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At least 253 records · Page 14

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DOE OSTI2024

Computational Methods for Multi-Physics Simulation of Melting in Steelmaking

Iron and steel production accounts for approximately 8% of global carbon dioxide (CO) emissions. Pathways to decarbonize include replacing fossil fuels in iron ore reduction and electrifying other steelmaking processes. Iron pellets produced by hydrogen, called Hydrogen Direct Reduced Iron (HDRI), have property differences from those produced using conventional DRI processes. These differences may impact melting in electric arc furnaces (EAF) and other downstream processes. The physical properties of iron pellets vary significantly with temperature during heating, complicating predictions of their behavior. In this project, we seek to develop an integrated simulation, including the fluid flow and convective thermal transport around the pellet particle. We also examine conduction and phase changes within the particle as they impact the melting process. We use adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) to resolve both the changing size of the particle and the complex physics of the interaction between the pellet and the surrounding fluid. We base our simulations on the AMReX-incflo module, which allows large-scale Navier-Stokes simulation while resolving the changing particle size during melting. As we advance our numerical tools, we anticipate an improved understanding of the dynamics of HDRI melting, which will, in turn, accelerate the adoption of low-carbon technologies in the steelmaking industry.

AMReX↗

NASA NTRS2020

Benefits of Electrifying the Propulsion of Large Aircraft

This chapter addresses the first question, making the case for propulsion electrification through numerous trade studies and the analysis of several concept vehicles. This will lay the groundwork for the chapters that follow, which – while remaining focused on question 1 – collectively address questions 2 and 3 in technical detail.

Electric Transport Vehicle↗

DOE OSTI2023

Designing Dynamic Wireless Power Transfer Corridors for Heavy Duty Battery Electric Commercial Freight Vehicles

The use of wireless power transfer systems, consisting of inductive electrical coils on the vehicle and the power source may be designed for dynamic operations where the vehicle will absorb energy at highway speeds from transmitting coils in the road. This has the potential to reduce the onboard energy storage requirements for vehicles while enabling significantly longer missions. This paper presents an approach to architecting a dynamic wireless power transfer corridor for heavy duty battery electric commercial freight vehicles. By considering the interplay of roadway power capacity, roadway and vehicle coil coverage, seasonal road traffic loading, freight vehicle class and weight, vehicle mobility energy requirements, on-board battery chemistry, non-electrified roadway vehicle range requirements, grid capacity, substation locations, and variations in electricity costs, we minimize the vehicle TCO by architecting the electrified roadway and the vehicle battery simultaneously. The idea optimizes battery size and chemistry so that the depth of discharge between recharge events and expected life are balanced, thus fully utilizing the energy available throughout the course of the battery system's life. The approach is illustrated by applying it to the I-75 freight corridor, where the framework developed may be expanded and applied to a larger interstate system, expanded regional corridor, or other transportation network.

Sujan, Vivek↗

DOE OSTI2025

Electrification pathways for U.S. passenger vehicles

As electric vehicle (EV) adoption continues to accelerate, we explore the implications of different adoption trajectories that achieve a full transition to EVs by 2050 for U.S. light-duty passenger vehicles (LDVs). Using a vetted transportation system model, we find that achieving 100% EV sales by 2040 would decrease tailpipe greenhouse gases (GHGs) by 90% between 2022 and 2050, leaving about 45 million gasoline vehicles on the road. Achieving 100% sales by 2035, tailpipe emissions decrease 93%, with about 28 million gasoline vehicles on the road in 2050 (9% of stock). Slower EV adoption, reaching 100% sales by 2045, would result in 69 million gasoline vehicles on the road in 2050. Fully electrifying passenger vehicles by 2050 would require a full transition to EVs sales in the 2030s coupled with either changes to mobility, or an accelerated stock turnover in the 2040s with additional 19–30% annual LDV sales.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2024

Analyzing Potential Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions from Plug-In Electric Vehicles: Report for CRC Project, "Carbon Return on Investment for Electrified Vehicles"

