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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 271 records · Page 15
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Shock state distributions in porous tantalum and characterization with multipoint velocimetry

Heterogenous materials under shock compression can be expected to reach different shock states throughout the material according to local differences in microstructure and the history of wave propagation. Here, in this work, a compact, multiple-beam focusing optic assembly is used with high-speed velocimetry to interrogate the shock response of porous tantalum films prepared through thermal-spray deposition. The distribution of particle velocities across a shocked interface is compared to results obtained using a set of defocused interferometric beams that sampled the shock response over larger areas. The two methods produced velocity distributions along the shock plateau with the same mean, while a larger variance was measured with narrower beams. The finding was replicated using three-dimensional, mesoscopically resolved hydrodynamics simulations of solid tantalum with a pore structure mimicking statistical attributes of the material and accounting for radial divergence of the beams, with agreement across several impact velocities. Accounting for pore morphology in the simulations was found to be necessary for replicating the rise time of the shock plateau. The validated simulations were then used to show that while the average velocity along the shock plateau could be determined accurately with only a few interferometric beams, accurately determining the width of the velocity distribution, which here was approximately Gaussian, required a beam dimension much smaller than the spatial correlation lengthscale of the velocity field, here by a factor of ∼30×, with implications for the study of other porous materials.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Ion Size Effects on the Thermodynamic, Kinetic, and Mechanical Properties during Ion Exchange in Solid-State Electrolytes

Ion exchange offers a pathway to impose residual compressive stresses to mitigate the electro-chemo-mechanical cracking of solid-state electrolytes such as lithium lanthanum zirconium oxide. This study uses a coupled multiscale framework (integrating density functional theory (DFT), molecular dynamics (MD), and continuum modeling) to examine how exchange ion size influences stress, diffusion, fracture toughness, and electronic properties. Larger isovalent ions (Na + , Ag + , K + ) were exchanged with Li + , with DFT confirming their preference for octahedral 96h sites and a linear relationship between ion size and chemical free expansion coefficient. MD simulations reveal stress and concentration effects on exchange ion diffusivity at elevated temperatures, with Na + and Ag + maintaining favorable mobility while K + showing concentration-dependent clustering. Continuum modeling predicts the range of fracture strength improvements and the required ion exchange concentration profile. It was shown that a 5% surface exchange concentration can induce ∼0.6 GPa of surface compressive stress using Na + and ∼1.0 GPa of surface compressive stress using Ag + . On the other hand, larger ion exchange species may penalize Li + diffusivity by increasing the activation volume and activation energy. Interestingly, Na + has a negligible penalty on Li-ion diffusivity. The room temperature Li + ion diffusivity is reduced by ∼40% with Ag + ion exchange. Electronic band structure analysis shows no size-dependent change in the bandgap, though Ag + introduces localized defect states near the valence band maximum. This study highlights ion size as a key factor in optimizing LLZO properties, offering a framework to improve the solid-state battery performance.

Jagad, Harsh D. [Brown Univ., Providence, RI (Unit↗
DOE OSTI2024

Compositional effect on pressure-induced polymorphism in high-entropy alloys

Recently, pressure-induced polymorphic phase transitions were discovered in several fragmented high-entropy alloys (HEAs), offering a valuable opportunity to deepen our understanding of these materials. However, the chemical and physical factors that govern these transitions are still unclear. Here, in this work, we combined in situ high-pressure synchrotron X-ray diffraction, X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) to systematically study the evolution of the atomic and electronic structures in the Cantor alloy and its face-centered-cubic ( fcc ) subset alloys (CoCrFeMnNi, CoCrFeNi, CoCrMnNi, CoFeMnNi, CoCrNi, CoFeNi, CoMnNi, CrFeNi, and FeMnNi). Surprisingly, diverse behavior was observed among these closely related alloys during compression and decompression, which includes irreversible, reversible fcc to hexagonal close-packed (hcp) phase transitions, or even no detectable phase transitions up to ∼40 GPa. HRTEM measurements confirmed that the fcc and hcp phases abided by the classic Shoji-Nishiyama orientation relationship during the transitions. XES data indicated that high-pressure suppresses the local magnetic moments in all the studied alloys, suggesting that magnetic states do not significantly influence the polymorphic transitions. By comparing the effects of the atomic size difference, entropy, valence electron concentration, and stacking fault energy across all the compositions studied, only the stacking fault energy shows a strong correlation with the phase transitions, indicating it plays a key role in inducing polymorphism in HEAs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Simulating many-engine spacecraft: Exceeding 1 quadrillion degrees of freedom via information geometric regularization

