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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Smart Manufacturing Pathways for Industrial Decarbonization and Thermal Process Intensification

Rapid decarbonization is fast becoming the primary environmental and sustainability initiative for many economic sectors. Industry consumes more than 30 % of all primary energy in the United States and accounts for nearly 25 % of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. More than 70 % of energy consumed by the industrial sector is related to thermal processes, which are also the largest contributors of carbon emissions, overwhelmingly due to the combustion of fossil fuels. Thermal process intensification (TPI) seeks to dramatically improve the energy performance of thermal systems through technology pillars focusing on alternative energy sources and processes, supplemental technologies, and waste heat management. The impacts of TPI have significant overlap with the goals of industrial decarbonization (ID) that seeks to phase out all GHG emissions from industrial activities. Emerging supplemental technologies such as smart manufacturing (SM) and the industrial internet of things (IoT) enable significant opportunities for the optimization of manufacturing processes. Combining strategies for TPI and ID with SM and IoT can open and enhance existing opportunities for saving time and energy via approaches such as tighter control of temperature zones, better adjustment of thermal systems for variations in production levels and feedstock properties, and increased process throughput. Data collected by smart processes will also enable new advanced solutions such as digital twins and machine learning algorithms to further improve thermal system savings. Herein, this paper examines the individual pathways of TPI, ID, and SM and how the combination of all three can accelerate energy and GHG reductions.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Economically Viable Intermediate to Long Duration Hydrogen Energy Storage Solutions for Fossil Fueled Assets

This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management of U.S. Department of Energy under Funding Opportunity Announcement Number DE-FOA-0002332 “Energy Storage for Fossil Power Generation”. The work aimed to explore and advance an innovative hydrogen energy storage system – the synergistically integrated hydrogen energy storage system (SIHES) – that has the following characteristics: • Compatible with existing or new coal and gas fuel electricity generation units, • best suited for intermediate to long duration energy storage, from 12 hours to weeks even months, and • capable of storing energy at the utility scale – hundreds of MWh to GWh energy storage with power output level in tens to hundreds of MW. Preliminary front-end engineering design (Pre-FEED) studies was carried out to develop and refine a site-specific SIHES as peaking power generation units (so named as HyPeaker) as the first market entry point, to demonstrate both the technical feasibility and the economic viability to integrate the HyPeaker “within the fence” of a fossil power plant. This specific site was TVA’s Johnsonville Combustion Turbine Plant. The HyPeaker was designed and engineered to integrate with a 60MW aeroderivative gas turbine unit already available at TVA’s Johnsonville site. This site-specific HyPeaker consists of an alkaline electrolyzer to produce hydrogen from CO 2 free electricity sources, an innovative low-cost high-pressure hydrogen storage system (Big-Ton) and the aero gas turbine to generate electricity using blend of hydrogen and natural gas. A holistic system level technoeconomic analysis tool specific to HyPeaker was developed to optimize the engineering design of the Johnsonville site-specific HyPeaker for cost and performance. The optimal design and specification of the Johnsonville site-specific HyPeaker are the following: • Alkaline electrolyzer: 3MW • Big-Ton storage vessel: 11,000kg H 2 at 3000psi. • 4-stage diaphragm hydrogen compressor: 55kg-H 2 /hr from 150psi to 3000psi. The HyPeaker is designed to provide sufficient hydrogen for 90% continuous operation of the HyPeaker. All major components have design life of 30 years. The capex of HyPeaker is estimated at $\$$7.1M. This included $\$$1.5M for the electrolyzer, $\$$5.6M for the storage vessel and compressor. The cost of aero gas turbine was included as it is already available at the site. Key findings are: • HyPeaker can be designed, manufactured, installed and integrated with the fossil power plants, with sub-systems and components commercially available on the market today, even when it is scaled up to an order of magnitude larger than the one at the Johnsonville site. HyPeaker is a technologically viable solution to cover a wide range of energy storage duration needs, from daily peaking operation to seasonal shifting for fossil fueled assets. • The cost advantage of SCCV based Big-Ton H 2 storage vessel made it possible to “oversize” the H 2 storage subsystem to achieve overall system level cost optimization. The benefits are two-fold. First, it allows to significantly reduce the capacity and cost of electrolyzer by spreading H 2 production over a much longer period of time when the fuel cost for electricity production is low. Second, it allows to balance the hydrogen production and usage shift over weeks to months to meet the peak demands. As such, the capital cost of HyPeaker system using the Big-Ton was less than half of the cost of a system with today’s steel tube based H 2 storage system. The HyPeaker has even better cost advantage Li-ion battery based energy storage system. The estimated capital cost of Li-Ion battery system would be at $\$$38M, under the same projected 20-year electricity generation profile of the Johnsonville site. This is over 5 times more expensive than the HyPeaker system. • Since industry scale energy storage systems do not have 100% energy conversion and storage efficiency, energy storage systems using fossil fuel generated electricity would increase the CO 2 emission. This is particularly the case for HyPeaker due to its low round trip efficiency. Therefore, a more sensible solution would be to the excessive or curtailed electricity from CO 2 emission free sources such as solar farms, wind farms or nuclear power plants, to produce hydrogen, and integrate them with the HyPeaker. Electricity from TVA’s nuclear power plants was used for the Johnsonville HyPeaker. • The economic viability of HyPeaker is expected to be further improved when global supply chains are taken into consideration. For the same Johnsonville site specific HyPeaker, the capex would be reduced to ~$\$$3.6M from ~$\$$7.1M, and the added LCOE is reduced to ~$\$$85/MWh. With the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the cost of domestically produced HyPeaker sub-systems would be at the level of today’s global suppliers. Since the peaking units generally operate at peak usage period, thereby demanding higher price, the projected $\$$85/MWh LCOE would be within the realm of financial viability for utility operators.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2023

