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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 OSTI2021

DERMS-RT (Distributed Energy Resource Management Solution using Real-Time Optimization) [SWR-20-46]

DERMS-RT provides a distributed energy resource management solution using real-time optimization to control different types of distributed energy resources (DERs) — such as rooftop PVs, battery energy storage systems, HVAC loads, electric water heater loads, and EV charging loads, and use these DERs to provide distribution voltage regulation and peak demand management services. The control approach implemented by DERM-RT is developed based on the real-time optimal power flow and distributed control previously developed by NREL researchers. The software codes are designed to provide modular DER management solution that can be easily applied to control heterogeneous DERs in distribution grids in coordination with centralized utility management systems. Also, DERMS-RT provides application programming interface (API) to extract useful grid model information from an open-source power system simulation software, use the information to solve the optimization problem, and apply the optimal set-points to the controlled DERs. In this way, DERMS-RT provides a plug-and-play function for implementing the real-time DER control on different utility system models, and it can be used as a simulation testbed to demonstrate the impact of real-time DER optimization on improving grid operations.

Ding, Fei↗
DOE OSTI2024

Photovoltaic Analysis and Response Support (PARS) Platform for Solar Situational Awareness and Resiliency Services

The project's primary objective is to develop a digital-twin based Photovoltaic (PV) Analysis and Response Support (PARS) platform, which aims to provide real-time situational awareness and optimal response plans. This platform is designed to enhance the performance of hybrid PV systems, making them competitive with or even superior to conventional generation resources. The PARS platform enabled the project team to develop and evaluate an extensive suite of grid support functionalities for the hybrid PV systems to enhance grid performance, across key areas including visibility, dispatchability, security, resilience, and reliability. Given the global push toward achieving 100% clean energy by 2035, there is a significant increase in the integration of inverter-based resources (IBRs) throughout the energy grid. Effectively managing the inherent variability and uncertainty associated with IBRs is crucial for ensuring cost-effectiveness, reliability, and security in both the main grid and islanded microgrids. Constrained to a limited array of IEEE test systems or standard feeder models, traditional IBR modeling struggles to assimilate new field data, accurately reflect system dynamics, and adapt to the evolving energy landscape. In our project, we embraced a Digital Twin (DT) strategy for crafting the PARS platform. A digital twin acts as a precise virtual counterpart of a physical system, built on historical data and continuously honed with real-time insights. This enables the high-fidelity DT to accurately mirror current system operations and forecast future scenarios. Consequently, the PARS platform becomes an ideal environment for testing and refining monitoring, control, power, and energy management algorithms designed to boost hybrid PV system performance. The defining feature of the PARS platform, distinguishing it from other advanced simulation tools, is its exceptional adaptability. This is achieved by employing actual network topologies and utilizing real-time field data for fine-tuning and calibration, ensuring a close emulation of real-world conditions. The project deliverables include: 1) High-fidelity IBR models and tools for real-time parameterization, utilizing real-time field measurements to refine IBR models for enhanced accuracy and performance; 2) Grid-forming and Grid-following capabilities to deliver resilience services, including blackstart, voltage and frequency support, cold-load pick-up, power reserves, and three-phase load balancing across grid-connected and microgrid settings; 3) Machine learning-based forecasting tools and methods for generating synthetic data and topologies, creating diverse and realistic simulation environments for evaluating varied operational scenarios; 4) Advanced microgrid power and energy management algorithms for optimizing the integration and operation of PV, storage, and demand response resources within both feeder and community scales. The power grid data sets are provided by four utility companies in North Carolina and the New York Power Administration. Acting as industry advisors, our industry partners communicated stakeholder needs and regulatory standards to the research teams, aiding technology transfer by incorporating the developed methodologies into their daily operations. This collaboration ensures that the PARS platform, functioning as a power system digital twin, enhances our understanding of IBR dynamic behaviors and enables the development and evaluation of IBR control functions that match or exceed the capabilities of conventional synchronous generators.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

The Verification and Validation of a Magnetic Plasma Fluid Model Utilizing the MOOSE (Multiphysics Object Oriented Simulation Environment) Framework

