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DOE OSTI2024

The Wind Turbine Rotors of the Future: A Research Agenda from the Big Adaptive Rotor Project

This white paper outlines a roadmap to inform future research efforts around the wind turbine rotors of the future. The document is authored by researchers that have been working on the Big Adaptive Rotor (BAR) and related initiatives at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories. The Wind Energy Technologies Office of the U.S. Department of Energy has been funding BAR since 2018. The learnings from BAR have been documented in dozens of publications. This new paper identifies unresolved critical challenges in wind turbine rotor technology and structures them in four large topic areas: 1. Predictive and validated numerical tools. 2. Design methods and standards. 3. Improvements in manufacturing. 4. Technological innovations. Although wind turbines have not changed in their core architecture, with the market almost entirely dominated by three-bladed upwind rotors, a vast amount of research has allowed to introduce technological innovations resulting in a reduction in levelized cost of energy that made wind competitive with all traditional sources of electricity. Focusing on the rotor, blades will keep following the trend of mass and stiffness reduction, will adopt segmentation, and will keep growing in length, both land-based and offshore. To support this continuous innovation, this white paper argues that research efforts in rotor technology at the national labs are best directed to the first three topic areas and to low technology-readiness-levels (1-3) innovations, leaving the task of implementing higher-TRL (4-9) technological innovations to industry stakeholders. This research roadmap is also well aligned with the upcoming roadmap defined during the International Energy Agency 109th Topical Expert Meeting on the Grand Challenges of Wind Energy.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Josephson Traveling Wave Parametric Amplifiers to Enable Future Neutrino Mass Measurements

Technologies for “quantum sensing" have the promise of dramatically improved sensitivity in some experiments that explore nuclear physics at the boundaries of our current knowledge. In particular, the Josephson Traveling Wave Parametric Amplifier (JTWPA) could enable future experiments such as Project 8 that use Cyclotron Radiation Emission Spectroscopy (CRES) to measure the absolute neutrino mass scale in tritium beta decays. CRES consists of detecting a signal of approximately one femtowatt of power radiated by electrons trapped in a 1-T magnetic field. The frequency of that radiation, around 27 GHz for a tritium endpoint electron, is inversely proportional to the electron energy. One of the significant challenges of a CRES experiment is the detection of minimal signal power levels. State-of-the-art transistor-based technologies will not likely achieve sufficient signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in a competitive neutrino mass experiment. However, emerging quantum technologies have been demonstrated to operate at the fundamental lower limits of noise permitted by the laws of quantum mechanics. Of those technologies, JTWPAs appear to satisfy future performance needs with speed gain, bandwidth, and very low noise. We propose to bring together a group of neutrino physicists, experts in the needs of future neutrino mass measurements, with leaders in the field of quantum information science and JTWPA technology to develop JTWPAs appropriate for neutrino mass measurements.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Critically assessing sodium-ion technology roadmaps and scenarios for techno-economic competitiveness against lithium-ion batteries

Sodium-ion batteries have garnered notable attention as a potentially low-cost alternative to lithium-ion batteries, which have experienced supply shortages and price volatility for key minerals. Here we assess their techno-economic competitiveness against incumbent lithium-ion batteries using a modelling framework incorporating componential learning curves constrained by minerals prices and engineering design floors. We compare projected sodium-ion and lithium-ion price trends across over 6,000 scenarios while varying Na-ion technology development roadmaps, supply chain scenarios, market penetration and learning rates. Assuming that substantial progress can be made along technology roadmaps via targeted research and development, we identify several sodium-ion pathways that might reach cost-competitiveness with low-cost lithium-ion variants in the 2030s. In addition, we show that timelines are highly sensitive to movements in critical minerals supply chains—namely that of lithium, graphite and nickel. Our modelled outcomes suggest that being price advantageous against low-cost lithium-ion variants in the near term is challenging and increasing sodium-ion energy densities to decrease materials intensity is among the most impactful ways to improve competitiveness.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Hawaii Solar Desalination Project