Knock-limited combustion of ethanol-, isobutanol-, and 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol-gasoline blends in a direct-injected spark-ignition engine

Knock-limited combustion of alcohol-gasoline fuel blends was studied in a direct-injection spark-ignition engine. Ethanol, isobutanol (2-methyl-1-propanol), and methylbutenol (2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol) were splash-blended with a blendstock for oxygenate blending (BOB) gasoline. Ethanol was blended in fractions of 10%, 20%, and 30% by volume (E10, E20, and E30). Isobutanol and methylbutenol were blended to match the oxygen weight percentage of the ethanol blends, resulting in blends of 16%, 32%, and 49% (I16, I32, and I49) isobutanol by volume and 18%, 37%, and 56% (M18, M37, and M56) methylbutenol by volume. Neat BOB and gasoline primary reference fuels (PRF) with octane numbers (ON) of 87 (PRF87) and 100 (PRF100) were included for reference. The engine was operated at fixed speed, equivalence ratio, and injection timing while knock-limited spark advance was located across a range of intake pressures. Low-level alcohol blends E10 and M18 had similar knocking behavior and appeared to be slightly more knock-resistant than I16. For mid-level blends, E20 showed further improvement over I32 while M37 showed noticeably better knock resistance, able to match the knock-resistance of PRF100 for loads above 1000 kPa gross indicated mean effective pressure (GIMEP). For high-level blends, the difference between E30 and I49 was similar to their mid-level counterparts. However, M56 showed significant improvement over E30 and I49 throughout the entire range of loads tested. M56 exceeded the knock-resistance of PRF100 for loads above 700 kPa GIMEP. The improved knock-resistance combined with the increased volumetric energy density of methylbutenol resulted in improved fuel consumption and indicated efficiency. The overall results of this study indicate that the order of knock-resistance of these three alcohols, for direct-injection operation with injection during the intake stroke, is isobutanol < ethanol < methylbutenol when compared on an equal oxygen weight basis.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
NASA NTRS1994

The conductive propagation of nuclear flames. 2: Convectively bounded flames in C + O and O + Ne + Mg cores