As the goal of achieving fusion power on the grid comes closer to fruition, fully coupled multiphysics models of fusion devices will be crucial. Currently, there are two main approaches to developing these platforms: (1) loosely coupled, where one couples existing codes and solvers together through input and output parameters and data, and (2) tightly coupled, where one develops the necessary models within a singular, integrated framework. This work focuses on the latter approach for magnetically confined fusion devices by developing a fluid-based plasma-edge model within the Multiphysics Object Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) Framework. This effort is coordinated with other efforts to develop, test, demonstrate, and deploy fusion relevant multiphysics capabilities including electromagnetics, particle-in-cell plasma, tritium transport, and fusion blanket design. This new model is an expansion of the MOOSE-based plasma application, Zapdos, which was originally formulated to model low-temperature, non-magnetized plasma processes. Verification, benchmarking, and validation studies have been conducted. Verification studies involved utilizing the method of manufactured solutions and comparing the convergence slope of a known solution to the theoretical slope. Benchmarking consists of comparisons to existing edge codes, namely BOUT++ and SOLEDGE3X. Validation efforts focused on comparisons against open-source data from the TCV tokamak.

70 - PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Equivalent-Circuit Models of Grid-Forming IBRs for Electromagnetic-Transient Simulations: Preprint

We derive equivalent-circuit models of control- and physical-layer subsystems of grid-forming (GFM) inverter-based resources (IBRs) for electromagnetic-transient (EMT) simulations. Three different primary controllers are considered: droop, virtual synchronous machine (VSM), and dispatchable virtual oscillator control (dVOC). In addition, the models include cascaded voltage- and current-control loops, and LCL output filters. Simulations for a single-inverter setup and for a network of five inverters in a modified IEEE 14-bus topology are presented. The equivalent-circuit models simulated with analog electronic circuit-simulator software (in our case, LTspice) offer the same accuracy with up to 150x lower computational burden compared to block-diagram-based implementations in commercial off-the-shelf EMT software (in our case, MATLAB-Simulink).

circuit-equivalent model↗
DOE OSTI2022

A Decoupled Droop Control Strategy for Cascaded Multicell Inverter with Low-Frequency Modulation

Cascaded multicell inverter (CMI), featured by its merits of modularity and fault-tolerance, is suitable for medium-voltage applications without using bulky step-up transformers. However, little research has reported grid-forming control of the CMI for the application in the power grid with high penetrations of inverter-interfaced generation. To bridge this research gap, this paper proposes a novel droop control strategy for the CMI with a low-frequency modulation to offer inertia and reactive power support to the power grid. A decoupled Q/V droop control strategy is proposed to eliminate the coupling effect from the P/ω control loop caused by the phase-angle difference between the voltages of the CMI and the grid. The output of the Q/V control loop is set as the reference voltage for each cell of the CMI, which makes the CMI naturally a voltage source to provide a grid-forming capability. Finally, the proposed control strategy shows great active and reactive power regulation and sharing capability, which is validated by simulation on two 100 kW, 2.4 kV CMIs connected in parallel to a power grid.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

An integrated transportation-power system model for a decarbonizing world

Rising demand for electricity from electric vehicles (EVs) will require new paradigms to guarantee reliable and low-cost electricity. This study couples an agent-based travel demand simulator and an electricity grid model to assess the economic costs of supplying power to meet EVs' added demand across the Chicago region. Results suggest that shifting from personal EVs to a fleet of shared, fully-automated all-electric vehicles (SAEVs) could lower per-mile emissions, congestion, and embodied vehicle and charging infrastructure emissions. Further, the results should compel policymakers to shift the cost of providing power onto commercial customers, like electric ride-hail fleets, through price-indexed electricity prices, which can shift charging to off-peak periods or away from resource-scarce hours.

Integrated modeling↗
DOE OSTI2020

GridSTAGE (aka PowerDrone)

Simulation tool for electrical grid security. It is possible to select from pre-loaded power system topologies, enable different grid controls (like AGC, power system stabilizer), add faults, tweak different parameters, add pre-modeled attack scenarios, and run batch simulations to generate data needed for research.

