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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 253 records · Page 14
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2016

Basin-Scale Assessment of the Land Surface Water Budget in the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Operational and Research NLDAS-2 Systems

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the components of the land surface water budget in the four land surface models (Noah, SAC-Sacramento Soil Moisture Accounting Model, (VIC) Variable Infiltration Capacity Model, and Mosaic) applied in the newly implemented National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) operational and research versions of the North American Land Data Assimilation System version 2 (NLDAS-2). This work focuses on monthly and annual components of the water budget over 12 National Weather Service (NWS) River Forecast Centers (RFCs). Monthly gridded FLUX Network (FLUXNET) evapotranspiration (ET) from the Max-Planck Institute (MPI) of Germany, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) total runoff (Q), changes in total water storage (dS/dt, derived as a residual by utilizing MPI ET and USGS Q in the water balance equation), and Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) observed total water storage anomaly (TWSA) and change (TWSC) are used as reference data sets. Compared to these ET and Q benchmarks, Mosaic and SAC (Noah and VIC) in the operational NLDAS-2 overestimate (underestimate) mean annual reference ET and underestimate (overestimate) mean annual reference Q. The multimodel ensemble mean (MME) is closer to the mean annual reference ET and Q. An anomaly correlation (AC) analysis shows good AC values for simulated monthly mean Q and dS/dt but significantly smaller AC values for simulated ET. Upgraded versions of the models utilized in the research side of NLDAS-2 yield largely improved performance in the simulation of these mean annual and monthly water component diagnostics. These results demonstrate that the three intertwined efforts of improving (1) the scientific understanding of parameterization of land surface processes, (2) the spatial and temporal extent of systematic validation of land surface processes, and (3) the engineering-oriented aspects such as parameter calibration and optimization are key to substantially improving product quality in various land data assimilation systems.

NLDAS-2↗
DOE OSTI2024

Customer enrollment and participation in building demand management programs: A review of key factors

Increasing the efficiency and flexibility of electricity demand is necessary for ensuring a cost-effective and reliable transition to zero-carbon electricity systems. Such demand-side management (DSM) resources have been procured by utilities for decades via energy efficiency and demand response programs; however, the key drivers of program enrollment and customer participation levels remain poorly understood — even as governments and grid planners seek to scale up the deployment of DSM assets to meet climate targets. Here we systematically review the evidence on multiple factors that may influence customer enrollment and participation in building DSM programs, focusing primarily on residential and commercial buildings. We examine the contexts in which relationships between DSM factors and outcomes are most often explored and with which methods; we also score the strength, direction, and internal consistency of each factor's reported impact on the enrollment and participation outcomes. We find that studies most commonly assess the effects of economic incentives for load flexibility on program participation levels, often using simulation-based methods in lieu of measured data. Few studies focus on program enrollment outcomes or regulatory drivers of either enrollment or participation, and gaps are also evident in the coverage of emerging DSM opportunities like load electrification. Removal of structural barriers (e.g., the lack of controls infrastructure) and the use of third party services (e.g., load aggregators) are the factors with the largest positive impacts on DSM outcomes, but no single factor emerges as clearly most impactful. For a given factor, the range of reported impacts typically varies widely across the relevant studies reviewed. Our findings provide a snapshot of the state of knowledge about building DSM and customer decision-making, and they expose key gaps in understanding that must be filled if building DSM is to expand as a critical resource for operating clean power grids.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2024

Sustainable Port Operations: Powered by NREL

Seaports are vital economic hubs that allow the United States to compete on a global scale. But the heavy vehicles and cargo equipment that enable their operations also emit harmful air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions. For nearly two decades, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) researchers have worked toward comprehensive seaport decarbonization. They fuse world-class analysis with deep vehicle and transportation systems knowledge to guide strategic deployment of low- and zero-emissions vehicles, charging and refueling infrastructure, and grid improvements. Together, these capabilities can enable sustainable port operations. This fact sheet outlines major seaport and airport decarbonization capabilities across the laboratory, including: fleet research, energy data, and insights for decarbonization; comprehensive hydrogen infrastructure deployment; optimized charging through grid integration; strategic blueprinting for clean, optimized technology deployment; and integrating diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility considerations into decarbonization efforts.

ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS,ENERGY CONSERVATION, C↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Multi-Fidelity Computational Analysis of a Quiet Single-Main Rotor Helicopter for Air Taxi Operations

A multi-fidelity computational study has been conducted on NASA’s quiet single-main rotor helicopter concept for urban air mobility using computational fluid dynamics and rotorcraft comprehensive analysis tools. Two approaches have been followed in order to simulate the rotor flows: (1) a rotor disk model, which models the rotors as source terms, and (2) a high-fidelity approach using high-order accurate schemes and dual-time stepping, which simulates the rotor with its individual rotating blade grids. The delayed detached-eddy simulation model has been employed. A loose-coupling approach between the flow solver and a rotorcraft comprehensive code is utilized to include vehicle trim and motion variables. The quiet single-main rotor helicopter is one of the conceptual designs intended to focus and guide NASA’s research activities in support of aircraft development for vertical take-off and landing air taxi operations.

RVLT↗
DOE OSTI2024

Deer Park Energy Center Natural Gas Combined Cycle Carbon Capture System Front-End Engineering Design Study (Final Scientific/Technical Report – Unlimited)

Calpine Texas CCUS Holdings, LLC (Calpine), Shell Catalysts & Technologies (SCT), Technip Energies (TEN), and Sargent & Lundy, LLC (S&L) have conducted a Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) Study to integrate a new carbon capture system at Calpine’s Deer Park Energy Center (DKEC). The DKEC facility is a nominal 1200 MW gas-fired co-generation power plant situated at the Shell Chemical Manufacturing (Shell) Facility located in Deer Park, Texas. Steam is produced for use by the adjacent Shell Chemical Manufacturing Facility as well as by the onsite steam turbine for electrical generation. The power output from DKEC is provided to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) operated power grid. DKEC provides power to industrial and commercial customers via this interconnection.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2025

MTUQ: a framework for estimating moment tensors, point forces, and their uncertainties

SUMMARY We introduce MTUQ, an open-source Python package for seismic source estimation and uncertainty quantification, emphasizing flexibility and operational scalability. MTUQ provides MPI-parallelized grid search and global optimization capabilities, compatibility with 1-D and 3-D Green’s function database formats, customizable data processing, C-accelerated waveform and first-motion polarity misfit functions, and utilities for plotting seismic waveforms and visualizing misfit and likelihood surfaces. Applicability to a range of full- and constrained-moment tensor, point force, and centroid inversion problems is possible via a documented application programming interface, accompanied by example scripts and integration tests. We demonstrate the software using three different types of seismic events: (1) a 2009 intraslab earthquake near Anchorage, Alaska; (2) an episode of the 2021 Barry Arm landslide in Alaska; and (3) the 2017 Democratic People’s Republic of Korea underground nuclear test. With these events, we illustrate the well-known complementary character of body waves, surface waves, and polarities for constraining source parameters. We also convey the distinct misfit patterns that arise from each individual data type, the importance of uncertainty quantification for detecting multimodal or otherwise poorly constrained solutions, and the software’s flexible, modular design.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Measurement-Based Approach for Inertia-Trend Analysis of the US Western Interconnection

Rising deployment of inverter-based resources (IBRs), characterized by a lack of rotating mass, is decreasing the total inertia of the system. This can lead to an increased Rate of Change of Frequency (RoCoF) during the disturbance and false activation of protective devices. There is a need to assess the inertia over the past decade amidst the evolving landscape of renewable energy sources to develop strategies for integrating energy storage, enhancing resilience measures, and ensuring the stable and reliable operation of the grid. Therefore, a realistic assessment of the inertia trend using a measurement-based approach that addresses the limitations of existing models is proposed. An inertia study of the Western Interconnection in the United States is performed utilizing the data from 2013 to 2022, obtained from FNET/ GridEye network. The three-second RoCoF time window is chosen for the study as it showed an optimum balance between a strong correlation with the power imbalance (ΔP) and minimum inclusion of primary response from governor. The obtained inertia trend result shows a small percentage declination of inertia over the decade. By examining the result alongside a generation mix graph, insights are gained into the dynamic interplay between shifting energy landscape and system inertia.

