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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 1,603 records · Page 89
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Lifecycle Verification of Tank Liner Polymers

This report describes a method that was developed for the purpose of assessing the durability of thermoplastic liners used in a Type IV hydrogen storage tank during the tank s expected service life. In the method, a thermoplastic liner specimen is cycled between the maximum and minimum expected working temperatures while it is differentially pressurized with high-pressure hydrogen gas. The number of thermal cycling intervals corresponds to those expected within the tank s design lifetime. At prescribed intervals, hydrogen permeation measurements are done in situ to assess the ability of the liner specimen to maintain its hydrogen barrier properties and to model its permeability over the tank lifetime. Finally, the model is used to assess whether the steady-state leakage rate in the tank could potentially exceed the leakage specification for hydrogen fuel cell passenger vehicles. A durability assessment was performed on a specimen of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) that is in current use as a tank liner. Hydrogen permeation measurements were performed on several additional tank liner polymers as well as novel polymers proposed for use as storage tank liners and hydrogen barrier materials. The following technical barriers from the Fuel Cell Technologies Program MYRDD were addressed by the project: D. Durability of on-board storage systems lifetime of at least 1500 cycles G. Materials of construction vessel containment that is resistant to hydrogen permeation M. Lack of Tank Performance Data and Understanding of Failure Mechanisms And the following technical targets1 for on-board hydrogen storage systems R&D were likewise addressed: Operational cycle life (1/4 tank to full) FY 2017: 1500 cycles; Ultimate: 1500 cycles Environmental health & safety Permeation and leakage: Meets or exceeds applicable standards Loss of useable H2: FY 2017: 0.05 g/h/kg H2; Ultimate: 0.05 g/h/kg H2

hydrogen permeation polymer temperature cycling du↗
DOE OSTI2018

Solar and Energy Storage for Resiliency

Facilitated by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, the San Francisco Department of the Environment (SF Environment) is working to overcome regulatory, financial and technical barriers and create a roadmap to build resilience through the implementation of solar with energy storage. One key element of resilience is ensuring the continued operation of shelters and critical emergency management facilities in the immediate aftermath of an earthquake, flood, or other disaster, such as a nearby wildfire. To mitigate interruptions to emergency power at these facilities, the City and County of San Francisco (the “City”) has established “on call” contracts with national diesel generator suppliers. However, relying solely on these suppliers poses significant risks to the City, because the supply of diesel generators in San Francisco may be limited when they are most needed, especially during hurricane season when coastal states face an increased risk of power outages. Furthermore, although diesel generators can provide a few days of power when the electric grid is down, they rely on fuel to do so, and fuel supplies can be interrupted by disasters. To help the City address these challenges, a Resilient Solar and Storage Roadmap study was completed in 2017 that investigated the use of microgrids and standalone solar electric generation with battery storage at emergency shelters. The study identified 67 facilities across the City where solar and battery storage systems could be installed. Out of the 67 facilities, 42 are classified as community shelters, where people can live temporarily and receive medical attention for nonserious injuries, and 25 are libraries where people can gather and have free access to communication/information channels (internet access for communication, news, etc.). At present, none of the emergency shelter facilities have back-up power or generators on site. The Solar and Energy Storage for Resilience project (the “Project) is intended to provide electricity to 67 emergency shelters within the City in the wake of a disaster, by implementing stand-alone solar power generation with battery storage. This report aims to provide an assessment of the economic value and resilience benefits derived from the implementation of a solar and energy storage system at emergency shelters. This assessment is based on quantifiable metrics and grounded in a proven economic benefit-cost analysis (BCA) methodology, which help decision makers assess whether the benefits of a project or policy exceed its total costs from a societal perspective. This is a first-of -its-kind study and it is not meant to be comprehensive. The Project Team hopes that other organizations/municipalities will use this report as a reference and refine it for use in future economic assessments on resiliency at emergency shelters. While the report focuses on a study for the City and County of San Francisco, the methods are applicable to any city or town. The analysis is intended to help the City better prepare for the next large-scale grid outage by weighing the benefits and costs of implementing a solar energy system.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Unleashing the Frequency: Multi-Megawatt Demonstration of 100% Renewable Power Systems with Decentralized Communication-Less Control Scheme

