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Dynamic Life Cycle Assessment for Evaluating the Global Warming Potential of Geothermal Energy Production Using Inactive Oil and Gas Wells for District Heating in Tuttle, Oklahoma
Repurposing abandoned oil and gas infrastructure for geothermal energy production has great potential to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study quantified the life cycle global warming potential of geothermal energy production using four inactive oil and gas wells repurposed for district heating in Tuttle, Oklahoma. A cradle-to-grave prospective life cycle assessment was performed to compare GHG emissions between the geothermal district heating system and conventional natural gas-fired heating system from 2020 to 2050. For initial implementation of the geothermal system, we investigated two approaches: 1) repurposing abandoned infrastructure from a nearby oil and gas well site, and 2) production and injection well drillings including new construction of a central heat exchange station. Environmental impacts from the geothermal system were estimated for five scenarios where a natural gas peaking boiler is incorporated to supply peak heat demand. The prospective results indicated that cumulative reduction in GHG emissions from transitioning to the geothermal district heating system increase over time as a function of future renewable resource penetration and technological advancements within electricity, fuel, and steel production. Over 30 years, the global warming potential associated with the district heating demand will have been reduced by up to 24 % with the repurposed system. These results imply that repurposing existing oil and gas infrastructure for geothermal energy systems of district heating will bring future climate benefits.
Evaluation of Soiling and Potential Mitigation Approaches on Photovoltaic Glass
The natural soiling of photovoltaic cover glass has recently been shown to include both an inorganic and organic particulate matter. Under favorable growth conditions, the latter can lead to the growth of dense colonies of filamentous fungi, which potentially leads to measurable performance losses over time. Herein, we report on a field study where glass coupon samples were deployed in soiling-prone locations, which focused on Dubai (United Arab Emirates) and Mumbai (India). For each site location, clear differences in the soiling were observed. The samples from Mumbai were contaminated with an abundance of filamentous fungi, whereas the samples from Dubai had primarily inorganic contamination. As a result, the effectiveness of soiling mitigation strategies, which include cleaning techniques and glass coatings, are discussed in detail.
Evaluation of the geothermal potential of the western Snake River Plain based on a deep corehole on the Mountain Home AFB near Mountain Home, Idaho
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A Novel Framework to Evaluate the Costs and Potential of Bioenergy in Decarbonization of the U.S. Economy
The long-term strategy of the United States targets reaching economy-wide net-zero emissions by 2050 and a carbon-neutral electricity grid by 2035 (U.S. Department of State and U.S. Executive Office of the President, 2021). Meeting these targets would require considerable changes to the energy system. Some key characteristics of illustrative net-zero energy systems include increased penetration of renewable energy and carbon sources, use of CO2 capture and storage (CCS) in hard-to-abate sectors, and a greater role for energy carriers such as electricity and hydrogen (Davis et al, 2018). Another common feature of such energy systems is the need for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) approaches (Horowitz et al, 2022). Across all these characteristics of net-zero energy systems, bioenergy and biomass feedstock is anticipated to play an important role. Biomass feedstock serves as a renewable carbon source. This can enable conversion of such feedstock into fuels and energy carriers for hard-to-abate sectors such as aviation. Indeed, the U.S. Government has a target to meet all jet fuel demand by 2050 from sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), where biofuel pathways are likely to have an important role (EERE, 2020). Bioenergy is also highly versatile with the possibility to convert feedstock into electricity, hydrogen, liquid fuels, heat or high-value products, based on biomass type, demand and technology availability (Clarke et al, 2022). Combination of bioenergy with CCS can also nominally deliver CDR (Fuhrman et al, 2023). As such, the share of bioenergy is expected to grow by at least five time across scenarios studied for the long-term strategy of the U.S. between 2020 and 2050 (Horowitz et al, 2022). Notwithstanding the role of bioenergy in the energy systems, its deployment, costs and scalability are influenced by a number of factors. Some of these factors pertain to policy interventions such as imposition of a binding decarbonization target either at an economy-wide level or the sectoral level. Resource availability and type of biomass feedstock also varies considerably across regions. From a technological perspective, the readiness of bioenergy conversion pathways is subject to high variability. This influences the costs of deployment. Moreover, the sourcing of feedstock, grid carbon intensity, and co-product handling approaches all affect the life cycle efficacy of bioenergy. The latter, in turn, is particularly important in determining the extent to which bioenergy with CCS or BECCS can effectively deliver CDR (Fajardy and Mac Dowell, 2017).
