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At least 163 records · Page 9

Clean Energy Manufacturing: Renewable Energy Technology Benchmarks

The manufacturing of clean energy technologies has become a global enterprise. An analysis of four clean energy technology manufacturing processes—wind turbine components, crystalline silicon solar photovoltaic modules, light-duty vehicle lithium-ion battery cells, and light-emitting diodes—was conducted to provide a reference point for comparison over time as this sector evolves. The manufacturing supply chain analysis included processing of raw materials, making required subcomponents, and assembling final products, using benchmarks that crossed 12 economies: Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, South Korea, Republic of China (Taiwan), the United Kingdom, and the United States. Larger economies, with extensive manufacturing supply chains and high prevailing wages, tend to retain more value added from clean energy manufacturing than small economies. Manufacturing of clean energy technologies drives extensive trade among economies to support the widely distributed supply chain links. Production of wind turbine components and photovoltaic modules is more centralized than production of light-emitting diodes and lithium-ion battery cells. Across the four clean energy technologies evaluated, there was generally an excess of manufacturing capacity relative to global supply.

benchmarks↗

Numerical Simulation of Metal Melt Flow in a One-Strand Tundish Regarding Active Filtration and Reactive Cleaning

In the paper, two different cleaning strategies for nonmetallic inclusions in steel melts, active filtration and reactive cleaning, are examined in a prototype tundish configuration. In active filtration, nonmetallic inclusions are deposited at the filter surfaces. In reactive cleaning, nonmetallic inclusions stick to the filter surfaces, too. In addition, they are floated by the action of carbon monoxide bubbles, which are generated by reaction between carbon and oxygen in the steel melt. In order to compare the performance of both strategies, numerical simulations of the two-phase flows of steel melt and dispersed nonmetallic inclusions are performed. Turbulence is resolved with implicit large eddy simulation. If necessary, species transports of dissolved carbon in the melt and reaction with oxygen are employed. Cleaning efficiencies are deduced from the simulations which demonstrate that reactive cleaning is much more efficient than active filtration.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Annealing temperature variation and its influence on the self-cleaning properties of TiO 2 thin films

Titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) is an important material in science and engineering because of its basic and synthetic properties. Nevertheless, there is a dearth of reports in the open literature focusing on its ability to self-clean under temperature changes. In this study, we used the spin coating technique to produce TiO 2 thin films to evaluate its self-cleaning ability after annealing at different temperatures. The TiO 2 sol was obtained through an endothermal sol-gel process, and the gel was coated on a glass substrate using a spin coater. The deposited films were then annealed at 400 °C, 600 °C, and 800 °C for 1 h. The influence of annealing temperature variation on the self-cleaning properties of the thin film was characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope; Fourier transformed infrared spectrometric analysis and UV-vis spectrophotometer. A test to ascertain self-cleaning was conducted using the degradation of methylene blue, and the different films were tested for durability. The durability test confirmed the connection between solid coating and substrate at all annealing temperatures. Thin films annealed at 600 °C revealed the best self-cleaning properties. The morphological analysis revealed snowflake shapes uniformly distributed over the substrate at 400 °C, and agglomeration improved as the annealing temperature increased. Structural analysis showed an increase in crystallinity with an increase in annealing temperature for both rutile and anatase phases. At three different temperatures, the chemical bond and the absorption band pattern followed the same path, although the peak intensity declined with temperature rise. Finally, the optical bandgap of the thin coated TiO 2 declined from 3.39 eV to 3.20 eV as the binding temperature increased from 400 to 800 °C.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

The impact of market design and clean energy incentives on strategic generation investments and resource adequacy in low-carbon electricity markets

Well-designed electricity markets play a crucial role in maintaining reliable electric power systems, which are critical in modern society. Here, this study examines the impact of different electricity market designs and clean energy incentive schemes on supporting renewable energy integration and achieving clean energy goals. To this end, we utilize a game-theoretical generation expansion planning model where generation companies make investment and retirement decisions to maximize their expected profit. The model is structured as an equilibrium problem with equilibrium constraints (EPEC) and solved using a diagonalization approach combined with progressive hedging. We analyze three types of electricity market designs: an energy-only market, a capacity market, and a clean energy market, and consider a wide range of market parameters resulting in 14 total scenarios. Wind and solar capacity comprise the majority of new investments in all considered scenarios, but the resultant system planning reserve margin (PRM) can differ significantly depending on market parameters. We also find that profit-driven investments lead to lower PRMs than a traditional system cost minimization approach. These individual scenario results further demonstrate how different market designs and clean energy incentive schemes may influence investor decision-making and impact resource adequacy throughout the clean energy transition.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Investigation of aluminum surface cleaning using cavitating fluid flow