Dulal, Saurav↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Characterizing Electrical Arc Behavior in Ion Engines

Test results using an engineering model Advanced NEXT thruster are presented to identify different arc types utilizing ground test hardware. Three distinct arc types were observed: grid-to-grid arcs, high voltage-to-chassis arcs, and a combination of both. The frequency of high voltage-to-chassis arcs ranged from 4-30%, depending on operating conditions and hardware configuration. Higher beam currents were typically associated with more frequent high voltage-to-chassis arcs. During these arcs, the measured chassis current levels ranged from 20-70 A, however a significant portion of the output beam current returned to the beam supply via the neutralizer cathode plasma, which may be a ground test facility effect. The paper also discusses conducted susceptibility tests that can be performed at the spacecraft level to address the transients associated with arcing events.

electric propulsion↗
DOE OSTI2024

Role of Inverter-Based Resources (IBRs) in Energizing Remote Generating Stations

The increasing integration of Inverter-Based Resources (IBRs) into the system has brought significant focus on their role in blackstart and restoration procedures. Their advantageous features, such as low startup power requirements, operational flexibility across a wide range of power factors, rapid controllability, and the ability to energize a network at lower voltage levels necessitate a reassessment of existing restoration protocols. This paper seeks to showcase how IBRs can utilize their grid-forming capabilities to provide power to a remote generating station through detailed EMT simulation studies using data collected from an existing portion of a network.

blackstart procedure↗
DOE OSTI2026

Field Verification of Grid-Forming Inverter-Based Power Plant Performance for Transmission System Reliability

This report describes some examples of the operation of two grid-forming (GFM) inverter-based photovoltaic-battery hybrid power plants connected to the electric system of the island of Kauai in Hawaii. Both plants are photovoltaic power plants with battery energy storage and are connected to the networked transmission system operated by Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC), along with several other power plants including an oil-fired plant, diesel generators, small hydroelectric plants, a biofuel plant, and several other photovoltaic plants.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Assessing the Performance and Impact of PV Technologies on Storage in Hybrid Renewable Systems

Traditional monofacial photovoltaic (mPV) systems are commonly adopted and well-documented because of their lower upfront costs in comparison to bifacial photovoltaic (bPV) systems. This study investigates how PV technologies impact energy storage in grid-scale hybrid renewable systems, focusing on optimizing and assessing the performance of mPV and bPV technologies integrated with pumped storage hydropower. Using Ludington City, Michigan as a case study and analyzing real-world data such as solar irradiance, ambient temperature, and utility-scale load profiles, the research highlights the operational and economic benefits of bPV systems. The results reveal that bPV systems can pump approximately 10.38% more water annually to the upper reservoir while achieving a lower levelized cost of energy ($0.0578/kWh for bPV vs. $0.0672/kWh for mPV). This study underscores the outstanding potential of bPV systems in enhancing energy storage and management strategies, contributing to a more sustainable and resilient renewable energy future.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1990

Unsteady transonic Navier-Stokes computations for an oscillating wing using single and multiple zones

Modern jet transports and maneuvering tactical fighters operating in the transonic regime often give rise to time-dependent fluid physics that interact with flexible structural components, e.g., vortical flow, shocks, and separation. Efficient computational fluid dynamic (CFD) methods are required to study such computationally intensive problems. In this work a numerical method is presented to address this problem. Time-dependent, compressible, Navier-Stokes equations are used to simulate unsteady transonic flow about a three-dimensional rigid wing undergoing a forced periodic motion in angle of attack. An efficient, implicit, diagonal algorithm is utilized because of its low operation count per time step compared to other methods that solve systems of block matrix equations. The formal time accuracy is addressed theoretically and demonstrated numerically by comparison of computational results with experimental data. A zonal grid approach, capable of treating complex geometries, is presented and its time accuracy is demonstrated by comparing a zonal computation with a single grid computation and experimental data.

Chaderjian, Neal M.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Development of a Practical Secondary Control for Hardware Microgrids

Practical, vendor-agnostic interoperability guidelines for the secondary control architecture of microgrids (MGs) with multiple grid-forming (GFM) inverter-based resources (IBRs) have not yet been developed. Therefore, this paper proposes a generic and vendor-agnostic secondary control architecture that operates with all GFM IBRs and synchronous generators. This secondary control does not require the use of additional measurement devices in the MG and utilizes the inherent communication systems of the GFM units, such as Modbus TCP/IP. The practical challenges of Modbus registers, such as packet loss and quantization error, and their detrimental impacts on secondary control actions are investigated. The proposed three-stage modification for any secondary control architecture to mitigate these impacts includes: 1) averaging the data read, 2) situational event-triggering of the controller, and 3) finite iteration of the controlling action. The proposed method is validated using a three-phase electric power, 480 V, 60 Hz, 500 kVA laboratory hardware microgrid with commercial two GFM IBRs and one diesel generator. The experimental results corroborates the fact the proposed modification in the secondary control architecture is advantageous for practical usage under erroneous measurements.