This project built the world’s largest Forward Osmosis (FO) solar thermal desalination plant at the NELHA Hawaii Ocean Science and Technology Park for a high visibility “on sun” demonstration of seawater desalination for agricultural applications. The project included re-commissioning an existing 2MW micro-dish solar thermal array and coupling it to a next-generation 500m3/day FO system. The purpose of the project was to validate FO at commercial scale; to verify that the water produced is safe for potential downstream agricultural users; to gather data on capital cost, energy consumption and operating expense for the technology; and to demonstrate that FO can be successfully coupled to low-grade thermal resources. The plant implemented advancements in FO component technology, including hot nano-filtration, polymeric heat exchangers, draw solutions, and improved FO membranes, and operated from June 2022 to September 2023 - producing 30gpm of permeate water. Thermal energy was below 30kWh/m 3 during operation, establishing a new benchmark in thermal desalination technology, with recovery rates at times exceeding 65%, well above what commercial RO systems can achieve. Combining the plant capital cost (CAPEX) and the operating expenses (OPEX) yields a Levelized Cost of Water (LCOW) that is competitive with existing carbon-intensive technologies such as RO. The ability of the plant to operate from a renewable resource paves the way toward a low-carbon desalination future using low-grade thermal resources.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Lessons Learned from US Experience with Biofuels: Comparing the Hype with the Evidence

Biofuel production in the United States, primarily from corn, has more than doubled since 2007, leading to concerns about its unintended consequences for agricultural and fuel markets. To examine the validity of these concerns and inform the debate about biofuels and their impacts, we review ex ante projections and ex post evidence of the effects of biofuels on land use, food and fuel prices, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We find that biofuels expansion contributed to an initial significant increase in agricultural commodity prices, but these impacts have dissipated over time as crop productivity has increased and cropping patterns have changed. Simulated estimates of indirect land use change and the related GHG emissions intensity of biofuels have also declined sharply from their early levels, which is consistent with ex post evidence. Additionally, growth in biofuel production caused a very modest reduction in fossil fuel prices, implying a small fuel rebound effect. Overall, estimates imply that first-generation biofuels from corn have a lower carbon intensity than gasoline. Lastly, learning by doing, economies of scale, and technological improvements have made biofuels from corn increasingly competitive, reducing the need for subsidies and import tariffs. We conclude with a discussion of the lessons learned from the US biofuels experience.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Integrated Risk-Informed Condition Based Maintenance Capability and Automated Platform: Technical Report 3

This project is a collaborative research effort between PKMJ Technical Services LLC, Idaho National Laboratory, and Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) Nuclear, LLC. The collaboration, led by PKMJ Technical Services LLC, is part of the industry Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) award under Advanced Nuclear Technology Development FOA #DE-FOA-0001817. The pilot demonstration focuses on the Circulating Water System (CWS), an important non-safety-related system that impacts the power generation capability of the plant site. Achieving riskinformed condition-based Predictive Maintenance (PdM) on the CWS will result in significant economic benefits, and the developed methodologies can also be applied to other plant systems. This approach supports an industry goal of ensuring that nuclear power generation remains a viable, economically competitive option in the energy market. Operation and Maintenance (O&M) costs include labor-intensive Preventive Maintenance (PM) programs that involve manually performed inspection, calibration, testing, and maintenance of plant assets at periodic frequencies as well as time-based replacement of assets, irrespective of condition. This project offers an alternative by focusing on riskinformed condition-based maintenance to reduce O&M costs while still maintaining plant health and safety. This report summarizes the progress made toward achieving a risk-informed condition-based maintenance approach. The research and development (R&D) activities presented in this report are associated with development of a nuclear digital platform application, integration of fault signature models, and automated work management processes. The fault signatures and Machine Learning (ML) models are key components in predictive analytics and are heavily leveraged to improve the insights received by existing plant process data sources. Availability of the analysis results within a centralized digital platform enhances efficiency by enabling automation of activities otherwise performed manually. Personnel are presented with enhanced information that can be used to evaluate plant status and risks. Utilizing the enhancements to data analytics supports automated responses, (i.e. issuance of work orders) to address developing equipment faults and thus preventing forced, unplanned shutdowns of components or systems. The R&D activities described within this report lay the foundation for developing and demonstrating a digital automated platform to centralize the implementation of condition monitoring and response to equipment faults. The digital automated platform is cloud-based and designed to enable improved efficiency of plant processes. The digital platform includes content related to maintenance optimization, fault signature analysis, and plant records, which can all be used to support efficiencies when located within a centralized digital platform. These efficiencies could be further enhanced when deployed through industry-wide deployment of the technology to improve insights and processes based upon economies of scale.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2023