Power systems, which range in size from small microgrids to island systems to large regional grids, are typically managed by a central controller that requires complex communication methods and can be unreliable and pose cyber security risks in certain applications, especially when controlling a larger number of nodes. We propose an inherently robust, scalable method of integration using multiple energy storage systems and distributed energy resources, which does not require any means of dedicated communication. This method moves beyond the paradigm of controlling grid frequency at a fixed value (e.g., 60 Hz), instead allowing the frequency to fluctuate within certain limits (e.g., 59.6-60.4 Hz). With a greater operating range, the frequency can carry necessary information from energy storage systems to highly variable distributed energy resources like photovoltaics, wind, hydro, etc.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2021

Design and implementation of a portable diagnostic system for Thomson scattering and optical emission spectroscopy measurements

A diagnostic system, which has a design goal of high-portability, has been designed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). This project aims at providing measurements of key plasma parameters (ne, Te, ni, Ti) for fusion-relevant devices, utilizing Thomson scattering (TS) and optical emission spectroscopy (OES). The innovative design employs mostly commercial off-the-shelf instrumentation and a traveling team of researchers to conduct measurements at various magnetic-confinement plasma devices. The TS diagnostic uses a Quantel Q-smart 1500 Nd:YAG laser with a 2ω harmonic generator to produce up to 850 mJ of 532 nm laser pulses at 10 Hz. Collection optics placed at the detection port consists of an 11 × 3 optical fiber bundle, where the TS diagnostic uses an 11 × 1 subset array of the fibers, the OES diagnostic uses another 11 fibers, and the remaining fibers are available to the host institution. The detection system is comprised of two separate IsoPlane-320 spectrometers with triple-grating turrets of various line spacing and two PI-MAX 4 intensified CCD detectors, used simultaneously to measure a broad range of ion, impurity, and electron parameters. The self-contained diagnostic package also includes a data processing and storage system. The design and initial implementation of the TS-OES diagnostic system are described. The experiments from the proof-of-principle operation of the portable package on a high density (∼2.5 × 1022 m−3) and low-temperature (∼5 eV) electrothermal arc source at ORNL are also discussed.

Kafle, N. (ORCID:000000028144787X)↗
DOE OSTI2020

Shaker Table Test Plan

Currently, spent nuclear fuel (SNF) is stored in onsite independent spent fuel storage facilities (ISFSIs), which is a dry storage facility, at 55 nuclear power plant sites. The majority of SNF in dry storage is in welded metal canisters (2,917 canisters at the end of 2019). The canisters are loaded for storage in storage overpacks (vertical casks or horizontal storage modules) and placed on outdoor concrete pads. Because the SNF will be stored at ISFSIs for an extended period of time, there is growing concern with regards to the behavior of the SNF within these dry storage systems during earthquakes. To address these concerns, the SFWST program is considering conducting an earthquake shaker table test. The goal of this test is to determine the strains and accelerations on fuel assembly hardware and cladding during earthquakes of different magnitudes to better quantify the potential damage an earthquake could inflict on spent nuclear fuel rods. The seismic integrity of the storage system has been addressed in the past by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and is not the focus of this potential test. Instead the DOE would benefit from knowing the condition of the fuel cladding from storage, transportation, to disposal so that it can ascertain repository performance for the fuel and packaging in its final state. A seismic event is part of the possible loading events that the fuel could experience in its lifetime. This report proposes several earthquake shaker table tests with different degrees of complexity. Alternative 1 was defined in the FY20 work scope. Alternatives 2 and 3 were recently developed to take advantage of the NUHOMS 32PTH dry storage canister that may be available in FY21 for this test at a minimum cost to the project. The selection of the alternative(s) will depend on the available budget and the SFWST program priorities for the near future.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Nonexhaustive Taxonomy of Hydropower and Pumped Storage Hydro Facilities [Slides]

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has published benchmark technical reports and presentations that disaggregate major product components for a variety of technologies, including land-based and offshore wind, photovoltaic, and battery energy storage systems. NREL has partnered with staff from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and members of the U.S. Department of Energy's Water Power Technology Office (WPTO) to create a non-exhaustive taxonomy of the major products and components of hydropower and pumped storage systems.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Reducing the Cost of Thermal Energy Storage for Parabolic Trough Solar Power Plants

Thermal energy storage systems using phase change materials were evaluated for trough systems that use oil, steam, and high temperature salts as heat transfer fluids. A variety of eutectic salts and metal alloys were considered as phase change materials in a cascaded arrangement. Literature values of specific heat, latent heat, density, and other thermophysical properties were used in initial analyses. Testing laboratories were contracted to measure properties for candidate materials for comparison to the literature and for updating the models. A TRNSYS model from Phase 1 was further developed for optimizing the system, including a novel control algorithm. A concept for increasing the bulk thermal conductivity of the phase change system was developed using expanded metal sheets. Outside companies were contracted to design and cost systems using platecoil heat exchangers immersed in the phase change material. Laboratory evaluations of the one-dimensional and three-dimensional behavior of expanded metal sheets in a low conductivity medium were used to optimize the amount of thermal conductivity enhancement. The thermal energy storage systems were compared to baseline conventional systems. The best phase change system found in this project, which was for the high temperature plant, had a projected cost of $25.2 per kWhth, The best system also had a cost that was similar to the base case, a direct two-tank molten salt system.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Overcoming Resilience Challenges on the Outer Banks of North Carolina

