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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 199 records · Page 11
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

A Demonstration System for Geological Thermal Energy Storage of Concentrating Solar Thermal

Energy storage is increasingly necessary as variable energy technologies are deployed. Seasonal energy storage can shift energy generation from the summer to the winter, but these technologies must have extremely large energy capacities and low costs. Geological Thermal Energy Storage (GeoTES) is proposed as a solution for long-term energy storage [1]. Excess thermal energy can be stored in permeable reservoirs such as aquifers and depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs for several months. The energy capacity cost of GeoTES is very low which makes it suitable for both daily- and seasonal storage of Concentrating Solar Thermal (CST) energy, thus enabling CST to provide value to electricity markets and thermal energy off-takers. A CST-GeoTES demonstration system has been funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Solar Energy Technology Office. In this article, we will describe this demonstration system and progress that has been made in its development. The demonstration system will comprise a 2 MWth parabolic trough with an 8m aperture developed by Gossamer Space Frames, seven wells, and a 100 kWe power cycle. The demonstration system will be deployed in Kern County, California by Premier Resource Management. A techno-economic model for CST-GeoTES systems has also been developed [3] and is applied to the demonstration system and its planned future expansion. The model integrates the output of specialist models of each subsystem, which enables the performance and cost of both the subsurface and surface systems to be captured. Off-design models enable the performance to be evaluated at each hour of the year, before being aggregated to evaluate the economic potential of CST-GeoTES. Initial analysis indicates that CST-GeoTES can provide long duration energy storage capabilities with low marginal costs of energy capacity - leading to a low value of Levelized Cost of Storage (LCOS) compared to alternative technologies, see Figure 2. In this article, we investigate the cost and performance of the specific demonstration site being developed by PRM and explore a range of operational profiles that can deliver different value streams, such as daily and seasonal storage, capacity, and resiliancy.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

High‐Loading Lithium‐Sulfur Batteries with Solvent‐Free Dry‐Electrode Processing

Abstract Lithium‐sulfur (Li‐S) batteries, with their high energy density, nontoxicity, and the natural abundance of sulfur, hold immense potential as the next‐generation energy storage technology. To maximize the actual energy density of the Li‐S batteries for practical applications, it is crucial to escalate the areal capacity of the sulfur cathode by fabricating an electrode with high sulfur loading. Herein, ultra‐high sulfur loading (up to 12 mg cm −2 ) cathodes are fabricated through an industrially viable and sustainable solvent‐free dry‐processing method that utilizes a polytetrafluoroethylene binder fibrillation. Due to its low porosity cathode architecture formed by the binder fibrillation process, the dry‐processed electrodes exhibit a relatively lower initial capacity compared to the slurry‐processed electrode. However, its mechanical stability is well maintained throughout the cycling without the formation of electrode cracking, demonstrating significantly superior cycling stability. Additionally, through the optimization of the dry‐processing, a single‐layer pouch cell with a loading of 9 mg cm −2 and a novel multi‐layer pouch cell that uses an aluminum mesh as its current collector with a total loading of 14 mg cm −2 are introduced. To address the reduced initial capacity of dry‐processed electrodes, strategies such as incorporating electrocatalysts or employing prelithiated active materials are suggested.

Chemistry↗
DOE OSTI2024

Alternating Direction Decomposition with Strong Bounding and Convexification (ADDSBC) for Solving Security Constrained AC Unit Commitment Problems

