Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Grid Load”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Large Load Management and Grid Planning

This presentation will cover these topics, followed by a discussion and Q&A: Grid impacts of load growth of the current bulk power system, a review of recent trends and events related to large load integration, what might these new large loads look like, what are options for reducing costs and timelines of integration, and working toward a framework for identifying hot spots for efficiently interconnecting large loads.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2026

Mitigating Data Center Impact on Grid Stability: A Coordinated Control Strategy Using Verrus StabiliGrid Architecture

Large data centers, which now represent a significant and growing share of the total U.S. grid load, can inadvertently destabilize the electrical grid when they disconnect simultaneously during brief voltage disturbances. The July 10, 2024, Eastern Interconnection incident, in which a sub-100-millisecond transmission fault triggered the cascading loss of approximately 1,500 MW of data center load, illustrates this vulnerability. While commercial battery energy storage systems (BESS) deployed in data centers provide device-level fault ride-through per IEEE 1547, they lack coordination with facility protection logic and uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), limiting their effectiveness as grid-stabilizing assets. This report presents the Verrus StabiliGrid architecture, a coordinated control framework that integrates BESS, UPS, and point-of-interconnection (POI) protection settings to enable data centers to ride through both undervoltage and overvoltage grid contingencies without disconnecting. The four-step strategy encompasses: (1) high-resolution power quality monitoring to detect the grid state during events such as undervoltage, overvoltage, underfrequency, and overfrequency; (2) POI protection settings that allow for extended ride-through and grid-connected operation during grid contingencies; (3) grid state-driven autonomous dispatch of assets to improve grid resilience by reducing power draw during undervoltage or absorbing more power during overvoltage events; and (4) coordinated post-recovery dispatch of data center assets to restore firm load to pre-contingency levels. Validated through controller-hardware-in-the-loop (C-HIL) simulations at the National Laboratory of the Rockies, results show grid import restoration to pre-fault levels within 100 milliseconds of voltage recovery. This work advances the ability of data centers to transition from passive, disturbance-sensitive loads to active participants in grid stability, a capability increasingly required by emerging NERC and ERCOT regulatory frameworks.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2026

CRADA Number NFE-24-10110 with Qubit Engineering Inc. (CRADA Final Report)

Over the past year, the Qubit Engineering team has pushed the frontiers of power‑grid optimization, working in close collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Their progress is reflected in three newly submitted conference papers, “Unified Relational GNN Architecture for AC Optimal Power Flow Calculations in Electric Grids,” “Graph‑Based Attention Mechanisms for Solving the AC Optimal Power Flow Problem in Electrical‑Power Networks,” and “Enhanced Power‑Grid Maintenance Planning and Quantum‑Inspired Combinatorial Prospects.” These publications showcase state‑of‑the‑art graph‑neural‑network methods for AC‑OPF and novel quantum‑inspired heuristics for maintenance scheduling. Beyond the academic results, the Qubit team has converted the research into two production‑grade tools built on TVA data: Neuro‑Grid, an AI‑driven power‑flow simulator that provides instant, interactive full‑grid load‑flow visualizations, and Quanta‑Grid, a quantum‑inspired maintenance‑scheduling engine to support logistics optimization for power utilities. Together, these advances demonstrate how Qubit’s partnership with ORNL and TVA is delivering practical, physics‑grounded analytics for next‑generation grid management.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
NASA NTRS1988

Grid oscillators

Loading a two-dimensional grid with active devices offers a means of combining the power of solid-state oscillators in the microwave and millimeter-wave range. The grid structure allows a large number of negative resistance devices to be combined. This approach is attractive because the active devices do not require an external locking signal, and the combining is done in free space. In addition, the loaded grid is a planar structure amenable to monolithic integration. Measurements on a 25-MESFET grid at 9.7 GHz show power-combining and frequency-locking without an external locking signal, with an ERP of 37 W. Experimental far-field patterns agree with theoretical results obtained using reciprocity.

Popovic, Zorana B.↗
NASA NTRS1993

TranAir applications to predicting transonic aircraft/store loads

During a recent AIWS wind tunnel test for the F-18, the AIWS grid loads were in substantial disagreement with carriage loads measured on the opposite pylon at M = 0.95. Carriage loads indicated that the AIWS configuration might impact the fuel tank mounted on the inboard pylon during jettison at M = 0.95, while CTS data indicated this to be a safe jettison condition. An attempt was made to determine the correct loads for this condition. On the basis of PAN AIR and TranAir calculations, it appears that the carriage loads are correct, while the CTS measured grid data may be subject to sting-fuel tank interference effects at transonic speeds.