We present an optimized implementation of the recently proposed information geometric regularization (IGR) for unprecedented scale simulation of compressible fluid flows applied to multi-engine spacecraft boosters. We improve upon state-of-the-art computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques in terms of computational cost, memory footprint, and energy-to-solution metrics. Unified memory on coupled CPU–GPU or APU platforms increases problem size with negligible overhead. Mixed half/single-precision storage and computation are used on well-conditioned numerics. We simulate flow at 200 trillion grid points and 1 quadrillion degrees of freedom, exceeding the current record by a factor of 20. A factor of 4 wall-time speedup is achieved over optimized baselines. Ideal weak scaling is observed on OLCF Frontier, LLNL El Capitan, and CSCS Alps using the full systems. Strong scaling is near ideal at extreme conditions, including 80% efficiency on CSCS Alps with an 8 node baseline and stretching to the full system.

Wilfong, Benjamin [Georgia Institute of Technology↗
DOE OSTI2026

Gas permeation properties of amorphous zeolitic imidazolate framework membranes made by atomic/molecular layer deposition

Amorphous metal-organic framework (MOF) membranes are desirable because they may retain some of the molecular sieving properties of their crystalline counterparts while being free of grain boundary defects, which often hinder the consistent achievement of high membrane performance. However, current methods, like melting and compression, for fabricating amorphous MOF membranes involve multi-step processes that require the formation of a crystalline membrane first, that is then amorphized, and therefore, could be challenging to scale. Here, we utilize atomic/molecular layer deposition (ALD/MLD) of diethylzinc (DEZ) and 2-methylimidazole (2mIm) to directly synthesize ultrathin amorphous zeolitic imidazolate framework (aZIF) deposits on γ-alumina-coated α-alumina supports. As the number of ALD/MLD cycles increased from 10 to 300, gas permeances decreased while ideal selectivities increased. Mixture separation factors for C3H6/C3H8, CO2/N2, and H2/C3H8 as high as 4, 37, and 194, respectively, were obtained. At 200 °C and 2.5 bar equimolar feed of H2 and C3H8, a H2/C3H8 mixture separation factor of 185 is obtained with an H2 permeance of ca. 4.15x10-8 mol/m2-s-Pa (124 GPU). Additionally, the membrane achieves a CO2/N2 mixture separation factor of 37 at 25 °C and 1 bar with a CO2 permeance of ca. 3.96x10-8 mol/m2-s-Pa (118 GPU). Considering the vast array of compositionally distinct aZIFs that can be potentially deposited by this approach, an enormously large parameter space for membrane design is emerging to be explored.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Anisotropic Hot Spot Formation at a Grain Boundary in Shock-Compressed TATB High Explosive Crystal

