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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 289 records · Page 16
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Novel Modular Electrocatalytic Processing for Simultaneous Conversion of Carbon Dioxide and Wet Shale Gas into Valuable Products

This report examines solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC) technology as an alternative process for the manufacture of carbon monoxide (CO) and the separation of ethane (C 2 H 6 ) from wet natural gas (WNG). SOEC cathodes for the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) to CO and SOEC anodes for the selective electrochemical oxidation of C 2 H 6 to ethylene (C 2 H 4 ) are described and presented. Lifecycle and techno-economic analyses (LCA and TEA) utilizing SOEC technology for the production of CO are also reported.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Review—Micro-Fuel Cell Principal Biosensors for Monitoring Transdermal Volatile Organic Compounds in Humans

Knowledge of transduction mechanisms in biosensing applications paves the way for ultrasensitive and dynamic detection in living systems. Real-world biosensing applications where ultra-sensitivity and dynamic detection are paramount include monitoring the anesthetic agent concentration during surgery; the slightest variation in concentration can potentially result in a life-threatening overdose or, on the other end of the spectrum, the patient’s awareness during the procedure. We review the benefits and functions of the transcutaneous biosensor device compared with other current technology and discuss the sensor’s capability to accurately measure volatile anesthetic gas concentration in blood using fuel cell technology. We review fundamental concepts of fuel-cell technology for wearable bio-sensing applications. The fuel cell sensor can also continuously monitor other volatile organic compounds making it versatile with numerous potential applications.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Challenges in the designing, planning and deployment of hydrogen refueling infrastructure for fuel cell electric vehicles

Hydrogen can power transportation with near zero greenhouse gas emissions. With government support, early market development is now underway in several nations thanks to technological advances in fuel cell vehicles and electricity generation from renewable energy. Deploying a sustainable hydrogen refueling infrastructure faces methodological and practical challenges ranging from the creation of appropriate codes to managing the co-evolution of the refueling network and growth of the stock of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Furthermore, this paper presents a comprehensive review of the challenges facing the designing, planning and deployment of hydrogen refueling infrastructure progress to date and outlook for the future. The design and costs of refueling infrastructure as well as the lifecycle environmental effects of hydrogen vehicles depend on how hydrogen is produced and delivered to refueling stations. In recent years, important advances have been made in methods for planning the numbers, sizes and location of hydrogen stations. Institutional barriers are also gradually being overcome. Co-evolving the deployment of stations and the demand for fuel cell vehicles remains a crucial subject for future research.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Fiber-Coupled Multipass NIR Sensor for In Situ, Real-Time Water Vapor Outgassing Monitoring

This work presents the recent development of a fiber-coupled multipass near-infrared (NIR) gas sensor used to monitor water vapor desorption of small material coupons. The gas sensor design employs a White cell topology to maximize the optical path length over a compact, hand-size footprint. Water vapor concentrations are quantified over a large dynamic range by simultaneously applying wavelength modulation and tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy techniques. A custom headspace optimized for material desorption experiments is assembled using commercially available vacuum chamber components. We provide in situ measurements of water vapor desorption from two geometries of the industrially important silicone elastomer Sylgard-184 as a case study for sensor viability. To corroborate the results, the gas sensor data are compared to numerical simulations based on a triple-mode diffusion–sorption model, consisting of Henry, Langmuir, and Pooling modes.

gas sensor↗
DOE OSTI2021

Stepping on the Gas to a Circular Economy: Accelerating Development of Carbon-Negative Chemical Production from Gas Fermentation

Owing to rising levels of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere and oceans, climate change poses significant environmental, economic, and social challenges globally. Technologies that enable carbon capture and conversion of greenhouse gases into useful products will help mitigate climate change by enabling a new circular carbon economy. Gas fermentation using carbon-fixing microorganisms offers an economically viable and scalable solution with unique feedstock and product flexibility that has been commercialized recently. Here, we review the state of the art of gas fermentation and discuss opportunities to accelerate future development and rollout. We discuss the current commercial process for conversion of waste gases to ethanol, including the underlying biology, challenges in process scale-up, and progress on genetic tool development and metabolic engineering to expand the product spectrum. We emphasize key enabling technologies to accelerate strain development for acetogens and other nonmodel organisms.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Effects of various parameters of different porous transport layers in proton exchange membrane water electrolysis

