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DOE OSTI2013

Commercial Building Energy Baseline Modeling Software: Performance Metrics and Method Testing with Open Source Models and Implications for Proprietary Software Testing

The overarching goal of this work is to advance the capabilities of technology evaluators in evaluating the building-level baseline modeling capabilities of Energy Management and Information System (EMIS) software. Through their customer engagement platforms and products, EMIS software products have the potential to produce whole-building energy savings through multiple strategies: building system operation improvements, equipment efficiency upgrades and replacements, and inducement of behavioral change among the occupants and operations personnel. Some offerings may also automate the quantification of whole-building energy savings, relative to a baseline period, using empirical models that relate energy consumption to key influencing parameters, such as ambient weather conditions and building operation schedule. These automated baseline models can be used to streamline the whole-building measurement and verification (M&V) process, and therefore are of critical importance in the context of multi-measure whole-building focused utility efficiency programs.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2023

Modeling and Simulation of Xe-100-type Pebble Bed Gas-Cooled Reactor with SCALE

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) to accelerate the deployment of advanced reactor concepts. Awardees of ARDP funds are expected to demonstrate the operation of an advanced reactor within 7 years of receiving the award. X-Energy’s advanced reactor concept, the Xe-100, was selected as one of two advanced reactor concepts to receive funding to demonstrate the operation of its high-temperature gas-cooled pebble-bed reactor before the end of this decade. As a result of this push to bring advanced reactors to maturation and commercialization, transition and deployment scenario studies are being performed under the Systems Analysis and Integration (SA&I) campaign within the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) to evaluate the transition of the current US commercial fleet of light-water reactors (LWRs) to a future fleet of advanced reactors consisting of a mix of ARDP type reactor concepts and advanced LWRs. To accurately evaluate the front- and back-end resource requirements, it is important to perform reactor physics calculations to determine the discharge burnup and isotopic content, fuel residence time, as well as other parameters. For this purpose, a summer project funded by the SA&I campaign allowed for the setup of SCALE models for full-core Xe-100 type high-temperature gas-cooled pebble-bed reactor and a Xe-100 type slice using publicly available information. The core-averaged equilibrium compositions and zone-wise equilibrium compositions for the slice and 3D models, respectively, were obtained following an iterative depletion method developed by Bostelmann et al. using SCALE’s reactor physics sequence TRITON. The slice model was used with TRITON to generate burnup-dependent cross section libraries at different temperatures which can be used with SCALE’s ORIGAMI code to rapidly determine fuel inventory and therefore to perform quick sensitivity studies on parameters such as the pebble location in the core. The SCALE/TRITON transport and depletion calculation for the Xe-100 type slice model indicates that the isotopic concentrations are in good agreement at 1,300 effective full power days (EFPD) for 235 U. An analysis of 236 U results match 239 Pu results would seem to indicate a typographical error in Mulder and Boyes wherein the reported results of 236 U and 239 Pu are reversed. In addition to SCALE/TRITON calculations, a new capability within SCALE/ORIGAMI for the simulation of pebble-bed reactors was used to study the burnup sensitivity with respect to the pebble pathway through the core. The SCALE/ORIGAMI results show that pebbles that travel closer to the reflector for the entire depletion history have a higher burnup than pebbles that travel through the middle of the core because of the higher thermal to fast flux ratio near the reflector. Consequently, a pebble’s burnup is strongly affected by the pebble’s pathway for each pass. Additional phenomena such as temperature distributions in the core and different travel times of the pebbles in the individual radial zones further affect the burnup distribution. The sensitivity of the discharge vector to the pebble pathways taken during each pass can be evaluated in the future using SCALE/ORIGAMI now that the SCALE inputs have been established.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

DOE OSTI2013

Analysis of Illinois Home Performance with ENERGY STAR ® Measure Packages

Through the Chicagoland Single Family Housing Characterization and Retrofit Prioritization report, the Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit characterized 15 housing types in the Chicagoland region based on assessor data, utility billing history, and available data from prior energy efficiency programs. Within these 15 groups, a subset showed the greatest opportunity for energy savings based on BEopt Version 1.1 modeling of potential energy efficiency package options and the percent of the housing stock represented by each group. In this project, collected field data from a whole-home program in Illinois are utilized to compare marketplace-installed measures to the energy saving optimal packages previously developed for the 15 housing types. Housing type, conditions, energy efficiency measures installed, and retrofit cost information were collected from 19 homes that participated in the Illinois Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program in 2012, representing eight of the characterized housing groups. Two were selected for further case study analysis to provide an illustration of the differences between optimal and actually installed measures. Taken together, these homes are representative of 34.8% of the Chicagoland residential building stock. In one instance, actual installed measures closely matched optimal recommended measures.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2013