Cenko, A.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Characterizing electrical panel capacity, breaker space, and loads in U.S. single-family homes

Electrical panels distribute electricity to appliances, equipment, and other building loads and maintain safety by preventing overloads of branch circuits, feeders, and utility service wires connecting homes to the grid. Load calculations in the National Electrical Code (NEC) determine the capacity of installed electrical panels in the United States, which are rated in amps (A). Circuit breakers within electrical panels affect the magnitude and number of loads that panels can serve. In home retrofits and renovations, existing electrical panels may not accommodate new electrical loads, either due to insufficient electrical capacity or a lack of available breaker spaces. Homes with these panel constraints may need to replace existing panels with new panels that have greater capacity and breaker space.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
NASA NTRS2011

Grid-Tied Photovoltaic Power System

A grid-tied photovoltaic (PV) power system is connected directly to the utility distribution grid. Facility power can be obtained from the utility system as normal. The PV system is synchronized with the utility system to provide power for the facility, and excess power is provided to the utility. Operating costs of a PV power system are low compared to conventional power technologies. This method can displace the highest-cost electricity during times of peak demand in most climatic regions, and thus reduce grid loading. Net metering is often used, in which independent power producers such as PV power systems are connected to the utility grid via the customers main service panels and meters. When the PV power system is generating more power than required at that location, the excess power is provided to the utility grid. The customer pays the net of the power purchased when the on-site power demand is greater than the onsite power production, and the excess power is returned to the utility grid. Power generated by the PV system reduces utility demand, and the surplus power aids the community. Modern PV panels are readily available, reliable, efficient, and economical, with a life expectancy of at least 25 years. Modern electronics have been the enabling technology behind grid-tied power systems, making them safe, reliable, efficient, and economical with a life expectancy equal to the modern PV panels. The grid-tied PV power system was successfully designed and developed, and this served to validate the basic principles developed, and the theoretical work that was performed. Grid-tied PV power systems are reliable, maintenance- free, long-life power systems, and are of significant value to NASA and the community. Of particular value are the analytical tools and capabilities that have been successfully developed. Performance predictions can be made confidently for grid-tied PV systems of various scales. The work was done under the NASA Hybrid Power Management (HPM) Program, which is the integration of diverse power devices in an optimal configuration for space and terrestrial applications.

Eichenberg, Dennis J.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Spatial Impacts of Electric Vehicle Charging on Power Grid Stability: A Downtown Atlanta Case Study

The rapid increase in electric vehicle (EV) charging demand poses a potential risk to power grid stability, particularly as the spatial distribution of this demand remains underexplored. Existing research often focuses on technical optimization models while overlooking the geographic and human dynamics that affect energy consumption. This study addresses this gap by incorporating mobility data to estimate both building energy use and EV charging demand while also considering geographic factors for a better understanding of grid load. Using agent-based simulations and the Open-Source Distribution System Simulator, the study evaluates the effect of various EV penetration scenarios on grid voltage and unbalance. The results show that, although voltage remains within acceptable limits at lower EV penetration rates, significant voltage drop and unbalance occur as EV penetration exceeds 40%, particularly in residential areas with high charging demand. This study offers a framework for integrating spatial analysis and mobility data in power network simulations, providing insights for future EV infrastructure planning.

Pan, Melrose [ORNL] (ORCID:000000031627448X)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Recent Advances in Scalable, High‐Mass Loaded Electrodes for Grid‐Scale Energy Storage

Abstract The increasing electrification of daily life as well as the intermittent characteristic of renewable energy sources require viable solutions for grid‐scale energy storage. Critical considerations for grid storage applications are electrode mass loading and electrode thickness as these features govern battery pack energy density, an important factor in determining manufacturing costs. For this reason, there is increased interest in finding new ways of creating electrodes with high mass loading. In this review, various high‐mass loading fabrication approaches are considered for positive electrode materials used in batteries. The benchmark used for high mass loading is above 20 mg cm −2 , which is higher than the practical limit of conventional tape‐cast electrodes. Several different electrode approaches are described including templating, laser patterning, direct ink writing, and electrodeposition. A variety of materials are covered with the most prominent being LiFe(PO 4 ) (LFP), LiCoO 2 (LCO), and MnO 2 . In research to date, scalable electrochemical performance has been achieved with mass loadings over 100 mg cm −2 . Areal capacities as high as 14.7 mAh cm −2 at 1.82 mA cm −2 have been achieved in non‐aqueous electrolytes and 9.8 mAh cm −2 at 10 mA cm −2 in aqueous electrolytes. These results establish that the mass loading of electrodes can be scaled up without compromising their electrochemical properties.