Characterization of the Oriskany and Berea Sandstones: Evaluating Biogeochemical Reactions of Potential Sandstone–Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid Interaction
The Marcellus shale, located in the mid-Atlantic Appalachian Basin, has been identified as a source for natural gas and targeted for hydraulic fracturing recovery methods. Hydraulic fracturing is a technique used by the oil and gas industry to access petroleum reserves in geologic formations that cannot be accessed with conventional drilling techniques (Capo et al., 2014). This unconventional technique fractures rock formations that have low permeability by pumping pressurized hydraulic fracturing fluids into the subsurface. Although the major components of hydraulic fracturing fluid are water and sand, chemicals, such as recalcitrant biocides and polyacrylamide, are also used (Frac Focus, 2015). There is domestic concern that the chemicals could reach groundwater or surface water during transport, storage, or the fracturing process (Chapman et al., 2012). In the event of a surface spill, understanding the natural attenuation of the chemicals in hydraulic fracturing fluid, as well as the physical and chemical properties of the aquifers surrounding the spill site, will help mitigate potential dangers to drinking water. However, reports on the degradation pathways of these chemicals are limited in existing literature. The Appalachian Basin Marcellus shale and its surrounding sandstones host diverse mineralogical suites. During the hydraulic fracturing process, the hydraulic fracturing fluids come into contact with variable mineral compositions. The reactions between the fracturing fluid chemicals and the minerals are very diverse. This report: 1) describes common minerals (e.g. quartz, clay, pyrite, and carbonates) present in the Marcellus shale, as well as the Oriskany and Berea sandstones, which are located stratigraphically below and above the Marcellus shale; 2) summarizes the existing literature of the degradation pathways for common hydraulic fracturing fluid chemicals [polyacrylamide, ethylene glycol, poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride), glutaraldehyde, guar gum, and isopropanol]; 3) reviews the known research about the interactions between several hydraulic fracturing chemicals [e.g. polyacrylamide, ethylene glycol, poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride), and glutaraldehyde] with the minerals (quartz, clay, pyrite, and carbonates) common to the lithologies of the Marcellus shale and its surrounding sandstones; and 4) characterizes the Berea sandstone and analyzes the physical and chemical effects of flowing guar gum through a Berea sandstone core.
Evaluation of the Market Potential for DG SOFC Systems at Military Installations
The Department of Defense (DoD) is a major consumer of energy in the United States (U.S.) and is responsible for nearly 80 percent of U.S. government energy consumption. The DoD facility energy consumption profile reflects the U.S. commercial sector with electricity and natural gas accounting for nearly 80 percent of the energy consumed. The high-efficiency Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) systems, which can support distributed generation (DG) and combined heat and power (CHP) applications, are well suited to support the DoD energy strategy and respond to the federal sustainability executive order. As a direct consequence of these policies, the DoD facility power sector was found to not only significantly supplement the early market opportunities for DG SOFC systems in the commercial sector, but also provide a significant longer-term market opportunity for commercial DG SOFC system developers. The DoD facilities power sector is capable of supporting the SOFC commercialization roadmap by providing increased production capacity that results in SOFC technology cost reduction. Apart from the expectation of typical readiness of commercially mature systems, there does not appear to be any significant issues that could hinder the market entry of SOFCs into the DoD facilities power sector. The expeditionary military bases, which are not considered in this report, provide yet another DoD market arena for DG SOFC systems.