grid-forming inverter↗
DOE OSTI2026

Intelligent industrial demand response to increase grid flexibility and reliability: A review

The rapid transition toward renewable energy has introduced challenges in grid stability due to the intermittency of non-dispatchable sources like solar and wind. Industrial Demand Response (IDR) offers a promising, cost-effective solution that adjusts energy consumption patterns to align with supply, increases renewable utilization, and reduces costs. This review provides an updated analysis of IDR, sorting technologies into five categories: energy storage, scheduled energy usage, operational flexibility, on-site generation, and intelligent operations. Energy storage solutions, while requiring little flexibility, often have the longest payback periods. While slightly better, on-site generation also has longer payback periods, ranging from 5 to 20 years or more. Scheduled energy usage, operational flexibility, and intelligent operations allow significant peak reduction at lower capital costs but require greater flexibility. While 15–20 % peak reduction is within the range of all five categories, scheduled energy use and on-site energy generation are shown to have reductions of up to 70–80 % in select scenarios. Combining multiple IDR strategies from these five categories maximizes both financial and operational benefits. Synergistic approaches are shown to enhance grid stability while reducing costs. As the grid evolves, IDR will enable a more flexible, renewable-powered future that will benefit industrial facilities and the broader energy system.

Demand flexibility↗
NASA NTRS1984

Mod-2 wind turbine field operations experience

The Mod-2 wind turbine is now in a 2-year research/experimental operations phase which offers a unique opportunity to study the effects of single and multiple wind turbines interacting with each other, the power grid, and the environment. This paper addresses the field operations and research testing experienced at the Mod-2 Cluster Goodnoe Hills Research Test Site near Goldendale, WA. Field operation, both routine and nonroutine, are discussed as well as the role of the participating utility. Technical areas discussed pertain to system performance and loads. Specific research tests relating to acoustics, TV interference, and wake effects are also discussed.

Gordon, L. H.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Interleaved Cuk Converter Wave Energy System With Advanced Control and Grid Support Functions for Seamless Integration: Preprint

This paper presents an innovative wave energy conversion system employing an interleaved Cuk converter and advanced nonlinear control for seamless integration with the grid. The proposed system utilizes the interleaved Cuk converter for efficient power extraction on the DC side, while an inverter facilitates power transfer to the grid or load on the AC side. A sophisticated nonlinear control architecture based on Lyapunov energy functions ensures stable and optimal operation under varying wave conditions. Case study results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed system, highlighting its ability to efficiently harness wave energy and seamlessly integrate with the grid, thus paving the way for sustainable and reliable renewable energy generation. The overall system is verified via computer simulations based on MATLAB/Simulink and various case study results are presented.

HYDRO ENERGY,TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2026

Science Uses Deployment Operations-Advanced Wireless: Exploring Open Radio Access Network Technologies for Energy Science

Open Radio Access Network is emerging as a solution to the increasing demand for more flexible, cost-effective, and advanced mobile network infrastructures. This evolution is driven by advancements in wireless technologies and the growing complexity of deploying and managing these networks. O-RAN represents a significant shift in wireless technology, building upon the 3rd Generation Partnership Project framework to foster openness, flexibility, and interoperability. By decoupling hardware and software components, Open Radio Access Network enables a multi-vendor ecosystem that encourages innovation and diverse solutions. Open Radio Access Network's potential extends beyond traditional wireless applications, with growing interest in its role in advancing energy systems, particularly in the context of smart grids, microgrids, and the integration of renewable energy sources. While the role of open-wireless technologies in driving energy transformation is increasingly recognized, further exploration is needed. Vendors and utilities are investigating how Open Radio Access Network technologies can optimize energy use cases and improve the performance of 5G and beyond applications. This report outlines efforts under the Science Uses Deployment Operations Advance Wireless project, a collaboration between the National Laboratory of the Rockies' Cybersecurity Research Center, Argonne National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and the Department of Energy's Energy Science Network research and operations staff. The focus of this project is on due diligence, through testing and evaluation, preparing for the deployment of advanced wireless infrastructure for scientific use cases, with an emphasis on Open Radio Access Network technology, its components, integrations, and its ability to support vertical stack application across the energy sector. Additionally, the report highlights the value cases for utilities, underscoring how adopting open wireless standards can accelerate the evolution of energy systems, foster innovation, and improve the integration of critical energy technologies.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
NASA NTRS2009

