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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 37 records · Page 2

A Novel Multiagent Resource Sharing Algorithm for Control of Advanced Energy Systems

This paper implements a novel resource sharing control strategy on a fuel cell–gas turbine hybrid power system at the National Energy Technology Laboratory’s Hybrid Performance Facility (Hyper). In a fuel cell–gas turbine hybrid power system, the simultaneous interaction of the gas turbine and the fuel cell creates a tightly coupled environment characterized by conflicting dynamics. In this paper, a model-free control approach is applied to solve the tightly coupled control problem posed by this challenging environment. Specifically, this control problem is presented as a resource sharing problem that can be solved using a resource sharing algorithm that is defined based on the distribution construction concept. This algorithm creates computational agents and solves the problem through the distribution and redistribution of shared resources defined as blocks. Furthermore, two agents were created; the first agent (agent 1) controls the gas turbine speed by adjusting the electric load, and the second agent (agent 2) controls the cathode mass flow through the fuel cell using the cold-air bypass valve. A parametric study was performed over the course of 15 experimental tests for both agents 1 and 2 through an evaluation of the responses based on setpoint changes. The algorithm was shown to have behavior comparable to a previously implemented multi-input multioutput state-space controller, which was designed through a model-based control approach. The resource sharing algorithm was able to find stable performance during run-time operations without any prior system knowledge identification on the power plant and without creating models used in traditional control strategies.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Small-RPS Enabled Mars Rover Concept

Both the MER and the Mars Pathfinder rovers operated on Mars in an energy-limited mode, since the solar panels generated power during daylight hours only. At other times the rovers relied on power stored in batteries. In comparison, Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) offer a power-enabled paradigm, where power can be generated for long mission durations (measured in years), independently from the Sun, and on a continuous basis. A study was performed at PL to assess the feasibility of a small-RPS enabled MER-class rover concept and any associated advantages of its mission on Mars. The rover concept relied on design heritage from MER with two significant changes. First, the solar panels were replaced with two single GPHS module based small-RPSs. Second, the Mossbauer spectroscope was substituted with a laser Raman spectroscope, in order to move towards MEPAG defined astrobiology driven science goals. The highest power requirements were contributed to mobility and telecommunication type operating modes, hence influencing power system sizing. The resulting hybrid power system included two small-RPSs and two batteries. Each small-RPS was assumed to generate 50We of power or 62OWh/sol of energy (BOL), comparable to that of MER. The two 8Ah batteries were considered available during peak power usage. Mission architecture, power trades, science instruments, data, communication, thermal and radiation environments, mobility, mass issues were also addressed. The study demonstrated that a new set of RPS-enabled rover missions could be envisioned for Mars exploration within the next decade, targeting astrobiology oriented science objectives, while powered by 2 to 4 GPHS modules.

Mars exploration↗

Proposal and Development of a High Voltage Variable Frequency Alternating Current Power System for Hybrid Electric Aircraft

The development of ultra-efficient commercial vehicles and the transition to low-carbon emission propulsion are seen as strategic thrust paths within NASA Aeronautics. A critical enabler to these paths comes in the form of hybrid electric propulsion systems. For megawatt-class systems, the best power system topology for these hybrid electric propulsion systems is debatable. Current proposals within NASA and the Aero community suggest using a combination of alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) for power generation, transmission, and distribution. This paper proposes an alternative to the current thought model through the use of a primarily high voltage AC power system, supported by the Convergent Aeronautics Solutions (CAS) Project. This system relies heavily on the use of doubly-fed induction machines (DFIMs), which provide high power densities, minimal power conversion, and variable speed operation. The paper presents background on the activity along with the system architecture, development status, and preliminary results.

Sadey, David J.↗

Proposal and Development of a High Voltage Variable Frequency Alternating Current Power System for Hybrid Electric Aircraft

The development of ultra-efficient commercial vehicles and the transition to low-carbon emission propulsion are seen as thrust paths within NASA Aeronautics. A critical enabler to these paths comes in the form of hybrid-electric propulsion systems. For megawatt-class systems, the best power system topology for these hybrid-electric propulsion systems is debatable. Current proposals within NASA and the Aero community suggest using a combination of AC and DC for power transmission. This paper proposes an alternative to the current thought model through the use of a primarily high voltage AC power generation, transmission, and distribution systems, supported by the Convergent Aeronautics Solutions (CAS) Project. This system relies heavily on the use of dual-fed induction machines, which provide high power densities, minimal power conversion, and variable speed operation. The paper presents background on the project along with the system architecture, development status and preliminary results.