Secondary high explosives (HEs) exhibit rich microstructure that promotes the formation of hot spots responsible for detonation initiation, but the role of microstructural interfaces remains poorly quantified. To this end, we develop extensions for the generalized crystal-cutting method (GCCM) to prepare molecular dynamics (MD) simulation cells containing grain boundaries (GBs) and other crystal–crystal interfaces with prescribed tilt and twist orientations. Using the GCCM, we perform MD simulations of shock interactions with a GB between the (001) and (100) crystal facets in the secondary HE TATB (1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene). Our MD simulations reveal a strong directional dependence to the formation of a hot spot at the GB interface. In particular, transmission of the shock from the (001) grain to the (100) grain yields a hot spot in the (100) grain at the GB interface, whereas no hot spot is produced when an equivalent shock transits the GB in the opposite direction. We trace the origin of this GB anisotropy to three dominant factors: (1) the intrinsic differences in shock-deformation mechanisms and wave structures for the bulk (100) and (001) grains, which leads to distinct geometries and mechanical impedances upon shock arrival to the GB depending on which grains are donor or acceptor for the transmitted shock; (2) the different time intervals separating the initial shock rise and the formation of steady wave structures in the respective donor–acceptor configurations; and (3) the differences in time scales required to re-establish local thermal equilibrium. Interfacial hot spots form when these factors combine to impede development of a steady two-wave structure and instead induce a localized, pseudosingly shocked region that undergoes a higher rate of work production (resulting in a higher temperature) compared to when the steady two-wave structure develops further from the interface. The extensions to the GCCM approach presented here are anticipated to facilitate a wide range of MD studies that focus on understanding the role of crystal–crystal interfaces in molecular materials.

organic↗
DOE OSTI2026

Pythia8 Quark and Gluon Jets (float8 e4m3FN)

A float8 (e4m3FN) quantized version of the quark and gluon jet dataset originally published by Komiske, Metodiev, and Thaler (Zenodo record 3164691). Only the 20-file subset without charm and bottom quark jets is included here. All simulation parameters and jet selection criteria are identical to the original: Pythia 8.226, √s = 14 TeV Quarks from WeakBosonAndParton:qg2gmZq, gluons from WeakBosonAndParton:qqbar2gmZg with the Z decaying to neutrinos FastJet 3.3.0, anti-k_t jets with R = 0.4 p_T^jet ∈ [500, 550] GeV, |y^jet| < 1.7 There are 20 files, each in compressed NumPy format (QG_jets_fp8e4m3fn_0.npz through QG_jets_fp8e4m3fn_19.npz). Each file contains two arrays: X: (100000, M, 4) — 50k quark and 50k gluon jets, randomly sorted, padded to max multiplicity M, with particle features (pt, rapidity, azimuthal angle, pdgid) y: (100000,) — jet labels, gluon = 0, quark = 1 Since NumPy has no native fp8 dtype, X is stored as float32, but the values have been quantized through TensorFlow's float8_e4m3fn type and carry only fp8 precision. The quantization procedure is as follows: a global per-channel scale factor is computed from the absolute maximum value across all 20 chunks (with FP8_MAX = 448.0, the maximum representable value of e4m3FN). Each chunk is then scaled into the fp8 dynamic range, round-tripped through tf.experimental.float8_e4m3fn, and scaled back. This global scaling ensures a consistent quantization grid across the full dataset. The y labels are unchanged. Users should be aware that e4m3FN has limited dynamic range and precision. We recommend verifying this format is appropriate for your application; for a less aggressive reduction see the float16 and float32 versions linked below. If you use this dataset, please cite the original Zenodo record and its associated paper: Komiske, Metodiev, Thaler, Energy Flow Networks: Deep Sets for Particle Jets, JHEP 01 (2019) 121, arXiv:1810.05165