This paper investigates efficiency of specially designed atomizer used to spray water and cavitate microbubbles in water flow. Surface cleaning system was used to clean machined (grinded) aluminum surface from abrasive particles. It is established that cleaning efficiency depends on diameter of the diffuser, water pressure and distance between nozzle and metal surface. It is obtained that the best cleaning efficiency (100%) is achieved at pressure 36 bar, when diameter of diffuser is 0.4 mm and distance between nozzle and surface is 1 mm. It is also established that satisfactory cleaning efficiency (80%) is achieved not only when atomizer is placed closer to metal surface, but also at larger (120 mm) distances.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Effect of cleaning procedures on the electrical properties of carbon nanotube transistors—A statistical study

The interface between a carbon nanotube (CNT) and its environment can dramatically affect the electrical properties of CNT-based field-effect transistors (FETs). For such devices, the channel environment plays a significant role inducing doping or charge traps giving rise to hysteresis in the transistor characteristics. Thereby the fabrication process strongly determines the extent of those effects and the final device performance. In CNT-based devices obtained from dispersions, a proper individualization of the nanotubes is mandatory. This is generally realized by an ultrasonic treatment combined with surfactant molecules, which enwrap nanotubes forming micelle aggregates. To minimize impact on device performance, it is of vital importance to consider post-deposition treatments for removal of surfactant molecules and other impurities. In this context, we investigated the effect of several wet chemical cleaning and thermal post treatments on the electrical characteristics as well as physical properties of more than 600 devices fabricated only by wafer-level compatible technologies. We observed that nitric acid and water treatments improved the maximum-current of devices. Additionally, we found that the ethanol treatment successfully lowered hysteresis in the transfer characteristics. The effect of the chemical cleaning procedures was found to be more significant on CNT-metal contacts than for the FET channels. Moreover, we investigated the effect of an additional thermal cleaning step under vacuum after the chemical cleaning, which had an exceptional impact on the hysteresis behavior including hysteresis reversal. The presence of surfactant molecules on CNT was evidenced by X-ray photoelectron and Raman spectroscopies. By identifying the role of surfactant molecules and assessing the enhancement of device performance as a direct consequence of several cleaning procedures, these results are important for the development of CNT-based electronics at the wafer-level.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Surface oxidation of GaN(0001): Nitrogen plasma-assisted cleaning for ultrahigh vacuum applications

The cleaning of metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxial GaN(0001) template layers grown on sapphire has been investigated. Different procedures, performed under ultrahigh vacuum conditions, including degassing and exposure to active nitrogen from a radio frequency nitrogen plasma source have been compared. For this purpose, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, reflection high-energy electron diffraction, and scanning tunneling microscopy have been employed in order to assess chemical as well as structural and morphological surface properties. Initial degassing at 600 °C under ultrahigh vacuum conditions only partially eliminates the surface contaminants. In contrast to plasma assisted nitrogen cleaning at temperatures as low as 300 °C, active-nitrogen exposure at temperatures as high as 700 °C removes the majority of oxide species from the surface. However, extended high-temperature active-nitrogen cleaning leads to severe surface roughening. Optimum results regarding both the removal of surface oxides as well as the surface structural and morphological quality have been achieved for a combination of initial low-temperature plasma-assisted cleaning, followed by a rapid nitrogen plasma-assisted cleaning at high temperature.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Combined wet and dry cleaning of SiGe(001)

Combined wet and dry cleaning via hydrofluoric acid (HF) and atomic hydrogen on Si{sub 0.6}Ge{sub 0.4}(001) surface was studied at the atomic level using ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS), and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to understand the chemical transformations of the surface. Aqueous HF removes native oxide, but residual carbon and oxygen are still observed on Si{sub 0.6}Ge{sub 0.4}(001) due to hydrocarbon contamination from post HF exposure to ambient. The oxygen contamination can be eliminated by shielding the sample from ambient via covering the sample in the HF cleaning solution until the sample is introduced to the vacuum chamber or by transferring the sample in an inert environment; however, both processes still leave carbon contaminant. Dry in-situ atomic hydrogen cleaning above 330 °C removes the carbon contamination on the surface consistent with a thermally activated atomic hydrogen reaction with surface hydrocarbon. A postdeposition anneal at 550 °C induces formation of an atomically flat and ordered SiGe surface observed by STM. STS verifies that the wet and dry cleaned surface has an unpinned Fermi level with no states between the conduction and valence band edge comparable to sputter cleaned SiGe surfaces.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Chalkboard 2 - How to Make Clean Hydrogen

