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At least 1,567 records · Page 87
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2019

Real-Time Feedback-Based Optimization of Distribution Grids: A Unified Approach

This paper develops an algorithmic framework for real-time optimization of distribution-level distributed energy resources (DERs). The framework optimizes the operation of both DERs that are individually controllable and groups of DERs (i.e., aggregations) that are jointly controlled at an electrical point of connection. From an electrical standpoint, wye and delta single- and multi-phase connections are accounted for. The algorithm enables (groups of) DERs to pursue given performance objectives, while adjusting their (aggregate) powers to respond to services requested by grid operators and to maintain electrical quantities within engineering limits. The design of the algorithm leverages a time-varying bi-level problem formulation capturing various performance objectives and engineering constraints, and an online implementation of primal-dual projected-gradient methods. The gradient steps are suitably modified to accommodate appropriate measurements from the distribution network and the DERs. Stability and convergence claims are established in terms of tracking of the solution of the time-varying optimization problem. Finally, the method is tested in a realistic distribution.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2020

Non-Intrusive Appliance Identification with Appliance-Specific Networks

The problem of noninstrusive load monitoring (NILM) is usually formulated as a single-channel blind source separation task, whose successful solution enable fast and convenient load identification and energy disaggregation. When applied at test time, NILM algorithms aim to identify the operating characteristics of individual appliances from an aggregate power measurement of the entire house. Recent advances in deep learning gave rise to many methods that mostly focus on learning a direct mapping from aggregate measurement to individual appliance power. However, these methods are not only computationally expensive, but they often suffer from overfitting and do not generalize very well. In this article, we propose a novel NILM method that leverages advances in statistical learning that have not been properly applied in this domain before. The proposed method consists of three stages: first, a Bayesian nonparametric learning-based approach for appliance state extraction; second, synthetic minority oversampling technique for data augmentation and mitigating the heavy imbalance in switching events; and third, appliance-specific lightweight long short-term memory networks for status classification for each appliance. Here, we adopt a “differential” input (the difference before and after the switching event) to reduce the complexity of network training and make the proposed method robust to multiappliance switching events. Experiments are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, achieving superior performance when compared to recent methods. An ablation study is conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of each module of our method. Finally, we investigate the quality of generated synthetic samples.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Decentralized Carrier Phase Shifting for Optimal Harmonic Minimization in Asymmetric Parallel-Connected Inverters

This paper presents a carrier phase shifting technique for minimizing the aggregate harmonics in networks of asymmetric parallel-connected inverters for distributed power generation system applications. The proposed technique is: 1) implemented in a decentralized manner, relying only on local voltage and current measurements, and 2) optimal in the sense that it minimizes a cost function representing the carrier-frequency current harmonics. The analysis indicates that the proposed optimal carrier phase shifting technique can enable order-of-magnitude reductions in harmonic power, and also universal improvements compared to symmetric carrier interleaving for asymmetric inverter networks. Moreover, compared to existing methods that require either centralized communication or information exchange between inverters to coordinate carriers, the proposed technique is completely decentralized, which provides important practical benefits for implementation, including improved robustness and reduced cost. The technique is experimentally validated on a network of three single-phase 2-kW inverters and demonstrates a 36.5% reduction in the weighted total harmonic distortion factor of the aggregate inverter current, and the ability to converge to the optimal carrier phase spacing dynamically in less than one line frequency cycle (16.7 ms) in steady state and transient operating conditions.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Large-Signal Stability of Phase-Balanced Equilibria in Single-Phase Grid-Forming Inverter Systems

This article explores the setup where large numbers of single-phase grid-forming inverters with droop control across distribution networks self-organize into a stable and balanced system with 120° phase offsets across aggregates in the absence of balanced three-phase generating resources or external communication. A suite of circuit- and system-theoretic notions are leveraged to derive a dynamical model for phase-angle differences across aggregates of inverters connected in the three phases. Focusing on this model, large-signal stability is established and the region of attraction of the phase-balanced equilibria is determined with the aid of a Lyapunov function. Experimental validation for a bench-top prototype network is included to support the analytical developments. Altogether, the effort supports the vision of facilitating balanced operation of distribution networks with grid-forming inverters during service disruptions at the bulk transmission network.

