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

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS) Instrument Handbook

A Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS) has been installed collocated with each deployed ECOR system at the Southern Great Plains (SGP), North Slope of Alaska (NSA), Tropical Western Pacific (TWP), ARM Mobile Facility 1 (AMF1), and ARM Mobile Facility 2 (AMF2). The surface energy balance system consists of upwelling and downwelling solar and infrared radiometers within one net radiometer, a wetness sensor, and soil measurements. The SEBS measurements allow the comparison of ECOR sensible and latent heat fluxes with the energy balance determined from the SEBS and provide information on wetting of the sensors for data quality purposes.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2012

Steam System Balancing and Tuning for Multifamily Residential Buildings in Chicagoland

Older heating systems often suffer from mis-investment--multiple contractors upgrading parts of systems in inadequate or inappropriate ways that reduce system functionality and efficiency--or from a lack of proper maintenance. This technical report addresses these barriers to information, contractor resources, and cost-savings. Building off of previous research, CNT Energy conducted a study to identify best practices for the methodology, typical costs, and energy savings associated with steam system balancing.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2026

Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS) Instrument Handbook

A surface energy balance system (SEBS) has been installed collocated with each deployed eddy correlation flux measurement system (ECOR) after 2010 at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) User Facility Southern Great Plains (SGP) observatory, North Slope of Alaska (NSA) observatory, Eastern North Atlantic (ENA) observatory, and the first, second, and third ARM Mobile Facilities (AMF1, AMF2, AMF3). A SEBS was also deployed at the Tropical Western Pacific (TWP) site, before it was decommissioned. Data from these sites, including the retired TWP, are available in the ARM Data Center. The SEBS consists of upwelling and downwelling solar and infrared radiometers within one net radiometer, a wetness sensor, and soil temperature, soil moisture, and soil heat flow measurements. The SEBS measurements allow the comparison of ECOR sensible and latent heat fluxes with the energy balance determined from the SEBS and provide information on wetting of the sensors for data quality purposes.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2013

Steam System Balancing and Tuning for Multifamily Residential Buildings in Chicagoland—Second Year of Data Collection

Steam heated buildings often suffer from uneven heating as a result of poor control of the amount of steam entering each radiator. In order to satisfy the heating load to the coldest units, other units are overheated. As a result, some tenants complain of being too hot and open their windows in the middle of winter, while others complain of being too cold and are compelled to use supplemental heat sources. Building on previous research, CNT Energy identified 10 test buildings in Chicago and conducted a study to identify best practices for the methodology, typical costs, and energy savings associated with steam system balancing. A package of common steam balancing measures was assembled and data were collected on the buildings before and after these retrofits were installed to investigate the process, challenges, and the cost effectiveness of improving steam systems through improved venting and control systems. The test buildings that received venting upgrades and new control systems showed 10.2% savings on their natural gas heating load, with a simple payback of 5.1 years. The methodologies for and findings from this study are presented in detail in this report. This report has been updated from a version published in August 2012 to include natural gas usage information from the 2012 heating season and updated natural gas savings calculations.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2013

Measure Guideline: Steam System Balancing and Tuning for Multifamily Residential Buildings

This guideline provides building owners, professionals involved in multifamily audits, and contractors insights for improving the balance and tuning of steam systems. It provides readers an overview of one-pipe steam heating systems, guidelines for evaluating steam systems, typical costs and savings, and guidelines for ensuring quality installations. It also directs readers to additional resources for details not included here. Measures for balancing a distribution system that are covered include replacing main line vents and upgrading radiator vents. Also included is a discussion on upgrading boiler controls and the importance of tuning the settings on new or existing boiler controls. The guideline focuses on one-pipe steam systems, though many of the assessment methods can be generalized to two-pipe steam systems.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2020

An Analysis of System Balance and Architectural Trends Based on Top500 Supercomputers