This project aims to develop efficient and robust computational methods for solving the security-constrained unit commitment and alternating current optimal power flow problem (SC-UC-ACOPF). The SC-UC-ACOPF problem is at the center of the short-term operation of the U.S. Power Grid. It is solved every week, every day, and every 10 minutes to plan for the optimal action of electricity generation and consumption by minimizing the generation cost and maintaining power system reliability against potential disruptions of equipment failures. In mathematical terms, SC-UC-ACOPF is a challenging large-scale mixed-integer nonlinear optimization model. This means that the decisions involve both discrete variables, e.g. the turning on and off of generators and switching of transmission lines and transformers, and continuous decisions, e.g. the amount of energy generated by each generator and the power flows in the power grid. The physics of the power flow is described by nonlinear equations involving real and reactive power and bus voltages. Another key feature is the large number of contingencies, i.e. the system needs to stay reliable in face of failure of any one equipment, such as transmission lines and generators. The U.S. power grids are extremely complicated and large scale with more than 5,000 generators, 50,000 buses, and 100,000 high-voltage transmission lines, making the SC-UC-ACOPF a very large-scale computation challenge. The research developed in this project aims to solve the SC-UC-ACOPF problems in the three timescales, i.e. weekly, daily, and every 10-min. The proposed computational methods are built on a principled algorithmic approach of decomposition and penalization. More specifically, the algorithm develops spatial and temporal decomposition by exploiting the strong temporal coupling and weak spatial coupling of the UC problem and the complementary feature, i.e. weak temporal coupling and strong spatial coupling of the ACOPF problem. The algorithm also leverages recent progresses in strong convex relaxation of ACOPF. A unique feature of the proposed approach is that it generates a valid, global upper bound on the optimal maximum profit. In this way, a global optimality gap is available to measure the quality of the solution. To further speed up computation, the research team has developed a plethora of effective heuristics to strengthen the iterative penalty-based decomposition framework. For instance, a heuristic is developed to construct inner approximations of the time coupling constraints within the time decoupled problems. Contingencies are pre-screened and low-rank matrix computation is exploited to find the almost unique solution to each contingency. A novel heuristic for line switching is proposed and tested with positive impacts on instances where line switching is beneficial. Taking a systematic approach and carefully handling every detail of the problem pays off. The TIM-GO’s performance throughout the trials and the final event was stellar. TIM-GO garnered the second highest total prize money and is ranked in the top three positions across all categories of comparison.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
NASA NTRS2017

Mars Molniya Orbit Atmospheric Resource Mining

This NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Phase I study examined the revolutionary concept of performing resource collection and utilization during Mars orbital operations in order to enable the landing of large payloads. An exploration architecture was developed, out of which several mission alternatives were developed. Concepts of operations were then developed for each mission alternative, followed by concepts for spacecraft systems, which were traded to assess their feasibility. A novel architecture using Mars Molniya Orbit Atmospheric Resource Mining is feasible to enable an Earth-independent and pioneering, permanent human presence on Mars by providing a reusable, single-stage-to-orbit transportation system. This will allow cargo and crew to be routinely delivered to and from Mars without transporting propellants from Earth.In Phase I, our study explored how electrical energy could be harnessed from the kinetic energy of the incoming spacecraft and then be used to produce the oxygen necessary for landing. This concept of operations is revolutionary in that its focus is on using in situ resources in complementary and varied forms: the upper atmosphere of Mars is used for aerocapture, which is followed by aerobraking, the kinetic energy of the spacecraft is transformed into usable electrical energy during aerobraking, and the atmospheric composition is the source of oxidizer for a landing under supersonic retropropulsion. This NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Phase I study explores a novel mission architecture to establish routine, Earth-independent transfer of large mass payloads between Earth and the Mars surface and back to Mars orbit. The first stage of routine mission operations involves an atmospheric resource mining aerobraking campaign following aerocapture into a highly elliptical Mars orbit. During each pass through the atmosphere, the vehicle ingests the atmospheric oxidizer and stores it onboard, using solid oxide electrolysis to convert the primarily CO2 atmosphere into usable O2 for propellant. Power is made available through the use of magnetohydrodynamic energy generation, which converts the motion of the plasma in the shock later into usable electrical energy. Upon termination of the aerobraking sequence, the descent vehicle detaches from the orbit stack, deorbits, and executes the entry, descent, and landing sequence. Hypersonic deceleration is achieved via a deployable heat shield to lower the vehicle ballistic coefficient, and supersonic and subsonic deceleration are achieved via retropropulsion. Mars surface operations involve resource mining of the Martian regolith to produce CH4 and O2 propellant to be used for the subsequent MDAV ascent back to high Mars orbit (HMO) providing an apoapsis raise maneuver to initialize the aerobraking sequence, in addition to providing fuel from the Mars surface for EDL propulsive descent. The Resource Collector Vehicle (RCV), which is used for the orbital mining operations, is raised back to HMO via onboard deployable augmented solar electric propulsion. Concepts of operations were developed for each mission alternative, to evaluate between them and assess feasibility.