Droop control↗
DOE OSTI2026

Asynchronous Grid Connections Providing Fast-Frequency Response: System Integration Study

This paper presents an integration study for the recent power electronic-based fast-frequency response technology, "asynchronous grid connection" which operates as an aggregator for behind-the-meter resources and distributed generators. Both technical feasibility and techno-economic viability studies are presented. The fast-frequency response characteristics, validated against Power Hardware-in-the-Loop experiments, are integrated into an IEEE 9- bus system in DigSilent PowerFactory for system-level dynamic analysis. It demonstrates that droop-based control enhancements to local distributed generators allow their aggregation to provide grid-supporting functionalities and participate in the ancillary service markets. To this end, a long-term simulation embedding the system within the ancillary service market framework of PJM has been performed. The fast-frequency response regulation is subsequently used to calculate the potential revenue and project the results on a 15-year investment horizon. Finally, the techno-economic analysis provides recommendations for enhancements to access the full potential of distributed generators on a technical and regulatory level.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2018

Optimal Regulation of Virtual Power Plants

This paper develops a real-time algorithmic framework for aggregations of distributed energy resources (DERs) in distribution networks to provide regulation services in response to transmission-level requests. Leveraging online primal-dual-type methods for time-varying optimization problems and suitable linearizations of the nonlinear AC power-flow equations, we believe this work establishes the system-theoretic foundation to realize the vision of distribution-level virtual power plants. The optimization framework controls the output powers of dispatchable DERs such that, in aggregate, they respond to automatic-generation-control and/or regulation-services commands. This is achieved while concurrently regulating voltages within the feeder and maximizing customers' and utility's performance objectives. Convergence and tracking capabilities are analytically established under suitable modeling assumptions. Simulations are provided to validate the proposed approach.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2021

Optimal Demand Response Incorporating Distribution LMP with PV Generation Uncertainty

The utilization of aggregated demand-side flexibility via demand response (DR) has become a promising pathway for the integration of renewable energy resources in power systems. Nowadays, there are several management strategies for DR such as the price-based transactive control strategies. However, many of such existing price-based control strategies neglect the physics and operational constraints of the underlying distribution networks when computing the price, raising concerns regarding their theoretical and practical values. This paper studies this issue and investigates optimal DR (ODR) by incorporating the distribution locational marginal price (DLMP). In particular, we discuss DR in connection with DLMPs and propose a multiperiod bilevel optimization problem to find the ODR strategy. Here, the objective is to minimize the peak load, load fluctuation, and payments of load aggregators. In addition, a robust bilevel ODR model is formulated to provide a robust ODR strategy while minimizing operating costs under the worst-case realization of uncertainties; this mitigates the impact of forecasting errors on renewable energy resources. Then, we propose an efficient solution approach by employing the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker conditions and strong duality. Simulation results are presented to illustrate the mutual impacts of the interaction between DR and DLMP and the benefits of the robust ODR strategy.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Frequency Support From Electric Vehicles for Advancing Renewable Energy Integration

The integration of renewable energy resources (RERs) in the modern power grid is increasing rapidly because of aggressive decarbonization goals, lower costs, and increased government investment. However, higher penetrations of inverter-based generation can lead to frequency stability issues because of reduced system inertia. This paper develops a framework for quantifying the contribution of electric vehicles (EVs) toward providing frequency support to the grid and thus increasing the penetration limit of renewable energy resources (RERs). EVs are considered to provide both inertial response and primary frequency response support to the grid. A stochastic approach incorporating the uncertainties associated with the behavior of EVs is developed to derive the discharge limit of EV aggregators. A multi-machine system frequency response (MM-SFR) model is developed, which incorporates the dynamic virtual inertia and droop coefficients of EV aggregators derived from the EV control modules. Frequency security constraints are developed from this MM-SFR model, which, along with the converter voltage security and low voltage ride-through constraints, are integrated within a nonlinear optimization framework to determine the RER integration limit. Here, the efficacy of the proposed approach is validated using the RTS-GMLC test system.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Data-Driven Distribution System Load Modeling for Quasi-Static Time-Series Simulation

