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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 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1974

Sensitivity of transport aircraft performance and economics to advanced technology and cruise Mach number

Sensitivity data for advanced technology transports has been systematically collected. This data has been generated in two separate studies. In the first of these, three nominal, or base point, vehicles designed to cruise at Mach numbers .85, .93, and .98, respectively, were defined. The effects on performance and economics of perturbations to basic parameters in the areas of structures, aerodynamics, and propulsion were then determined. In all cases, aircraft were sized to meet the same payload and range as the nominals. This sensitivity data may be used to assess the relative effects of technology changes. The second study was an assessment of the effect of cruise Mach number. Three families of aircraft were investigated in the Mach number range 0.70 to 0.98: straight wing aircraft from 0.70 to 0.80; sweptwing, non-area ruled aircraft from 0.80 to 0.95; and area ruled aircraft from 0.90 to 0.98. At each Mach number, the values of wing loading, aspect ratio, and bypass ratio which resulted in minimum gross takeoff weight were used. As part of the Mach number study, an assessment of the effect of increased fuel costs was made.

Ardema, M. D.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Solar energy system economic evaluation: Fern Tunkhannock, Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania

The economic performance of an Operational Test Site (OTS) is described. The long term economic performance of the system at its installation site and extrapolation to four additional selected locations to demonstrate the viability of the design over a broad range of environmental and economic conditions is reported. Topics discussed are: system description, study approach, economic analysis and system optimization, and technical and economical results of analysis. Data for the economic analysis are generated through evaluation of the OTS. The simulation is based on the technical results of the seasonal report simulation. In addition localized and standard economic parameters are used for economic analysis.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1982

Economic Evaluation of Observatory Solar-Energy System

Long-term economic performance of a commercial solar-energy system was analyzed and used to predict economic performance at four additional sites. Analysis described in report was done to demonstrate viability of design over a broad range of environmental/economic conditions. Topics covered are system description, study approach, economic analysis and system optimization.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1982

Economic Evaluation of Single-Family-Residence Solar-Energy Installation

Long-term economic performance of a commercial solar-energy system was analyzed and used to predict economic performance at four additional sites. Analysis described in report was done to demonstrate viability of design over a broad range of environmental/economic conditions. Report contains graphs and tables that present evaluation procedure and results. Also contains appendixes that aid in understanding methods used.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1976

Conceptual design of reduced energy transports

The paper reports the results of a conceptual design study of new near-term fuel-conservative aircraft. A parametric study was made to determine the effects of cruise Mach number and fuel cost on the optimum configuration characteristics and relative economic performance. Supercritical wing technology and advanced engine cycles were assumed. For each design, the wing geometry was selected to maximize an economic figure of merit which reflects the potential rate of return on investment. Based on the results of the parametric study, a reduced energy configuration was selected. Compared with existing transport design, the reduced energy design has a higher aspect ratio wing with lower sweep, and cruises at a slightly lower Mach number. It yields about 30% more seat-miles/gal than current wide-body aircraft. At the higher fuel costs anticipated in the future, the reduced energy design has about the same economic performance as existing designs with the same technology level. As an example of a far-term technology application, a design with a composite material wing was also investigated.

Ardema, M. D.↗
NASA NTRS1986

A photovoltaic-powered water electrolyzer - Its performance and economics

A prototype water electrolyzer designed to operate from a solar photovoltaic (PV) array without power conditioning was operated for three months at the Florida Solar Energy Center. A 1 kWpk PV array was used to operate the electrolyzer at internal gas pressure from 0 to 40 psig. Performance of the elecrolyzer/PV array was measured and characterized in terms of charge efficiency and power efficiency calculated from the operation data. The economics of residential production of hydrogen for energy purposes were calculated and summarized. While the near-term outlook for this energy storage technique was not found to be favorable, the long-term outlook was encouraging.

