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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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A three panel poster providing an analysis of treatment of produced waters from potential CO2 storage reservoirs. Selected water treatment technologies are modeled for several formations in five sedimentary basins in the lower 48 states assessing storage costs across a range of water quality present in these potential CO2 storage reservoirs.
A dual-purpose underground thermal battery (DPUTB) integrates a ground heat exchanger with underground thermal energy storage. It can be installed in shallow boreholes (less than 6 m deep) and thus is less expensive than the conventional ground heat exchangers. The thermal energy storage can be used to shave or shift the electric load for meeting the thermal demands of a building. The charging and discharging performance of a lab-scale DPUTB were tested. The test results show that the DPUTB can be fully charged within 4 h and can provide 34 W cooling continuously for 2.5 h with a supply water temperature below 14°C. A small amount of phase-change material significantly increased the thermal storage capacity.
Carbon capture and storage is one strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. One approach to storing the captured CO2 is to inject it into deep saline aquifers. However, dynamics of the injected CO2 plume is uncertain and the potential for leakage back to the atmosphere must be assessed. Thus, accurate and timely forecasts of CO2 storage via real-time measurements integration becomes very crucial. This study proposes a learning-based, inverse-free prediction method that can accurately and rapidly forecast CO2 movement and distribution with uncertainty quantification based on limited simulation and observation data. The machine learning techniques include dimension reduction, multivariate data analysis, and Bayesian learning. The outcome is expected to provide CO2 storage site operators with an effective tool for real-time decision making.
Methods and devices for long-duration electricity storage using low-cost thermal energy storage and high-efficiency power cycle, are disclosed. In some embodiments it has the potential for superior long-duration, low-cost energy storage.
The energy system infrastructure that delivers power to a building's loads needs to be resilient, such that it can withstand and recover from extreme outages (e.g., grid faults that leave millions of people without power during severe weather events). Building-level electrical distribution systems (BEDSs) distribute power from a building's energy sources - including the grid, solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, and batteries - to its loads, including lighting, HVAC, and plug loads. BEDS with storage can provide resilience by distributing local electricity supply to critical loads during an outage. Quantitative metrics are needed to assess the resilience improvements associated with new BEDS and storage system technologies. In this paper, we apply an existing metric, the probability of outage survival curve (POSC), to BEDS with storage and propose a set of novel metrics that improve upon POSC. Through a simulation-based case study, we demonstrate how these metrics are impacted by the BEDS design and how they can be used to design a resilient system.
The concept of using linear induction motors to lift, constrain, accelerate, and decelerate a large-scale flywheel is proposed, and some of the advantages are investigated. Calculations for a Magnetically Levitated Energy Storage System (MLES) are performed that compare a single large scale MLES with a current state of the art flywheel energy storage system in order to show the relative differences and advantages of such a system. The system that is used for comparison is a typical Beacon Power flywheel energy system. This is currently one of the state-of-the-art flywheel energy storage systems and so it can be used to provide a basic data set to compare to an MLES system.
Phase Change Materials (PCM) based Thermal energy storage (TES) is a widespread solution to shift buildings’ peak energy demand and add stability to the grid. PCMs can be used for space heating and cooling applications in residential buildings by integrating into the heat pump equipment or building envelope via several possible configurations. The heat pump integrated active PCM storage can provide significant energy savings and reduce peak demand, but the benefits vary substantially depending on the system configuration, storage capacity, and the temperature range of the PCM used. It is critical to provide a review of the materials and their suitability in heat pump integrated PCM systems. This paper will present an analysis of the PCM material selection for heat pump integrated TES in various configurations. The comprehensive review will compare the phase change materials with different melting temperatures, and configurations, corresponding to the energy savings and demand impact reported in the literature. This work is significant to guide the design of high-performance heat pump integrated PCM systems.
Thermochemical storage materials having the general formula AxA′1-xByB′1-yO3-δ, where A=La, Sr, K, Ca, Ba, Y and B=Mn, Fe, Co, Ti, Ni, Cu, Zr, Al, Y, Cr, V, Nb, Mo, are disclosed. These materials have improved thermal storage energy density and reaction kinetics compared to previous materials. Concentrating solar power thermochemical systems and methods capable of storing heat energy by using these thermochemical storage materials are also disclosed.
Electrochemical energy storage systems are crucial components for the realization of a carbon-neutral/carbon-negative energy sector globally. Industrial applications require energy storage technologies that cater to a wide range of specifications in terms of form factor, gravimetric and volumetric energy density, charging rates, and safety, among others. The key electrochemical technologies for industrial applications are supercapacitors and batteries. Supercapacitors are high-power devices while batteries typically cater to high energy density requirements. This chapter provides an in-depth understanding of these technologies in terms of materials, processing, working principle, and architecture. Subsequently, state-of-the-art of these technologies is discussed with an emphasis on materials, manufacturing, and end-use systems. Finally, emerging technologies in the electrochemical energy storage field are highlighted.
While batteries of various chemistries have been responsible for powering everything from small electronics to cars to medical devices, the need for energy storage continues to increase. This increase is in both volume and in scale, as energy storage systems are increasingly being evaluated for inclusion into both larger and broader applications. An important factor to consider with batteries is the end application, as each chemistry and battery system has specific benefits as well as limitations. This necessitates development of a wide range of battery chemistries as well as substantive improvements to these chemistries and their integration on the material, electrode, and systems level. Herein, this work will present on a multi-scale level, different energy storage studies can that are geared to address the demands and needs of varying applications. To highlight the diversity and uniqueness of the required breadth of approaches, several systems are presented in combination with different characterization techniques and analysis relevant to the system. Highlights include proof of concept and development of a self - forming, rechargeable solid state battery, materials development for Lithium Sulfur (Li-S) batteries, electrochemical and characterization techniques to elucidate materials properties, and utilizing theoretical calculations to compliment experimental observations.