We determine the speeds, and many other physical properties, of flame fronts that propagate inward into degenerate and semidegenerate cores of carbon and oxygen (CO) and neon and oxygen (NeOMg) white dwarfs when such flames are bounded on their exterior by a convective region. Combustion in such fronts, per se, is incomplete, with only a small part of the initial mass function burned. A condition of balanced power is set up in the star where the rate of energy emitted as neutrinos from the convective region equals the power available from the unburned fuel that crosses the burning front. The propagation of the burning front itself is in turn limited by the temperature at the base of the convective shell, while cannot greatly exceed the adiabatic value. Solving for consistency between these two conditions gives a unique speed for the flame. Typical values for CO white dwarfs are a few hundredths of a centimeter per second. Flames in NeOMg mixtures are slower. Tables are presented in a form that can easily be implemented in stellar evolution codes and yield the rate at which the convective shell advances into the interior. Combining these velocities with the local equations for stellar structure, we find a minimum density for each gravitational potential below with the local equations for stellar structure, we find a minimum density for each gravitational potential below which the flame cannot propagate, and must die. Although detailed stellar models will have to be constructed to reslove some issues conclusively, our results that a CO white dwarf inginted at its edge will not burn carbon all the way to its center unless the mass of the white dwarf exceeds 0.8 solar mass. On the other hand, it is difficult to ignite carbon burning by compression alone anywhere in a white dwarf whose mass does not exceed 1.0 solar mass. Thus, compressionally ignited shell carbon burning in an accerting CO dwarf almost certainly propagates all the way to the center of the star. Implications for neutron star formation, and Type Ia supernova models, are briefly discussed. These are also applicable to massive stars in the about 10-12 solar mass range which ignite neon burning off center.

Timmes, F. X.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Cradle-to-Grave Lifecycle Analysis of U.S. Light-Duty Vehicle-Fuel Pathways: A Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Economic Assessment of Current (2020) and Future (2030-2035) Technologies

This study provides a comprehensive life cycle analysis (LCA), or cradle-to-grave (C2G) analysis, of the cost and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of a variety of vehicle-fuel pathways, the levelized cost of driving (LCD) and cost of avoided GHG emissions. The C2G analysis assesses light duty midsize sedans and small sport utility vehicles (SUVs) across a variety of vehicle-fuel technology pathways, including conventional internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs), flexible hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs) with varying vehicle ranges, and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). In evaluating the vehicle-fuel combinations, this study considers both low-volume and high-volume “CURRENT TECHNOLOGY” cases (nominally 2020) and a high-volume “FUTURE TECHNOLOGY” lower-carbon case (nominally 2030–2035).

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
NASA NTRS2001

Comustion of HAN-Based Monopropellant Droplets in Reduced Gravity

Hydroxylammonium nitrate (HAN) is a major constituent in a class of liquid monopropellants that have many attractive characteristics and which display phenomena that differ significantly from other liquid monopropellants. They are composed primarily of HAN, H2O and a fuel species, often triethanolammonium nitrate (TEAN). HAN-based propellants have attracted attention as liquid gun propellants, and are attractive for NASA spacecraft propulsion applications. A representative propellant is XM46. This mixture is 60.8% HAN, 19.2% TEAN and 20% H2O by weight. Other HAN-based propellant mixtures are also of interest. For example, methanol and glycine have been investigated as potential fuel species for HAN-based monopropellants for thruster applications. In the present research, experimental and theoretical studies are performed on combustion of HAN-based monopropellant droplets. The fuel species considered are TEAN, methanol and glycine. Droplets initially in the mm size range are studied at pressures up to 30 atm. These pressures are applicable to spacecraft thruster applications. The droplets are placed in environments with various amounts of Ar, N2, O2, NO2 and N2O. Reduced gravity is employed to enable observations of burning rates and flame structures to be made without the complicating effects of buoyant and forced convection. Normal gravity experiments are also performed in this research program. The experiment goals are to provide accurate fundamental data on deflagration rates, gasphase temperature profiles, transient gas-phase flame behaviors, the onset of bubbling in droplets at lower pressures, and the low-pressure deflagration limit. Theoretical studies are performed to provide rational models of deflagration mechanisms of HAN-based liquid propellants. Besides advancing fundamental knowledge, this research should aid in applications (e.g., spacecraft thrusters and liquid propellant guns) of this unique class of monopropellants.

Shaw, B. D.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Mounting of integrated combustor nozzles in a segmented annular combustion system

A segmented annular combustion system includes integrated combustor nozzles, each of which has a fuel injection panel disposed radially between an inner liner segment and an outer liner segment. An aft end portion of the fuel injection panel defines a turbine nozzle. One or more hook plates attached to the outer surfaces of the liner segments are used to mount the integrated combustor nozzle to an inner mounting ring or an outer mounting ring. A mounting strut or mounting tenon(s) attached to the liner segments may also be employed.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
NASA NTRS1992