Analysis of Illinois Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® Measure Packages

Through the Chicagoland Single Family Housing Characterization and Retrofit Prioritization report, the Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit research team characterized 15 housing types in the Chicagoland region based on assessor data, utility billing history, and available data from prior energy efficiency programs. Within these 15 groups, a subset showed the greatest opportunity for energy savings based on BEopt Version 1.1 modeling of potential energy efficiency package options and the percent of the housing stock represented by each group. In this project, collected field data from a whole-home program in Illinois are utilized to compare marketplace-installed measures to the energy saving optimal packages previously developed for the 15 housing types. Housing type, conditions, energy efficiency measures installed, and retrofit cost information were collected from 19 homes that participated in the Illinois Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program in 2012, representing eight of the characterized housing groups. Two were selected for further case study analysis to provide an illustration of the differences between optimal and actually installed measures. Taken together, these homes are representative of 34.8% of the Chicagoland residential building stock. In one instance, actual installed measures closely matched optimal recommended measures.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2018

CSULA Hydrogen Refueling Facility Performance Evaluation and Optimization

Throughout its history, Cal State LA has been in the forefront of advanced energy and transportation technologies. The station is located at the intersection of two major highways in Los Angeles region and has a convenient access. It is capable of producing up to 60 kg/day and can fuel 15-20 vehicles per day. Cal State LA had partnered with DOE to establish a robust station operation and performance data collection program. This consisted of equipping the station with additional instrumentation and collecting fueling performance data for several years. The data was further furnished to NREL for processing and agglomeration with data from other stations. In addition to fueling, maintenance and failure events were shared as well as hydrogen purity reports. The station has also undergone several upgrades in fueling protocols and hardware for improved performance and code compliance.

08 HYDROGEN↗

DOE OSTI2017

Daikin Advanced Lithium Ion Battery Technology – High Voltage Electrolyte - REVISED

An evaluation of high voltage electrolytes which contain fluorochemicals as solvents/additive has been completed with the objective of formulating a safe, stable electrolyte capable of operation to 4.6 V. Stable cycle performance has been demonstrated in LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 (NMC111)/graphite cells to 4.5 V. The ability to operate at high voltage results in significant energy density gain (>30%) which would manifest as longer battery life resulting in higher range for electric vehicles. Alternatively, a higher energy density battery can be made smaller without sacrificing existing energy. In addition, the fluorinated electrolytes examined showed better safety performance when tested in abuse conditions. The results are promising for future advanced battery development for vehicles as well as other applications.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2025

Microstructure-Based Understanding of High-Temperature Deformation Behaviors in Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) 316H Stainless Steel

This report presents the results of high-temperature mechanical property testing and microstructural analysis of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) 316H stainless steel (SS) conducted during Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) under the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies (AMMT) program. The study builds upon prior work by expanding the mechanical property test matrix and advancing a microstructure-based mechanistic understanding of LPBF 316H SS performance, with a focus on the solution annealed (SA, 1100°C for 1 hour) materials. High-temperature tension, creep, fatigue, and creep-fatigue tests were performed. Thermal aging studies were conducted. Advanced characterization techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), and high-energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction, were employed to investigate the microstructural evolution during thermal aging and mechanical testing. It was discovered that the as-built (AB) LPBF 316H SS exhibited precipitation kinetics during thermal aging that are 10–100 times faster than its wrought counterpart due to the presence of high densities of preferred nucleation sites, while the precipitation kinetics in SA LPBF 316H was under investigation. The accelerated precipitation of embrittling phases such as sigma phase in LPBF 316H SS compared to its wrought counterpart led to significant impacts on creep ductility. The influence of laser printing parameters and build orientations on fatigue and creep-fatigue performance was observed. In assessing the creep-fatigue performance, it was discovered that the SA LPBF 316H samples failed in less than 200 cycles under 595°C, 0.5% (strain amplitude) with a 60-minute hold time. This work establishes a mechanistic framework for predicting the long-term behavior of LPBF 316H SS, supporting its rapid qualification under the ASME BPVC. The findings contribute to the broader goal of enabling the deployment of advanced materials in next-generation nuclear energy systems. An outlook for FY26 work, including continued aging studies, mechanical testing, and microstructural characterization, is provided.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