Propulsion↗

Solar power system using hybrid trough and photovoltaic two-stage light concentration

A solar power method is provided using two-stage light concentration to drive concentrating photovoltaic conversion in conjunction with thermal collection. The method concentrates light rays received in a plurality of transverse planes towards a primary linear focus in an axial plane, which is orthogonal to the transverse planes. T band wavelengths of light are transmitted to the primary linear focus. R band wavelengths of light are reflected towards a secondary linear focus in the axial plane, which is parallel to the primary linear focus. The light received at the primary linear focus is translated into thermal energy. The light received at the secondary linear focus is focused by optical elements along a plurality of tertiary linear foci, which are orthogonal to the axial plane. The focused light in each tertiary primary focus is focused into a plurality of receiving areas, and translated into electrical energy.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

A hybrid electrical power system for aircraft application.

Possible improvements to present aircraft electrical power systems for use in future advanced types of aircraft have been investigated. The conventional power system is examined, the characteristics of electric loads are reviewed, and various methods of power generation and distribution are appraised. It is shown that a hybrid system, with variable-frequency generation and high-voltage dc distribution, could overcome some of the limitations of the conventional system.

Lee, C. H.↗

NASA's space program - Space Station: A status report and a view of its value for space science

The current status of the Space Station program and the proposed configuration, operation, and evolution of the Space Station are described. The Space Station is to be composed of a manned base and two unmanned platforms; the configuration of the Station is dual keel, and the baseline system includes a hybrid power system with photovoltaics providing 25 kW and solar dynamics providing 50 kW. International participation in the development and use of the Space Station, in particular the design of the pressurized modules, is discussed. Intended scientific uses of the Space Station Complex are considered.

Black, David C.↗

Techno-Economic Analysis of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell-Gas Turbine Hybrid Systems for Stationary Power Applications Using Renewable Hydrogen

Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC)–gas turbine (GT) hybrid systems can produce power at high electrical efficiencies while emitting virtually zero criteria pollutants (e.g., ozone, carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen and sulfur, and particulate matters). This study presents new insights into renewable hydrogen (RH 2 )-powered SOFC–GT hybrid systems with respect to their system configuration and techno-economic analysis motivated by the need for clean on-demand power. First, three system configurations are thermodynamically assessed: (I) a reference case with no SOFC off-gas recirculation, (II) a case with cathode off-gas recirculation, and (III) a case with anode off-gas recirculation. While these configurations have been studied in isolation, here we provide a detailed performance comparison. Moreover, a techno-economic analysis is conducted to study the economic competitiveness of RH 2 -fueled hybrid systems and the economies of scale by offering a comparison to natural gas (NG)-fueled systems. Results show that the case with anode off-gas recirculation, with 68.50%-lower heating value (LHV) at a 10 MW scale, has the highest efficiency among the studied scenarios. When moving from 10 MW to 50 MW, the efficiency increases to 70.22%-LHV. These high efficiency values make SOFC–GT hybrid systems highly attractive in the context of a circular economy as they outcompete most other power generation technologies. The cost-of-electricity (COE) is reduced by about 10% when moving from 10 MW to 50 MW, from USD 1976/kW to USD 1668/kW, respectively. Renewable H 2 is expected to be economically competitive with NG by 2030, when the U.S. Department of Energy’s target of USD 1/kg RH 2 is reached.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Hydrogen Enrichment for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Gas Turbine (SOFC/GT) Hybrid Power Generation Systems Using Mechanical Gas Separation

This presentation, given at the 37 th annual Pittsburgh Coal Conference on September 8-11, 2020, includes information on the process, previous work, normal and oblique shocks model, diffuser design model, and calculation results (expansion, recompression with no losses, and recompression with mass depletion). Summary includes the concept of aerodynamic separation of water and carbon dioxide from a SYNGAS stream and that deposition was modeled by mass depletion from a compressible flow.

VanOsdol, John↗

Controllers for Distributed Grid Support for Power Systems using Hybrid DER plants with Electrolyzers [SWR-20-06]

This software presents the design and control for a hybrid DER site with integrated dispatchable electrolyzers. It is a comprehensive solution for regulating the dispatch of electrolyzer demand to support the grid using the respective control functions. Multiple control functions (ramp control, frequency support control, dispatch prioritization) are developed to integrate the proposed site for multiple services around load, voltage and frequency control. This allows the site owners to participate in both distribution and bulk system energy markets for grid ancillary services.