Development of Genetic Algorithm Based Multi-Objective Plant Reload Optimization Platform

The U.S. nuclear industry is facing a challenge in maintaining required levels of safety while ensuring economic competitiveness to stay in business. Safety remains a key parameter for all aspects of light-water reactor nuclear power plant operations. Safety can become more economical by using a risk-informed ecosystem, such as the one being developed in the Risk-Informed Systems Analysis Pathway under the U.S. Department of Energy Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program. The Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program promotes a wide range of research and development activities to maximize both the safety and economic efficiency of nuclear power plants through improved scientific understanding, especially given that many plants are now considering second license renewals. The Risk-Informed Systems Analysis Pathway has two main goals: Deploy methodologies and technologies that better represent safety margins and cost and safety factors; Develop advanced applications that enable cost-effective plant operations. The Plant Reload Optimization Platform development project aims to build a reactor core design tool that includes reactor safety and fuel performance analyses and uses artificial intelligence to support the optimization of core design solutions. This report summarizes genetic-algorithm-based multi-objective fuel reload optimization activities, specifically: Developing the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II optimizer in the Risk Analysis and Virtual ENviroment (RAVEN); Demonstrating and validating the developed non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II optimizer using benchmark optimization problems.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Development of Plant Reload Optimization Framework Capabilities for Core Design and Fuel Performance Analysis

The United States (U.S.) nuclear industry faces a challenge in maintaining required levels of safety while ensuring economic competitiveness to stay in business. Safety remains a key parameter for all aspects of light water reactor (LWR) nuclear power plant (NPP) operations. Safety can become more economical by using a risk-informed ecosystem, such as the one being developed by the Risk-Informed Systems Analysis (RISA) Pathway under the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) Program. The LWRS Program promotes a wide range of research and development activities with the goal of maximizing both the safety and economic efficiency of NPPs through improved scientific understanding, especially given many plants are now considering second license renewals. The RISA Pathway has two main goals: (1) deploy methodologies and technologies that better represent safety margins and cost and safety factors and (2) develop advanced applications that enable cost-effective plant operation. The Plant Reload Optimization Platform development project aims to build a reactor core design tool that includes reactor safety and fuel performance analyses, and also uses artificial intelligence to support optimization of core design solutions. This report summarizes Fiscal Year 2022 (FY-22) activity in platform capability developments in RAVEN. This platform performs simulations using industry codes for core design (i.e., PARCS) and fuel performance (i.e., TRANSURANUS) which will allow expansion of the capabilities to include advanced fuel designs such as accident-tolerant fuel (ATF)s with high burnup.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2022

The BREKTRIA 500 – A Breakthrough in Technology and Power Density for an Advanced 500kW Utility-Scale String Inverter (Final Technical Report)

The primary goal of this development project, planned to be 36 months in duration, was to create a 500kW utility-scale string inverter, demonstrating an advanced hybrid architecture that would achieve unprecedented high power density, and bring the inverter to the stage of production readiness. Specific key objectives for the 500kW utility-scale string inverter were: Create a 500kW 3-phase 600Vac inverter that was similar in overall size to the existing 250kW string inverters in the market, thereby demonstrating dramatically increased power density; Achieve a cost of goods, including all manufacturing-related costs and overheads, at or below 2.5¢/Wac ($12,500); Demonstrate full-power operation at a 45-50C ambient temperature with no power de-rating; Accommodate a PV array DC input of up to 1MWdc, aka a DC/AC Ratio of 2.0; Demonstrate peak efficiency greater than 99% at any operating dc voltage, and a CEC weighted average efficiency greater than or equal to 98.5%. The motivation for this project was to leapfrog the competition by creating the world’s most powerful string inverter, utilizing an innovative topology and achieving a step change increase in power density. Achieving the goals of the project would have enabled Yaskawa Solectria Solar to demonstrate its technology leadership, manufacture the utility-scale string inverter in the company’s facilities in Illinois, and bring to the market a highly-differentiated and compelling product to help the company grow its share in the large and growing utility market segment. During the course of this project, BREK Electronics’ hybrid architecture inverter was taken from an early-stage 125kW prototype, to a more mature and successfully demonstrated power stage at twice the power. Two 250kW power stages were planned to build the 500kW inverter. Significant progress was made in the inverter controls, achieving a clean AC sinewave and closed-loop operation into the grid, and improved efficiency by control of the high-speed switching. Further, the updated 250kW power stage was on track to achieve full power operation at an ambient temperature of 50C. At the time of the project’s closure in September 2022, global semiconductor supply remained limited, with shortages creating dramatic swings in both availability and price. Given this situation, our ability to predict cost-of-goods two years out with any accuracy or confidence was limited. As a result, the probability of attaining the target cost of 2.5¢/Wac for the 500kW inverter remained uncertain at the closure of the project. This project successfully demonstrated the potential for the advanced hybrid architecture inverter that emerged from a decade of university research on Si IGBTs and SiC mosfets, leading to this unique inverter topology. The team has taken the first steps toward an evolutionary advancement in inverter technology that remains to be fully realized.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Floating Photovoltaics in Hydropower Reservoirs in the United States