White, Makena [Department of Materials Science and↗
DOE OSTI2025

A Hardware-in-the-Loop Experimental Testbed Using Air Conditioners for Grid Balancing

Driven by the need to offset the variability of renewable generation on the grid, development of load control is a highly active field of research. However, practical use of residential loads for grid balancing remains rare, in part due to the cost of communicating with large numbers of small loads and also the limited experimentation done so far to demonstrate reliable operation. To establish a basis for the safe and reliable use of fleets of compressor loads as distributed energy resources, we constructed an experimental testbed in a laboratory, so that load coordination schemes could be tested at extreme conditions. Here, this experimental testbed was used to tune a simulation testbed to which it was then linked, thereby augmenting the effective size of the fleet. Modeling of the system was done both to demonstrate the experimental testbed's behavior and also to understand how to tune the behavior of each load. Implementing this testbed has enabled rapid turnaround of experiments on various load control algorithms, and year-round testing without the constraints and limitations arising in seasonal field tests with real houses. Experimental results show the practical feasibility of an ensemble of small loads contributing to grid balancing.

Air Conditioners↗
NASA NTRS1994

Dynamic Load Balancing For Grid Partitioning on a SP-2 Multiprocessor: A Framework

Computational requirements of full scale computational fluid dynamics change as computation progresses on a parallel machine. The change in computational intensity causes workload imbalance of processors, which in turn requires a large amount of data movement at runtime. If parallel CFD is to be successful on a parallel or massively parallel machine, balancing of the runtime load is indispensable. Here a framework is presented for dynamic load balancing for CFD applications, called Jove. One processor is designated as a decision maker Jove while others are assigned to computational fluid dynamics. Processors running CFD send flags to Jove in a predetermined number of iterations to initiate load balancing. Jove starts working on load balancing while other processors continue working with the current data and load distribution. Jove goes through several steps to decide if the new data should be taken, including preliminary evaluate, partition, processor reassignment, cost evaluation, and decision. Jove running on a single IBM SP2 node has been completely implemented. Preliminary experimental results show that the Jove approach to dynamic load balancing can be effective for full scale grid partitioning on the target machine IBM SP2.

Sohn, Andrew↗
NASA NTRS1994

Dynamic Load Balancing for Grid Partitioning on a SP-2 Multiprocessor: A Framework

Computational requirements of full scale computational fluid dynamics change as computation progresses on a parallel machine. The change in computational intensity causes workload imbalance of processors, which in turn requires a large amount of data movement at runtime. If parallel CFD is to be successful on a parallel or massively parallel machine, balancing of the runtime load is indispensable. Here a framework is presented for dynamic load balancing for CFD applications, called Jove. One processor is designated as a decision maker Jove while others are assigned to computational fluid dynamics. Processors running CFD send flags to Jove in a predetermined number of iterations to initiate load balancing. Jove starts working on load balancing while other processors continue working with the current data and load distribution. Jove goes through several steps to decide if the new data should be taken, including preliminary evaluate, partition, processor reassignment, cost evaluation, and decision. Jove running on a single EBM SP2 node has been completely implemented. Preliminary experimental results show that the Jove approach to dynamic load balancing can be effective for full scale grid partitioning on the target machine IBM SP2.

Sohn, Andrew↗
NASA NTRS1996

Load Balancing Unstructured Adaptive Grids for CFD Problems

Mesh adaption is a powerful tool for efficient unstructured-grid computations but causes load imbalance among processors on a parallel machine. A dynamic load balancing method is presented that balances the workload across all processors with a global view. After each parallel tetrahedral mesh adaption, the method first determines if the new mesh is sufficiently unbalanced to warrant a repartitioning. If so, the adapted mesh is repartitioned, with new partitions assigned to processors so that the redistribution cost is minimized. The new partitions are accepted only if the remapping cost is compensated by the improved load balance. Results indicate that this strategy is effective for large-scale scientific computations on distributed-memory multiprocessors.