Porous transport layers (PTLs) play an important role in proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) cells. The PTL facilitates water and gas transport, as well as thermal and electrical conduction, and is required to sustain good contact with adjacent components. It is expected that using PTLs with variations in material properties such as structure, composition, thickness and wettability results in performance changes of the PEMWE. Here, a general mathematical PEMWE model is developed that separates and analyzes the contributions of ohmic, activation, diffusion and Nernst potentials. For model validation, three inherently different anode PTL structures (carbon paper, sintered titanium particles, and titanium felt) are operated over a range of conditions. Additionally, the effects of PTL wettability were used to verify the model using Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) treated Toray papers with PTFE loading ranging from 0% to 20%. The modeling results of both PTFE treated and untreated materials show good agreement with the experimental data. Mass transport or diffusion loss is the primary reason for performance differences between PTFE treated and untreated PTLs. Sintered titanium PTLs with thicknesses above 1 mm suffer from up to 33% increased ohmic losses without indicating any obvious changes in activation and diffusion losses when compared to untreated PTLs. The losses of the cell increase when using PTFE treated Toray paper. Individual contributions are quantified and assigned to increased ohmic, activation, and diffusion losses. In conclusion, the proposed model offers insights into the overpotential contributions of a PEMWE. It is a useful tool for predicting performance of various PTL materials and can be applied for PTL development and optimization efforts.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Surface Treatment Strategies for Mitigating Gas Hydrate & Asphaltene Formation, Growth, and Deposition in Flowloops

Abstract Numerous solids including gas hydrates, waxes, and asphaltenes have the potential to form in the production lines of gas and oil fields. This creates a highly non-ideal scenario as the accumulation of said species leads to flow assurance issues, especially with long-term processes like deposition. Since an ever-increasing amount of material is deposited in place at the pipe surface, production stoppage or active mitigation efforts become inevitable. The latter production issues result in increased safety risks and operational expenditures. Therefore, a cost-effective, passive deposition mitigation technology, such as a pipeline coating or surface treatment is especially appealing. The ability to address multiple pipeline flow assurance issues simultaneously without actively disrupting production would represent a dramatic step forward in this area. This study is part of a long-term ongoing effort that evaluates the performance and application of an omniphobic surface treatment for solids deposition prevention in industrially relevant systems. In particular, this specific work concentrates on the efficacy and robustness of the treatment under fully flowing conditions. The apparatuses utilized for this include two flowloops: a lab-scale, high-pressure flowloop for gas hydrate and surface treatment durability studies, and a bench-scale, atmospheric pressure loop for crude oil and asphaltene experiments. Film growth in high-pressure flowloop tests corroborated previous reports of delayed gas hydrate nucleation observed in rocking cells. Without the aid of the memory effect, treated oil-dominated experiments never experienced hydrate formation, spending upwards of a week in the hydrate stability zone (at the subcooled/fluid test conditions). Subsequent tests which utilized the memory effect then revealed that the hydrate formation rate reduced in the presence of the surface treatment compared to a bare stainless-steel surface. This testing was part of a larger set of trials conducted in the flowloop, which lasted about one year. The surface treatment durability under flowing conditions was evaluated during this time. Even after experiencing ∼4000 operating hours and 2 full pressure cycles, no evidence of delamination or damage was detected. Finally, as part of an extension to previous work, corroded surface asphaltene deposition experiments were performed in a bench-top flowloop. Treated experiments displayed an order of magnitude reduction in both total oil (all fractions of crude oil) and asphaltene fraction deposited.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Linking DSC/TGA to Cell Levels: Energetics, Evolved Gases, and Thermal Safety of NMC811‐Graphite Micro‐Cell