Investment in battery and electrification technologies has the potential to greatly reduce vehicular greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, as a battery-electric vehicle (BEV) will have zero tailpipe emissions. However, there will be GHG emissions associated with production of the vehicle including its battery, and with any carbon-emitting electricity sources used to charge the vehicle. This study explores the GHG reduction benefits of different plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) designs in the context of factors such as electricity production mix, per-vehicle battery requirements, and varying battery market growth scenarios. The analyses focus on the U.S. light-duty vehicle (LDV) market, which accounts for nearly 60% of U.S. transportation sector GHG emissions - over twice as much as the next largest contributing transportation sub-sector.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

SUbsonic Single Aft eNgine (SUSAN) Power/Propulsion System Hardware-in-the-Loop Test Results

Electrified Aircraft Propulsion (EAP) technology offers a promising path forward for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other negative environmental effects from the commercial aviation sector. EAP systems can reduce fuel burn and improve performance over state-of the-art designs, however the increased complexity and highly coupled nature of these systems present challenges that require new control approaches. The SUbsonic Single Aft eNgine (SUSAN) Electrofan is a concept aircraft developed by NASA as a reference design for a commercial transport aircraft with a highly integrated hybrid-electric powertrain. This paper summarizes the results of a Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) test of a control architecture developed for the SUSAN power/propulsion system (PPS). The test was performed in the Hybrid Propulsion Emulation Rig (HyPER) facility at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) and involved a real-time reference model of the SUSAN PPS and control system running with a sub-scale electro-mechanical system replacing one of the PPS subsystems. A side-by-side comparison of the simulated and real systems in the HIL test results shows that the control architecture functions well in both the simulation and the real-time HIL environment. In both cases the controller is able to simultaneously deliver the required thrust response and balance power levels between the electrical and turbomachinery subsystems.

Jonah J Sachs-Wetstone↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

SUbsonic Single Aft eNgine (SUSAN) Power/Propulsion System Hardware-in-the-Loop Test Results

EAP↗

DOE OSTI2021

HTR-1.3 solver: Predicting electrified combustion using the hypersonic task-based research solver

Here this manuscript presents an updated open-source version of the Hypersonics Task-based Research (HTR) solver. The solver, whose main features are presented in Di Renzo et al. (2020) and Di Renzo & Pirozzoli (2021), is designed for direct numerical simulation of reacting flows at high Reynolds numbers. This new version extends the applications of the HTR solver to turbulent combustion in the presence of external electric fields. In particular, a new distributed Poisson solver compatible with heterogeneous architectures has been incorporated in the algorithm to compute the electric potential distribution in bi-periodic configurations. The drift fluxes of the electrically charged species are now included in the transport equations using a targeted essentially non-oscillatory scheme. A verification of these new features of the solver is provided using one-dimensional burner stabilized flames, whereas a three dimensional turbulent flame is utilized to discuss the scalability of the proposed numerical tool.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA’s Electric Aircraft Propulsion Research: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

NASA has been making investments since ~2015 in technologies related to electric aircraft propulsion. These investments span all-electric with our four passenger X-plane and electric vertical lift studies, to regional flight demonstrators and targeted technology maturation programs. These latter two areas are focused ultimately on reducing fuel burn and overall energy use in transport-class aircraft, with the goal of reducing carbon impact of aviation on our planet. Key technology contributions include such as electric machines, power electronics, cables/bus bars, fault management systems, controls and systems studies, and enabling materials. Today we are seeing the fundamental technology investments manifest themselves in flight demonstrations, that are aimed at impacting aircraft entering service 2035-2040 time range. These efforts have largely been aimed at megawatt scale technologies that can enable hybrid electric or mildly distributed airplane concepts. While these concepts offer benefits to regional and single isle aircraft it is thought that a more fully electrified propulsion system requiring greater than 10 MW of distributed power offers more possible pathways to configure the propulsion-airframe system to gain new efficiencies. A few examples of this are NASA’s SUSAN distributed electrofan concept and NASA University Leadership Initiatives such as CHEETA and IZEA that champion turbo-electric concepts. These concepts utilize combination of advanced technologies such as, fuel cells, power dense electronics and power dense electric machines and superconducting technologies. How much or which of these concepts will be adopted by industry is unclear, however another step function in electrifying aircraft propulsion is now on the horizon.