NASA NTRS1976

Energy and economic trade offs for advanced technology subsonic aircraft

Changes in future aircraft technology which conserve energy are studied, along with the effect of these changes on economic performance. Among the new technologies considered are laminar-flow control, composite materials with and without laminar-flow control, and advanced airfoils. Aircraft design features studied include high-aspect-ratio wings, thickness ratio, and range. Engine technology is held constant at the JT9D level. It is concluded that wing aspect ratios of future aircraft are likely to significantly increase as a result of new technology and the push of higher fuel prices. Whereas current airplanes have been designed for AR = 7, supercritical technology and much higher fuel prices will drive aspect ratio to the AR = 9-10 range. Composite materials may raise aspect ratio to about 11-12 and practical laminar flow-control systems may further increase aspect ratio to 14 or more. Advanced technology provides significant reductions in aircraft take-off gross weight, energy consumption, and direct operating cost.

Maddalon, D. V.↗

DOE OSTI2026

Cyclic moisture reactivation of calcium sorbents for long duration thermochemical energy storage

The transition to a flexible and reliable energy infrastructure, using electro-thermal energy generation technologies such as geothermal, concentrated solar power, and nuclear, usually demands simultaneous advancement of thermal energy storage (TES) to support on-demand electricity generation and industrial applications while mitigating the inherent intermittency of renewable energy sources and power outages from direct energy generation. Among TES technologies, thermochemical energy storage (TCES) based on calcium looping emerges as a compelling high-power energy storage candidate due to its high reaction enthalpy, compatibility with elevated operating temperatures, and abundance of low-cost materials. However, the long-term durability of calcium-based sorbents for TCES is hindered by surface sintering and particle aggregation, leading to performance degradation over repeated thermal cycles. This study explores a moisture hydration-based strategy to regenerate a degraded calcium sorbent and mitigate performance degradation for long duration TCES. The addition of moisture transforms calcium oxide into calcium hydroxide and produces intercalation water layers, associated with a regenerated surface area and reduced calcium oxide crystallite size. Both these effects are beneficial in restoring the sorbents' reactivity for carbonization. Additionally, an optimized hydration-assisted reactivation protocol balances the recovered energy storage capacity with heating penalty required for moisture removal from hydrated samples, resulting in an enhanced energy storage capacity up to 176% compared to benchmark sorbents that undergo cycling without reactivation after 60 cycles. In conclusion, these results highlight the potential of hydration-assisted reactivation to enhance the long-term performance of TCES, providing an effective pathway to advancing electro-thermal storage technologies.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2014

Development of x-ray radiography for high energy density physics

We describe an experiment performed at the LULI laser facility using an advanced radiographic technique that allowed obtaining 2D, spatially resolved images of a shocked buried-code-target. The technique is suitable for applications on Fast Ignition as well as Warm Dense Matter research. In our experiment, it allowed to show cone survival up to Mbar pressures and to measure the shock front velocity and the fluid velocity associated to the laser-generated shock. This allowed obtaining one point on the shock polar of porous carbon.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2023

Evidence of Zintl Intermediate Phase and Its Impacts on Li and Na Storage Performance of Pb-Based Alloying Anodes

Anode materials based on conversion and alloying reactions are promising to achieve high energy density of advanced sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). While the chemical similarities between sodium and lithium as alkali elements make the benchmarking strategy practical in developing new high-performance anodes, simply borrowing the anode material from one system to the other does not always guarantee success unless it is based on sound understanding of both Li- and Na-reaction mechanisms. In this work, we report the Na storage performance of a Pb-based anode and its fundamental reaction dynamics. In contrast to its excellent electrochemical performances in Li cells (reversible ~600 mAh/g), the newly developed Pb@PbO–C nanocomposite anode has limited electrochemical Na reaction properties showing moderate capacity and rate performances (~300 mAh/g at 20 mA/g). Synchrotron-based X-ray diffraction and absorption spectroscopy studies reveal the fundamental differences in the Na and Li reaction mechanism of the Pb-based anode. Further, unlike Li reaction, the unique Na reaction mechanism involves the formation of a highly ionic NaPb Zintl phase, which comprises tetrahedral Pb 4 clusters, as an intermediate phase. The strong covalent character of the Pb 4 Zintl clusters adversely affects the electronic conductivity and thus limits the electrochemical performance of the Pb-based anode in Na cells. These findings provide new insights applicable to developing high-performance alloying anode materials.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2021

