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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 OSTI2015

Gallium nitride based power switches for next generation of power conversion

Power conversion impacts all areas of electricity consumption, including motion control, lighting, air conditioning, and information technology. Si, the workhorse of the industry, has served well so far but reached its material limits. To keep up with the advancement of technologies enabling new conveniences, power conversion techniques need to go through significant transformation that calls for the next generation semiconductor for power switching. SiC and GaN, which have the potential to push the envelope beyond Si providing solutions for the entire range of power conversion at higher efficiencies and reduced form factors. GaN HEMTs have an added advantage over SiC MOSFETs owing to the high-mobility electron channel formed at the AlGaN/GaN interface, which has been the basis of radio frequency amplifiers. GaN has enabled systems that can run with lesser cooling at frequencies at least ten times higher than current Si-based systems, significantly reducing the form factor both electrically (passive components) and mechanically (heat sinks). The high current and voltage required for high power conversion application make the chip area in a lateral topology uneconomical and difficult to manufacture. Vertical GaN devices on bulk GaN substrates complete the portfolio of power switches required to address the power conversion market.

Chowdhury, S↗
DOE OSTI2016

Electrical Power Conversion of River and Tidal Power Generator

As renewable generation has become less expensive during recent decades, and it becomes more accepted by the global population, the focus on renewable generation has expanded to include new types with promising future applications, such as river and tidal generation. Although the utilization of power electronics and electric machines in industry is phenomenal, the emphasis on system design is different for various sectors of industry. In precision control, robotics, and weaponry, the design emphasis is on accuracy and reliability with less concern for the cost of the final product. In energy generation, the cost of energy is the prime concern; thus, capital expenditures (CAPEX) and operations and maintenance expenditures (OPEX) are the major design objectives. This paper describes the electrical power conversion aspects of river and tidal generation. Although modern power converter control is available to control the generation side, the design was chosen on the bases of minimizing the CAPEX and OPEX; thus, the architecture is simple and modular for ease of replacement and maintenance. The power conversion is simplified by considering a simple diode bridge and a DC-DC power converter to take advantage of abundant and low-cost photovoltaic inverters that have well-proven grid integration characteristics (i.e., the capability to produce energy with good power quality and control real power and voltage on the grid side).

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2024

Alternatives to MARVEL Power Conversion -- Comparison of Stirling Engine Thermal Efficiency and Design to Other Power Conversion Cycles

PRESENTATION for CONFERENCE PAPER: The Microreactor Applications, Research, Validation, and Evaluation (MARVEL) Reactor is a small liquid-metal thermal reactor that will be built at the Idaho National Laboratory to demonstrate design and operating processes for microreactors, microgrid integration, and process heat applications. Power conversion in the MARVEL design is provided by Stirling engines, which have disadvantages in nuclear environments. Compared to Stirling engine performance, some alternative power cycles can increase power production when coupled to a liquid-metal thermal reactor. In this paper, the thermal efficiency of MARVEL’s power production with Stirling engines is compared to the thermal efficiency of power production with MARVEL and alternative power cycles. Those cycles include a superheated Rankine cycle, open and closed Brayton cycles, and a supercritical carbon dioxide cycle. All cycles (except the Stirling engines) were modeled with an intermediate helium loop to meet MARVEL’s principal design criteria. All models are simple designs with conservative assumptions for consistent comparison. Detailed optimization will depend largely on reactor location and application, and the relative merit of each cycle is discussed for different environmental conditions. The study informs significant early decisions on power cycle design and economics for deployment of advanced microreactors as they move from theory and concept to execution.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Alternatives to MARVEL Power Conversion – Comparison of Stirling Engine Thermal Efficiency and Design to other Power Conversion Cycles