Jain, Rishabh↗

Acceptance Testing of a Satellite SCADA Photovoltaic-Diesel Hybrid System

Savannah State University (SSU) and the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) have been participating in the NASA Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) program for the last five years. This program was designed by NASA to help maintain U.S. leadership in commercial space communications by funding high-risk research, and to flight-test next-generation digital satellite components. Launched in 1993, ACTS is an U.S. government funded technology test-bed that incorporates high power Ka-band transponders, small spot beams, and on-board digital storage and switching technology. Associated with the spacecraft, is a prototype satellite control center that supports various application experiments. The SSU/FSEC application experiment is to developing a Photovoltaic-Diesel Hybrid Power system complete with satellite Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA). The hybrid system was design to demonstrate the feasibility of using SCADA to maintain and operate remote village power systems. This configuration would enable experts at a central location to provide technical assistance to local technicians while they acquire a measure of proficiency with the hybrid system operation and maintenance. Upon full mastery of the technology, similar SCADA arrangement are planned to remotely monitor and control constellation of hybrid systems scattered overlarge rural areas. Two Orion Energy APEX-1000 hybrid systems were delivered in 1998, one was installed at SSU in eastern Georgia and the other was installed at FSEC in Central Florida. The project was designed to: (1) evaluate the performance of ACTS in a SCADA arrangement, (2) monitor the health and performance of all major hybrid subsystems, (3) investigate load control and battery charging strategies to maximize battery capacity and lifetime, and (4) develop satellite communication protocol. Preliminary results indicate that the hybrid design is suitable for satellite Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition. A modification to the controller software has produced a robust communication link capable of real time control and long term data collection.

Kalu, Alex↗

Space Station power system selection

The Space Station power system selection process is described with attention given to management organization and technical considerations. A hybrid power system was chosen because of the large life cycle cost savings. The power management and distribution system that was chosen was the 400 Hz system.

Rice, R. R.↗

Control of energy storage to reduce electric power system off-nominal frequency deviations

A hybrid power generation system is formed by the combination of an energy storage system (ESS) and a rotating synchronous power generator (SPG). Energy is stored in or released from the ESS in response to measurements of the at least one angle parameter, selected from rotor, torque, or power angle of the SPG, to provide active frequency damping of electrical power output. The control of ESS energy exchange increases the stabilizing impact of the SPG inertia on the frequency of electricity in an electrical network or power grid. The hybrid power generation system can have an effective equal area criterion for stability limit that is greater than that of the SPG operating without the ESS. The hybrid power generation system can enable the electrical network to have a greater proportion of variable or distributed energy resource (DER) power generation systems without otherwise exceeding stability limits.

Vartanian, Charles K.↗

Black-Box Optimization for Design of Concentrating Solar Power and Photovoltaic Hybrid Systems with Optimal Dispatch Decisions

The hybridization of concentrating solar power (CSP) and photovoltaics (PV) can enable dispatchable renewable electricity generation at a lower price than current stand-alone CSP systems. However, designing a CSP-PV hybrid system can be challenging because of the many degrees of freedom in design that affect the internal and external system interactions and trade-offs. We develop a methodology to determine optimal designs for CSP-PV hybrids by implementing NLopt's derivative-free, or “black-box,” algorithms around pre-existing CSP-PV hybrid simulation software that utilizes the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s System Advisor Model (SAM); we then employ a dispatch optimization model to determine operational decisions that maximize a plant’s profits. We present optimal designs for CSP-PV hybrid systems dispatching against four time-of-delivery (ToD) pricing structures. NLopt’s algorithms can improve the base case design’s power purchase agreement (PPA) price by 15% to 21%, depending on the ToD pricing structure. In addition, we present the resulting optimal CSP-PV hybrid design’s annual performance metrics, which tend to have capacity factors between 50% and 62%, but are able to generate electricity during the year’s highest-valued periods about 90% of the time. Lastly, we investigate the trade-offs between capacity factor and PPA price using Pareto fronts and demonstrate that, for some ToD pricing structures, the system capacity factor can increase by 20% but at the expense of a 2% increase in PPA price.

black-box↗

A Sustainable Wind–Biogas Hybrid System for Remote Areas in Jordan: A Case Study of Mobile Hospital for a Zaatari Syrian Refugee Camp