Defining a Use Case for the ADMS Test Bed: Fault Location, Isolation, and Service Restoration with Distributed Energy Resources

Advanced distribution management systems (ADMS) integrate multiple enterprise-level functions into a single platform and offer advanced applications such as fault location, isolation, and service restoration (FLISR), to utilities to meet their operational needs for a modernized grid. These applications need to operate reliably even as distributed energy resource (DER) penetration increases on distribution systems. The ADMS test bed at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory offers utilities and vendors the opportunity to evaluate the performance of such advanced applications on distribution feeders of the future and to understand their potential benefits for a specific utility. This is done through defining use cases that address specific questions. This paper presents the definition of a use case on the performance of a commercially-available FLISR application on a feeder of an electric cooperative with DERs. After experiments are completed, results from this use case will be disseminated to the electric utility and research community to improve understanding of the challenges and benefits that DERs present to ADMS applications and the operation of a modernized grid.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2021

Defining a Use Case for the ADMS Test Bed: Fault Location, Isolation, and Service Restoration with Distributed Energy Resources: Preprint

Advanced distribution management systems (ADMS) integrate multiple enterprise-level functions into a single platform and offer advanced applications such as fault location, isolation, and service restoration (FLISR), to utilities to meet their operational needs for a modernized grid. These applications need to operate reliably even as distributed energy resource (DER) penetration increases on distribution systems. The ADMS test bed at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory offers utilities and vendors the opportunity to evaluate the performance of such advanced applications on distribution feeders of the future and to understand their potential benefits for a specific utility. This is done through defining use cases that address specific questions. This paper presents the definition of a use case on the performance of a commercially-available FLISR application on a feeder of an electric cooperative with DERs. Results from this use case will be disseminated to the electric utility and research community to improve understanding of the challenges and benefits that DERs present to ADMS applications and the operation of a modernized grid.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Performance Demonstration of an Occupancy Sensor-enabled Integrated Solution for Commercial Buildings

Traditionally, a single-loop fixed-gain controller is applied to supply fan (SF) and cooling coil (CC) valve controls while a fixed-damper position control is applied to outdoor air (OA) damper control at air handling units (AHUs) in commercial buildings. With the increasing application of occupancy sensors, the information generated by occupancy sensors is applied to not only reduce the electricity loads from lighting and controllable plug loads, but also reset OA intake and minimum supply airflow setpoints. Meanwhile, these intermittent operation actions greatly elevate the dynamics of AHU systems, which may introduce unstable SF and CC valve operations and inaccurate OA flow control at AHUs and consequently degrade maximum energy efficiency gains. With virtual fan and valve flow meter technologies, two advanced controls, including cascade control and gain scheduling control, can be implemented on both the SF and CC valve, and an advanced control using a virtual OA flow meter can be implemented on OA damper integrated with occupancy sensors. The goal of this project is to demonstrate the savings, cost, and performance of an integrated solution that integrates the three advanced HVAC controls with occupancy sensors to allow accurate and stable AHU operations in real buildings. The project objectives are to: 1) develop and validate an advance SF control algorithm; 2) develop and validate an advanced CC valve control algorithm; 3) validate an algorithm to implement a virtual OA flow meter; and 4) demonstrate the savings, cost, and performance of the integrated solution in real buildings. The technical approaches are to: 1) select a test system at the University of Oklahoma; 2) develop and implement the algorithms of advanced SF and CC valve controls and validate the performance; 3) develop and implement the advanced OA control using a virtual OA flow meter and validate the performance; 4) demonstrate the savings, cost, and performance of the proposed integrated solution with and without three advanced HVAC controls; and 5) disseminate the project results through publications and presentations. For the SF control, both the gain scheduling and cascade controls can improve the fan energy performance by reducing the fan power during the transient period and the fan control performance at lower speeds by reducing fan speed variation. Moreover, the gain scheduling control provides a simple and low-cost solution and is recommended. The fan power savings can reach 30% in a transient period. For the CC valve control, the gain scheduling control can considerably reduce the supply air temperature oscillation range and frequency under both higher and lower load conditions and the control valve response is much more stable. As a result, the gain scheduling control is recommended. The projected pump energy consumption can be reduced by 68.5%. With the developed virtual OA flow meter, the OA can be accurately controlled at its setpoint, which is determined based on the actual number of occupants in the building provided by occupancy sensors. The RMSE of the proposed OA control is 15.9 L/s. The energy data shows that the fan power and CC cooling energy were significantly reduced. On the other hand, the energy savings majorly results from the occupancy sensors and the energy savings by the advanced HVAC controls is minimal because that the controllers in the test AHU were tuned with very slow response. An annual technical savings potential is estimated as 0.5 quads in the commercial sector.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2015