DiLullo, Nicholas [Brown University] (ORCID:000000↗
DOE OSTI2021

Cost-Optimized Cold Climate Heat Pump Development and Field Test

Cold climate heat pumps (CCHPs) expand the heat pump market to climates where heating demand is dominant. They can achieve more than 70% energy savings compared with electric resistance heating and operate at lower cost than using tank-stored propane to fuel a furnace. A high-efficiency heat pump with a heating seasonal performance factor (HSPF)—as defined by the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI 2008)—greater than 10.0 would be more efficient than gas heating in terms of source energy. However, developing a cost-effective CCHP involves some challenges. A typical single-speed, air-source heat pump (ASHP) with an HSPF of 7.7 Btu/Wh does not work well under cold outdoor temperature conditions typical of cold climate locations for four major reasons: 1. Discharge temperature is too high—The low suction pressure and high compression pressure ratio at low ambient temperatures causes high compressor discharge temperatures in excess of the maximum limit for many of the compressors on the market. Furthermore, system charge of a heat pump is usually optimized in the cooling mode, which leads to overcharge conditions in the heating mode, further increasing the discharge temperature. 2. Heating capacity is insufficient if sized to meet the building design cooling load— Heating capacity of a single-speed heat pump decreases with ambient temperature. The heating capacity at -13°F (-25°C) typically decreases to 20%–40% of the rated heating capacity at 47°F (8.3°C) (~equivalent to the rated cooling capacity at 95°F [35°C]). Therefore, a single-speed heat pump, typically sized to match the building design cooling load, cannot provide adequate heating capacity to match the building heating load at low ambient temperatures. The capacity deficit is filled by inefficient resistance heat, thus lowering the system efficiency and significantly increasing power demand. 3. Cyclic loss is significant if sized to meet the building design heating load—If a single-speed heat pump is sized to meet the heating load, it will be significantly oversized relative to the cooling load in many cold climates. This will cause excessive on/off cyclic loss during the cooling and heating operations at moderately low ambient temperatures. Thus, capacity modulation capability (e.g., using a variable-speed or multi-stage compressor) is necessary for a CCHP, which uses its full capacity to meet the peak heating load and partial capacity to meet the cooling and part-load heating loads. 4. Coefficient of performance (COP) is low—Heating COP degrades significantly at low ambient temperatures owing to the large temperature difference between the heat source and sink. A target CCHP should be sized to meet the building design heating load while minimizing the cyclic loss for the cooling and heating operations at moderate ambient temperatures.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2023

Annual report for DOE VTO

Carbon fiber (CF)/polymer composites are a transformative class of high-performance, lightweight material, where high aspect-ratio CFs reinforce a polymer matrix and exceed the strength of steel alloys at a fraction of the density. Despite the advantages of such a class of material, the broader implementation of CF composites in a range of automotive, aerospace, and energy applications is hindered by limitations of current manufacturing methods. These current techniques (e.g., hand lay-up, wet filament winding) are costly and impose severe limitations on fiber placement, orientation, and angle, and thus a composite’s ultimate properties. Today’s CF composites are expensive to manufacture, limited in form factor, and utilize costly and sub-optimal continuous filament CF. Advanced additive manufacturing (AM) processes, combined with computational design optimization and new approaches to resin development, offer alternative design and manufacturing paradigms that have the realistic potential to lift these constraints. Such integrated AM approaches could thus help to realize the full potential of CF composite materials. One relevant application of CF composite materials where manufacturing constraints limit the cost-benefit ratio is in the manufacture of high-performance composite pressure vessels for onboard compressed natural gas (CNG) storage. Current CNG storage vessels (Types 3–5) are made from load-bearing filament-wound carbon-fiber composite and are ~3.5 times as expensive as an all-metallic Type-1 vessel. This cost is invariably tied to the complex and labor-intensive nature of conventional filament winding processes and the large volumes of expensive high tensile-strength CF tow feedstock required in manufacture. Our proposed approach to CNG storage vessel manufacture is based on a combination of AM technologies for CF composite printing and design optimization tools that were pioneered at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), with advances in resin/composite formulation enabled by chemical and nano-material modification. Through the successful development of this technology, LLNL seeks to demonstrate the capability for advanced CNG storage vessel manufacture at reduced cost with no reduction in performance versus the most advanced, extant Type-5 designs.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Thermo-hydraulic steam pipe models for district heating simulations: Simplifications to balance accuracy and simulation speed