Overview of the relevant CFD work at Thiokol Corporation

An in-house developed proprietary advanced computational fluid dynamics code called SHARP (Trademark) is a primary tool for many flow simulations and design analyses. The SHARP code is a time dependent, two dimensional (2-D) axisymmetric numerical solution technique for the compressible Navier-Stokes equations. The solution technique in SHARP uses a vectorizable implicit, second order accurate in time and space, finite volume scheme based on an upwind flux-difference splitting of a Roe-type approximated Riemann solver, Van Leer's flux vector splitting, and a fourth order artificial dissipation scheme with a preconditioning to accelerate the flow solution. Turbulence is simulated by an algebraic model, and ultimately the kappa-epsilon model. Some other capabilities of the code are 2-D two-phase Lagrangian particle tracking and cell blockages. Extensive development and testing has been conducted on the 3-D version of the code with flow, combustion, and turbulence interactions. The emphasis here is on the specific applications of SHARP in Solid Rocket Motor design. Information is given in viewgraph form.

Chwalowski, Pawel↗
NASA NTRS2012

Compilation of Abstracts for SC12 Conference Proceedings

1 A Breakthrough in Rotorcraft Prediction Accuracy Using Detached Eddy Simulation; 2 Adjoint-Based Design for Complex Aerospace Configurations; 3 Simulating Hypersonic Turbulent Combustion for Future Aircraft; 4 From a Roar to a Whisper: Making Modern Aircraft Quieter; 5 Modeling of Extended Formation Flight on High-Performance Computers; 6 Supersonic Retropropulsion for Mars Entry; 7 Validating Water Spray Simulation Models for the SLS Launch Environment; 8 Simulating Moving Valves for Space Launch System Liquid Engines; 9 Innovative Simulations for Modeling the SLS Solid Rocket Booster Ignition; 10 Solid Rocket Booster Ignition Overpressure Simulations for the Space Launch System; 11 CFD Simulations to Support the Next Generation of Launch Pads; 12 Modeling and Simulation Support for NASA's Next-Generation Space Launch System; 13 Simulating Planetary Entry Environments for Space Exploration Vehicles; 14 NASA Center for Climate Simulation Highlights; 15 Ultrascale Climate Data Visualization and Analysis; 16 NASA Climate Simulations and Observations for the IPCC and Beyond; 17 Next-Generation Climate Data Services: MERRA Analytics; 18 Recent Advances in High-Resolution Global Atmospheric Modeling; 19 Causes and Consequences of Turbulence in the Earths Protective Shield; 20 NASA Earth Exchange (NEX): A Collaborative Supercomputing Platform; 21 Powering Deep Space Missions: Thermoelectric Properties of Complex Materials; 22 Meeting NASA's High-End Computing Goals Through Innovation; 23 Continuous Enhancements to the Pleiades Supercomputer for Maximum Uptime; 24 Live Demonstrations of 100-Gbps File Transfers Across LANs and WANs; 25 Untangling the Computing Landscape for Climate Simulations; 26 Simulating Galaxies and the Universe; 27 The Mysterious Origin of Stellar Masses; 28 Hot-Plasma Geysers on the Sun; 29 Turbulent Life of Kepler Stars; 30 Modeling Weather on the Sun; 31 Weather on Mars: The Meteorology of Gale Crater; 32 Enhancing Performance of NASAs High-End Computing Applications; 33 Designing Curiosity's Perfect Landing on Mars; 34 The Search Continues: Kepler's Quest for Habitable Earth-Sized Planets.

HPC↗
NASA NTRS2019

Extreme-Temperature Carbon- and Ceramic-Matrix Composite Nozzle Extensions for Liquid Rocket Engines