Clean hydrogen is a carbon-free energy carrier that can be produced from water and sustainable energy sources such as wind, solar, and nuclear. Therefore, clean hydrogen is one of the best ways to not only decarbonize the energy supply system, but also address the zero-emission challenges specific to large-carbon emitting industries that are difficult to separate from fossil fuels. To help achieve the Biden Administration's goal of a 100% clean energy economy and net-zero emissions by 2050, several tens of millions of metric tons of clean, low-cost hydrogen will be needed annually. The HydroGEN Advanced Water Splitting Materials (AWSM) Consortium was established in 2016 as part of the Energy Materials Network (EMN) under the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office to enhance the performance, improve the durability, and reduce the cost of clean hydrogen production technologies, and it is helping to advance the H2@Scale vision.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Energy Zones Study: A Comprehensive Web-Based Mapping Tool to Identify and Analyze Clean Energy Zones in the Eastern Interconnection

This report describes the work conducted in support of the Eastern Interconnection States’ Planning Council (EISPC) Energy Zones Study and the development of the Energy Zones Mapping Tool performed by a team of experts from three National Laboratories. The multi-laboratory effort was led by Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne), in collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). In June 2009, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Energy Technology Laboratory published Funding Opportunity Announcement FOA-0000068, which invited applications for interconnection-level analysis and planning. In December 2009, the Eastern Interconnection Planning Collaborative (EIPC) and the EISPC were selected as two award recipients for the Eastern Interconnection. Subsequently, in 2010, DOE issued Research Call RC-BM-2010 to DOE’s Federal Laboratories to provide research support and assistance to FOA-0000068 awardees on a variety of key subjects. Argonne was selected as the lead laboratory to provide support to EISPC in developing a methodology and a mapping tool for identifying potential clean energy zones in the Eastern Interconnection. In developing the EISPC Energy Zones Mapping Tool (EZ Mapping Tool), Argonne, NREL, and ORNL closely collaborated with the EISPC Energy Zones Work Group which coordinated the work on the Energy Zones Study. The main product of the Energy Zones Study is the EZ Mapping Tool, which is a web-based decision support system that allows users to locate areas with high suitability for clean power generation in the U.S. portion of the Eastern Interconnection. The mapping tool includes 9 clean (low- or no-carbon) energy resource categories and 29 types of clean energy technologies. The EZ Mapping Tool contains an extensive geographic information system database and allows the user to apply a flexible modeling approach for the identification and analysis of potential energy zones and is publicly available at http://eispctools.anl.gov. In addition to enabling EISPC members and other stakeholders to identify areas with a high concentration of clean energy resources that could provide significant power generation in the future, another objective of the study was to promote open and transparent collaboration among state-level energy planning and regulatory agencies and to foster consistent and coordinated direction for regional and interconnection-level electricity analyses and planning. Funding for the project was provided by DOE’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (DOE/OE) under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Page

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Annual Report, Spring 2015: Alternative Chemical Cleaning Methods for High Level Waste Tanks – Corrosion Test Results

The testing presented in this report is in support of the investigation of the Alternative Chemical Cleaning program to aid in developing strategies and technologies to chemically clean radioactive High Level Waste tanks prior to tank closure. The data and conclusions presented here were the examination of the corrosion rates of A285 carbon steel and 304L stainless steel when interacted with the chemical cleaning solution composed of 0.18 M nitric acid and 0.5 wt. % oxalic acid. This solution has been proposed as a dissolution solution that would be used to remove the remaining hard heel portion of the sludge in the waste tanks. This solution was combined with the HM and PUREX simulated sludge with dilution ratios that represent the bulk oxalic cleaning process (20:1 ratio, acid solution to simulant) and the cumulative volume associated with multiple acid strikes (50:1 ratio). The testing was conducted over 28 days at 50°C and deployed two methods to invest the corrosion conditions; passive weight loss coupon and an active electrochemical probe were used to collect data on the corrosion rate and material performance. In addition to investigating the chemical cleaning solutions, electrochemical corrosion testing was performed on acidic and basic solutions containing sodium permanganate at room temperature to explore the corrosion impacts if these solutions were to be implemented to retrieve remaining actinides that are currently in the sludge of the tank.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Alternative Chemical Cleaning Methods for High Level Waste Tanks: Actual Waste Testing with SRS Tank 5F Sludge