Inorganic Materials and Assembly Techniques for Flexible and Stretchable Electronics

In recent years, important progress has been made in developing design strategies, materials, and associated assembly techniques that provide empowering approaches to electronics with unconventional formats, ones that allow useful but previously hard to realize attributes of function. Notable examples of the progress made include: light weight, large area, high performance electronics, optics, and photonics; electronic and optical systems with curvilinear shapes and capacities for accommodating demanding forms of mechanical flexure; new device form factors for use in sensing and imaging; the integration of high performance electronics in 3-D with demanding nanometer design rules; functional bioresponsive electronics; and advanced hybrid materials systems for lighting, energy storage, and photovoltaic energy conversion. In this report we highlight advances that are enabling such promising capabilities in technology-specifically, the fabrication of device elements using high performance inorganic electronic materials joined with printing and transfer methods to effect their integration within functional modules. Here, we emphasize in this review considerations of the design strategies and assembly techniques that, when taken together, circumvent limitations imposed by approaches that integrate circuit elements within compact, rigid, and essentially planar form factor devices, and provide a transformational set of capabilities for high performance flexible/stretchable electronics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2020

Summary of Structural Material Modeling Development for the NEAMS Program in Fiscal Year 2020

This report summarizes work performed during Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) for the U.S. Department of Energy?s Nuclear Engineering Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) program for the Structural Materials and Chemistry Technical Area in the work package entitled "MS- 20IN050104 - Structural Materials - INL." The Structural Materials and Chemistry Technical Area is a relatively new component of the NEAMS program, and is currently focusing on developing simulation capabilities to support the deployment of nuclear energy in the areas of molten salt reactor chemistry, light water reactor (LWR) structural material degradation, and structural material behavior for advanced reactor applications. INL performed work for to advance capabilities for simulation of structural material behavior in both LWR and advanced reactor applications in the work described here.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

DOE OSTI2024

NSUF FY24 Program Overview and Updates

The Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) is one of a diverse number of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) user facilities established to provide researchers with the most advanced tools of modern science. The NSUF was established to provide access to unique capabilities to a broad range of researchers to address the important issues relevant to irradiation effects in nuclear fuels and materials. The NSUF represents a consortium of capabilities distributed across the U.S. at twenty institutions. The NSUF is centered at the Idaho National Laboratory, but it coordinates activities at nineteen “partner” institutions. These institutions have capabilities that include neutron, ion, and gamma irradiation, hot cells, advanced material characterization, and high-performance computing. The NSUF goal is to provide access these capabilities at no cost to nuclear energy researchers to produce the highest quality research results to increase understanding of advanced nuclear energy technologies important to DOE-NE.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2017

Resolving Turbine Degradation

The supercritical carbon dioxide (S-CO2) Brayton Cycle has gained significant attention in the last decade as an advanced power cycle capable of achieving high efficiency power conversion. Sandia National Laboratories, with support from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy (US DOE-NE), has been conducting research and development in order to deliver a technology that is ready for commercialization. Root cause analysis has been performed on the Recompression Loop at Sandia National Laboratories. It was found that particles throughout the loop are stainless steel, likely alloy 316 based upon the elemental composition. Deployment of a filter scheme is underway to both protect the turbomachinery and also for purposes of determining the specific cause for the particulate. Shake down tests of electric resistance (ER) as a potential in-situ monitoring scheme shows promise in high temperature systems. A modified instrument was purchased and held at 650°C for more than 1.5 months to date without issue. Quantitative measurements of this instrument will be benchmarked against witness samples in the future, but all qualitative trends to date are as to be expected. ER is a robust method for corrosion monitoring, but very slow at responding and can take several weeks under conditions to see obvious changes in behavior. Electrochemical noise was identified as an advanced technique that should be pursued for the ability to identify transients that would lead to poor material performance.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