This report presents a comprehensive analysis of the feasibility of floating photovoltaics (FPV) in federally regulated reservoirs within the continental United States (CONUS) and to present a methodology for capturing the true costs of deployment, potential environmental impacts, and regulatory pathways for open-loop hydropower reservoirs. It is intended for stakeholders who may not be solar industry experts but who are interested in exploring the potential for FPV in their reservoirs. While there are promising opportunities, particularly in enhancing dissolved oxygen (DO) levels and potentially improving compliance with existing hydropower licenses, the current capital costs of FPV are not yet competitive with traditional land-based solar installations at the utility-scale when comparing the LCOE results. A competitive financial outlook is achievable when applying a 30% Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and considering a 5% reduction from the baseline capital expenditures (CapEx) at the Tuckertown Reservoir in North Carolina case study. The study is structured around three key pillars of research: technical potential, environmental impacts and regulatory considerations, and technoeconomic analysis. This report provides a nationwide assessment of the opportunities for FPV in terms of capacity, measured in direct current megawatts (MWDC), in reservoirs managed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Additionally, the report introduces a heuristic model for estimating the CapEx of utility-scale FPV projects (1–100 MW), offering a baseline cost estimate for stakeholders. Finally, the report applies these models to a case study of a hydropower reservoir in North Carolina to present site-specific results.

13 - HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

60 years of science in ICF: from conception to scientific breakeven on the National Ignition Facility

The recent achievements of a burning plasma, fusion ignition, and scientific energy gain with deuterium-tritium (DT) fuel at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) represents a major milestone in the development of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and all of fusion research. In these experiments, fuel pressures well in excess of hundreds of GBars were achieved in the compressed fuel, and robust alpha heating of the fuel, far in excess of the energy provided by the implosion, were demonstrated for the first time. These achievements occurred 60 years after the inception of ICF and the first laser demonstration, and were made possible by more than five decades of research at laser facilities around the world. Advances in laser technology both in wavelength and precision, motivated by improved understanding of laser-plasma interaction physics and the demands of targets; improvements in target fabrication inspired by the need to control and minimize hydrodynamic instabilities in the implosion; and multi-dimensional simulations and diagnostics have been critical to this achievement. This paper will summarize the scientific and technical advances, the surprises, and the challenges that had to be overcome to achieve these goals.

fusion↗
DOE OSTI2023

ARCUS Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine (Final Scientific/Technical Report)