Hancock, O. G., Jr.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Physical solvents and techno-economic analysis for pre-combustion CO 2 capture: A review

In this manuscript we review the use, development, and economic performance of physical solvents for pre-combustion CO 2 capture from high pressure H 2 rich syngas streams. Commercially available physical solvents are presented, followed by an assessment of the ideal properties that are important for development of novel solvents for CO 2 capture from high-pressure syngas streams. To compare the technical and economic performance of traditional and novel physical solvents, a review of the methods, assumptions and models used in techno-economic analysis (TEA) studies was conducted. It was found that, although some novel solvents show promising technical performance in the laboratory (e.g., high CO 2 absorption capacity and low vapor pressure), other issues (e.g., solvent viscosity and cost) may limit their industrial applications. Process simulations were useful tools for modeling the technical performance of processes using traditional and novel solvents. However, model predictions are most reliable when the methods and correlations used to develop the process simulation are validated with representative experimental data, in particular highly accurate baseline models are required for fair comparison among physical solvents. The key inputs and assumptions in pre-combustion CO 2 capture TEAs have also been summarized. Some studies showed that the promising technical performance of novel physical solvents can be offset by the high and often unknown costs of these solvents. Future development of novel physical solvents for pre-combustion CO 2 capture will benefit from more studies that conduct in-depth techno-economic analysis, specifically with validated process simulations and transparent economic models.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Best practice guidelines for the use of economic and technical KPIs

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are an important set of metrics used to assess various aspects of photovoltaic (PV) systems, including their long-term performance, economic viability and carbon footprint. Technical KPIs support data-driven and informed decision-making when optimizing PV systems and provide a comprehensive overview of how PV systems operate across different conditions and climates. Different KPIs are commonly employed throughout the entire value chain of PV projects and can be categorized into technical, economic and sustainability aspects.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Analysis of incentive policies for phosphorus recovery at livestock facilities in the Great Lakes area

Livestock operations have been highly intensified over the last decades, resulting in the advent of large concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). Intensification decreases production costs but also leads to substantial environmental impacts. Specifically, nutrient runoff from livestock waste results in eutrophication, harmful algal blooms, and hypoxia. The implementation of nutrient recovery systems in CAFOs can abate nutrient releases and negative ecosystem responses, although they might negatively affect the economic performance of CAFOs. We design and analyze potential incentive policies for the deployment of phosphorus recovery technologies at CAFOs considering the geospatial vulnerability to nutrient pollution. The case study demonstration consists of 2217 CAFOs in the U.S. Great Lakes area. The results reveal that phosphorus recovery is more economically viable in the largest CAFOs due to economies of scale, although they also represent the largest eutrophication threats. For small and medium-scale CAFOs, phosphorus credits progressively improve the profitability of nutrient management systems. The integration of biogas production does not improve the economic performance of phosphorus recovery systems at most of CAFOs, as they lack enough size to be cost-effective. Furthermore, phosphorus recovery proves to be economically beneficial by comparing the net costs of nutrient management systems with the negative economic impact derived from phosphorus releases. The incentives necessary for avoiding up to 20.7.10 3 ton/year phosphorus releases and achieve economic neutrality in the Great Lakes area are estimated at $223 million/year. Additionally, the fair distribution of limited incentives is studied using a Nash allocation scheme, determining the break-even point for allocating monetary resources.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Adapting the Technology Performance Level Integrated Assessment Framework to Low-TRL Technologies Within the Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage Industry, Part I