This paper presents a data-driven distribution system load modeling methodology targeting quasi-static time-series (QSTS) simulation. The proposed methodology is appropriate for modeling down to the level of the customer transformer, and it has three main features: 1) both load pattern diversity and intra-second load variability are considered, 2) the load profiles can be populated for multiple nodes on a circuit in such a way that the diversity factor of the feeder can be defined and tuned, and 3) the load aggregation method can be used to populate the profiles for different nodes at various load aggregation levels. Furthermore, as the foundation of the modeling methodology, variability and diversity libraries have been established based on high-resolution load data collected on customer transformers from real utility feeders. The proposed modeling methodology has been used to build load data sets for both the IEEE 123-bus feeder model and a realistic utility feeder model. The QSTS simulation results on the two evaluation feeders have demonstrated that the load data sets established from the proposed modeling methodology can effectively capture the load impact on feeder operations. For the realistic utility feeder, the effectiveness of the proposed methodology has also been validated by comparing the voltage characteristics of the feeder with modeled loads and the voltage characteristics of realistic voltage data from the same feeder.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2020

Distribution Feeder-Scale Fast Frequency Response via Optimal Coordination of Net-load Resources Part I: Solution Design

This work is the first of a two-part series that develops and experimentally demonstrates a first-of-its-kind hierarchical control solution for optimally dispatching thousands of deferrable loads and distributed energy resources (DERs) across a distribution feeder to provide fast frequency response (FFR) within 500 ms to the bulk power system. This approach rapidly coordinates resources online after a frequency event occurs, allowing fast-changing, behind-the-meter (BTM) resources to be incorporated and aggregate FFR power set points to be achieved more quickly and accurately than existing approaches. We also present a solution for determining the optimal amount of headroom to operate solar inverters with to minimize opportunity cost while ensuring the FFR response viability of a building with the inverter and deferrable loads. In Part I, we develop practical algorithms for fast, cost-based optimal dispatch at multiple aggregation scales (single building, multiple buildings, and full distribution feeder), establish their optimality, and demonstrate via simulation that they are faster than state-of-the-art, coordinated frequency response approaches. In Part II, the entire platform is implemented and experimentally verified using a unique power hardware-in-the-loop demonstration, including more than 100 powered loads and DERs connected to a real-world distribution network model and over 10,000 net-load resources dispatched.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Controlling Air Conditioners for Frequency Regulation: A Real-World Example

Even though thermostatically controlled loads like air conditioners present a great potential for providing ancillary services to the electric power grid, the practical challenges associated with their real-time coordination have not received the necessary attention. In this work, we present a nondisruptive load control application, specifically, we demonstrate how real residential air conditioners can provide frequency regulation. Aggregate power adjustment is achieved by modifying the ON/OFF modes of the air conditioners. To account for both single and multi-zone houses, we extend the currently available techniques and develop an approach that can be used for controlling aggregations that include both types of houses. A discussion of the practical challenges encountered in our field experiments is provided, along with the hardware and software approaches we developed to circumvent them. Here, we argue that limitations of current thermostat APIs introduce significant challenges and are an impediment to widespread adoption of fast load control applications.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Organic carbon enables the biotic engineering of beneficial soil structure in Profundihumic and Haplic Ferralsols

We investigated how organic matter may, directly and indirectly, modify the porosity of Ferralsols, that is, deeply weathered soils of the tropics and subtropics. Although empirical and anecdotal evidence suggests that organic matter accumulation may increase porosity, a mechanistic understanding of the processes underlying this beneficial effect is lacking, especially so for Ferralsols. To achieve our end, we leveraged the fact that the Profundihumic qualifier of Ferralsols (PF) is distinguished from Haplic Ferralsols (HF) by both a much larger average carbon content in the first 1 m of soil depth (19 kg C m -3 in PF vs. 10 kg C m -3 in HF) and a significantly lower bulk density (1.05 ± 0.08 kg L -1 in PF vs. 1.21 ± 0.05 kg L -1 in HF). Through exhaustive modelling of carbon – bulk density relationships, we demonstrate that the lower bulk density of PF cannot be satisfactorily explained by a simple dilution effect. Rather, we found that bulk density correlated with carbon content when combined with carbon: nitrogen ratio (r 2 = 0.51), black carbon content (r 2 = 0.75), and Δ 14 C (r 2 =0.81). Total pore space was greater in PF (61± 3%) than in HF (55 ± 2%), but x-ray computed tomography revealed that pore space inside soil aggregates of 4–5 mm diameter does not vary between the studied Ferralsols. We further observed nearly twice as many roots and burrows in PF compared with HF. We thus infer that the mechanism responsible for the increase in porosity is most likely an enhancement of resource availability (e.g., energy, carbon, and nutrients) for the organisms (earthworms, ants, termites, etc.) that physically displace soil particles and promote soil aggregation. As a result of increased resource availability, soil organisms can create especially the mesoscale structural soil features necessary for unrestricted water flow and rapid gas exchange. In conclusion, this insight paves the way for the development of land management technologies to optimize the physical shape and capacity of the soil bioreactor.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Nitrogen availability and summer drought, but not N:P imbalance, drive carbon use efficiency of a Mediterranean tree-grass ecosystem