Solubility testing with actual High Level Waste tank sludge has been conducted in order to evaluate several alternative chemical cleaning technologies for the dissolution of sludge residuals remaining in the tanks after the exhaustion of mechanical cleaning and sludge sluicing efforts. Tests were conducted with archived Savannah River Site (SRS) radioactive sludge solids that had been retrieved from Tank 5F in order to determine the effectiveness of an optimized, dilute oxalic/nitric acid cleaning reagent toward dissolving the bulk non-radioactive waste components. Solubility tests were performed by direct sludge contact with the oxalic/nitric acid reagent and with sludge that had been pretreated and acidified with dilute nitric acid. For comparison purposes, separate samples were also contacted with pure, concentrated oxalic acid following current baseline tank chemical cleaning methods. One goal of testing with the optimized reagent was to compare the total amounts of oxalic acid and water required for sludge dissolution using the baseline and optimized cleaning methods. A second objective was to compare the two methods with regard to the dissolution of actinide species known to be drivers for SRS tank closure Performance Assessments (PA). Additionally, solubility tests were conducted with Tank 5 sludge using acidic and caustic permanganate-based methods focused on the “targeted” dissolution of actinide species.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Closure Report for Corrective Action Unit 412: Clean Slate I Plutonium Dispersion (TTR) Tonopah Test Range, Nevada, Revision 0

This Closure Report (CR) presents information supporting the clean closure of Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 412: Clean Slate I Plutonium Dispersion (TTR), located on the Tonopah Test Range, Nevada. CAU 412 consists of a release of radionuclides to the surrounding soil from a storage–transportation test conducted on May 25, 1963. Corrective action investigation (CAI) activities were performed in April and May 2015, as set forth in the Streamlined Approach for Environmental Restoration (SAFER) Plan for Corrective Action Unit 412: Clean Slate I Plutonium Dispersion (TTR), Tonopah Test Range, Nevada; and in accordance with the Soils Activity Quality Assurance Plan. The purpose of the CAI was to fulfill data needs as defined during the data quality objectives process. The CAU 412 dataset of investigation results was evaluated based on a data quality assessment. This assessment demonstrated the dataset is complete and acceptable for use in fulfilling the data needs identified by the data quality objectives process. This CR provides documentation and justification for the clean closure of CAU 412 under the FFACO without further corrective action. This justification is based on historical knowledge of the site, previous site investigations, implementation of the 1997 interim corrective action, and the results of the CAI. The corrective action of clean closure was confirmed as appropriate for closure of CAU 412 based on achievement of the following closure objectives: Radiological contamination at the site is less than the final action level using the ground troops exposure scenario (i.e., the radiological dose is less than the final action level): Removable alpha contamination is less than the high contamination area criterion: No potential source material is present at the site, and any impacted soil associated with potential source material has been removed so that remaining soil contains contaminants at concentrations less than the final action levels: and There is sufficient information to characterize investigation and remediation waste for disposal.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

James Webb Space Telescope Primary and Secondary Mirror Segment Assemblies Cleaning: a Quantitative Assessment

The James Webb Space Telescope Primary Mirror Segment Assemblies (PMSAs) and Secondary Mirror Assembly (SMA) were cleaned at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in January 2018. In order to quantify the effectiveness of the cleaning, the same cleaning process was performed on the PMSA and SMA traveling witness wafers. These wafers have accompanied their respective mirror segments from their arrival at the Goddard Space Flight Center, through transport to JSC, and ultimately their exposure in Chamber A for cryogenic testing. The traveling wafers were analyzed using an Image Analysis automated microscope both prior to and after the cleaning. The resulting data showed that the PMSA wafers' Percent Area Coverage (PAC) reduced by 83.5% on average, from 0.1524 PAC to 0.0251 PAC. The SMA wafer's PAC decreased by 97.2%, from 0.1194 PAC to 0.0034 PAC. Further analysis of the particle size bins was completed in order to calculate their particle distribution slopes. The slope of the PMSA wafers increased by 0.025 on average, and the SMA wafer slope increased by 0.066. This indicates that the ratio of large to small particles slightly increased after the cleaning across all mirror segments. Visual inspections of the wafers and the flight PMSAs and SMA showed considerable and comparable particulate coverage improvements, thus leading to the conclusion that the average PAC on the PMSAs and SMA improved by the same factor as their respective wafers.