Mining↗
DOE OSTI2024

Integrating Variable Renewable Energy Into the Grid: Key Issues

To foster sustainable, low-emission development, many countries are establishing ambitious renewable energy targets for their electricity supply. The variability of solar and wind compared to traditional sources, coupled with growing demand for electricity, requires changes to power system planning and operations to meet these targets. Grid integration is the practice of developing efficient ways to deliver variable renewable energy (VRE), primarily wind and solar, to the grid. Good integration methods maximize the cost-effectiveness of incorporating VRE while maintaining or increasing system stability and reliability. To inform decarbonization strategies, policymakers, regulators, and system operators consider a variety of costs and opportunities associated with VRE integration, which can be organized into five topics: New renewable energy generation and transmission; Power system reliability; Transmission and distribution coordination; Cross-sectoral decarbonization opportunities; Energy equity and justice.

ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Energy to Communities (E2C) Annual Highlights 2024

In 2024, E2C provided customized technical assistance to more than 200 organizations across the country on topics within four categories: energy generation and grid, transportation, buildings, and reliability and recovery.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2024

FY2023 NSTTF Annual Report

The National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF) is a DOE Core Capability and Technology Deployment Center located in Albuquerque, NM. It is operated by Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The NSTTF is the only multi-mission, multi-use, multi-story test facility of its type in the United States. The NSTTF was founded in 1978 and began testing with high heat flux that same year. Over the past 45 years, the NSTTF has been at the forefront of the research, design, fabrication, and testing of many of the critical Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) technologies. These technologies have allowed costs to be dramatically reduced from over $\$ $0.40 /kWh to $\$$0.12 /kWh since the conception of this renewable energy technology. The NSTTF has worked to make the Solar Energy Generating Systems (SEGS) parabolic trough plants successful, while also working with the Solar One and Solar Two facilities for successful implementation. Over the four decades since its founding, the mission of the NSTTF has grown to include new receiver technologies, like our generation 3 falling particle system (G3P3 Tower), optical metrology techniques like SOFAST, molten salt testing, thermal energy storage, solar thermal chemistry, and more. We continue to expand our capabilities in pursuit of the DOE SETO mission and the DOE SunShot 2030 goals: unsubsidized LCOE of $\$$0.05/kWh for CSP that includes 12 or more hours of thermal energy storage. To support both the DOE SETO mission and support the CSP sector as a whole, we are working to develop our operations and maintenance framework to provide a world class testing facility in support of our technological achievements. To accomplish both of these missions, the NSTTF draws on the decades of experience and expertise of our staff along with the world-class facilities at Sandia National Laboratories to further the science of concentrated solar thermal technologies in diverse applications. We remain a trusted partner for high-quality and impactful research in both fundamental and applied arenas. We are able to provide our partners with both one-of-a-kind testing platforms as well as world-class analytics.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Nuclear Technology Selection and Preliminary Integration at St. Charles and Carrollton Chemical Plants

Nuclear energy is identified as a valuable candidate for decarbonizing industrial facilities as a non-emitting baseload energy source capable of dispatching energy as needed for an integrated facility. As industrial facilities are unique, analyzing what nuclear technology is the best candidate should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. For two identified facilities of the Dow Chemical Company, an ideal mix of nuclear energy resources is calculated, and integration strategies are put forward. This research was funded through a Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) Nuclear Energy Voucher, specifically seeking near-term engineering solutions for the technical issue of introducing nuclear generated energy into the Dow chemical facilities. The research is split into four main phases: background on reactors and chemical facilities, preliminary engineering analysis determining how reactor technologies may be integrated with specific facilities, site characterization and discrete hazards analysis, and finally an optimization of reactor-facility selection through the use of Framework for Optimization of ResourCes and Economics (FORCE) tools.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Analysis of Electricity Price Differentials for the Utah Office of Energy Development

Operation Gigawatt is a vision for Utah to meet its growing energy needs with a focus on doubling energy generation. One of the greatest challenges to meet this goal will be the transmission and distribution system. Utah seeks analysis to inform discussions on new generation, the likely network congestion based on new power flows, and modeling of the state's energy infrastructure. To support this need, LBNL developed a baseline understanding of recent historical congestion in the existing transmission system based on electricity market prices. The resulting products visualize and provide metrics on congestion within Utah and between Utah and its neighbors during 2015-2023.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2026