All ecosystems contain both sources and sinks for atmospheric carbon (C). A change in their balance of net and gross ecosystem carbon uptake, ecosystem-scale carbon use efficiency (CUE ECO ), is a change in their ability to buffer climate change. However, anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition is increasing N availability, potentially shifting terrestrial ecosystem stoichiometry towards phosphorus (P) limitation. Depending on how gross primary production (GPP, plants alone) and ecosystem respiration (R ECO , plants and heterotrophs) are limited by N, P or associated changes in other biogeochemical cycles, CUE ECO may change. Seasonally, CUE ECO also varies as the multiple processes that control GPP and respiration and their limitations shift in time. We worked in a Mediterranean tree-grass ecosystem (locally called ‘dehesa’) characterized by mild, wet winters and summer droughts. We examined CUE ECO from eddy covariance fluxes over 6 years under control, +N and + NP fertilized treatments on three timescales: annual, seasonal (determined by vegetation phenological phases) and 14-day aggregations. Finer aggregation allowed consideration of responses to specific patterns in vegetation activity and meteorological conditions. We predicted that CUE ECO should be increased by wetter conditions, and successively by N and NP fertilization. Milder and wetter years with proportionally longer growing seasons increased CUE ECO , as did N fertilization, regardless of whether P was added. Using a generalized additive model, whole ecosystem phenological status and water deficit indicators, which both varied with treatment, were the main determinants of 14-day differences in CUE ECO . The direction of water effects depended on the timescale considered and occurred alongside treatment-dependent water depletion. Overall, future regional trends of longer dry summers may push these systems towards lower CUE ECO .

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Regional patterns of genetic diversity in swine influenza A viruses in the United States from 2010 to 2016

Background Regular spatial and temporal analyses of the genetic diversity and evolutionary patterns of influenza A virus (IAV) in swine inform control efforts and improve animal health. Initiated in 2009, the USDA passively surveils IAV in U.S. swine, with a focus on subtyping clinical respiratory submissions, sequencing the hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes at a minimum, and sharing these data publicly. Objectives In this study, our goal was to quantify and describe regional and national patterns in the genetic diversity and evolution of IAV in U.S. swine from 2010 to 2016. Methods A comprehensive phylogenetic and epidemiological analysis of publicly available HA and NA genes generated by the USDA surveillance system collected from January 2010 to December 2016 was conducted. Results The dominant subtypes and genetic clades detected during the study period were H1N1 (H1-γ/1A.3.3.3, N1-classical, 29%), H1N2 (H1-δ1/1B.2.2, N2-2002, 27%), and H3N2 (H3-IV-A, N2-2002, 15%), but many other minor clades were also maintained. Year-round circulation was observed, with a primary epidemic peak in October-November and a secondary epidemic peak in March-April. Partitioning these data into 5 spatial zones revealed that genetic diversity varied regionally and was not correlated with aggregated national patterns of HA/NA diversity. Conclusions These data suggest that vaccine composition and control efforts should consider IAV diversity within swine production regions in addition to aggregated national patterns.