Presentation at Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Workshop: Future Energy Roadmap – Navigating Through the Energy Transition, held in Galveston, Texas, August 22-23, 2022. The presentation provides an overview of the techno-economic models NETL has developed for assessing performance characteristics and cost drivers for CO2 pipeline transport (FECM/NETL CO2 Transport Cost Model or CO2_T_COM), CO2 saline storage (FECM/NETL CO2 Saline Storage Cost Model or CO2_S_COM), and oil production and CO2 storage using CO2 enhanced oil recovery (EOR) (FE/NETL CO2 Prophet Model or CO2_Prophet and FE/NETL Onshore CO2 EOR Cost Model or CO2_E_COM). A high-level description of each model is presented along with useful outputs that can be generated with each model. These tools can be used individually to evaluate the economic opportunity for specific CCUS components, or they can be used in tandem to assess an integrated CCUS value chain.
Methods, systems, and device for thermal energy storage are provided. For example, some embodiments include a thermal energy storage device that may include: a first casing wall; a second casing wall; and/or multiple support structures located between the first casing wall and the second casing wall. The multiple support structures may provide continuous thermal paths and/or continuous mechanical paths between the first casing wall and the second casing wall. The thermal energy storage device may be fabricated utilizing an additive manufacturing technique, such as direct laser metal sintering. Some embodiments may be manufactured utilizing printed metals, such as an aluminum alloy. In some embodiments, a phase-change material is charged between the first casing wall and the second casing wall. The phase-change material may include paraffin.
Embodiments of the invention utilize an optimized key-value storage engine to strike the optimal balance between cloud-cost and performance and supports queries, including updates, lookups, range queries, inserts, and read-modify-writes. Cloud cost is manifested in purchasing both storage and processing resources. The improved approach has the ability to self-design and instantiate holistic configurations given a workload, a cloud budget, and optionally performance goals and a set of Service Level Agreement (SLA) specifications. A configuration reflects an optimized storage engine design in terms of, for example, the individual data structures design (in-memory and on-disk) in the engine as well as their algorithms and interactions, a cloud provider, and the exact virtual machines to be used.
Spent nuclear fuel (SNF) is currently stored at independent spent fuel storage installations (ISFSIs) at nuclear power plant sites across the US. The US Department of Energy (DOE) Spent Fuel and Waste Science and Technology (SFWST) program is currently working to understand the response of SNF during a seismic event. This investigation is part of a long-term effort by DOE to quantify the external mechanical loads on SNF. The SFWST program has recently completed campaigns evaluating SNF behavior during normal conditions of transport and in 30 cm package drop scenarios; both campaigns included a combination of testing and modeling. Likewise, the investigation into seismic response of SNF will include full-size shake table tests of a vertical storage overpack containing instrumented surrogate fuel assemblies, as well as pre- and post-test finite element modeling. This work focuses on the development of finite element models simulating the planned test configuration. The seismic response is calculated at two scales: at the package level, and at the fuel level. The package level model evaluates the behavior of the storage overpack and its contents in response to the ground motions of a representative earthquake. The motion of the package is input to the fuel level model, which consists of a detailed finite element model of a 17x17 or 16x16 pressurized water reactor (PWR) fuel assembly or of a 10x10 boiling water reactor (BWR) fuel assembly. The stress and strain on individual components such as fuel rods and guide tubes are extracted from this model. This work details the SNF response to various input ground motions, considering representative earthquakes in the Central and Eastern US under various site conditions. Also discussed is the development of a “reduced scope” finite element model of the SNF, which consists of a single fuel rod while retaining the dynamic response of the entire fuel assembly. This reduced scope model addresses the significant computational expense of modeling the SNF under long-duration input ground motions and facilitates simulating additional parameter variations of the model beyond the as-tested configuration. The modeling results provide important insight that will help to inform future testing and modeling efforts by the SFWST program to close the knowledge gap related to external loads on SNF.
The disclosure relates to particle heaters for heating solid particles to store electrical energy as thermal energy. Thermal energy storage directly converts off-peak electricity into heat for thermal energy storage, which may be converted back to electricity, for example during peak-hour power generation. The particle heater is an integral part of an electro-thermal energy storage system, as it enables the conversion of electrical energy into thermal energy. As described herein, particle heater designs are described that provide efficient heating of solid particles in an efficient and compact configuration to achieve high energy density and low cost.
Systems and methods for energy storage and energy recovery are provided. An electrical-to-electrical energy storage system includes a thermochemical energy storage device, a blower, a compressor, a turbine, and an electrical generator. The TCES device includes a vessel, a porous bed, and a heater. The porous bed is disposed within an interior volume of the vessel. The porous bed comprises a reactive material. The reactive material is configured to release oxygen upon being heated to a reduction temperature, and generate heat when exposed to oxygen. The heater is in thermal contact with the reactive material. The blower is configured to remove oxygen from the interior volume. The compressor is configured to flow oxygen into the interior volume. The turbine is configured to receive a heated, oxygen-depleted gas from the interior volume. The generator is configured to be powered by the turbine to generate electricity.
Poster for presentation at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2023 detailing work conducted for the Carbon Storage Data Field Work Proposal. This poster presents an inventory and meta-analysis conducted for Carbon Storage Data Task 4, which includes a review of offshore geologic carbon storage projects worldwide including site characterization, resource estimates, and transport information.
Methods and devices for long-duration electricity storage using low-cost thermal energy storage and high-efficiency power cycle, are disclosed. In some embodiments it has the potential for superior long-duration, low-cost energy storage.