Thermochemical characterization of battery materials links intrinsic material properties to decomposition pathways, heat generation, and gas evolution that govern performance and safety. Despite extensive work on NMC811-Graphite, variability across partial configurations and the limited adoption of micro-cell architectures (cathode+anode+electrolyte+separator) hinder robust cell-scale interpretation. Accordingly, this work establishes a bottom-up, component-resolved methodology integrating DSC/TGA, evolved gas analysis (EGA), and in situ XRD to link decomposition pathways and energy release across partial and micro-cell configurations, providing a transferable assessment of safety and stability in emerging chemistries. In separator-free configurations, the gas–solid reaction between cathode-evolved O 2 and anode-leached Li dominates the net heat release (1139 J g −1 ). In contrast, in the micro-cell configuration, the separator hinders O 2 transport and alters the timing and pathways of other reactions, and reduces the net energy release to 618 J g −1 . Energy release was organized into defined temperature windows that provide a framework for a thermodynamic model combining quantified gas evolution with selected decomposition pathways and effective reaction enthalpies to estimate net specific energy release, with agreement between DSC and cell-level tests. Ex situ XPS of heat-treated samples extends post-mortem analysis to thermal-abuse regimes, supporting key pathway elements.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Multichannel gas-uptake/evolution reactor for monitoring liquid-phase chemical reactions

The design of a headspace pressure-monitoring reactor for measuring the uptake/evolution of gas in gas–liquid chemical transformations is described. The reactor features a parallel setup with ten-reactor cells, each featuring a low working volume of 0.2–2 ml, a pressure capacity from 0 to 150 PSIa, and a high sensitivity pressure transducer. The reactor cells are composed of commercially available disposable thickwalled glassware and compact monolithic weld assemblies. The software interface controls the reactor temperature while monitoring pressure in each of the parallel reactor cells. Reactions are easy to set up and yield high-density gas uptake/evolution data. This instrument is especially well suited to acquire quantitative time-course data for reactions with small quantities of gas consumed or produced.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Investigating Hydrogen Isotope Exchange Reactions on Lithium Aluminate Pellets in TPBAR (FY22 Report)

We developed a novel operando Raman spectroscopy method for investigation of hydrogen (H) isotope exchange reactions in the lithium aluminate (γ-LiAlO 2 ) that allows modeling of tritium behaviors in high temperature and in an irradiated environment. The lithium aluminate pellet is a main component in the Tritium-Producing Burnable Absorber Rod (TPBAR). We used deuterium ( 2 H or D) as a surrogate to simulate tritium ( 3 H or T). We used a surface analysis tools in situ/operando Raman spectroscopy to observe the transformation OH and OD compositional changes. We also used ToF-SIMS to analyze the lithium aluminate pellet control sample to build the base line for future in situ/operando analysis. To conduct operando Raman spectroscopy, we developed a custom reaction cell with a detachable micro heater using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and 3D printing techniques. Multiple versions were developed and tested. Using the new reaction cell, we demonstrated operando Raman spectroscopy of water (H 2 O) and deuterated water (D 2 O) with nitrogen (N 2 ) exposure onto the lithium aluminate (LiAlO2) pellet specimen, respectively, using a wet gas injection setup. We also successfully developed a detachable microheater that can heat up to ~250°C for ~90 mins. The Raman spectra did not show clear H 2 O and D 2 O characteristic peaks, which indicates that introducing H 2 O and D 2 O onto the surface of the pellet is challenging due to its dense structure nature. Our efforts suggest that various improvements are needed, such as increasing reaction cell operating gas pressure and thinning pellet sample thickness, to obtain meaningful measurements.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Numerical investigation and experimental validation of water condensation in the gas diffusion layer with different properties

Liquid water in porous media hinders the transport of reactant to catalyst layer, where the electrochemical reactions occur, which in turn, reduces performance and lifetime of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). In this study, two types of gas diffusion layer (GDL) materials are used to study the two-phase saturation distribution in a PEMFC. The correlations between the effective and anisotropic transport properties and porosity of the two GDLs are solved by the pore scale model. In addition, the anisotropic liquid water permeability and the relationship between saturation pressure and capillary pressure is determined by using the Lattice-Boltzmann method. Fuel cell performance as well as liquid water distribution in the GDL using neutron radiography are obtained for validation. Under wet conditions, the cell with Freudenberg GDL performs better than that using Toray GDL, especially at high current densities. The results of the two-phase model simulation show that the peak water saturation for Toray GDL occurs in the catalyst layer and can reach 40%, while the peak water saturation for Freudenberg GDL occurs inside the GDL directly under the ribs and only reaches 25% saturation. The combined results provide key insights to enable high power density operation of a PEMFC through GDL material optimization.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Early Detection of Li-Ion Battery Thermal Runaway Using Commercial Diagnostic Technologies