In 2021, the Town of Nags Head, located in the Outer Banks region of North Carolina, was among the first cohort of coastal and island communities to participate in the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP), which offers technical assistance and cash awards to competitively selected coastal, remote, and island communities seeking to transform their energy systems and increase their energy resilience. As a barrier island separated from mainland North Carolina, Nags Head experiences impacts from extreme weather events, including power outages, especially during hurricane season. To address challenges, the Nags Head ETIPP team sought to improve the town's disaster resilience by ensuring that critical facilities can remain powered during and after extreme events. With support from experts at Sandia National Laboratories, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and the Coastal Studies Institute, the community team identified the following goals for its participation in ETIPP: 1. Identify and prioritize critical facilities that, when powered during disruptions, support the town's resilience. 2. Analyze the potential for on-site solar photovoltaic (PV) and storage systems at 2-4 prioritized critical facilities owned and/or operated by the town. 3. Analyze the potential for interconnecting solar PV and storage systems at a cluster of public and privately owned facilities into a resilient microgrid. 4. Explore finance options and utility interconnection requirements and compensation mechanisms. 5. Summarize outcomes and next steps for town leadership.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Deployment of Energy Storage to Improve Environmental Outcomes of Hydropower

This paper describes how the installation of energy storage systems, co-sited with hydroelectric projects, can offer both economic and environmental benefits by enabling a broader range of electricity performance, capitalizing on its flexibility and grid reliability, while mitigating critical environmental impacts or improving environmental outcomes across U.S. rivers and streams. The paper attempts to link environmental outcomes to energy storage utilization. It offers a comprehensive inventory of research-grade work, site-specific studies, policies, and pilot projects regarding energy storage and hydropower that show significant environmental implications. It provides an outline of methodologies given the known costs and attributes of storage technologies, with case study illustrations. It outlines the key components of a methodology that could be applied within the context of specific projects to reveal the environmental benefits of energy storage paired with hydropower production to properly size the storage systems to seize benefits. The actual methodology would be developed in future work. Finally, we provide a set of gaps to be addressed in future work as this important idea gains traction.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

In situ determination of lithium ion cathode/electrolyte thickness and composition as a function of charge

In this work we report the first experimental in situ determination of the thickness and estimated composition of a condensed electrode/electrolyte interface at various states of charge for the high voltage Li-ion cathode LiMn1.5Ni0.5O4 by exploiting the power of neutron reflectometry.1 Understanding the electrode/electrolyte interface is critical to developing an understanding of interfacial reactions needed to model transport phenomena and predict more stable electrolytes for electrochemical cells.2,3 However, developing the ability to control interfacial reactions in electrochemical cells is arguably one of the most critical challenges confronting researchers focused on energy storage and conversion reactions as well as liquid phase reactions such as photocatalysts and biomass conversion.2 For example, in electrochemical energy storage systems, such as batteries, the reactions between a solid electrode and a liquid electrolyte can lead to the formation of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), which directly mediates the stability, durability and safety of the cell. Controlling these interfacial reactions is essential to developing new, durable, and higher energy storage systems needed in the future.