Electric Aircraft Propulsion↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

SUSAN Power/Propulsion System Emulation Test Predictions

The development of all-electric and hybrid-electric propulsion systems for transport aircraft presents an opportunity for new designs that can reduce fuel consumption and emissions from commercial aviation while enabling safer and more reliable aircraft. The SUbsonic Single Aft eNgine (SUSAN) is a conceptual design for a single-aisle transport aircraft with a series/parallel partial-hybrid propulsion system that is being developed by NASA as a reference design for single-aisle transport with a high degree of electrification. The SUSAN aircraft incorporates multiple tightly coupled power, propulsion, and flight control systems. This coupling leads to challenges in the aircraft control design process, requiring a hierarchical and more coordinated control architecture. This presentation will summarize the plans for a Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) test performed in the Hybrid Propulsion Emulation Rig (HyPER) facility at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC). During this test, a real-time reference model of the full-scale SUSAN powertrain and controllers will be run alongside a sub-scale electro-mechanical system representing a portion of the electrified components in the SUSAN hybrid powertrain. This test will allow the performance of the SUSAN controllers to be evaluated using real powertrain components and allows side-by-side comparison between the real and modeled subsystems. This presentation will summarize the full-scale system model, steps towards integration of representative hardware for future control testing, and predicted results.

Jonah J. Sachs-Wetstone↗

DOE OSTI2024

The Role of Biofuels and Biomass Feedstocks for Decarbonizing the U.S. Economy by 2050 - (DECARB) Decarbonizing Energy Through Collaborative Analysis of Routes and Benefits

Utilizing biomass resources, such as cellulosic biomass and waste, can greatly contribute to decarbonization efforts in the U.S. economy. The U.S. bioenergy sector includes corn ethanol production, biodiesel, renewable diesel production, and the utilization of biomass wastes for electricity generation being the primary applications. Within the electricity sector, biopower can play a crucial role as a stable low-carbon resource. Enhancing the electricity mix's diversity could enhance grid reliability. If the issues regarding hot gas cleanup can be resolved, flexible biopower resources like biomass gasification facilities could complement the integration of variable renewable energy sources due to their quick ramp-up and ramp-down times. The criticality of bioenergy deployment lies in its ability to decarbonize hard-to-electrify sectors, such as aviation, where alternative decarbonization options may not be viable in the short term. Moreover, bioenergy has the potential to be converted into process heating, building materials, and plastics, which are not considered in this study. A set of pathways was carefully chosen to represent viable options for converting ample herbaceous and woody cellulosic feedstocks into fuels, chemicals, and electricity in this study. In conclusion, biomass pathways provide flexibility by generating various types of bioenergy and bioproducts, including electricity, hydrogen, liquid fuels, biochemicals, and bioplastics. When paired with carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS), specific bioenergy approaches can effectively extract carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, thus providing an effective decarbonization option for the transportation sector.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Role of Electric Vehicles in the U.S. Power Sector Transition: A System-Level Perspective

After over a century of petroleum dominance many anticipate that electrification could disrupt the transportation energy landscape. At the same time, the electric power systems are undergoing profound changes: variable renewables are displacing conventional generation sources; distributed generation is disrupting utility business models; energy storage and other new technologies are emerging; and the traditional system based on the premise that generation is dispatched to match an inelastic demand is evolving to create a system with greater participation in power system planning and operations from traditionally passive consumers. In this context, it is important to understand how transportation electrification will impact electricity demand and in turn electricity supply, including changes in the load shapes that characterize the system and the opportunity to leverage flexible electric vehicle (EV) charging to better integrate demand and supply. Assessing the impacts of electrification on the energy system requires an understanding of how it might impact the amount and shape of electricity consumption, and how this electricity can be supplied. In particular, increased adoption of electric vehicles introduces a new source of demand altogether, potentially very flexible. Moreover, electrification could shift the consumption of natural gas between sectors, thereby affecting the economics for natural gas-fired generation relative to other electricity generation options. Several factors will impact the evolution of the power system under a widespread electrified future, which, in turn, could have far-reaching effects on future energy costs and emissions.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

