Search NASA⌕ Search

Engineering topics

Sharma, Smriti

Publications and source records attributed to Sharma, Smriti.

Integrated Evaluation of Power Sector Decarbonization

MARKAL-PROMOD Integration presentation for USAEE conference on November 4, 2024. The presentation shows the construction of the MAGIIC translation tool to convert MARKAL capacity expansion to PROMOD model data, and PROMOD unit dispatch results to MARKAL technology availability data to allow a more robust analysis leveraging both modeling tools.

Sharma, Smriti↗

The REPACT Tool: User Manual [Slides]

Reuse of Existing Pipelines for Adapted Carbon Transport (REPACT) is an Excel-based screening tool. This tool enables the user to determine whether a pipeline originally deployed for natural gas transport, can be reused for CO 2 transport. The tool along with its associated users manual walk through an intended usage statement, setup instructions, a list of inputs and outputs in the tool, and frequently used protocols. Please note that this is a first-pass screening tool. The approach presented within this tool is valid for high-level evaluation only and should not be used to make engineering, financial, and/or regulatory decisions. Access the tool here: https://www.netl.doe.gov/energy-analysis/details?id=c699a604-ded1-45cd-b1c0-247b1405aeeb

03 NATURAL GAS↗

Engineering Microgrids Amid the Evolving Electrical Distribution System

Non-wires alternatives and microgrid technologies are maturing and present great opportunities for electric utilities to increase the benefits they offer to their customers. They have the potential to decrease the cost of resolving traditional electrical system loading issues, contribute to carbon emissions reductions, and improve the electrical distribution system’s resilience to extreme weather events. The authors of this manuscript present a review of the research on microgrids and their practical applications. This is leveraged with the past work of the authors of this manuscript and other authors to develop specific objectives for microgrids, practical criteria for engineers to consider when deploying microgrids, stochastic methods to optimize microgrid designs, and black start requirements. This guidance is then used for the design of actual networked microgrids being deployed with adaptive boundaries.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Strategic Siting of Direct Air Capture Facilities in the United States

Direct air capture (DAC) systems that capture carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) directly from the atmosphere are garnering considerable attention for their potential role as negative emission technologies in achieving net-zero CO 2 emission goals. Common DAC technologies are based either on liquid–solvent (L-DAC) or solid–sorbent (S-DAC) to capture CO 2 . A comprehensive multi-factor comparative economic analysis of the deployment of L-DAC and S-DAC facilities across various United States (U.S.) cities is presented in this paper. The analysis considers the influence of various factors on the favorability of DAC deployment, including local climatic conditions such as temperature, humidity, and CO 2 concentrations; the availability of energy sources to power the DAC system; and costs for the transport and storage of the captured CO 2 along with the consideration of the regional market and policy drivers. The deployment analysis in over 70 continental U.S. cities shows that L-DAC and S-DAC complement each other spatially, as their performance and operational costs vary in different climates. L-DAC is more suited to the hot, humid Southeast, while S-DAC is preferrable in the colder, drier Rocky Mountain region. Strategic deployment based on regional conditions and economics is essential for promoting the commercial adoptability of DAC, which is a critical technology to meet the CO 2 reduction targets.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Energy Assets Transformation Web Mapping Application

This submission contains the link and geospatial materials used in the Energy Assets Transformation Web Mapping Application. The zip file contains 19 geospatial layers in a file geodatabase called EAT.gdb to be grouped in the following categories. 1. Industrial Assets: Coal Generation Units Retirements 2012-2040 (EIA); Examples of Repurposing Projects (32 projects in total); Abandoned Coal Mines (CORD, SkyTruth); Abandoned or Orphaned Wells (for ten states only). 2. Energy Transition Communities: 48C (e) Tax Credits - Designated Energy Communities (IRA); Index of Deep Disadvantage; Local Energy Action Program (LEAP); EJ Index for Proximity to Hazardous Waste (EPA). 3. Regional Landscape: State-Level Funding Programs (relevant to repurposing projects, for 2022 and 2023 only); Coal Flows from Mine to Plant 2021 (EIA), Variable Renewable Energy Shares (Wind and Solar, 2021, EIA). 4. Supporting Infrastructure: Railroads (HIFLD), Electric Power Transmission Lines (HIFLD), Major Highways (NHPN, DOT), Major Ports (National Atlas of the U.S.); Independent System Operators (HIFLD), NERC Regions and Subregions (HIFLD).

abandoned coal mines↗

Market analysis for the integration of new power technologies: A case study of the deployment of hybrid fossil-based generator plus energy storage (ES-FE)

This study examines the national landscape of hybridized fossil energy (FE) power plants with energy storage (ES) technologies (“ES-FE”) and presents the compilation of an ES-FE dataset, which includes over 65 ES-FE projects and concepts in the United States, comprising approximately 500 MWh of co-located ES capacity with FE power plants. This study also estimates the economic feasibility of adding ES to existing FE power plants by characterizing the potential revenues that can be generated by the ES component through flexibility and capacity value. The analysis focuses on ES technologies with 2- to 10-h. durations located in four U.S. independent system operators (ISOs): Midcontinent ISO (MISO), Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), PJM Interconnection (PJM), and California ISO (CAISO), which have +70,000 MW of combined FE power capacity that could add ES. Annual revenues are estimated for the ES component using a what-if-analysis approach, for capacity value, price arbitrage, or ancillary services provision. The results show that annual revenues depend on the end-use storage service, wholesale electricity and capacity market prices, and ES technology operation parameters such as discharging duration and cycling frequency. When performing a sensitivity analysis, ES accrues $7–178/kW-yr. via price arbitrage and ancillary services provision in the four ISOs, and $13–92/kW-yr. when providing capacity value only in MISO and PJM. A cash flow analysis is performed to estimate the net present value (NPV) of the ES addition using a range of ES costs. The study finds that for most ES technologies considered, these revenues alone are insufficient to achieve economic feasibility. In conclusion, of the 1645 total runs analyzed, 115 had positive NPVs (7%). Therefore, other revenue streams or monetizable benefits are necessary to achieve the break-even point.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗

Carbon Capture, Utilization, & Storage (CCUS) in Achieving a Net Zero Emissions Future - System Cost of Replacement Energy (SCoRE): A Tool for Assessing Technology Substitution Pathways to Decarbonization

This presentation outlines the SCoRE tool, which can be used to identify the least-cost technology substitution pathway to meeting a decarbonization target within an operating region of the United States. The presentation showcases results from an application of the tool in the ERCOT operating region.

Harker-Steele, Amanda↗

WVU/NETL Econometric Input-Output (ECIO) Model Documentation Update

The purpose of this technical report is to update any outdated documentation related to the ECIO model based on modifications made to the model in recent years and to provide greater operational detail on key ECIO model algorithms.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Market Analysis: Upcycling Natural Gas Into Solid Carbon Products

The purpose of this report is to execute a market analysis to determine the potential market opportunities for natural gas-derived high-value carbon products and their associated applications. Currently, associated gas is released through the process of either venting or flaring. Vented or flared natural gas is presently lost to the atmosphere, despite the fact that it represents a significant resource of both carbon and hydrogen—two products that could have significant value. Transforming some of this underutilized supply into high-cost products could contribute to realizing the full value of United States (U.S.) natural gas resources. The products analyzed in this report are carbon fiber, carbon nanotubes, synthetic graphite, and carbon black. The report also touches on the market opportunities for hydrogen, a by-product of the pyrolysis process.

03 NATURAL GAS↗