Steam piping networks are essential for optimizing performance in industrial processes and district heating systems. However, dynamic models that balance thermo-hydraulic accuracy with computational efficiency remain limited. In response, this paper presents a new discretized steam pipe model based on the plug flow approach, capturing key thermo-hydraulic behaviors while simplifying steam phase change processes. Implemented in Modelica, the model accurately calculates temperature and pressure distributions along steam pipelines. To improve computational efficiency for district-scale simulations, five model simplifications are introduced: lumped thermo-hydraulic functions, empirical correlations, fluid state approximations, steady-state dynamics and inclusion of flow derivatives. These simplified models achieve 85%-98% accuracy in predicting pressure drop and condensation losses, including dynamic condensate behavior during pipe warm-up—a factor often overlooked in existing models. The models support diverse network configurations, scaling effectively to systems with multiple distribution pipes and connected building loads. Discrete models provide detailed insights but exhibit a cubic increase in simulation time as the network scales by N connected building O(N 2.42 ). In contrast, lumped models simulate 10–28 times faster than discrete, offering quadratic scaling of simulation time O(N 1.73 ). However, they still require 6 times more computation time than a lossless network, highlighting the inherent computational challenges of modeling compressible fluid flow. In conclusion, the steady-state lumped variant, with its near-linear scalability in computational time O(N 1.01 ), emerges as an efficient solution for preliminary design evaluations and extensive parametric studies.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

An alternative method of changing the pulse duration in a stretcher-compressor pair by changing the gas pressure in the compressor

The relatively narrow bandwidth of neodymium glass requires a much larger stretch ratio of chirped-pulse amplification (CPA) systems. This factor, together with a large incident angle on the gratings, makes glass CPA systems extremely sensitive to the refractive index of the medium in the stretcher-compressor. High sensitivity of the stretcher-compressor pair for hybrid optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification and an Nd:glass laser to the refractive index was demonstrated in air, vacuum, and carbon dioxide, and a pulse duration close to the transform limit was reached. An alternative way to change the pulse duration was proposed. The pulse duration from the best compression of 500 fs to 30 ps was smoothly varied by changing the air pressure from 10 -6 Torr to 1 atm in the compressor and up to 52 ps in carbon dioxide, while the stretcher and compressor remained untouched. Finally, excellent agreement of the measured pulse duration with theoretical calculations was demonstrated.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Mechanical Consequences of Oxygen Inhibition in Vat Polymerization

Vat polymerization is a type of additive manufacturing that is used extensively to produce micro-architected structures for mechanical applications, which brings the mechanical properties of photopolymerized resins into sharp focus. However, it is known that photopolymerization is sensitive to a number of factors, perhaps the most notorious of which is oxygen inhibition. Herein, the degree to which oxygen inhibition influences the macroscopic and microscopic properties of structures made using vat polymerization is explored. This work is motivated by an observation of lattices being >4 times softer in the experiment than predicted by simulation, which is hypothesized to be due to the material at the surface being incompletely cured. Furthermore, this hypothesis is supported by four-point bending tests in which flexural modulus is found to increase with beam thickness. Nanoindentation and bulk compression studies show that this surface softening is present for three distinct resins. Importantly, it is observed that structures post-print cured in nitrogen are stiffer than those post-print cured in air, however, regardless of the post-print curing environment, printing samples in the presence of oxygen makes them softer than samples photocured in nitrogen. Collectively, these results show the outsized influence of oxygen inhibition on micro-architected structures realized using vat polymerization.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Cost-Performance Trade-off in thermoelectric air conditioning system with graded and constant material properties