Biswas, Rupak↗
NASA NTRS2001

Latency Hiding in Dynamic Partitioning and Load Balancing of Grid Computing Applications

The Information Power Grid (IPG) concept developed by NASA is aimed to provide a metacomputing platform for large-scale distributed computations, by hiding the intricacies of highly heterogeneous environment and yet maintaining adequate security. In this paper, we propose a latency-tolerant partitioning scheme that dynamically balances processor workloads on the.IPG, and minimizes data movement and runtime communication. By simulating an unsteady adaptive mesh application on a wide area network, we study the performance of our load balancer under the Globus environment. The number of IPG nodes, the number of processors per node, and the interconnected speeds are parameterized to derive conditions under which the IPG would be suitable for parallel distributed processing of such applications. Experimental results demonstrate that effective solution are achieved when the IPG nodes are connected by a high-speed asynchronous interconnection network.

Das, Sajal K.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Laminar and turbulent flow computations of Type 4 shock-shock interference aerothermal loads using unstructured grids

This report presents computations for the Type 4 shock-shock interference flow under laminar and turbulent conditions using unstructured grids. Mesh adaptation was accomplished by remeshing, refinement, and mesh movement. Two two-equation turbulence models were used to analyze turbulent flows. The mean flow governing equations and the turbulence governing equations are solved in a coupled manner. The solution algorithm and the details pertaining to its implementation on unstructured grids are described. Computations were performed at two different freestream Reynolds numbers at a freestream Mach number of 11. Effects of the variation in the impinging shock location are studied. The comparison of the results in terms of wall heat flux and wall pressure distributions is presented.

Vemaganti, Gururaja R.↗
DOE OSTI2025

MegaWatt Mayhem: Grid Operator Challenges Center Loads

This report provides a summary of the challenges faced by United States electricity grid operators in accommodating and anticipating the rapid deployment of large loads, particularly data centers, based on academic literature and industry working groups. The report highlights the unique requirements and operational characteristics of data centers, which differ significantly from traditional industrial loads. Key issues addressed utility planning considerations, with emphasis on the implications for grid operators, impacts to normal operations for grid operators, reliability considerations during periods of grid stress, and resilience considerations for the changing operational paradigms based on data centers. Real-world examples are used to highlight these challenges and the changes that grid operators must address. The findings underscore the necessity for coordinated efforts and innovative solutions from both grid operators and regulatory bodies to ensure the stable integration of large loads into the grid. This report is the first in a series that will explore the challenges of data center deployments based on several key power system perspectives.

24 - POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Stability Considerations for Virtual Capacitor Control in Constant Power DC Loads

In a DC grid, constant power loads (CPLs) necessitate a large bus capacitor to prevent negative impedance instability. Some of the capacitance can be realized virtually through CPL control to reduce the bus capacitor size. Here, this paper analytically studies system stability with virtual capacitor control. We demonstrate that the effectiveness of virtual capacitor control is highly sensitive to the implementation of the derivative action required to emulate the capacitor. For the first time, we theoretically demonstrate that a virtual capacitor can stabilize the system without any physical bus capacitor, provided that a set of analytically derived conditions are met. However, this stabilization is not achievable in practice due to the influence of non-idealities. In an example system requiring a $14$ mF capacitor to stably support the CPL, we show that stability can be achieved through virtual capacitor control, using only a 2 mF physical capacitor to account for the switching ripple non-idealities. Hardware-in-the-loop tests verify the analysis.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
NASA NTRS1997

Load Balancing Sequences of Unstructured Adaptive Grids

Mesh adaption is a powerful tool for efficient unstructured grid computations but causes load imbalance on multiprocessor systems. To address this problem, we have developed PLUM, an automatic portable framework for performing adaptive large-scale numerical computations in a message-passing environment. This paper makes several important additions to our previous work. First, a new remapping cost model is presented and empirically validated on an SP2. Next, our load balancing strategy is applied to sequences of dynamically adapted unstructured grids. Results indicate that our framework is effective on many processors for both steady and unsteady problems with several levels of adaption. Additionally, we demonstrate that a coarse starting mesh produces high quality load balancing, at a fraction of the cost required for a fine initial mesh. Finally, we show that the data remapping overhead can be significantly reduced by applying our heuristic processor reassignment algorithm.

Biswas, Rupak↗