The United States (US) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and its US industry partners are developing extreme-temperature composite nozzle extensions for a variety of cryogenic liquid rocket engine propulsion systems. Applications under consideration at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) include launch vehicle (upper stage), in-space, and lunar lander descent/ascent propulsion systems. Composite material systems of interest include carbon-carbon (C-C) and carbon/silicon-carbide (C-SiC) composites, as well as modified versions of such composites (coatings, mixed matrices, oxidation inhibitors, etc.). Missions addressed include access to low Earth orbit, the lunar surface, and more distant destinations. Cryogenic upper-stage and in-space liquid rocket engines are optimized for performance through the use of high area ratio nozzles to fully expand combustion gases to low exit pressures, increasing exhaust velocities. As a result of the large size of such nozzles, and the related engine performance requirements, composite nozzle extensions are being considered to reduce mass impacts. Currently, metallic and foreign composite nozzle extensions used on the Atlas V, Delta IV, Falcon 9, and Ariane 5 launch vehicles represent the state-of-the-art. Such extensions are limited to use at or slightly above 2000°F (1093°C). Materials under development by MSFC and its industry partners have the potential to operate at temperatures up to (or above) 4250°F (2343°C). Marshall Space Flight Center efforts are aimed at (a) further developing the technology and databases needed to enable the use of composite nozzle extensions on cryogenic liquid rocket engines, (b) developing and demonstrating low-cost capabilities for testing and qualifying such nozzle extensions, and (c) advancing the US domestic supply chain for nozzle extensions. Through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs, low-level internal MSFC research projects, and teaming arrangements with domestic industry partners, composite material design, development, hot-fire test, and evaluation efforts are progressing. Hot- fire engine tests of subscale hardware have been conducted using oxygen/hydrogen (LOX/H2), oxygen/methane (LOX/CH4), and oxygen/kerosene (LOX/RP-1) propellants. These engine tests at MSFC have enabled the evaluation of both heritage and state-of-the-art material systems, demonstrating the initial capabilities of the extreme temperature materials and their fabrication methods. Recent, ongoing, and potential future work supporting cryogenic propulsion systems development will be presented. The composite nozzle extension technology and test capabilities being developed are intended to support both NASA and US Department of Defense requirements, as well as those of the broader Commercial Space industry.

Valentine, Peter G.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Dual frequency comb spectroscopy of solid fuel pyrolysis and combustion: Quantifying the influence of moisture content in Douglas fir

As the fire research community develops multi-scale models to predict the spread of wildland fires, there is a need for well-controlled, small-scale experiments which provide benchmark data and fundamental understanding of the effects of key parameters on the combustion of wildland fuels. Here, we implement a unique suite of non-intrusive, quantitative diagnostics that simultaneously measure mass loss, surface temperature, in situ gas temperature and water vapor concentration, including the first implementation of dual frequency comb spectroscopy for the study of solid fuels. As a demonstration, we examine the effect of fuel moisture content on the burning of Douglas fir wood samples that are ignited under constant radiative heat flux from a cone calorimeter to provide benchmark data for multi-scale models. Peak flame temperatures 3 mm above the sample surface measured with the dual frequency comb laser spectrometer are in excess of 1200 K. The flame temperature decreases by over 150 K as fuel moisture content increases from 0.7% to 40%. This work demonstrates a platform for simultaneous, quantitative measurements of well-controlled small-scale experiments which provide benchmark data for the development of advanced modeling and simulations capable of capturing the complex physics present in wildland fire systems.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Multiple injection for improving knock, gaseous and particulate matter emissions in direct injection SI engines

Advances in fuel injector technology have enabled research and development on a large variety of direct injection spark ignition (DISI) engine fueling strategies targeted to improve engine performance and reduce engine-out emissions. This study explores the effect of multiple injections on knock, engine efficiency and stability, and particulate number and gaseous emissions on a single-cylinder DISI research engine. Work to date on multiple injections in the literature is reviewed, and then two aspects of multiple injection strategies are experimentally investigated: the number of injections (up to five times in a cycle); and the timing of the injections (classified relative to the timing of intake valve opening and closing). A boosted, single-cylinder research engine equipped with a state-of-the-art piezoelectric hollow cone spray direct injector and research-grade E10 gasoline was used for the study. The results show multiple injections maintain torque and combustion stability compared with single injection and slightly increase the knock limits and indicated thermal efficiencies (maximum 0.7% absolute, 2.8% relative compared with single-injection baseline) due to improved heat release phasing, especially with an additional late injection during the intake valve closed (compression stroke) period. The gaseous pollutant emissions including nitrogen oxides and unburned hydrocarbons were reduced by 25% with multiple injections, particularly with injection during the compression stroke. In contrast, carbon monoxide emissions increased with multiple injections for all conditions. Increasing the number of injection events significantly reduced particulate number emissions (half with each additional injection), and the decrease in particulate number was not sensitive to the injection timing.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Ducted fuel injection with Low-Net-Carbon fuels as a solution for meeting future emissions regulations