Nandanoori, Sai Pushpak↗
DOE OSTI2024

Early Exploration of a Flexible Framework for Efficient Quantum Linear Solvers in Power Systems

The rapid integration of renewable energy resources presents formidable challenges in managing power grids. While advanced computing and machine learning techniques offer some solutions for accelerating grid modeling and simulation, there remain complex problems that classical computers cannot effectively address. Quantum computing, a promising technology, has the potential to fundamentally transform how we manage power systems, especially in scenarios with a higher proportion of renewable energy sources. One critical aspect is solving linear systems of equations, crucial for power system applications like power flow analysis, for which the Harrow-Hassidim-Lloyd (HHL) algorithm is a well-known quantum solution. However, HHL quantum circuits often exhibit excessive depth, making them impractical for current Noisy-Intermediate-Scale-Quantum (NISQ) devices. In this paper, we introduce a versatile framework, powered by NWQSim, that bridges the gap between power system applications and quantum linear solvers available in Qiskit. This framework empowers researchers to efficiently explore power system applications using quantum linear solvers. Through innovative gate fusion strategies, reduced circuit depth, and GPU acceleration, our simulator significantly enhances resource efficiency. Power flow case studies have demonstrated up to a eight-fold speedup compared to Qiskit Aer, all while maintaining comparable levels of accuracy.

quantum computing, Harrow-Hassidim-Lloyd, high-per↗
DOE OSTI2025

Integration of Electrolysis Systems Into Isolated Microgrid Systems at Extreme Cold Climates

Isolated microgrid systems are generally used to power communities in remote locations where transmission line installations are cost prohibitive. These systems are usually powered by diesel generators, delivering expensive energy with high carbon emissions. However, most of these communities have special geographic access to renewable energy. These special conditions make it interesting to investigate the deployment of renewable energies and storage solutions. Within this scope, this paper analyses the integration of water electrolysis systems into off-grid communities, simulating the electrolyzer as well as the whole electrical grid in real time.

digital real-time simulation↗
DOE OSTI2020

Characterization of Connected Lighting System Potential for Grid Services Under Real-Time Pricing

Increasingly over the last decade, the management of end-use electricity demand has been examined as a potential source of services for the electric power grid beyond contracts with large commercial and industrial customers. Lighting represents about 17\% of U.S. commercial building annual electricity consumption; however, its potential rapid speed of response may position it to uniquely contribute to services that improve the reliability and resilience of the grid. Connected lighting systems (CLS), which build upon solid-state lamp technology, can change state by adjusting power demand more quickly than most other building electricity end uses and could be used as a platform to monitor lighting electricity use and space conditions. But the potential of CLS to provide grid services has not been extensively studied. In this paper, we describe initial research to evaluate the potential of CLS for grid services. We develop a model for CLS using a set of parameters to represent operation behaviors and constraints: maximal power, minimal power, nominal power, ramp rate, and time delay. Parameter values are generated for representative building types. CLS demand curves are constructed, indirectly capturing building occupant preferences for lighting as functions of electricity price. The CLS model and the demand curves are incorporated into a Transactive Control and Coordination (TCC) Platform to simulate CLS providing grid services. Previous research has shown TCC to be a powerful tool to enable end uses to provide grid services through a hybrid economic-control approach. Initial quantitative results will be provided for CLS grid services potential.

Wang, Peng↗
DOE OSTI2023

Fuel Cell Stack Model for Real-Time Simulation of Grid-Connected Applications

Fuel cell stacks coupled with electrolyzers and hydrogen storage sites can be a promising category of distributed energy resources for both grid-connected and stand-alone power systems. However, because of high costs, at-scale hardware testing of fuel cell stacks for grid-connected applications is not economically viable at present. A model-based system that can accurately captures the steady-state and dynamic response of fuel cell stacks over long time periods (hours), is needed. This paper demonstrate a real-time electromagnetic transient model of a megawatt-scale, grid-connected proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack, coupled with a mass-based hydrogen storage system. This model can emulate the electrical steady-state and dynamic response of grid-connected fuel cell stacks. We validate the model using the response of commercial hardware fuel cell stacks and analytical models in the literature - using a digital real-time simulator (RSCAD). The proposed real-time model is then used to simulate cases spanning different time horizons and to design controller-hardware-in-the-loop experiments to evaluate controllers for hydrogen stations.