Neutron Reflectometry↗
DOE OSTI2013

Energy Storage/Conservation and Carbon Emissions Reduction Demonstration Project

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) federal assistance for the management of a project to develop and test a prototype flywheel-based energy recovery and storage system in partnership with Test Devices, Inc. (TDI). TDI specializes in the testing of jet engine and power generation turbines, which uses a great deal of electrical power for long periods of time. In fact, in 2007, the company consumed 3,498,500 kW-­hr of electricity in their operations, which is equivalent to the electricity of 328 households. For this project, CTE and TDI developed and tested a prototype flywheel-based energy recovery and storage system. This technology is being developed at TDI’s facilities to capture and reuse the energy necessary for the company’s core process. The new technology and equipment is expected to save approximately 80% of the energy used in the TDI process, reducing total annual consumption of power by approximately 60%, saving approximately two million kilowatt-hours annually. Additionally, the energy recycling system will allow TDI and other end users to lower their peak power demand and reduce associated utility demand charges. The use of flywheels in this application is novel and requires significant development work from TDI. Flywheels combine low maintenance costs with very high cycle life with little to no degradation over time, resulting in lifetimes measured in decades. All of these features make flywheels a very attractive option compared to other forms of energy storage, including batteries. Development and deployment of this energy recycling technology will reduce energy consumption during jet engine and stationary turbine development. By reengineering the current inefficient testing process, TDI will reduce risk and time to market of efficiency upgrades of gas turbines across the entire spectrum of applications. Once in place the results from this program will also help other US industries to utilize energy recycling technology to lower domestic energy use and see higher net energy efficiency. The prototype system and results will be used to seek additional resources to carry out full deployment of a system. Ultimately, this innovative technology is expected to be transferable to other testing applications involving energy-based cycling within the company as well as throughout the industry.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Renewable Firming EnergyFarm Final Report

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 (Recovery Act) provided the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) with funds to modernize the electric power grid. One program under this initiative is the Smart Grid Demonstration program (SGDP). The SGDP mandate is to demonstrate how a suite of existing and emerging smart grid technologies can be innovatively applied and integrated to prove technical, operational, and business-model feasibility. Primus Power is a provider of low cost, long life and long duration energy storage systems. The Company’s flow batteries are shipping to US and international microgrid, utility, military, commercial and industrial customers. Primus Power’s EnergyPod® is a modular battery system for grid scale applications available in configurations ranging from 25 kW to more than 25 MW. The EnergyPod provides nameplate power for 5 hours. This long duration unlocks economic benefits on both sides of the electric meter. It allows commercial and industrial customers to shift low cost electricity purchased at night to offset afternoon electrical peaks to reduce utility demand charges. It also allows utilities to economically reduce power peaks and defer costly upgrades to distribution infrastructure. An EnergyPod contains one or more EnergyCells-a highly engineered flow battery core made from low cost, readily available materials. An EnergyCell includes a membrane-free stack of titanium electrodes located above a novel liquid electrolyte management system. This patented design enables reliable, low maintenance operation for decades. It is safe and robust, featuring non-flammable aqueous electrolyte, sophisticated fault detection and built-in secondary containment. Unlike Li Ion batteries, the EnergyCell is not susceptible to thermal runaway. This cooperative agreement project was started in Feb 2010. The objectives of the project are: 1. Trigger rapid adoption of grid storage systems in the US by demonstrating a low cost, robust and flexible EnergyFarm®. 2. Accelerate adoption of renewable energy and enhance grid stability by firming the output of wind & solar farms. 3. Demonstrate improved grid asset utilization by storing energy during off-peak periods for dispatch during local load peaks. 4. Establish an advanced battery manufacturing industry in the U.S. 5. Reduce CO2 emissions from utilities. This report summarizes the key milestones, data, results and lessons learned from the project. The desired goals and benefits of the cooperative agreement with the DOE have all been achieved. The project has contributed to reducing power costs, accelerating adoption of renewable energy resources, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and establishing advanced battery manufacturing in the U.S. The Recovery Act funds provided thru the DOE have been leveraged multiple times by additional private equity investment. Primus Power continues to ship low cost, long life and long duration EnergyPod® flow battery systems to utilities, commercial/industrial, microgrid and data center customers. After the conclusion of this project, Primus Power has modified the EnergyPod® design to optimize around energy performance. Primus Power has moved to a prefabricated enclosure instead of multiple EnergyCells in a container. This lowers capital and maintenance costs and can optimize site design. Utilities are starting to adopt energy storage for a variety of functions. The market will grow as the technology is proven and profitable applications expand.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Foam-insulated cryo-compressed hydrogen storage vessels for buses

Here, large reductions (40 % vs. compressed gaseous hydrogen vessels and 17 % vs. vacuum insulated cryo-compressed vessels) in hydrogen storage system cost are possible by operating buses with foam-insulated cryo-compressed hydrogen (CcH 2 ) vessels. Detailed thermodynamic analysis reveals that large size and rapid H 2 consumption in buses compensate for the poor performance of foam insulation (∼100 times more conductive than vacuum multilayer insulation), resulting in compact and inexpensive H 2 storage systems with sufficient H 2 capacity for the longest routes (500 km) while maintaining previously identified advantages of CcH 2 systems: increased autonomy, rapid high density refueling, and improved safety, while simultaneously avoiding vacuum insulation stability problems resulting from composite resin outgassing.