Several studies have proven how ducted fuel injection (DFI) reduces soot emissions for compression-ignition engines. Nevertheless, no comprehensive study has investigated how DFI performs over a load range in combination with low-net-carbon fuels. In this study, optical-engine experiments were performed with four different fuels—conventional diesel and three low-net-carbon fuels—at low and moderate load, to measure emissions levels and performance. The 1.7-liter single-cylinder optical engine was equipped with a high-speed camera to capture natural luminosity images of the combustion event. Conventional diesel and DFI combustion were investigated at four different dilution levels (to simulate exhaust-gas recirculation effects), from 14 to 21 mol% oxygen in the intake. At a given dilution level, with commercial diesel fuel, DFI reduced soot by 82% at medium load, and 75% at low load without increasing NO x . The results further show how DFI with dilution reduces soot and NO x without compromising engine performance or other emission types, especially when combined with low-net-carbon fuels. DFI with the oxygenated low-net-carbon blend HEA67 simultaneously reduced soot and NO x by as much as 93 % and 82 %, respectively, relative to conventional diesel combustion with commercial diesel fuel. These soot and NO x reductions occurred while lifecycle CO 2 was reduced by at least 70 % when using low-net-carbon fuels instead of conventional diesel. All emissions changes were compared with future emissions regulations for different vehicle sectors to investigate how DFI can be used to facilitate achievement of the regulations. Finally, the results show how the DFI cases fall below several future emissions regulation levels, rendering less need for aftertreatment systems and giving a possible lower cost of ownership.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2022

High-Fuel Loading Ignition Delay Time Characterization of Hydrogen/Natural Gas/Ammonia at Gas Turbine-Relevant Conditions Inside a High-Pressure Shock Tube

Abstract This study explores the combustion characterization of high-fuel percentage, air-diluted mixtures of H2 mixed with natural gas (NG) as well as mixtures of H2 and NH3 at temperatures and pressures relevant to turbine operating conditions (20–30 bar, 1000–1500 K). Lower temperatures (below 1070 K) exhibit preignition characteristics due to non-homogeneity. An attempt to mitigate these occurrences at high pressures is investigated using the constrained reaction volume (CRV) stage-filling technique. Due to the need to further refine the facility CRV stage-filling uncertainty, only higher temperature data will be interpreted at this time. The test conditions in this study closely replicate the temperatures, pressures, and mixtures that would be seen in hydrogen-powered gas turbines, making it the first to explore such conditions. The experimental IDTs were compared against the current state-of-the-art chemical kinetic models for mechanism validation. The current work will advance H2-powered turbines and aims to determine the optimum molecular ratio of H2 when mixed with natural gas.

Pierro, Michael↗
NASA NTRS2003

RS-84 Engine

The RS-84 is the first reusable hydrocarbon staged combustion liquid rocket engine. This engine is being developed to meet NASA s crew safety goals with a highly reliable and low cost main engine as a part of the NASA Space Launch Initiative program for the next generation reusable launch system. The NASA-MSFC and Rocketdyne team brings over 50 years of successful rocket engine development experience to meet the challenges of this new program. This team s extensive design database has been anchored with almost five decades of hydrocarbon rocket engine development and flight operations experience including Delta, Atlas, and Saturn vehicles and nearly three decades of successfully operating the world s only reusable pump-fed rocket engine, the Space Shuttle Main Engine. The team also fully benefits from the proven and experienced engineering staffs that recently completed the successful MC-1 FASTRAC , XRS-2200, and RS-68 engine development programs and the ongoing IPD and RS-76 technology development. Advances in integrated parametric design and analysis tools, advanced materials knowledge base, and state-of-the-art fabrication processes anchored and refined during the recent engine development programs are already being used by the team to design this engine.

Stegman, E.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Circular Economy for Automotive Shredder Residue

Vehicle production has grown substantially worldwide, and subsequently, End-of-Life (EoL) vehicles entering retirement will grow as well. For example, China, the largest passenger car market worldwide, is expected to have 26.3 million passenger vehicles retiring by 2030. Most vehicles are shredded at EoL to recover metals for the robust metal recycling industry, leaving behind a slew of unwanted materials called automotive shredder residue (ASR) on the order of millions of tonnes every year. Additionally, the average weight of vehicles has gone up to 2600 lbs (1180 Kg) for a small passenger internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, 4000 lbs (1814 Kg) for large ICE vehicles, and the electric vehicle (EV) versions are substantially heavier at 1000 lbs (454 Kg) or more compared to combustion engine counterparts. While the increase in weight in EVs is increasing primarily due to the batteries needed to power the car, the materials being substituted into either type of vehicle to reduce weight are polymers and composites.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Integrated combustor nozzle for a segmented annular combustion system