DOE OSTI2026

Bipolar Membranes Electrodialysis for Water Purification and Resource Recovery

Reverse osmosis concentrate (ROC) from inland brackish water desalination and wastewater recycling presents moderate salinity, posing significant challenges for treatment and disposal. Existing treatment technologies predominantly rely on energy-intensive thermal methods, large-area evaporation strategies, or deep-well disposal, which often result in the loss of water value. Electrified membrane brine treatment offers a promising alternative by utilizing renewable energy sources, enabling complete water recycling. This work proposes the development of next-generation bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BMED) systems capable of desalinating brine while simultaneously recovering valuable resources. However, several critical challenges remain in the areas of membrane engineering for BMED. These include: 1) decreased current efficiency during desalination due to the low conductivity of feed chambers, 2) fouling and scaling from multivalent ions and contaminants in the feed, and 3) the retention and carryover of ROC contaminants, including PFAS compounds. Our research focuses on the development of novel anion exchange membranes (AEMs) and cation exchange membranes (CEMs) based on synthesized multiblock copolymers. We investigate the effects of block length, ion exchange capacity (IEC), and polymer backbone structure on cation and anion transport (e.g., Na+, Cl-, OH-, H+) for both our synthesized membranes and commercial membranes. Fundamental properties of these membranes, such as water uptake, IEC, and ionic conductivity, are also evaluated to optimize performance for BMED applications.

08 HYDROGEN↗

DOE OSTI2025

Viability Assessment of Wind and Solar Renewable Energy Generation in Support of Nationwide Vehicle Electrification

In 2022, the U.S. transportation sector was the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the country, with the combination of passenger and commercial vehicles contributing 80% of these emissions. As adoption of passenger electric vehicles continues to climb, sights are being set on the electrification of heavy-duty commercial vehicle (HDCV) fleets. The sustainability of these shifts relies in part on the addition of significant renewable energy generation resources to both bolster the grid in the face of increased demand, and to prevent a shift in the source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to the grid, as opposed to a true net reduction. Additionally, it is necessary to quantify the variations in economic viability across the country for these technologies as it pertains to their productive capabilities. Doing so will encourage investment and ensure that the transition to electrified HDCV fleets is commercially viable, as well as sustainable. In an effort to meet these goals, multiple computational frameworks are used to locate suitable land for renewable infrastructure development, and to quantify spatiotemporal variations in the potential energy generation and financial viability of development sites across the Unites States. First, the Oak Ridge Siting Analysis for power Generation Expansion tool (OR-SAGE) is used to assess the suitability of land for potential wind and solar energy development across the contiguous U.S. From there, resource data from the National Solar Radiation Database (NSRDB) and the Wind Integration National Dataset (WIND) are used in concert with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Renewable Energy Potential (ReV) model to calculate the variation in potential generation capacity for each resource. Additionally, the capital and operational expenditures are calculated for an example configuration of each renewable technology. These measures are then used to calculate the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of potential sites. All of these results are then processed and analyzed to determine where in the U.S. solar and wind energy are most viable. This viability is based on available generation potential, consistency and stability of energy generation over time, and economic viability with respect to LCOE.

Miller, Brandon [ORNL] (ORCID:0009000300169201)↗

DOE OSTI2024

Reducing Ohmic Resistances in Membrane Capacitive Deionization Using Micropatterned Ion-Exchange Membranes, Ionomer Infiltrated Electrodes, and Ionomer-Coated Nylon Meshes

Membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI) is an emerging water desalination platform that is compact, electrified, and does not require high-pressure piping. Herein, highly conductive poly(phenylene alkylene) ion-exchange membranes (IEMs) are micropatterned with different surface geometries for MCDI. The micropatterned membranes increase the interfacial area with the liquid stream leading to a 700 mV reduction in cell voltage when operating at constant current (2 mA cm -2 ; 2000 ppm NaCl feed) while improving the energy normalized adsorbed salt (ENAS) value by 1.4 times. Combining the micropatterned poly(phenylene alkylene) IEMs with poly(phenylene alkylene) ionomer-filled electrodes reduces the cell voltage by 1000 mV and improves the ENAS values by 2.3 times relative to the base case. This reduction in cell voltage allows for higher current density operation (i.e., 3–4 mA cm -2 ) . The reduction in cell voltage is ascribed to the ameliorating ohmic resistances related to ion transport at the membrane-process stream interface and in the carbon cloth electrode. Finally, porous ionic conductors are implemented into the spacer channel with flat and micropatterned IEM configurations and ionomer infiltrated electrodes. For the configuration with flat IEMs, the porous ionic conductor improves ENAS values across the current density regime (2–4 mA cm -2 ), while for micropatterned IEMs it gets improved only at 4 mA cm -2 .