Cryo-compressed↗
DOE OSTI2019

Ortho-H2 refueling for extended cryogenic pressure vessel dormancy

A cryogenic hydrogen storage system reduces hydrogen loss by providing an initial supply of hydrogen wherein the initial hydrogen has an initial para/ortho hydrogen ratio. The initial hydrogen having an initial para/ortho hydrogen ratio is adjusted to produce final hydrogen having a final para/ortho hydrogen ratio with a greater amount of ortho hydrogen, The cryogenic hydrogen storage system is refueled with the final hydrogen having a final para/ortho hydrogen ratio with a greater amount of ortho hydrogen.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2024

Systems and methods for randomized energy draw or supply requests

The present disclosure can provide a distributed and anonymous approach to demand response of an electricity system. The approach can conceptualize energy consumption and production of distributed-energy resources (DERs) via discrete energy packets that are coordinated by a cyber computing entity that grants or denies energy packet requests from the DERs. The approach leverages a condition of a DER, which is particularly useful for (1) thermostatically-controlled loads, (2) non-thermostatic conditionally-controlled loads, and (3) bi-directional distributed energy storage systems, among others. In a first aspect of the present approach, each DER independently requests the authority to switch on for a fixed amount of time (i.e., packet duration). The coordinator determines whether to grant or deny each request based electric grid and/or energy or power market conditions. In a second aspect, bi-directional DERs, such as distributed-energy storage systems (DESSs) are further able to request to supply energy to the grid.

Frolik, Jeff↗
DOE OSTI2018

Virtual Environment for Testing Software-Defined Networking Solutions for Scientific Workflows

Recent developments in software-defined infrastructures promise that scientific workflows utilizing supercomputers, instruments, and storage systems will be dynamically composed and orchestrated using software at unprecedented speed and scale in the near future. Testing of the underlying networking software, particularly during initial exploratory stages, remains a challenge due to potential disruptions, and resource allocation and coordination needed over the multi-domain physical infrastructure. To overcome these challenges, we develop the Virtual Science Network Environment (VSNE) that emulates the multi-site host, storage, and network infrastructure using Virtual Machines (VMs), wherein the production and nascent software can be tested. Within each VM, which represents a site, the hosts and local-area networks are emulated using Mininet, and the Software-Defined Network (SDN) controllers and service daemon codes are natively run to support dynamic provisioning of network connections. Additionally, Lustre filesystem support at the sites and an emulation of the long-haul network using Mininet, are provided using separate VMs. As case studies, we describe Lustre file transfers using XDD, Red5 streaming service demonstration, and an emulated experiment with remote monitoring and steering modules, all supported over dynamically configured connections using SDN controllers.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Heteroatom-Modified and Compacted Zeolite-Templated Carbons for Gas Storage

Methane, the primary component of natural gas, is an energy-rich fuel by weight but exhibits lower energy density by volume than diesel and gasoline; efforts to increase its “volumetric” energy density have been focused on the design and synthesis of a porous scaffold that can bind the methane favorably. Novel approaches typically invoke the highly designable class of materials known as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) owing to the relative difficulty of controlling carbon structure and composition precisely, without the use of a metal-based node. In this project, we instead explore the concept of carbon templating to achieve a porous scaffold with atomistically thin walls separated at a distance of ~1.2 nm, ideal for the formation of precisely two layers of methane per pore. This bottom-up templating approach permits the use of any small molecular precursor to build up the carbon scaffold, begging the question: which other elements (besides carbon) can be used to tune the surface for optimal methane binding without compromising the structure of the overall material? Boron and nitrogen were both explored and nitrogen was identified as the ideal agent for increasing methane binding to the optimal strength for use at near room temperature. Densification of the resulting materials by mechanical compaction was then explored to produce free-standing pellets with the highest methane “delivery” capacities of any known material. Here we define the amount “delivered” as the amount stored minus the amount remaining in the tank at 73 psi, the lowest useful pressure for vehicular transportation applications. The key features of the resulting methane storage system are rapid discharging and refueling speeds, extremely long cycle life (infinite cycle life for high-purity methane), a near-constant heat of refueling (making the heat generated upon refueling easier to manage), and a low maximum pressure of operation (<1500 psi), enabling the use of all-metal Type I cylinders and significantly reducing the costs of conversion of existing vehicles to cleaner burning, abundantly available natural gas). The technical effectiveness of this approach was further improved by exploring several cost-reduction strategies and investigating the reliability of such storage systems in the presence of “real” natural gas mixtures which contain a mixture of gaseous species.

03 NATURAL GAS↗