The present disclosure is directed to an integrated combustor nozzle for a segmented annular combustion system. The integrated combustor nozzle includes an outer liner segment, an inner liner segment, and a fuel injection panel extending radially between the outer liner segment and the inner liner segment. The fuel injection panel includes a first side wall, a second side wall, and a plurality of premixing channels between the first and second side walls, each of the premixing channels having an outlet on one of the first and second side walls. The aft end of the fuel injection panel defines a turbine nozzle.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2022

A Process with Decoupled Absorber Kinetics and Solvent Regeneration through Membrane Dewatering and In-Column Heat Transfer (Final Report)

This report summarizes the work conducted on project DE-FE0031604 where University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy (UK CAER) has validated its intensified CO 2 capture process through substantial enhancements to the kinetics of the absorption process and energy reductions by absorber temperature profile modification, dewatering and heat integration technologies for achieving significant capital and operating cost reductions. To address DOE’s objective of improving post-combustion CO 2 capture technology and reducing associated cost, UK CAER employed an intensified process which combined three key aspects targeted at overcoming inherent limitations or barriers in the conventional CO 2 capture and desorption process. The process designed to be independent of the type of solvent used, included (1) the use of 3-D printed two-channel structured packing material to control the temperature profile and increase the CO 2 absorption rate in the absorber, (2) a zeolite membrane dewatering unit for dewatering of the carbon-rich solvent to decouple solvent concentration needs for CO 2 absorption and desorption, and (3) a rich-split feed with two-phase flow heat transfer prior to the stripper that provided a secondary point of vapor generation to provide energy savings in steam extraction and solvent regeneration. The project was executed over two budget periods. This involved testing of individual process components which included the advanced heat transfer packing and the dewatering membrane on UK CAER’s 30 liter per minute (L/min) CO 2 (3” Column) capture bench unit with simulated flue gas in the first budget period. Subsequent scaled-up testing of these components together with the split-feed configuration were also tested in UK CAER’s 0.1 MWth CO 2 capture unit with coal-derived flue gas in the second-budget period. Long term studies were done during this period to assess process and solvent performance over extended duration. Project partners Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Media & Process Technology (MPT) led the development efforts for the advanced packing material and dewatering membrane respectively. Data from the long term testing was used as input for an environmental, health and safety (EH&S) assessment for the process and scaled technology performed by ALL4 LLC. Trimeric Corporation also completed a techno-economic analysis (TEA) for the UK CAER technology which was compared to the DOE reference Case B12B. Tests on the 3” column capture unit showed that the advanced heat transfer packing could be used to lower the bulge temperature in the absorber, and this was also proven in the scaled testing in the 0.1 MWth CO 2 capture unit. The bulge temperature could be lowered by >10 °C, changing the temperature profile in the absorber, and showed potential to enhance absorption with the ability to tailor the profile to provide conditions suitable for a solvent’s properties and kinetics. Conditions for short term evaluation of a 19” zeolite dewatering membrane on the 3” column capture unit yielded desirable fluxes and sustained rejection rates of >80%. However, for the scaled testing of six membrane modules consisting of 21 parts of 31-inch-long membrane tubes in each bundle (surface area 0.3 m 2 ), over a more extended duration, similar rejection rates could not be achieved. With the split-feed of the rich stream to the stripper, improved heat recovery minimized waste heat exiting the top of the stripper. The stripper exhaust temperatures could be reduced by >10 °C; reducing the amount of water vaporization contributed to lowering the regeneration energy by ~ 15%. The energy benefit could be sustained from the long term monitoring of the solvent performance. The solvent properties were not significantly impacted over the long-term operations. The benefits of the UK CAER process demonstrated experimentally were mostly validated from the TEA comparing a commercial scale application of the technology to DOE reference Case B12B. The cost of CO 2 capture for the UK CAER technology was estimated to be ~$34.97/tonne of CO 2 captured; a reduction of 23% compared to Case B12B. The increase in cost of electricity was also shown to be 16% lower than that of Case B12B. The total parasitic demand was also shown to be 11% lower. The key drivers for the benefits are a result of the process intensification approaches employed in the UK CAER technology for enhanced solvent performance, effective heat recovery and improved energy performance. The EH&S assessment did not find any major environmental concerns or barriers to the full scale implementation of the technology.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