The Transition of High-Resolution NASA MODIS Sea Surface Temperatures into the WRF Environmental Modeling System

The NASA Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center has developed a Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sea surface temperature (SST) composite at 2-km resolution that has been implemented in version 3 of the National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Environmental Modeling System (EMS). The WRF EMS is a complete, full physics numerical weather prediction package that incorporates dynamical cores from both the Advanced Research WRF (ARW) and the Non-hydrostatic Mesoscale Model (NMM). The installation, configuration, and execution of either the ARW or NMM models is greatly simplified by the WRF EMS to encourage its use by NWS Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs) and the university community. The WRF EMS is easy to run on most Linux workstations and clusters without the need for compilers. Version 3 of the WRF EMS contains the most recent public release of the WRF-NMM and ARW modeling system (version 3 of the ARW is described in Skamarock et al. 2008), the WRF Pre-processing System (WPS) utilities, and the WRF Post-Processing program. The system is developed and maintained by the NWS National Science Operations Officer Science and Training Resource Coordinator. To initialize the WRF EMS with high-resolution MODIS SSTs, SPoRT developed the composite product consisting of MODIS SSTs over oceans and large lakes with the NCEP Real-Time Global (RTG) filling data over land points. Filling the land points is required due to minor inconsistencies between the WRF land-sea mask and that used to generate the MODIS SST composites. This methodology ensures a continuous field that adequately initializes all appropriate arrays in WRF. MODIS composites covering the Gulf of Mexico, western Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean are generated daily at 0400, 0700, 1600, and 1900 UTC corresponding to overpass times of the NASA Aqua and Terra polar orbiting satellites. The MODIS SST product is output in gridded binary-1 (GRIB-1) data format for a seamless incorporation into WRF via the WPS utilities. The full-resolution, 1-km MODIS product is sub-sampled to 2-km grid spacing due to limitations in handling very large dimensions in the GRIB-1 data format. The GRIB-1 files are posted online at ftp://ftp.nsstc.org/sstcomp/WRF/, which is directly accessed by the WRF EMS scripts. The MODIS SST composites are also downloaded to the EMS data server, which is accessible by the WRF EMS users and NWS WFOs. The SPoRT MODIS SST composite provides the model with superior detail of the ocean gradients around Florida and surrounding waters, whereas the operational RTG SST typically depicts a relatively smooth field and is not able to capture sharp horizontal gradients in SST. Differences of 2-3 C are common over small horizontal distances, leading to enhanced SST gradients on either side of the Gulf Stream and along the edges of the cooler shelf waters. These sharper gradients can in turn produce atmospheric responses in simulated temperature and wind fields as depicted in LaCasse et al. Differences in atmospheric verification statistics over a several month study were generally small in the vicinity of south Florida; however, the validation of SSTs at specific buoy locations revealed important improvements in the biases and RMS errors, especially in the vicinity of the cooler shelf waters off the east-central Florida coast. A current weakness in the MODIS SST product is the occurrence of occasional discontinuities caused by high latency in SST coverage due to persistent cloud cover. An enhanced method developed by Jedlovec et al. (2009, GHRSST User Symposium) reduces the occurrence of these problems by adding Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer -- EOS (AMSR-E) SST data to the compositing process. Enhanced SST composites are produced over the ocean regions surrounding the Continental U.S. at four times each day corresponding to Terra and Aqua equator crossing times. For a given day and overpass time, both MODInd AMSR-E data from the previous seven days form a collection used in the compositing. At each MODIS pixel, cloud-free SST values from the collection are used to form a weighted average based on their latency (number of days from the current day). In this way, recent SST data are given more weight than older data. One of the primary issues involved in incorporating the AMSR-E microwave data in the composites is the tradeoff between the decreased spatial resolution of the AMSR-E data (25 km) and the increased coverage due to its near all-weather capability. Currently, the AMSR-E is given a weight of 20% compared to MODIS data, thereby preserving the spatial structure observed in the MODIS data. Day-time (night-time) AMSR-E SST data from Aqua are used with both Terra and Aqua MODIS day-time (night-time) SST data sets.

Case, Jonathan L.↗