The Microreactor Applications, Research, Validation, and Evaluation (MARVEL) Reactor is a small liquid-metal thermal reactor that will be built at the Idaho National Laboratory to demonstrate design and operating processes for microreactors, microgrid integration, and process heat applications. Power conversion in the MARVEL design is provided by Stirling engines, which have disadvantages in nuclear environments. Compared to Stirling engine performance, some alternative power cycles can increase power production when coupled to a liquid-metal thermal reactor In this paper, the thermal efficiency of MARVEL’s power production with Stirling engines is compared to the thermal efficiency of power production with MARVEL and alternative power cycles. Those cycles include a superheated Rankine cycle, open and closed Brayton cycles, and a supercritical carbon dioxide cycle. All cycles (except the Stirling engines) were modeled with an intermediate helium loop to meet MARVEL’s principal design criteria. All models are simple designs with conservative assumptions for consistent comparison. Detailed optimization will depend largely on reactor location and application, and the relative merit of each cycle is discussed for different environmental conditions. The study informs significant early decisions on power cycle design and economic

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2011

In situ measurement of power conversion efficiency and molecular ordering during thermal annealing in P3HT:PCBM bulk heterojunction solar cells

Bulk heterojunction organic solar cells hold much promise as commercially viable sources of renewable energy due to their relatively inexpensive fabrication. Developing a fundamental knowledge of how processing conditions influence solar power conversion efficiency will enable rational and efficient design, optimization, and control of new organic solar cell materials. In this report, we use a combination of in situ current–voltage measurements and grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering experiments at elevated temperature to correlate the changes in photoconversion efficiency to the changes in the molecular ordering of a poly(3-hexylthiophene):[6,6]-phenyl-C₆₁-butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT:PCBM) bulk heterojunction active layer. In situ measurements of current–voltage characteristics were used to optimize the power conversion efficiency and the resulting thermal processing was in agreement with studies from repeated heating and cooling cycles. The improvements in short circuit current with thermal annealing were correlated to an increase in the population of face-on oriented crystallites of P3HT rather than improvements in molecular ordering of PCBM.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

High-Performance Polymer Solar Cells Based on a Wide-Bandgap Polymer Containing Pyrrolo[3,4- f ]benzotriazole-5,7-dione with a Power Conversion Efficiency of 8.63%

A novel donor–acceptor type conjugated polymer based on a building block of 4,8-di(thien-2-yl)-6-octyl-2-octyl-5H-pyrrolo[3,4-f]benzotriazole-5,7(6H)-dione (TZBI) as the acceptor unit and 4,8-bis(5-(2-ethylhexyl)thiophen-2-yl)­benzo­[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene as the donor unit, named as PTZBIBDT, is developed and used as an electron-donating material in bulk-heterojunction polymer solar cells. The resulting copolymer exhibits a wide bandgap of 1.81 eV along with relatively deep highest occupied molecular orbital energy level of -5.34 eV. Based on the optimized processing conditions, including thermal annealing, and the use of a water/alcohol cathode interlayer, the single-junction polymer solar cell based on PTZBIBDT:PC71BM ([6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester) blend film affords a power conversion efficiency of 8.63% with an open-circuit voltage of 0.87 V, a short circuit current of 13.50 mA cm -2 , and a fill factor of 73.95%, which is among the highest values reported for wide-bandgap polymers-based single-junction organic solar cells. The morphology studies on the PTZBIBDT:PC71BM blend film indicate that a fibrillar network can be formed and the extent of phase separation can be mani­pulated by thermal annealing. These results indicate that the TZBI unit is a very promising building block for the synthesis of wide-bandgap polymers for high-performance single-junction and tandem (or multijunction) organic solar cells.

Lan, Liuyuan↗
DOE OSTI2012

Soft Magnetic Materials in High-Frequency, High-Power Conversion Applications

Advanced soft magnetic materials are needed to match high-power density and switching frequencies made possible by advances in wide band-gap semiconductors. Magnetics capable of operating at higher operating frequencies have the potential to greatly reduce the size of megawatt level power electronics. In this article, we examine the role of soft magnetic materials in high-frequency power applications and we discuss current material's limitations and highlight emerging trends in soft magnetic material design for high-frequency and power applications using the materials paradigm of synthesis -> structure -> property -> performance relationships.

Leary, AM↗
DOE OSTI2017

Method and apparatus to provide power conversion with high power factor

A power converter circuit rectifies a line voltage and applies the rectified voltage to a stack of capacitors. Voltages on the capacitors are coupled to a plurality of regulating converters to be converted to regulated output signals. The regulated output signals are combined and converted to a desired DC output voltage of the power converter. Input currents of the regulating converters are modulated in a manner that enhances the power factor of the power converter.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