The rate of electric vehicle (EV) adoption, powered by the Li-ion battery, has grown exponentially; largely driven by technological advancements, consumer demand, and global initiatives to reduce carbon emissions. As a result, it is imperative to understand the state of stability (SoS) of the cells inside an EV battery pack. That understanding will enable the warning of or prevention against catastrophic failures that can lead to serious injury or even, loss of life. The present work explores rapid electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) coupled with gas sensing technology as diagnostics to monitor cells and packs for failure markers. These failure markers can then be used for onboard assessment of SoS. Experimental results explore key changes in single cells and packs undergoing thermal or electrical abuse. Rapid EIS showed longer warning times, followed by VOC sensors, and then H 2 sensors. While rapid EIS gives the longest warning time, with the failure marker often appearing before the cell vents, the reliability of identifying impedance changes in single cells within a pack decreases as the pack complexity increases. This provides empirical evidence to support the significant role that cell packaging and battery engineering intricacies play in monitoring the SoS.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Introducing a novel technique for measuring hydrogen crossover in membrane-based electrochemical cells

Hydrogen crossover that is the unwanted hydrogen permeation across the membrane driven by the difference of gas concentrations causes a critical concern of safety and efficiency for electrochemical cells, such as fuel cells and electrolyzer cells. Although the hydrogen crossover measurement in fuel cells that employ platinum based catalysts is simple and widely used in laboratory settings, it is questionable to apply existing limiting current method to water electrolyzer cells and alkaline exchange membrane (AEM) systems, which is due to the typical catalyst materials used and membrane properties, respectively. In this work, we demonstrate the operation of a compact and low-cost method of measuring hydrogen crossover that works for both AEM and proton exchange membrane (PEM) systems. The method entails a tandem configuration that utilizes an upstream crossover cell with a downstream cell in hydrogen pump configuration to measure the crossover in the cell of interest. We have successfully measured the hydrogen crossover with different membranes at various differential pressures. The developed method can be applied to catalyst-free membranes (both PEM and AEM) as well as PGM free catalyst containing cells. It will be a promising technique for measuring hydrogen crossover in-situ for a real operating membraned-based electrochemical cell or stack.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2026

Neutron imaging of hydrogenous gases in porous-carbon materials around phase transitions

Focus herein is on hydrogenous gases interacting with porous-carbon materials on activated biochar at pressures ranging from 0 to 100 bar and temperatures from room (ambient) to cryogenic. Neutron radiography was conducted using a custom-made cell system to simultaneously image pure gas and gas interacting with the porous carbon. From neutron attenuation, the cross sections of methane and ethane and number concentrations were determined for different pressures and temperatures and compared with corresponding reference data. Sorption properties of the porous materials were investigated in situ with methane, ethane, and propane.

Ossler, Frederik [Lund University, Sweden]↗
DOE OSTI2021

A theoretical approach for transient shock strengthening in high-energy-density laser compression experiments

In high-energy-density shock compression experiments, the desired state of compression is typically achieved by passing shock waves through a sequence of different materials. Here, a theoretical approach for transiently strengthening such shocks passing through interfaces of experimentally relevant impedance ratios is examined. A semi-analytical method based on characteristics analysis is used to solve the problem of a shock passing from one material to another through an intermediate region of non-uniform impedance; by appropriately designing this region, a greater shock strength can be achieved in the second material for a finite duration than in the absence of this region. When a shock passes into a material of higher impedance, the shock strengthening increases to a maximum before decreasing to an asymptotic value as the strength of the incident shock is increased. For shocks passing into materials of decreasing impedance, the shock strengthening increases monotonically as the strength of the incident shock is increased when the impedance ratio is above a critical threshold. Incorporating multiple intermediate materials can further increase the strength of the transmitted shock, with an exponential discretization of intermediate material impedances being the most effective distribution for strengthening strong shocks. The results suggest that up to 25% and 9% increases in pressure behind the leading shock can be achieved for materials of increasing and decreasing impedance, respectively. The technique is applied to the design of laser-driven dynamic compression experiments, and the results of the analysis are verified via comparison to simulations performed with the HYADES hydrodynamics code.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