Supercomputer design is a complex, multi-dimensional optimization process, wherein several subsystems need to be reconciled to meet a desired figure of merit performance for a portfolio of applications and a budget constraint. However, overall, the HPC community has been gravitating towards ever more FLOPS, at the expense of many other subsystems. To draw attention to overall system balance, in this paper, we analyze balance ratios and architectural trends in the world's most powerful supercomputers. Specifically, we have collected performance characteristics of systems between1993 and 2018 based on the Top500 lists, and then analyzed their architectures from diverse system design perspectives. Notably, our analysis studies the performance balance of the machines, across a variety of subsystems such as compute, memory, I/O, interconnect, intra-node connectivity and power. Our analysis reveals that balance ratios of the various subsystems need to be considered carefully alongside the application workload portfolio to provision the subsystem capacity and bandwidth specifications, which can help achieve optimal performance.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2021

An Analysis of System Balance and Architectural Trends Based on Top500 Supercomputers

Supercomputer design is a complex, multi-dimensional optimization process, wherein several subsystems need to be reconciled to meet a desired figure of merit performance for a portfolio of applications and a budget constraint. However, overall, the HPC community has been gravitating towards ever more Flops, at the expense of many other subsystems. To draw attention to overall system balance, in this paper, we analyze balance ratios and architectural trends in the world’s most powerful supercomputers. Specifically, we have collected the performance characteristics of systems between 1993 and 2019 based on the Top500 lists and then analyzed their architectures from diverse system design perspectives. Notably, our analysis studies the performance balance of the machines, across a variety of subsystems such as compute, memory, I/O, interconnect, intra-node connectivity and power. Our analysis reveals that balance ratios of the various subsystems need to be considered carefully alongside the application workload portfolio to provision the subsystem capacity and bandwidth specifications, which can help achieve optimal performance.

Khan, Awais↗
DOE OSTI2013

Technology Solutions Case Study: Steam System Balancing and Tuning for Multifamily Residential Buildings, Chicago, Illinois

Steam heated buildings often suffer from uneven heating as a result of poor control of the amount of steam entering each radiator. In order to satisfy the heating load to the coldest units, other units are overheated. As a result, some tenants complain of being too hot and open their windows in the middle of winter, while others complain of being too cold and are compelled to use supplemental heat sources.

Building America↗
DOE OSTI2013

Steam System Balancing and Tuning for Multifamily Residential Buildings: Chicago, Illinois (Fact Sheet)

Steam heated buildings often suffer from uneven heating as a result of poor control of the amount of steam entering each radiator. In order to satisfy the heating load to the coldest units, other units are overheated. As a result, some tenants complain of being too hot and open their windows in the middle of winter, while others complain of being too cold and are compelled to use supplemental heat sources.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2014

Calculating Individual Resources Variability and Uncertainty Factors Based on Their Contributions to the Overall System Balancing Needs

The variability and uncertainty of wind power production requires increased flexibility in power systems, or more operational reserves to main a satisfactory level of reliability. The incremental increase in reserve requirement caused by wind power is often studied separately from the effects of loads. Accordingly, the cost in procuring reserves is allocated based on this simplification rather than a fair and transparent calculation of the different resources’ contribution to the reserve requirement. This work proposes a new allocation mechanism for intermittency and variability of resources regardless of their type. It is based on a new formula, called grid balancing metric (GBM). The proposed GBM has several distinct features: 1) it is directly linked to the control performance standard (CPS) scores and interconnection frequency performance, 2) it provides scientifically defined allocation factors for individual resources, 3) the sum of allocation factors within any group of resources is equal to the groups’ collective allocation factor (linearity), and 4) it distinguishes helpers and harmers. The paper illustrates and provides results of the new approach based on actual transmission system operator (TSO) data.

Makarov, Yuri V.↗
DOE OSTI2013

Measure Guideline: Steam System Balancing and Tuning for Multifamily Residential Buildings

This report was written as a resource for professionals involved in multifamily audits, retrofit delivery, and program design, as well as for building owners and contractors. It is intended to serve as a guide for those looking to evaluate and improve the efficiency and operation of one-pipe steam heating systems. In centrally heated multifamily buildings with steam or hydronic systems, the cost of heat for tenants is typically absorbed into the owner's operating costs. Highly variable and rising energy costs have placed a heavy burden on landlords. In the absence of well-designed and relevant efficiency efforts, increased operating costs would be passed on to tenants who often cannot afford those increases. Misinvestment is a common problem with older heating systems -- multiple contractors may inadequately or inappropriately upgrade parts of systems and reduce system functionality and efficiency, or the system has not been properly maintained.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2021