From chromatin to crop: epigenetic innovations in bioenergy systems

Energy crops encompass a diverse array of plant species cultivated primarily as a source of biomass for energy generation and biofuel production. As such, they play a pivotal role in the transition to sustainable energy systems. However, their productivity is often limited by environmental stresses, nutrient availability, and the need for optimized yield. While traditional breeding and genetic engineering have driven improvements, challenges such as narrow genetic diversity, long development cycles, trait instability, and unexpected gene interactions remain. Epigenetics offers a largely untapped opportunity to overcome these constraints by regulating gene expression through mechanisms that are dynamic, finely tuned, and responsive to environmental and developmental cues. Epigenetic modifications including DNA methylation, histone post-translational changes, and small non-coding RNAs influence nearly all aspects of plant development and physiology, including traits central to bioenergy crops. While these mechanisms are well characterized in model species such as Arabidopsis thaliana, they remain underexplored in many purpose-grown energy crops. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge of epigenetic regulation in bioenergy species, explores how these mechanisms can be leveraged to enhance crop resilience and productivity, and identifies gaps in our understanding. By characterizing epigenetic mechanisms and harnessing epigenetic variation, we can expand the toolkit for developing resilient, high-yielding bioenergy crops to meet future environmental and energy demands.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
NASA NTRS1982

Develop and test fuel cell powered on-site integrated total energy systems: Phase 3: Full-scale power plant development

The development of a commercially viable and cost-effective phospheric acid fuel cell powered on-site integrated energy system (OS/IES) is described. The fuel cell offers energy efficients in the range of 35-40% of the higher heating value of available fuels in the form of electrical energy. In addition, by utilizing the thermal energy generated for heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC), a fuel cell OS/IES could provide total energy efficiencies in the neighborhood of 80%. Also, the Engelhard fuel cell OS/IES offers the important incentive of replacing imported oil with domestically produced methanol, including coal-derived methanol.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1990

Thermal relaxation oscillations in horizontal-branch stars

In a recent numerical investigation of the effect of trapped 'cosmions' on horizontal-branch (HB) stars, thermal pulses were observed to occur if the energy transfer provided by these weakly interacting particles was chosen to be efficient enough to break convection. A simple analytic two-zone model of the core of an HB star is presented which allows the interpretation of these pulsations as oscillations of thermal relaxation between the small energy generating 'nuclear core' and the overlying 'gravothermal buffer'. It is shown that any novel form of energy transfer which breaks convection will lead to this behavior where the usual stellar 'conductive equilibrium' is replaced by a limit cycle. The star follows this cycle, oscillating with a period roughly given by the Kelvin-Helmholtz time scale of the core.

Salati, Pierre↗
NASA NTRS1993

Wave properties near the subsolar magnetopause - Pc 1 waves in the sheath transition layer

We study the waves in the frequency range of Pc 1 in the sheath transition layer of the magnetopause from the ISEE 1 and 2 observations. The waves are enhanced in the sheath transition layer, although they are scattered into the magnetosheath when the outer edge of the sheath transition layer is not sharp. The wave frequency is proportional to, and equal to, about 44 percent of the ion gyrofrequency. The waves are left-handed polarized for southward IMF, but linearly polarized for northward IMF. The direction of maximum variation is perpendicular to both the background field and the gradients of the field and density for northward IMF; for southward IMF, the waves are more turbulent. Wave generation mechanisms may depend on IMF orientations rather than the shock geometry. To investigate the free energy generating the waves for northward IMF, a method is developed combining the measurements from the fast plasma experiment and Lepedea to obtain a high time resolution estimate of the temperature anisotropy for strongly northward IMF. The estimated ion temperature anisotropy is enhanced, up to a factor of 2, within the sheath transition layer for northward IMF.