mirror↗

Ultrapure Water System at JSC for High Purity Cleaning of Flight Hardware, Astromaterial Handling Tools and Solar Wind Samples

Use of Ultrapure Water (UPW) for cleaning of astromaterial sample handling tools and containers was driven by the discontinuation of Freon 113 as a cleaning solvent, due to environmental concerns. Freon 113, recycled using distillation, was very effective at removing organic residues from sample handling hardware. The initial switch to high purity water for astromaterial tool cleaning was modeled after efforts at White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) and current semiconductor UPW production practices in the early 1990s. JSC curation’s first system was comprised of ion exchange polishing cylinders, 55 gallon PVDF-lined storage tank, a few tens of feet of PVDF piping, UV and particle filtration, and this system supported cleaning for lunar, meteorite and Cosmic Dust collectors lab operations. By 2000 a major expansion and upgrade was providing UPW of quality E-1 (ASTM D5127-90) or better at 10 gpm for cleaning of the Genesis solar wind payload for flight, in addition to sample handling tools for other astromaterials. This expansion included a 1000 gallon storage tank and several hundred feet of PVDF piping located in B. 31 and 31N. An extra reverse osmosis process unit was added to incoming water in 2005. Subsequently several major components were replaced, and in anticipation of adding new labs, an enlarged UPW system was designed in 2018 and completed in 2019. This system produces grade E1.1 UPW at 15 gpm in a continuous 1100 ft. loop with 5000 gal. storage tank, supplying 8 laboratories.

Ultrapure water↗

Agent-Based Modleing of Power Plants Placement to Evaluate the Clean Energy Standard Goal

There is a political push for utilities to supply a specified share of their electricity sales from clean energy resources under the clean energy standard (CES). The goal is to achieve 80% clean energy by 2035. However, there are uncertainties about the ability of the utility industry to ramp up quickly even with the incentives that will be provided. Water availability from the streams is one of the major factors. The contiguous United States is divided into eighteen water regions, and multiple states share water from a single water region. Consequently, water usage decisions made in one state (located upstream of a water region that crosses multiple states) will greatly impact what is available downstream in another state. In this paper, an agent-based modeling approach is proposed to evaluate the clean energy standard goal for water-dependent energy resources. Specifically, using a water region rather than a state boundary as a bounding envelope for the modeling and starting at the headwaters, virtual power plants are placed based on the conditions that there is: (i) suitable land to site a particular power plant, (ii) enough water that meet regulatory guidelines within 20 miles of the suitable land, and (iii) a 20-mile buffer zone from an existing or a virtual power plant. The results obtained are discussed in the context of the proposed clean energy standard goal for states that overlap with one water region.

agent-based modeling↗

Clean Energy Technologies for Economic Development at Global and Community Scales

Energy systems in communities across the world are undergoing fundamental transformations. Electricity and heat production is becoming cleaner and more distributed, driven by declining energy prices and higher technology efficiencies, as well as a desire to reduce environmental impact. The technologies that produce clean energy, such as solar photovoltaic panels, wind turbines, and lithium ion batteries for vehicles and storage, depend less on global fuel costs and more on costs for technology, manufacturing, and local resources. Therefore, innovations in manufacturing, systems integration, operations, and policies can reduce clean energy costs across all the links in the energy supply chain. The advanced and cleaner energy systems being deployed have resulted in communities gaining a greater role in creating and using energy from local resources, as well as increasing their participation in the value chain from research, manufacturing, and deployment. The clean energy trends are expected to continue and perhaps grow through expansion of clean energy technologies for industrial and transportation sectors, although there are many possible future scenarios due to the diversity of resources and societal objectives in different communities, countries, and regions. This presentation will summarize the status and potential futures of key clean energy technologies and their manufacturing and deployment, with discussion of opportunities for sustainable communities.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

NREL's 100% Clean Electricity by 2035 Study

The 100% Clean Electricity by 2035 Study evaluates a variety of scenarios that achieve a 100% clean electricity system (defined as zero net greenhouse gas emissions) in 2035 that could put the United States on a path to economywide net-zero emissions by 2050. The scenarios focus primarily on the supply of clean electricity, including technical requirements, challenges, and benefit and cost implications. The study results highlight multiple pathways to 100% clean electricity in which benefits exceed costs. The study does not comprehensively evaluate all options to achieve 100% clean electricity, and it focuses largely on supply-side options. This summary deck provides a high-level overview of the key findings.

clean electricity↗