Assessing the Accuracy of Balanced Power System Models in the Presence of Voltage Unbalance

Traditional models of electric power systems represent distribution systems with unbalanced three-phase network models and transmission systems with balanced single-phase-equivalent network models. This distinction poses a challenge for coupled models of transmission and distribution systems, which are becoming more prevalent due to the growth of distributed energy resources connected to distribution systems. In order to maintain a balanced network representation, transmission system models typically assume that the voltage phasors at the interface to the distribution system are balanced. Inaccuracies resulting from this assumption during unbalanced operation can lead to erroneous values for line currents in the transmission system model. This paper empirically quantifies the accuracy of this balanced operating assumption during unbalanced operating conditions for both a simple two-bus system along with a more complex transmission and distribution co-simulation. This paper also characterizes the performance of different methods for translating the unbalanced voltage phasors into a balanced representation in order to give recommendations for modeling coupled transmission and distribution systems.

power distribution↗
DOE OSTI2016

Reaching new solar heights: integrating high penetrations of PV into the power system

Installed capacity of solar photovoltaics (PV) continues to grow rapidly in the US. High penetrations and can create operational and reliability challenges. PV integration shares some attributes and mitigation strategies with wind, and differs in some key ways that will be discussed. This study investigates PV integration challenges and examines mitigation issues for utilities planning for high penetrations of PV, with a focus on the Western Interconnection of the US. System balancing becomes more difficult due to a duck‐shaped net load curve. Flexibility in the remaining generators, load, and the PV itself, is critical in balancing the system. Reliability impacts from PV have been studied less and addressed less than system balancing issues, but become more important at high penetrations. Understanding essential reliability services from PV, weak grid issues with PV, and distributed PV impacts on bulk power system reliability is critical for planning of high penetrations of PV.

Lew, Debra↗
DOE OSTI2015

Offshore Wind Balance-of-System Cost Modeling

Offshore wind balance-of-system (BOS) costs contribute up to 70% of installed capital costs. Thus, it is imperative to understand the impact of these costs on project economics as well as potential cost trends for new offshore wind technology developments. As a result, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) developed and recently updated a BOS techno-economic model using project cost estimates created from wind energy industry sources.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Technology Innovation Pathways for Distributed Wind Balance-of-System Cost Reduction

This exploratory analysis characterizes the balance-of-system (BOS) cost reduction opportunity for small, commercial, medium, and large distributed wind systems. To do this, we used the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL’s) Land-based Balance of System Systems Engineering (LandBOSSE) model (Eberle et al. 2019). This model calculates the capital expenditures (CapEx) associated with installation and the system components (e.g., foundation and electrical infrastructure) other than the rotor nacelle assembly and tower. Then, building on the cost reduction potential assessment, we provide a more qualitative evaluation of prospective technology innovation concepts that may enable realization of those cost reductions for distributed wind systems.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Land-Based Wind Plant Balance-of-System Cost Drivers and Sensitivities (Poster)

With Balance of System (BOS) costs contributing up to 30% of the installed capital cost, it is fundamental to understand the BOS costs for wind projects as well as potential cost trends for larger turbines. NREL developed a BOS model using project cost estimates developed by industry partners. Aspects of BOS covered include engineering and permitting, foundations for various wind turbines, transportation, civil work, and electrical arrays. The data introduce new scaling relationships for each BOS component to estimate cost as a function of turbine parameters and size, project parameters and size, and geographic characteristics. Based on the new BOS model, an analysis to understand the non‐turbine wind plant costs associated with turbine sizes ranging from 1-6 MW and wind plant sizes ranging from 100-1000 MW has been conducted. This analysis establishes a more robust baseline cost estimate, identifies the largest cost components of wind project BOS, and explores the sensitivity of the capital investment cost and the levelized cost of energy to permutations in each BOS cost element. This presentation shows results from the model that illustrate the potential impact of turbine size and project size on the cost of energy from US wind plants.

17 WIND ENERGY↗