While land-based wind energy has become economically competitive with traditional energy generation sources in the U.S., offshore wind is not. For floating offshore wind this difference is even more substantial where the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) is projected to be around 3-5 times more expensive than land-based wind. The turbine capital costs represent around 50% of the LCOE for land-based wind sites, but the increased system costs for floating offshore wind reduce this to 20%. The platform and mooring costs are the single largest contributor to the LCOE for floating offshore wind where their mass must counteract the overturning moment caused by the turbine’s thrust force. Despite the high costs of the platform and relatively low cost of the turbine, current offshore wind turbines are designed essentially the same as for land-based sites. Reducing the LCOE is the greatest challenge to realize the benefits of sustained development of floating offshore wind in the U.S. Reducing the complicated system costs of floating offshore wind will enable the industry to continue to grow and outpace current projections if reduced cost curves can be reached. The ideal wind energy system would remove all mass and cost that is not directly capturing energy from the wind. For floating offshore wind energy systems, this objective is even more significant as increased mass above the water level must be supported by larger and more expensive floating platforms. For this reason, vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) are ideal for floating offshore sites and have several advantages over horizontal-axis wind turbines (HAWTs) at this scale. Large VAWTs offer opportunities for improved energy capture over HAWTs as single units and with reduced wind plant aerodynamic losses through enhanced wake recovery. Additionally, the platform-level placement of the VAWT drivetrain greatly reduces the demands placed on the floating platform and its mass and cost. The ARCUS vertical-axis wind turbine concept (U.S. 11,421,650 B2) is an iteration beyond traditional Darrieus-type VAWTs that replaces the rigid tower with blades that are bent into shape and held in place with tensioned center supports, like a bow. The ARCUS design has been shown to further decrease the VAWT rotor mass properties, with a 50% reduction over traditional Darrieus VAWTs quantified in the ATLANTIS program. The ARCUS VAWT’s efficient use of material for the rotor and turbine support structures combined with its lowered center of gravity enables a tension-leg platform (TLP) with simplified installation procedures. TLPs have been an emerging platform architecture in the Oil and Gas industry and demonstrated to have the lowest hull mass requirements while maintaining stability with minimal roll and pitch deflections in operation. A 22 MW ARCUS turbine has been designed with a three-column TLP that enables quayside integration of the turbine while maintaining system stability during tow-out and installation and having optimal mass and cost properties. A comprehensive analysis shows the optimal ARCUS TLP system design minimizes LCOE through efficient material usage and increased energy capture to yield a competitive LCOE estimate of $\$$55/MWh. A comparison with a reference HAWT, having the same swept area, quantifies the advantages that helped to produce this improved LCOE for the ARCUS concept: (1) 30% reduction in total turbine mass, (2) 70% reduction in turbine center of gravity, and (3) 45% increase in energy production over what is optimal for a HAWT. Intellectual property has been generated through the ATLANTIS program providing opportunities to further reduce the LCOE and improve the performance of the ARCUS turbine and TLP system, expanding the list of innovations to support commercial development of the ARCUS concept.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

High-Performance Coal-Based Commercial Facade Panels and Architectural Components (Phase I Final Report)

Semplastics has developed, tested, and documented the viability for commercialization of a new class of composite architectural panel materials that use coal as the primary constituent. This project produced sample panels using these novel materials that comprise 55% coal by mass (71% carbon by mass) and are comparable in dimensions to commercially available materials, while displaying superior mechanical strength, significant weight savings, and better insulating ability at a competitive cost. Phase I moved this coal-based composite materials technology from a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 3 to TRL 5. Semplastics’ new coal-based composite materials display an array of high-performance characteristics, including light weight, mechanical durability, temperature stability, and water resistance. These new materials require less energy to produce than comparable commercial products and could be manufactured on existing conventional plastic resin processing equipment in commercial quantities. The coal particles are completely encapsulated in ceramic from a polymer-derived ceramic (PDC) precursor, then bonded together by another inorganic resin. The material can be molded and cured to produce fireproof components such as ceiling panels, facades, and extruded underlayment, blocking, and backer boards, as well as other architectural design components such as moldings. The project included the production of sample panels for proof of concept, testing of the panels to show their improved characteristics, and development of a scale-up strategy to demonstrate the viability of the coal-based panels as a commercial alternative to existing building materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Cost of Using Laser Powder Bed Fusion to Fabricate a Molten Salt-to-Supercritial Carbon Dioxide Heat Exchanger for Concentrating Solar Power

Advances in manufacturing technologies and materials are crucial to the commercial deployment of energy technologies. We present the case of concentrating solar power (CSP) with molten salt (MS) thermal storage, where low-cost, high-efficiency heat exchangers (HXs) are needed to achieve cost competitiveness. Here, the materials required to tolerate the extreme operating conditions in CSP systems make it difficult or infeasible to produce them using conventional manufacturing processes. Although it is technically possible to produce HXs with adequate performance using additive manufacturing, specifically laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), here we assess whether doing so is cost-effective. We describe a process-based cost model (PBCM) to estimate the cost of fabricating a MS-to-supercritical carbon dioxide HX using LPBF. The PBCM is designed to identify modifications to designs, process choices, and manufacturing innovations that have the greatest effect on manufacturing cost. Our PBCM identified HX design and LPBF process modifications that reduced projected HX cost from $\$750$ per kilo-Watt thermal (kW-th) ($\$8$ /cm 3 ) to $\$350$ /kW-th ($\$6/$ cm 3 ) using currently available LPBF technology, and down to $\$220$ /kW-th ($\$4$ /cm 3 ) with improvements in LPBF technology that are likely to be achieved in the near term. The PBCM also informed a redesign of the HX design that reduced projected costs to $\$140$ –160/kW-th ($\$3$ /cm 3 ).