Access to reliable and sustainable energy in remote areas remains a pressing global challenge, significantly affecting economic development and the quality of life. This study focuses on the implementation of fully off-grid wind–biogas hybrid power systems to address this issue, with a focus on remote healthcare camp facilities. This paper investigates the performance of a hybrid renewable energy system within the context of one of Jordan’s northern remote areas, the Zaatari Syrian Refugee Camp, assessing its efficiency and environmental impact by taking the Zaatari hospital as the case study. Simulations were conducted to evaluate system components, including wind turbines, biogas generators, and diesel generators. A comprehensive evaluation was conducted, encompassing both the operational efficiency of the system and its impact on the environment. This study also considered various scenarios (SC#), including grid availability and autonomy levels, to optimize system configurations. The techno-economic assessment employed the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) as a key performance indicator, and sensitivity analyses explored the impact of diesel costs and wind power fluctuations on the system. Additionally, environmental assessment was conducted to evaluate the environmental effects of hybrid systems, with a specific focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This investigation involved an examination of emissions in three different scenarios. The results indicate that the lowest LCOE that could be achieved was 0.0734 USD/kWh in SC#1 with 72.42% autonomy, whereas achieving 100% autonomy increased the LCOE to 0.1756 USD/kWh. Additionally, the results reveal that in scenarios SC#2 and SC#3, which have a higher proportion of diesel generator usage, there were elevated levels of NO x and CO 2 emissions. Conversely, in SC#1, which lacks diesel generators, emissions were notably lower. The proposed hybrid system demonstrates its potential to provide a reliable energy supply to healthcare facilities in remote regions, emphasizing both economic feasibility and environmental benefits. These findings contribute to informed decision making for sustainable energy solutions in similar contexts, promoting healthcare accessibility and environmental sustainability.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Using Liquid Natural Gas Fuel to Cryogenically Cool and Enhance a Hybrid Electric Aircraft Power System

A previous system study identified significant increases in range and number of urban air mobility (UAM) missions by replacing the all battery power system of a notional UAM vehicle with an advanced diesel hybrid using conventional diesel or liquid natural gas (LNG) fuels (at constant vehicle design gross weight). Some benefits were realized using the LNG's cryogenic properties to reduce some electrical component losses and cooling requirements. Significant questions were raised concerning volume and thermal management considerations for all studied systems. The notional, baseline vehicle was a hybrid helicopter / airplane design capable of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL), balancing high cruise efficiency with reasonable hover capability. A subsequent power system assessment using the same notional vehicle and mission was performed that identified increased volume and power requirements for the active cooling required. The cooling airflow could also generate additional drag on the vehicle during operation. For the notional vehicle studied, the additional volume identified by the subsequent study would not affect vehicle mold line and therefore drag. However, the additional drag from cooling airflow and the power to circulate it as needed would impact power system and vehicle mission performance. Vehicle and mission models were updated and rerun. Updated results still indicated significant benefits in range and number of UAM missions, but reduced the benefit by 12-15%. Hold time for the hybrid systems also generally increased a few minutes because of reduced power available for charging from the power for required cooling flows. Vehicle weights, thermal loads, and cooling airflows from the updated analyses were similar to previous results.

systems analysis↗

Development of Real-Time System Identification to Detect Abnormal Operations in a Gas Turbine Cycle

Here, we present a novel online system identification methodology for monitoring the performance of power systems. This methodology was demonstrated in a gas turbine recuperated power plant designed for a hybrid configuration. A 120-kW Garrett microturbine modified to test dynamic control strategies for hybrid power systems designed at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) was used to implement and validate this online system identification methodology. The main component of this methodology consists of an empirical transfer function model implemented in parallel to the turbine speed operation and the fuel control valve, which can monitor the process response of the gas turbine system while it is operating. During fully closed-loop operations or automated control, the output of the controller, fuel valve position, and the turbine speed measurements were fed for a given period of time to a recursive algorithm that determined the transfer function parameters during the nominal condition. After the new parameters were calculated, they were fed into the transfer function model for online prediction. The turbine speed measurement was compared against the transfer function prediction, and a control logic was implemented to capture when the system operated at nominal or abnormal conditions. To validate the ability to detect abnormal conditions during dynamic operations, drifting in the performance of the gas turbine system was evaluated. A leak in the turbomachinery working fluid was emulated by bleeding 10% of the airflow from the compressor discharge to the atmosphere, and electrical load steps were performed before and after the leak. This tool could detect the leak 7 s after it had occurred, which accounted for a fuel flow increase of approximately 15.8% to maintain the same load and constant turbine speed operations.

algorithms↗