Song, P.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Magnetic flux tubes as sources of wave generation

The structure of solar, and very likely stellar, surface magnetic fields is highly inhomogeneous: at the photospheric level, the fields are locally strong, and show concentration into a flux tube structure. In this case, the wave energy generated in stellar convection zones may be largely carried away by flux tube waves, which can then become important sources for the heating of the outer atmospheric layers. Such flux tube wave generation may help to explain the UV and X-ray fluxes observed by the IUE and Einstein observatories. The generation of longitudinal tube waves in magnetic flux tubes embedded in an otherwise magnetic field-free, turbulent, and stratified medium was considered. It is shown that compressible tube waves are generated by dipole emission and that the generation efficiency is a strong function of the magnetic field strength. Energy flux calculations are presented for different magnetic flux tubes, and show how the results depend on the magnetic field strength and the characteristics of the convective turbulence.

Musielak, Z. E.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Controllable Multi-Functional Heat Exchanger for Space Applications

Team Spacering will design SpaceRing, a cooling and waste heat recycling system that addresses NASA’s interest for a cooling and power-generating unit in its prototype deep space habitat[1]. The merits of this system are as follows: - Controllable cooling is critical in maintaining a habitable environment and in the functionality of life support systems, powering electronics and other devices in a spacecraft. - Power is expensive to produce in a space environment. Converting wasted thermal energy into electricity will save energy and money for the space station. Space habitation is a highly complex endeavor. Consequently, the SpaceRing must adhere to additional constraints, which include: - Lack of natural fluid or gas convection due to micro-gravity environment - Limited range for heat source and cold sink temperature - Subject to high fluctuations of incoming thermal energy - Minimal weight due to the high cost of transporting items into space After consulting with NASA and experts in thermal studies, several design objectives were identified and are listed below in order of importance: - High cooling capacity - Reliable safety control and alert system - Maximization of energy generation from wasted heat - Optimization of cooling capability and power generation - Long operational life and minimization of maintenance In space, conventional cooling systems utilize passive heat pipe systems for small-scale heat rejection and pumped pipes with heat exchangers for large-scale heat rejection. Thermal power generation in space is mainly achieved by using thermoelectric material that produces electric energy from temperature differentials. We propose a design that combines cooling and thermoelectric power generation. Using a hot pipe connected to a heat source, a cold pipe connected to a radiator, a heat exchanger in contact with both pipes, and a pump in each pipe to move the fluid, we make an active cooling system. The thermoelectric material is inserted in the heat exchanger between the hot and cold pipes to extract energy from the maximum temperature difference coming from the two pipes. It also provides controllable cooling capacity through the use of the thermoelectric material as cooling modules. We have tested our system under target heat source and sink conditions and measured the temperatures and flow rates. Our preliminary results are promising, demonstrating the output of 25 Watts of power on average. We are in the process of running control tests to compare the heat transfer performance without the thermoelectric generators, which is vital in determining whether or not the generators introduce an unacceptable amount of thermal resistance. While some control tests have been run already, the results have been noisy. We have modified our testing environment and data acquisition methods to allow for simple comparison between the control test results and thermoelectric performance results. Lastly, we have modified the heat exchanger design slightly to include acrylic baffles. This will allow the heat to flow through the heat exchanger more efficiently. We have presented our preliminary results to NASA and will deliver the final product by the end of May 2014.

Lee Xiong↗
NASA NTRS1972

Description of solar structure and processes.

A general introduction to solar structure and processes is presented. The sun is first viewed as a spherically symmetric steady-state system, and the energy generated in the core is traced as it flows outward. The various forms and manifestations of this energy flow and the resulting uniquely defined characteristics of different atmospheric layers are described. The sources of solar activity are assumed to be differential rotation and solar magnetic fields. The interaction of these sources to produce the observed solar cycle, active regions, the active-sun corona, and solar flares is discussed. In describing solar structure and processes, only elementary physical concepts are utilized.

Gibson, E. G.↗
NASA NTRS1982

New Energy-Saving Technologies Use Induction Generators

Two energy-saving technologies tested recently at Marshall Space Flight Center use an induction motor operated in reverse (as an induction generator). In the first, energy ordinarily dissipated during load testing of machinery is recovered and returned to powerline. In the second, efficiency of wind-driven induction generator is improved, and useful range of windspeed is broadened. Both technologies take advantage of ac voltage developed across terminals of an induction motor when rotated at higher than-synchronous speed in the direction it normally turns when power is appled.

Nola, F.↗