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Extended Low Load Boiler Operation to Improve Performance and Economics of an Existing Coal Fired Power Plant (Final Report)

The overall goal is to improve the performance and economics of existing coal fired power plants by extending low load boiler operation to lower loads than is currently achievable. The objective of this program is to develop and validate sensor hardware and analytical algorithms to lower plant operating expenses (OPEX) for the currently operating pulverized coal utility boiler fleet. Coal fired utility boilers are increasingly under grid dispatch pressure. In some cases, the coal fired cost of generation is noncompetitive with respect to natural gas generation and subsidized renewable sources. To remain profitable and remain fully compliant with existing environmental regulations, the installed coal fired fleet must find technologies which allow it to move into a more flexible cyclic load dispatch model. Today the installed coal fired utility fleet must be cost of generation competitive, fully emissions compliant, and responsive to the variability inherent in renewable energy generation sources. In the Phase I of the project, GE Steam Power, Inc. (GE) performed modeling of different operating scenarios for low load operation using an existing full plant dynamic model developed for a 660MW steam power plant. Sensors and analytic algorithms to enable a stable and steady coal supply for low load pulverizer operation were identified and tested at the Pulverizer Development Facility (PDF) at GE’s Clean Energy Center in Bloomfield, Connecticut. Sensors and analytic algorithms to enable stable combustion for low load operation were identified and tested at the 15 MWth Industrial Scale Burner facility (ISBF) at GE’s Clean Energy Center. A concept was developed to test the sensors and control algorithms, down selected after testing, at a full-scale coal fired power plant. A budget estimate was then developed, and the concept was implemented at an existing utility power plant. The specific objectives of the experimental work were to: • Identify and select sensors and analytic algorithms for monitoring coal pulverizer operation at lower loads to provide stable operation and appropriate coal fineness at lower coal throughput; Identify and select sensors and analytic algorithms for a Boiler Flame Stability Monitor to better balance air and fuel at each burner. This enables a reduction in a coal boiler’s safe low load power level while maintaining stable flame characteristics; Develop a concept in Phase I for low load operation of a full-scale power plant and develop a budget estimate for testing and execute the test plan at an existing plant in Phase II; Validate the capability of the extended low load boiler system to extend the minimum load operating point in a safe and reliable manner on an existing full-scale utility boiler. At the completion of this experimental study, GE has developed a set of sensors and analytic algorithms, down selected after testing, that have the potential to enable safe low load operation of a utility boiler. GE has also identified a host site for testing these identified sensors and analytic algorithms. GE has generated a full set of deliverables that provide sufficient information to proceed with the next step of testing at a host site. This includes a potential host site and budget estimate for concept testing at host site. In the Phase II of the project, a series of field tests were completed to validate the extended low load boiler operation, which consisted of detailed engineering, installation, commissioning, and testing the additional sensors and analytics for the coal-fired combustion system on an existing full-scale utility boiler. The optimization work has been supported by the host plant and endorsed by their engineering and operation staff.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2025

Learning from Arctic Microgrids: Cost and Resiliency Projections for Renewable Energy Expansion with Hydrogen and Battery Storage