With the urgent need to mitigate climate change and rising global temperatures, technological solutions that reduce atmospheric CO 2 are an increasingly important part of the global solution. As a result, the nascent carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) industry is rapidly growing with a plethora of new technologies in many different sectors. There is a need to holistically evaluate these new technologies in a standardized and consistent manner to determine which technologies will be the most successful and competitive in the global marketplace to achieve decarbonization targets. Life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic assessment (TEA) have been employed as rigorous methodologies for quantitatively measuring a technology's environmental impacts and techno-economic performance, respectively. However, these metrics evaluate a technology's performance in only three dimensions and do not directly incorporate stakeholder needs and values. In addition, technology developers frequently encounter trade-offs during design that increase one metric at the expense of the other. The technology performance level (TPL) combined indicator provides a comprehensive and holistic assessment of an emerging technology's potential, which is described by its techno-economic performance, environmental impacts, social impacts, safety considerations, market/deployability opportunities, use integration impacts, and general risks. TPL incorporates TEA and LCA outputs and quantifies the trade-offs between them directly using stakeholder feedback and requirements. In this article, the TPL methodology is being adapted from the marine energy domain to the CCUS domain. Adapted metrics and definitions, a stakeholder analysis, and a detailed foundation-based application of the systems engineering approach to CCUS are presented. The TPL assessment framework is couched within the internationally standardized LCA framework to improve technical rigor and acceptance. It is demonstrated how stakeholder needs and values can be directly incorporated, how LCA and TEA metrics can be balanced, and how other dimensions (listed earlier) can be integrated into a single metric that measures a technology's potential.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Hybrid Simulation Framework

HYBRID is a modeling toolset to assess the economic viability of Nuclear-Renewable Integrated Energy Systems (N-R IES). The frameworks enabling this toolset are INL’s RAVEN, its CashFlow plugin and the Modelica language. The toolset includes sample RAVEN workflows performing economic assessments. These workflows consist of: generation of stochastic time series and application of probabilistic analysis and optimization algorithms (RAVEN); a library of Modelica models representing the physical behavior of N-R IES; and the CashFlow plugin mapping physical performance to economic performance. The toolset allows assembling existing and new models such as nuclear reactors, renewable energy sources, energy storage, gas turbines, industrial processes, etc. into an N-R IES. The toolset workflows evaluate the dynamics of the N-R IES responding to stochastic conditions (electricity demand, price, etc.) and optimize the dispatch economics as well as N-R IES capacity planning.

Epiney, Aaron↗
DOE OSTI2025

Process design and techno-economic analysis for bio-based graphite and liquid hydrocarbons production from lignocellulosic biomass

The worldwide demand for graphite, as the main anode material for Li-ion batteries, is expected to double by 2028 since it supports the use of electricity, including transient renewable sources, for energy storage, sustainable mobility, and automation. However, the dependence on non-renewable and external resources jeopardizes the world supply chain. This study explores the technical and economic performance of transforming lignocellulosic biomass into biographite and fuel-grade hydrocarbons through pyrolysis bio-oil upgrading. According to simulation results, the total power demand for the biorefinery reached 10,784 kWh per tonne of biographite, of which 36 % can be supplied by the heat integration network and power plant. Sensitivity and risk analyses were conducted to evaluate the economics, with process yields identified as the most relevant indicators to the minimum selling price (MSP). The analysis revealed a promising cost-competitive range for biographite MSP against fossil-based graphite (medium quality synthetic graphite Chinese market price ~$\$$4.2/kg). Case D, which includes biofuels as a byproduct, presents the best metrics, reaching a MSP of $\$$3.3/kg of anode-grade biographite with a profit margin of 27 %. While including biofuels in the product slate provides the best economic performance, the uncertainty associated with the big capital investment makes its risk 13 % higher to attain an IRR >20 % than the case in which biographite is produced as a standalone product. Overall, this study demonstrates that integrated biorefineries can produce a cost-competitive bio-based anode material for Li-ion batteries.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Performance and Economic Analysis of Organosolv Softwood and Herbaceous Lignins to Activated Carbons as Electrode Materials in Supercapacitors