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2023

Coupling nitrate capture with ammonia production through bifunctional redox-electrodes

Abstract Nitrate is a ubiquitous aqueous pollutant from agricultural and industrial activities. At the same time, conversion of nitrate to ammonia provides an attractive solution for the coupled environmental and energy challenge underlying the nitrogen cycle, by valorizing a pollutant to a carbon-free energy carrier and essential chemical feedstock. Mass transport limitations are a key obstacle to the efficient conversion of nitrate to ammonia from water streams, due to the dilute concentration of nitrate. Here, we develop bifunctional electrodes that couple a nitrate-selective redox-electrosorbent (polyaniline) with an electrocatalyst (cobalt oxide) for nitrate to ammonium conversion. We demonstrate the synergistic reactive separation of nitrate through solely electrochemical control. Electrochemically-reversible nitrate uptake greater than 70 mg/g can be achieved, with electronic structure calculations and spectroscopic measurements providing insight into the underlying role of hydrogen bonding for nitrate selectivity. Using agricultural tile drainage water containing dilute nitrate (0.27 mM), we demonstrate that the bifunctional electrode can achieve a 8-fold up-concentration of nitrate, a 24-fold enhancement of ammonium production rate (108.1 ug h −1 cm −2 ), and a >10-fold enhancement in energy efficiency when compared to direct electrocatalysis in the dilute stream. Our study provides a generalized strategy for a fully electrified reaction-separation pathway for modular nitrate remediation and ammonia production.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Progress of Aluminum/Air Battery Development for SUSAN Electrofan Project

Safe and high-performance battery technologies are demanded by the Subsonic Single Aft eNgine (SUSAN) Electrofan concept design project under National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) electrified aircraft development program. Aluminum (Al)-air battery with very high theoretical specific energy density, is considered as promising battery chemistry which has the potential to meet the targeted specific energy goal of primary battery energy technology for the SUSAN project. In addition to having the exceptional electrochemical properties, aluminum is light weight, rich abundance, low cost, environmentally friendly, and has a good electrical conductivity and recyclability, which is among the key characteristics of SUSAN project on battery energy needs. A non-flammable aqueous electrolyte is used to prevent the fire and thermal runaway hazard for the safety of this battery chemistry. However, there are challenges for Al-air battery in practical application, mainly due to self-corrosion of Al and slow kinetics of oxygen reduction in air-cathode to impact the high-rate performance. Progress on addressing these challenges was made and some of the results were reported in our previous paper. In this paper, the focus is on the investigation of various factors, including electrolyte concentrations, temperature, and air-cathode loadings on ionic transport properties and discharge performance at different current densities. The results are discussed, and the progress is reported.

James J Wu↗

DOE OSTI2022

Colorado Residential Retrofit Energy District (CoRRED) Phase I: Final Modeling Results

Electrification of buildings and transportation coupled with increased deployment of distributed energy resources (DERs) has been identified as a key step toward meeting emissions reduction goals across the U.S. Examples of pilot projects that feature innovative, 'smart' electric neighborhoods are largely focused on new construction projects, but there is a need to address the millions of existing homes so that they too may accommodate cleaner yet variable energy production in ways that benefit both the utility grid and the homes' residents. The Colorado Residential Retrofit Energy District (CoRRED) project used building and grid co-simulation tools to model an advanced energy district demonstration in an existing residential neighborhood in Denver, Colorado, and explored how existing building and utility infrastructures can be enhanced with combinations of traditional energy-efficiency retrofit measures and integration of solar panels and other DER technologies to provide better affordability and reliability. We analyzed which packages of DERs most reliably enable demand flexibility in response to a time-of-use (TOU) rate. Our results clearly indicate that incorporating DERs into efficient electrification produces much bigger utility bill savings on an annual basis than efficient electrification without DERs. While electrifying a neighborhood will increase the maximum load, batteries and solar panels can reduce load during peak hours so that the community can be a net producer during peak periods. A remaining challenge is to overcome first cost barriers to implementing energy-efficiency and DER technologies, as modest utility bill savings require long payback periods that are not practical for most homeowners.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