Thermoelectric (TE) air cooling is a solid-state technology that has the potential to replace conventional vapor compression-based air conditioning. In this paper, we present a detailed system-level modeling for thermoelectric air conditioning system with position-dependent (graded) and constant material properties. Strategies for design optimization of the system are provided in terms of cost-performance trade-off. Realistic convection heat transfer at both sides of the system are taken into account in our modeling. Here, the effects of convection heat transfer coefficients, air flowrate, and thermoelectric material properties are investigated with varying key parameters such as TE leg thickness, module fill factor, and input current. Both constant material properties and graded properties are considered for the TE materials, and they are compared in terms of the degree of cooling, coefficient of performance (COP), and power consumption. For graded materials, we employ one-dimensional finite element methods to solve the coupled electrical and thermal current equations with arbitrary profile of material properties varying with position along the TE legs. We find that graded materials can enhance the degree of cooling, but only at the expense of COP, compared to the case of constant property materials. With constant material properties of ZT = 1 and relatively low electric current, the power consumption of TE coolers can be lower than those of conventional air conditioners at an equivalent cooling capacity. Considering additional advantages such as demand-flexible operation, low noise, and high scalability, thermoelectric cooling could be a competitive technology for future air conditioning applications.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2022

Numerical investigation of laser-driven shock interaction with a deformable particle

A laser-driven shock propagating through an isolated particle embedded in a plastic (CH) target was studied using the radiation-hydrodynamic code FLASH. Preliminary simulations using IONMIX equations of state (EOS) showed significant differences in the shock Hugoniot of aluminum compared to experimental data in the low-pressure regime [O(10) GPa], resulting in higher streamwise compression and deformation of an aluminum particle. Hence, a simple modification to the ideal gas EOS was developed and employed to describe the target materials and examine the particle dynamics. The evolution of the pressure field demonstrated a complex wave interaction, resulting in a highly unsteady particle drag which featured two drag minima due to shock focusing at the rear end of the particle and rarefaction stretching due to laser shut-off. Although ~30% lateral expansion and ~25% streamwise compression were observed, the aluminum particle maintained considerable integrity without significant distortion. Additional simulations examined the particle response for a range of particle densities, sizes, and acoustic impedances. The data revealed that lighter particles such as aluminum gained significant momentum, reaching up to ~96% of the shocked CH's speed, compared to ~29% for the heavier tungsten particles. Despite the differences seen in the early stage of shock interaction, particles with varying acoustic impedances ultimately reached the same peak velocity. This identified particle-to-host density ratio is an important factor in determining the inviscid terminal velocity of the particle. In addition, the modified EOS model presented in this study could be used to approximate solid materials in hydrocodes that lack material strength models.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

X-ray Thomson scattering spectra from density functional theory molecular dynamics simulations based on a modified Chihara formula

Here, we study ab initio approaches for calculating x-ray Thomson scattering spectra from density functional theory molecular dynamics simulations based on a modified Chihara formula that expresses the inelastic contribution in terms of the dielectric function. We study the electronic dynamic structure factor computed from the Mermin dielectric function using an ab initio electron-ion collision frequency in comparison to computations using a linear-response time-dependent density functional theory (LR-TDDFT) framework for hydrogen and beryllium and investigate the dispersion of free-free and bound-free contributions to the scattering signal. A separate treatment of these contributions, where only the free-free part follows the Mermin dispersion, shows good agreement with LR-TDDFT results for ambient-density beryllium, but breaks down for highly compressed matter where the bound states become pressure ionized. LR-TDDFT is used to reanalyze x-ray Thomson scattering experiments on beryllium demonstrating strong deviations from the plasma conditions inferred with traditional analytic models at small scattering angles.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) Study for a Carbon Capture Plant Retrofit to a Natural Gas-Fired Gas Turbine Combined Cycle Power Plant (2x2x1 Duct-Fired 758-MWe Facility with F Class Turbines)