Detailed Simulation Study to Evaluate Future Transportation Decarbonization Potential
This report is the ninth revision of a continuous-improvement, scenario-based study on program benefits from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office and Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office. With each revision of the study, Argonne made improvements to the assumptions, control strategies at the vehicle level, methodologies, powertrain selections, and the number of vehicles analyzed. In 2019, separate reports were published on the analysis of light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles. From 2020 onwards, summaries for both light- and heavy-duty vehicles are consolidated into one report. The first part of the report covers the impact of technology progress on light-duty vehicles and the second part of the report is devoted to the technology progress assumed for medium- and heavy-duty trucks.
Evaluation of the Inhibitory Potential of Apigenin and Related Flavonoids on Various Proteins Associated with Human Diseases Using AutoDock
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A preliminary evaluation of noise reduction potential for the upper surface blown flap
An assessment of the basic acoustic characteristics and noise reduction potential of an upper surface blown flap consisting of a rectangular nozzle and a single turning flap which was designed to approximate a typical takeoff setting is presented. The noise reduction concepts studied were: (1) replacing a section of the flap trailing edge with a porous material and (2) active modification of the flow field using blowing near the trailing edge. Diagrams of the airfoil section and test equipment are provided. Photographs of airflow conditions across the aerodynamic surface are included.
Revolutionary/Unconventional Aeropropulsion Technology Evaluation through Thermodynamic Work Potential: A Revolutionary Aeropropulsion Concepts Program Research Initiative
This report is intended as a status report for activities covered May through July 2002 under the auspices of NASA Glenn's Revolutionary Aeropropulsion Concepts (RAC) project. This is the first phase I quarterly report and as such, considerable focus will be given to defining the basic need and motivation driving this research effort. In addition, background research has been ongoing for the past several months and has culminated in considerable information pertaining to the state-of-the-art in work potential analysis methods. This work is described in detail herein. Finally, the proposed analysis approach is described, as are the various ancillary concepts required for its implementation.
BETO 2021 Peer Review - Feedstock Evaluation and Biofuels Production Potential
The goal of this project is to provide foundational data, strategic analyses, and outreach related to waste-to-energy (WTE) resources to support further development of the WTE industry. It builds on previous project outcomes, e.g., estimates of quantity, geographic distribution, and prices of wet WTE resources (food waste, sludge, manure, waste fats and oils). The project provides better understanding of the WTE resource potential and economic viability to enable development of new technologies and support strategic decisions.
Play-fairway analysis for geothermal resources and exploration risk in the Modoc Plateau region
The region surrounding the Modoc Plateau, encompassing parts of northeastern California, southern Oregon, and northwestern Nevada, lies at an intersection between two tectonic provinces; the Basin and Range province and the Cascade volcanic arc. Both of these provinces have substantial geothermal resource base and resource potential. Geothermal systems with evidence of magmatic heat, associated with Cascade arc magmatism, typify the western side of the region. Systems on the eastern side of the region appear to be fault controlled with heat derived from high crustal heat flow, both of which are typical of the Basin and Range. As it has the potential to host Cascade arc-type geothermal resources, Basin and Range-type geothermal resources, and/or resources with characteristics of both provinces, and because there is relatively little current development, the Modoc Plateau region represents an intriguing potential for undiscovered geothermal resources. It remains unclear however, what specific set(s) of characteristics are diagnostic of Modoc-type geothermal systems and how or if those characteristics are distinct from Basin and Range-type or Cascade arc-type geothermal systems. In order to evaluate the potential for undiscovered geothermal resources in the Modoc area, we integrate a wide variety of existing data in order to evaluate geothermal resource potential and exploration risk utilizing ‘play-fairway’ analysis. Here, we consider that the requisite parameters for hydrothermal circulation are: 1) heat that is sufficient to drive circulation, and 2) permeability that is sufficient to allow for fluid circulation in the subsurface. We synthesize data that indicate the extent and distribution of these parameters throughout the Modoc region. ‘Fuzzy logic’ is used to incorporate expert opinion into the utility of each dataset as an indicator of either heat or permeability, and thus geothermal favorability. The results identify several geothermal prospects, areas that are highly favorable for the occurrence of both heat and permeability. These are also areas where there is sufficient data coverage, quality, and consistency that the exploration risk is relatively low. These unknown, undeveloped, and under-developed prospects are well-suited for continued exploration efforts. The results also indicate to what degree the two ‘play-types,’ i.e. Cascade arc-type or Basin and Range-type, apply to each of the geothermal prospects, a useful guide in exploration efforts.
