil as a heat transfer fluid in a closed delivery heat loop (DHL) that generates steam at the hydrogen plant. The second version uses steam as the heat transfer fluid in a delivery steam line (DSL) to provide steam to the hydrogen plant. For both versions, the estimated thermal power delivery distance is approximately one kilometer. The amount of thermal power dispatched in the simulators is 15% of the total reactor thermal power such that the simulators provide a tool to study the feasibility of coupling a BWR to industrial processes that benefit from a combination electrical and thermal power dispatch. Ongoing work within a CRADA is also developing a full-scope PWR simulator provided by Westinghouse for both thermal and electric power coupling. This simulator is based on a PWR plant with two three-loop Westinghouse reactors. Westinghouse PWRs are sufficiently similar that a simulator of a three-loop reactor is an appropriate representation for two-loop and four-loop PWR reactors. The three-loop simulator will initially be modified for close-coupling to a 100 MW HTE hydrogen production plant that will require approximately 25 MW of thermal power while operating at its maximum rated capacity. The simulator testing will include full coupling to dynamic simulations of a hydrogen production plant and a representative bulk electric grid. The simulator provided by Westinghouse is similar to the GPWR simulator that INL has already obtained from GSE Systems but has a few important added benefits. First, the Westinghouse simulator is based on digital controls and has additional screens that can be called up to show parameter trends to assist operators in decision-making. The Westinghouse simulator also has upgrades to the controls and hardware representations, such as valve actuators, that make it more realistic and flexible in terms of accurately sim

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2024

SPARTAN (Scalable Probabilistic Application Reconfigurable Tensor Autonomous Network)

The technical founder of Ludwig Computing Inc has been competitively selected for support by Cyclotron Road, a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program (LEEP) through an approved merit review process. Ludwig Computing Inc, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Manufacturing Office through the Cyclotron Road program, has investigated the advantages of probabilistic computing for real-world compute-intensive applications. This research adds to the understanding of alternative computing paradigms by exploring a unique hardware-software co-design that integrates quantum computing methods with nature-inspired problem-solving techniques. The project's focus on areas such as combinatorial optimization, graph analytics, and machine learning demonstrates the potential for significant advancements in computational efficiency and performance. By harnessing natural randomness to streamline large circuits into fewer devices, Ludwig's approach enables massive parallelism, potentially offering higher throughput, speed, and energy efficiency compared to conventional hardware solutions. This work benefits the public by paving the way for more efficient computing solutions that could address complex real-world problems while potentially reducing energy consumption in data-intensive industries.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