A comprehensive front-end engineering design (FEED) study has been undertaken by Bechtel National Inc. (Bechtel) for locating a post-combustion capture and compression (PCC) unit at Panda’s Sherman natural gas–combined cycle (NGCC) power plant in Sherman, Texas. This is described in the unredacted FEED Study report (Attachment 1) with all supporting documents, numbering over 150. The Study Report is publicly available. Sizing of the PCC plant is based on treating an amount of flue gas equivalent to that produced when generating 420 MW, which is approximately 68% of the total flue gas emitted by the NGCC power plant operating at guarantee condition with duct burners off. A reduced power plant capacity factor was used for sizing the PCC plant because the gas turbines at the site often operate at reduced load due to the high penetration of renewable power in the ERCOT region. The cost of carbon capture is primarily driven by capital cost (and therefore is highly sensitive to capacity factor). Sizing the capture unit so that when used it is nearly always operating at full capacity is critical to the economic viability of the proposed investment.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Techno-Economic Analysis of a Concentrating Solar Power Plant Using Redox-Active Metal Oxides as Heat Transfer Fluid and Storage Media

We present results for a one-dimensional quasi-steady-state thermodynamic model developed for a 111.7 MW e concentrating solar power (CSP) system using a redox-active metal oxide as the heat storage media and heat transfer agent integrated with a combined cycle air Brayton power block. In the energy charging and discharging processes, the metal oxide CaAl 0.2 Mn 0.8 O 2.9-δ (CAM28) undergoes a reversible, high temperature redox cycle including an endothermic oxygen-releasing reaction and exothermic oxygen-incorporation reaction. Concentrated solar radiation heats the redox-active oxide particles under partial vacuum to drive the reduction extent deeper for increased energy density at a fixed temperature, thereby increasing storage capacity while limiting the required on sun temperature. Direct counter-current contact of the reduced particles with compressed air from the Brayton compressor releases stored chemical and sensible energy, heating the air to 1,200°C at the turbine inlet while cooling and reoxidizing the particles. The cool oxidized particles recirculate through the solar receiver subsystem for another cycle of heating and reduction (oxygen release). We applied the techno-economic model to 1) size components, 2) examine intraday operation with varying solar insolation, 3) estimate annual performance characteristics over a simulated year, 4) estimate the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), and 5) perform sensitivity analyses to evaluate factors that affect performance and cost. Simulations use hourly solar radiation data from Barstow, California to assess the performance of a 111.7 MW e system with solar multiples (SMs) varying from 1.2 to 2.4 and storage capacities of 6–14 h. The baseline system with 6 h storage and SM of 1.8 has a capacity factor of 54.2%, an increase from 32.3% capacity factor with no storage, and an average annual energy efficiency of 20.6%. Calculations show a system with an output of 710 GWh e net electricity per year, 12 h storage, and SM of 2.4 to have an installed cost of $329 million, and an LCOE of 5.98 ¢/kWh e . This value meets the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot 2020 target of 6.0 ¢/kWh e ( U. S Department of Energy, 2012 ), but falls just shy of the 5.0 ¢/kWh e 2030 CSP target for dispatchable electricity ( U. S Department of Energy, 2017 ). The cost and performance results are minimally sensitive to most design parameters. However, a one-point change in the weighted annual cost of capital from 8 to 7% (better understood as a 12.5% change) translates directly to an 11% decrease (0.66 ¢/kWhe) in the LCOE.

Gorman, Brandon T.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Optical Response of Soda-Lime Glass Shocked to 14 GPa

To investigate the potential use of soda-lime glass (SLG) as an optical window in shock wave experiments, laser interferometry (VISAR) was used to determine the window correction and the refractive index in SLG samples subjected to plane shock wave compression. Symmetric plate impact experiments were conducted at peak stresses varying between 4 and 14 GPa and laser interferometry ($λ_0$ = 532$\textit {nm}$ wavelength) measurements were used to monitor the particle velocity histories at the impact surface. The higher stress experiments displayed a constant state prior to stress unloading. In contrast, the lower stress experiments (4.3 and 7.8 GPa) displayed an initial constant state followed by weakly time-dependent response prior to stress unloading. Because the actual particle velocities were independently known from the projectile velocity measurements, the window correction factor and the refractive index changes were determined over the stress range examined. Above 7.5 GPa, our window correction and refractive index results show significant differences with previously published data for the same material. Potential reasons for these differences are indicated.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