Infectious Diseases↗
DOE OSTI2023

Impact on aggregate/matrix bonding when a refractory contains zinc aluminate instead of spinel and magnesia‐chrome

The high hot strength of MgO–Cr 2 O 3 refractory is often ascribed to its intimate aggregate/matrix bonding. For a fundamental comparison with it, ~2 mm aggregates of MgO and Al 2 O 3 were separately embedded in ZnAl 2 O 4 and MgAl 2 O 4 matrices, sintered at 1600°C, and examined. It was found that similarity of thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) between the aggregate and the matrix is critical to achieve good bonding and this is more important than the extent of interdiffusion. The TEC mismatch of ≥ 5.7 × 10 -6 K -1 caused significant undesirable debonding in MgO aggregate/MgAl 2 O 4 matrix sample and MgO/ZnAl 2 O 4 despite >736 μm Zn 2+ diffusion depth in the latter. Direct bonding, as inferred from a thicker interfacial reaction layer and a greater shift of the aggregate/matrix interface before and after firing, was better in MgAl 2 O 4 /ZnAl 2 O 4 combination, followed by tabular Al 2 O 3 /ZnAl 2 O 4 and Al 2 O 3 /MgAl 2 O 4 . Powder X-ray diffraction indicated that the volatilization of ZnAl 2 O 4 at 1600°C in air was negligible compared to MgO–Cr 2 O 3 .

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Observing ion diffusion and reciprocating hopping motion in water

When an ionic crystal dissolves in solvent, the positive and negative ions associated with solvent molecules release from the crystal. However, the existing form, interaction, and dynamics of ions in real solution are poorly understood because of the substantial experimental challenge. We observed the diffusion and aggregation of polyoxometalate (POM) ions in water by using liquid phase transmission electron microscopy. Real-time observation reveals an unexpected local reciprocating hopping motion of the ions in water, which may be caused by the short-range polymerized bridge of water molecules. We find that ion oligomers, existing as highly active clusters, undergo frequent splitting, aggregation, and rearrangement in dilute solution. The formation and dissociation of ion oligomers indicate a weak counterion-mediated interaction. Furthermore, POM ions with tetrahedral geometry show directional interaction compared with spherical ions, which presents structure-dependent dynamics.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2018

Seeded growth of single-crystal two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks

Polymerizing monomers into periodic two-dimensional (2D) networks provides structurally precise, layered macromolecular sheets that exhibit desirable mechanical, optoelectrotronic, and molecular transport properties. 2D covalent organic frameworks (COFs) offer broad monomer scope but are generally isolated as powders comprised of aggregated nanometer-scale crystallites. Here we control 2D COF formation using a two-step procedure, in which monomers are added slowly to pre-formed nanoparticle seeds. The resulting 2D COFs are isolated as single-crystalline, micron-sized particles. Transient absorption spectroscopy of the dispersed COF nanoparticles provides two to three orders of magnitude improvement in signal quality relative to polycrystalline powder samples and suggests exciton diffusion over longer length scales than those obtained through previous approaches. These findings will enable a broad exploration of synthetic 2D polymer structures and properties.

Evans, Austin M. (ORCID:0000000235972454)↗
DOE OSTI2018

Structure- and Physics-Preserving Reductions of Power Grid Models

The large size of multiscale, distribution and transmission, power grids hinders fast systemwide estimation and real-time control and optimization of operations. This paper studies graph reduction methods of power grids that are favorable for fast simulations and follow-up applications. While the classical Kron reduction has been successful in reduced order modeling of power grids with traditional, hierarchical design, the selection of reference nodes for the reduced model in a multiscale, distribution and transmission, network becomes ambiguous. In this work we extend the use of the iterative Kron reduction by utilizing the electric grid's graph topology for the selection of reference nodes, consistent with the design features of multiscale networks. Additionally, we propose further reductions by aggregation of coherent subnetworks of triangular meshes, based on the graph topology and network characteristics, in order to preserve currents and build another power-flow equivalent network. Our reductions are achieved through the use of iterative aggregation of subgraphs that include general tree structures, lines, and triangles. Important features of our reduction algorithms include that (i) the reductions are either equivalent to the Kron reduction or otherwise produce a power-flow equivalent network; (ii) due to the mentioned power-flow equivalence, the reduced network can model the dynamic of the swing equations for a lossless, inductive, steady state network; (iii) the algorithms efficiently utilize hash tables to store the sequential reduction steps. The third feature allows for easy reintroduction of detailed models into the reduced, conceptual network and makes the final reduced order model backward compatible with a sequence of intermediate, partially reduced networks with varying resolution---the ordered sequence of iterative reductions corresponds to a sequence of reduced order models. The performance of our graph reduction algorithms and features of the reduced grids are discussed on a real-word transmission and distribution grid. We produce visualizations of the reduced models through open source libraries and release our reduction algorithms with example code and toy data.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