Electricity in rural Alaska is provided by more than 200 standalone microgrid systems powered predominantly by diesel generators. Incorporating renewable energy generation and storage to these systems can reduce their reliance on costly imported fuel and improve sustainability; however, uncertainty remains about optimal grid architectures to minimize cost, including how and when to incorporate long-duration energy storage. This study implements a novel, multi-pronged approach to assess the techno-economic feasibility of future energy pathways in the community of Kotzebue, which has already successfully deployed solar photovoltaics, wind turbines, and battery storage systems. Using real community load, resource, and generation data, we develop a series of comparison models using the HOMER Pro software tool to evaluate microgrid architectures to meet over 90% of the annual community electricity demand with renewable generation, considering both battery and hydrogen energy storage. We find that near-term planned capacity expansions in the community could enable over 50% renewable generation and reduce the total cost of energy. Additional build-outs to reach 75% renewable generation are shown to be competitive with current costs, but further capacity expansion is not currently economical. We additionally include a cost sensitivity analysis and a storage capacity sizing assessment that suggest hydrogen storage may be economically viable if battery costs increase, but large-scale seasonal storage via hydrogen is currently unlikely to be cost-effective nor practical for the region considered. While these findings are based on data and community priorities in Kotzebue, we expect this approach to be relevant to many communities in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic regions working to improve energy reliability, sustainability, and security.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Analytics-at-scale of Sensor Data for Digital Monitoring in Nuclear Plants (4th Annual Report)

Nuclear plant sites collect and store large volumes of data collected from various equipment and systems. These datasets typically include plant process parameters, maintenance records, technical logs, online monitoring data, and equipment failure data. The collection of such data affords an opportunity to leverage data-driven machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies to provide diagnostic and prognostic capabilities within the nuclear power industry to reduce operating and maintenance costs. In this way, nuclear energy can become more economically competitive with other energy sources, and premature closures can be avoided. From a maintenance standpoint, savings can be achieved by leveraging machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies to develop data-driven algorithms to better diagnose and predict potential faults within the system. Improved model accuracy can lead to reductions in unnecessary maintenance and more efficient planning of future maintenance, thus lowering the costs associated with parts, labor, and unnecessary planned, forced, or extended outages. From an operations perspective, cost savings can be generated by shifting from route-based monitoring to wireless technologies for online monitoring, and by transitioning from onsite- to cloud-based computing and storage services. Wireless monitoring would reduce the operator manhours required for taking routine measurements, while cloud computing services would generate cost savings by reducing the amount of hardware needing to be purchased and maintained—all while scaling to both computational and storage demands. This report summarizes this project’s effort to shift from costly, labor-intensive preventative maintenance to cheaper predictive maintenance.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

Demo 5: RapidClave Technology Demonstrations – Round II (Task 2)

The purpose of this project task was to make automotive composite part manufacturing more cost competitive for low volume production and thereby drive composite application innovation. The strategy was to incorporate low-cost preforming, snap cure resins, and RapidClave® processing to create an alternative to conventional automotive composite manufacturing based on SMC. The program used RapidClave® technology from Globe Machine Manufacturing, fast-curing (“snap cure”) epoxy resins from Hexion, and conformable/stretchable glass fiber reinforcement mats produced by Owens Corning for rapid preforming. O’Gara Armoring retrofits vehicles to meet special security needs, such as larger doors to facilitate easier entry into the vehicle. O’Gara has a variety of custom vehicles in need of custom doors that require affordable tooling to produce approximately 100 ship sets/year. The project focused on a composite door panel application provided by O’Gara that is currently made by manual chopped fiber spray-up processing. UDRI reverse-engineered the current composite door panel and created tooling for use in the RapidClave®. UDRI designed an improved composite door using MultiMat fiberglass reinforcement from Owens Corning. UDRI made snap cure resin films from Hexion resin. Finally, UDRI conducted molding trials to compare autoclave processing with RapidClave® processing. The technical goals of the project were to reduce tooling cost by 50% as compared to SMC compression molding and to reduce cycle time by 50% compared to current manual spray-up process. The approach to reduce tool costs is based on use of single sided tooling for use at 100 psi, as compared to matched metal SMC tooling. An added benefit realized from the program is that the Owens Corning mat provided more uniform thickness and improved performance. Tensile and flexural strengths and moduli were increased by at least 50%. This task also demonstrated a 75% decrease in cycle time. O’Gara is evaluating the technology demonstrated in this project for some of their current production. Additionally, there are new products O’Gara is pursuing which require higher production rates than their current products. O’Gara has identified these new products as good candidates for the RapidClave® technology. The cost advantages demonstrated by this project would then lead to significant economic development. In conclusion, this task successfully combined the RapidClave® technology from Globe with a snap cure epoxy resin film system from Hexion and preform material from Owens Corning. Further research is needed to better map the technical limits such as cycle time of these technologies. Additionally, the technology should be extended in terms of size and shape to include large parts outside of automotive applications, such as a small aircraft fuselage.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