In this work, yellow pine (YP, softwood) and switchgrass (SG, grass) lignins were extracted as a coproduct of an organosolv γ-valerolactone (GVL) biorefinery that also produces biofuels and furfural. The extracted lignins were converted to carbon precursors for synthesizing porous activated carbon electrodes for high energy-density supercapacitors. This research details the impact of lignin composition on the derived porous structures and electrochemical properties of activated carbons. Lignin precursors with various syringyl (S) to guaiacyl (G) contents were characterized using 31 P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and two-dimensional 1 H‒ 13 C NMR. A two-step activation process, using steam and carbon dioxide as the activating agents, enabled the formation of porous carbons structures with high surface area. The capacitive behavior of supercapacitors was systematically characterized by cyclic voltammetry, charge-discharge cycling, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The specific capacitance of YP and SG capacitors reached 367 and 221 F g −1 , respectively. Both types of capacitors demonstrated remarkably stable capacitance (capacitance retention >90%) along with excellent Coulombic efficiency (>99%) over 10,000 cycles. Compared to SG electrode, the better electrochemical performance achieved with YP electrodes was mainly due to shorter diffusion path, improved ionic mobility, and increased active surface area. The inexpensive lignin-based porous electrodes synthesized in this work can be used for various electrochemical devices for improved performance, decreased cost, and enhanced durability. This work also demonstrates that the selection of feedstock and appropriate processing conditions can tailor the structure of carbon composites for targeted applications. Techno-economic analysis indicates that YP and SG activated carbons can be produced at a minimum selling price of $8,493 and $6,670 per ton, respectively, which is competitive with the commercially available supercapacitor-grade activated carbons.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

DSO+T: Expanded Study Results DSO+T Study: Volume 5

The Distribution System Operator with Transactive (DSO+T) study investigates the engineering and economic performance of a transactive energy retail market coordinating a high penetration of customer-side flexible energy assets. The study seeks to answer whether such an implementation is cost effective for customers, recovers sufficient revenue for DSOs, and is equally applicable and beneficial to a range of flexible asset types, renewable generation scenarios, and market assumptions. This report volume provides a detailed set of results for the DSO+T study extending results presented in Volumes 1, 2, and 4. The engineering and economic performance of the transactive energy scheme is presented for two separate flexible asset deployments: flexible loads (HVAC units and residential water heaters) and behind-the-meter batteries. The results of each transactive case are compared to a business-as-usual case. These cases are subject to two different renewable generation scenarios, a moderate renewable generation scenario, representative of current levels of renewable generation deployment, and a future high renewables scenario, including the increased deployment of rooftop solar photovoltaic and electric vehicles. The transactive coordination scheme is shown to produce effective and stable control and decrease peak loads 9–15%. The resulting annual demand flexibility provides net economic savings of $3.3–5.0B per year for a region the size of Texas. Detailed analysis shows that net benefits were seen for a range of distribution system operator, customer, and flexible asset types. Both participating customer (with transactive flexible assets) and nonparticipating customers (with nonflexible assets) see reductions in annual utility bills and net annual energy expenses in the range of 10–16%.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2020

Techno-economic prospects for producing Fischer-Tropsch jet fuel and electricity from lignite and woody biomass with CO 2 capture for EOR

This work explores the prospective techno-economic performance of facilities that produce low- and net-negative-carbon liquid transportation fuels and electricity with CO 2 capture for enhanced oil recovery. The lignite and biomass-to-jet fuel process is based on KBR’s TRIG gasifier, Rectisol (for sulfur removal and CO 2 capture), fixed-bed low temperature Fischer-Tropsch synthesis of liquid fuels, and Brayton/Rankine combined cycles to convert synthesis/refining off-gases and waste heat to electricity. This work leverages a recent, highly-detailed assessment of a prospective first-of-a-kind (FOAK) demonstration facility to develop highly detailed Aspen Plus process simulations for nine prospective N th -of-a-kind (NOAK) plant equipment configurations. Component-level capital costs from the FOAK study are scaled and adjusted to reflective prospective learning-by-doing to estimate capital costs for the NOAK designs. NOAK plant economic performance is found to be largely insensitive to variations in plant configurations and electricity output fraction, but biomass input fraction significantly affects profitability. Facilities that consume only carbon–neutral biomass, with no lignite co-feed, have significantly net-negative carbon emissions and the most favorable prospective economics when carbon emissions are priced. For these facilities, the crude oil price required for plant economic viability falls rapidly from $\$$100/bbl as carbon emission prices increase above $\$$120/tonne CO 2eq . In general, plants that co-fire lignite with biomass are less profitable (than 100% biomass plants) due to their higher net greenhouse gas emissions.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Evaluation of DED and LPBF Fe-based Alloys Process Application Envelopes based on Performance, Process Economics, Supply Chain Risks, and Reactor-specific Targeted Components