activation potential↗
DOE OSTI2024

Robust Combined Heat and Hybrid Power (CHHP) for High Electrical Efficiency Cogeneration

Georgia Tech (Prime Recipient), the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) investigated a hybrid fuel cell/ gas turbine system concept as a combined heat and hybrid power (CHHP) system for both robust and high power-to-process heat ratio cogeneration. The novelty of the proposed system entailed the distinct, elevated electrical efficiencies it maintains while simultaneously supporting a broad span of heating needs (e.g., supply temperatures) demanded across variable heat loads. The scope included: 1) leveraging a pioneering national lab facility configured for dynamic system operability development of hybrid fuel cell/gas turbine cycles; 2) enabling technology development to adjust and modulate the quality and quantity of thermal supply to bottoming heat loads via novel extreme temperature gas bypass valves. Hybrid fuel cell/gas turbine systems have primarily been reduced-to-practice in a constrained (e.g., initial proof-of-concept) manner and have still demonstrated considerable electrical efficiencies. However, these pre-pilot systems have focused upon electrical efficiencies and electrical power generation as the exclusive energy demand. Such hybrid systems had not been extensively researched or developed for flexible and variable operation consisting of both power and heat demands; however, these variable combined power and heat demands are characteristic of many types of manufacturers such as animal/poultry processing, bakeries and milk/flour/pastry manufacturing, textile mills, and electrochemical processing. Commercially, developing the system into a working combined heat and power system benefits these types of manufacturers by allowing them to meet their power and heat demands at a lower cost, higher efficiency, and/or through onsite generation. Therefore, the technical scope of this project was largely to study and facilitate these hybrid systems as combined heat and hybrid power (CHHP) systems that include dynamic operability for variable heat and power loads and/or grid dynamics for various types of manufacturers. Simulation results were used to predict the performance of the CHHP system and conceptually develop it to achieve desired dynamic operability. Experimentally, the primary goal was to design, manufacture, and experiment upon a high-temperature bypass valve. Experimental data included air mass flow rates through the valve orifice when the valve was changed to variable extent between fully closed and fully open. The experimental data was then used to create a semi-empirical computational model of the bypass valve. Concluded simulation goals for the research included developing computational heat exchanger models for the hybrid system inclusive of the bottoming heat exchanger and the recuperative heat exchanger, and then combining the computational recuperator model with the computational valve model. Afterwards, the computational models were then integrated to predict the dynamic operation of hybrid fuel cell/gas turbine cycles throughout a design space and reporting such. The scope stated in the preceding paragraph was packaged into five specific goals: 1) enabling the simulation of dynamic combined heat and power through the creation of computational, modular heat exchanger models; 2) simulation and exploration of the CHHP system’s performance by integrating the heat exchanger models with the national lab’s pre-existing hybrid system (computational) simulation, but without the recuperator bypass valve concept in order to initially determine how the (baseline) system behaves and can be controlled in order to meet variable heat and power demands; 3) development and initial deployment of the high-temperature recuperator bypass valve technology in order to confirm and characterize the approach; 4) usage of the experimental data for the valve to create a semi-empirical computational model for the bypass valve which could then be combined with the heat exchanger computational models; 5) repeat of the second task of simulating and exploring the system’s performance, but this time including the bypass valve to resolve its efficacy. Tasks were successfully completed, and the general notion of flexibly operating, high electrical efficiency CHHP was further corroborated. Supportive details are provided in the report.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2023

Assessment and Commissioning of Electrical Substation Grid Testbed with a Real-Time Simulator and Protective Relays/Power Meters in the Loop

Electrical utility substations are wired with intelligent electronic devices (IEDs), such as protective relays, power meters, and communication switches. Substation engineers commission these IEDs to assess the appropriate measurements for monitoring, control, power system protection, and communication applications. Like real electrical utility substations, complex electrical substation grid testbeds (ESGTs) need to be assessed for measuring current and voltage signals in monitoring, power system protection, control (synchro check), and communication applications that are limited by small measurement percentage errors. In the process of setting an ESGT with real-time simulators and IEDs in the loop, protective relays, power meters, and communication devices must be commissioned before running experiments. In this study, an ESGT with IEDs and distributed ledger technology was developed. The ESGT with a real-time simulator and IEDs in the loop was satisfactorily assessed and commissioned. The commissioning and problem-solving tasks of the testbed are described to define a method with flowcharts to assess possible trouble-shooting in ESGTs. This method was based on comparing the simulations versus IED measurements for the phase current and voltage magnitudes, three-phase phasor diagrams, breaker states, protective relay times with selectivity coordination at electrical faults, communication data points, and time-stamp sources.