Algae Asphalt to Enhance Pavement Sustainability and Performance at Subzero Temperatures
This paper evaluates the potential of algae-derived biobinders as sustainable alternatives for pavement construction. It specifically examines the physicochemical and rheological properties of biomodified binders and their potential to offset carbon emissions when used as partial replacements for conventional petroleum-based asphalt binders. Biosequestration of CO 2 using microalgal cell factories is a promising way of recycling CO 2 into biomass via photosynthesis. Our study demonstrates that incorporating algae-derived binders into asphalt can significantly reduce carbon emissions. Each 1% increase in algae-based biobinder leads to an approximate 4.5% decrease in net carbon emissions. This indicates that a blend containing about 22% biobinder has the potential to achieve carbon neutrality. Blends with higher proportions may even result in net-negative emissions, highlighting a promising strategy for environmentally responsible road construction. In terms of performance, the study shows that certain algae-derived biobinders significantly enhance the cracking resistance of asphalt, particularly under subzero temperatures, by improving its stress-relief capacity. A key contribution of this work is the introduction of polarizability as a novel molecular-level parameter for assessing the compatibility of algae-derived bio-oils with asphalt. By capturing the electronic responsiveness of bio-oil molecules, polarizability serves as a predictive indicator of their interaction potential with asphalt components, providing a new dimension for evaluating the binder performance at the molecular scale. Among the tested materials, the biobinder derived from Haematococcus pluvialis demonstrated particularly strong improvements in resistance to permanent deformation under repeated loading conditions analogous to traffic-induced stress, as well as enhanced resistance to moisture-induced damage. In conclusion, these findings advance the chemistry-driven design of biomass-based binders and highlight a promising pathway toward the development of low-carbon, high-performance, and sustainable infrastructure materials.
A non-hierarchical correlation discrete variable representation
The correlation discrete variable representation (CDVR) facilitates (multi-layer) multi-configurational time-dependent Hartree (MCTDH) calculations with general potentials. It employs a layered grid representation to efficiently evaluate all potential matrix elements appearing in the MCTDH equations of motion. The original CDVR approach and its multi-layer extension show a hierarchical structure: the size of the grids employed at the different layers increases when moving from an upper layer to a lower one. In this work, a non-hierarchical CDVR approach, which uses identically structured quadratures at all layers of the MCTDH wavefunction representation, is introduced. Here, the non-hierarchical CDVR approach crucially reduces the number of grid points required, compared to the hierarchical CDVR, shows superior scaling properties, and yields identical results for all three representations showing the same topology. Numerical tests studying the photodissociation of NOCl and the vibrational states of CH 3 demonstrate the accuracy of the non-hierarchical CDVR approach.
Enhanced LAW Glass Correlation - Phase 2 (Final Report, Rev. 0)
The Office of River Protection is examining options to optimize the LAW facility and LAW glass waste form. VSL and Atkins have evaluated several potential incremental improvements for ORP in support of its evaluation of WTP LAW facility optimization. The objective of the present work was to continue the development of an Enhanced LAW Glass Correlation that can be used to determine the appropriate waste loading, glass composition, and amounts and types of glass former additives for LAW processing at the WTP for any given LAW composition that is delivered to the LAW vitrification facility. The intent is that this correlation, along with the enhanced LAW glass property-composition models, can be used for LAW processing at the WTP with the higher waste loading LAW glass formulations that have been developed for ORP at the VSL.