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Nuclear Energy (NE), Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies (AMMT) program aims to develop extreme-environment materials solutions for use in the deployment of advanced nuclear reactors and the sustainment of the current fleet. To achieve this objective, a combination of experiment, a computational tool, and machine learning (ML) for the design of materials is adopted for the maturation of materials for nuclear technology. Through advanced manufacturing techniques such as laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) and laser powder direct energy deposition (LP-DED), components with complex geometries can be fabricated with reduced time and effort. Such advanced manufacturing methods can also provide the opportunity to improve materials performance through optimized microstructures and mechanical properties. However, existing engineering alloys are not always well suited for fabrication with additive manufacturing (AM), as their compositions have been tuned to optimize fabrication via conventional methods. Thus, similar alloys with modified compositions that are better suited for AM can be studied for improved performance. Over the past three years, the AMMT teams from Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) studied various known Fe-based alloys by evaluating their initial printability using LPBF, and an AMMT-developed down-selection and decision matrix reduced the number of alloys to be studied from six to three in fiscal year (FY) 2024. Additionally, in FY 2024, for parallel evaluation, these three alloys were studied using LPDED. While LPBF is better for small- to medium-sized components with high detail and internal features, LP-DED combines a material feed system to place the powder onto the exact spot where the laser will melt the material. This AM method can be easily scaled to extremely large components and provides high build rate speeds compared to those of conventional LPBF systems. Additionally, DED is a better choice for complex geometries and compositional gradients.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Life Cycle Assessment and Techno-Economic Assessment of Lithium Recovery from Geothermal Brine

Lithium-ion batteries (LIB) play an essential role in the electrification of the transportation sector, and battery demand for lithium compounds will see a significant increase in the coming decades. This has raised concerns on the supply of lithium, and as a result, technologies are being developed to process unconventional lithium sources. One promising technology is to extract lithium from geothermal brine using lithium-aluminum-layered double hydroxide chloride (LDH) sorbent and forward osmosis. A combined life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic assessment (TEA) is conducted to evaluate the environmental and economic performance of this technology. It is assumed that the lithium extraction unit is an add-on to a 50 MW geothermal power plant located in California. The analysis is based on lab-scale experimental data and stoichiometry while considering the economy of scale for an industrial system. LCA results suggest that, compared with conventional LiOH and Li 2 CO 3 production pathways, the new technology achieves 1–95% reduction in environmental impacts. Even higher reduction can be achieved for LiOH produced via electrolysis. This add-on unit for lithium extraction could achieve a payback period of less than 1 year and reach net present values of $454M and $315M and internal rates of return of 792 and 1130% for LiOH and Li 2 CO 3 production pathways, respectively. The favorable environmental and economic performance suggests that LDH sorption coupled with forward osmosis has great potential to enable the domestic production of battery lithium compounds and that further development should be carried out.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1975

Conceptual design of reduced energy transports

This paper reports the results of a conceptual design study of new, near-term fuel-conservative aircraft. A parametric study was made to determine the effects of cruise Mach number and fuel cost on the 'optimum' configuration characteristics and on economic performance. Supercritical wing technology and advanced engine cycles were assumed. For each design, the wing geometry was optimized to give maximum return on investment at a particular fuel cost. Based on the results of the parametric study, a reduced energy configuration was selected. Compared with existing transport designs, the reduced energy design has a higher aspect ratio wing with lower sweep, and cruises at a lower Mach number. It yields about 30% more seat-miles/gal than current wide-body aircraft. At the higher fuel costs anticipated in the future, the reduced energy design has about the same economic performance as existing designs.

Ardema, M. D.↗