Piesciorovsky, Emilio↗
DOE OSTI2020

Big Data Analytic for Cascading Failure Analysis

With the challenges of increased grid dynamics and more variability of power generation from renewable energy sources, rapidly increasing complexity in the grid model, and abundant data from measurements and simulations, the requirements for computational analysis have also increased dramatically. Power system operators and engineers need to analyze more scenarios, extract meaningful information from a larger set of data, and respond more quickly when faced with these new challenges for large-scale applications, such as contingency analysis. This paper proposes a novel big data analysis approach for power system cascading analysis, prevention, and remediation. The developed techniques will be capable of cascading analysis, better assessment of the system’s vulnerability level, as well as proposing potential remediation. Case studies using IEEE 118-bus system and a 500-bus system, with a comparison against a commercial tool, validate the advantages of the developed big data approach: accurate prediction, and more importantly, faster and effective correction actions.The developed techniques could be further used for other power system applications.

big data, cascading analysis, corrective action, m↗
DOE OSTI2023

A Hydrogen Load Modeling Method for Integrated Hydrogen Energy System Planning

The integrated hydrogen energy system incorporates hydrogen energy into the power grid, which has been recognized as a promising option for reaching a 100% renewable electricity supply. It can make a profit because the hydrogen produced can be sold as fuel or used to generate electricity for grid services. In this paper, we develop a planning model for the integrated hydrogen energy system that considers the uncertainty of the load demand, the renewable energy generation, and the market prices. To calculate the hydrogen load, we simulate the refueling operations at a hydrogen fueling station over the course of one day and generate representative load profiles with K-means clustering. Moreover, the long-term profitability of the integrated system under both current and future conditions is validated in 10-year planning results.

grid service↗
DOE OSTI2023

A Hydrogen Load Modeling Method for Integrated Hydrogen Energy System Planning: Preprint

The integrated hydrogen energy system incorporates hydrogen energy into the power grid, which has been recognized as a promising option for reaching a 100% renewable electricity supply. It can make a profit because the hydrogen produced can be sold as fuel or used to generate electricity for grid services. In this paper, we develop a planning model for the integrated hydrogen energy system that considers the uncertainty of the load demand, the renewable energy generation, and the market prices. To calculate the hydrogen load, we simulate the refueling operations at a hydrogen fueling station over the course of one day. Moreover, the long-term profitability of the integrated system under both cur-rent and future conditions is compared in the planning results.

active distribution network↗
DOE OSTI2025

Verification of a Fluid-Based Plasma-Edge Model Within the Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) Framework

As the goal of achieving fusion power on the grid comes closer to fruition, fully coupled multiphysics models of fusion devices will be crucial. These models must incorporate the interconnected phenomena of these devices, including plasma physics, neutronics, first wall interactions, and tritium transport. Currently, there are two main approaches to developing these platforms: (1) loosely coupled, where one couples existing codes and solvers together through input and output parameters and data, and (2) tightly coupled, where one develops the necessary models within a singular, integrated framework. This work focuses on the latter approach for magnetically confined fusion devices by developing a fluid-based plasma-edge model within the Multiphysics Object Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) Framework. This effort is coordinated with other efforts to develop, test, demonstrate, and deploy fusion relevant multiphysics capabilities including electromagnetics, particle-in-cell plasma, tritium transport, and fusion blanket design. This new model is an expansion of the MOOSE-based plasma application, Zapdos, which was originally formulated to model low-temperature, non-magnetized plasma processes. Verification studies have been conducted using newly developed magnetic plasma capabilities. These involved convergence analyses utilizing the method of manufactured solutions to verify new operators and case studies. A modular approach was taken here to demonstrate increasingly complicated simulation scenarios, which included a singular fluid with uniform magnetic field case, a singular fluid with spatially varying magnetic field case, and a coupled multifluid case.

70 - PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