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DOE OSTI2021

Tailoring renewable materials via plant biotechnology

Plants inherently display a rich diversity in cell wall chemistry, as they synthesize an array of polysaccharides along with lignin, a polyphenolic that can vary dramatically in subunit composition and interunit linkage complexity. These same cell wall chemical constituents play essential roles in our society, having been isolated by a variety of evolving industrial processes and employed in the production of an array of commodity products to which humans are reliant. However, these polymers are inherently synthesized and intricately packaged into complex structures that facilitate plant survival and adaptation to local biogeoclimatic regions and stresses, not for ease of deconstruction and commercial product development. Herein, we describe evolving techniques and strategies for altering the metabolic pathways related to plant cell wall biosynthesis, and highlight the resulting impact on chemistry, architecture, and polymer interactions. Furthermore, this review illustrates how these unique targeted cell wall modifications could significantly extend the number, diversity, and value of products generated in existing and emerging biorefineries. These modifications can further target the ability for processing of engineered wood into advanced high performance materials. In doing so, we attempt to illuminate the complex connection on how polymer chemistry and structure can be tailored to advance renewable material applications, using all the chemical constituents of plant-derived biopolymers, including pectins, hemicelluloses, cellulose, and lignins.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

DOE OSTI2022

A low-cost centralized HVAC control system solution for energy savings, load shedding, and improved maintenance

University campuses rely on centralized controls for managing and optimizing complex HVAC systems in larger buildings. However, most campuses also have many smaller buildings with packaged HVAC systems controlled by a stand-alone thermostat. Even when these distributed and often overlooked systems have modern programmable thermostats, they cannot be centrally monitored or controlled, and they are typically not programmed adequately. This paper describes the implementation of a low-cost centralized control solution for these systems serving smaller campus buildings, mostly under 5,000 sf and representative of light commercial spaces. Thanks to advances in technology spurred by residential and commercial IoT developments, simple networked thermostat solutions exist that can easily replace original thermostats, and, connect these systems to a web-based portal for monitoring and control. We show that, with small customizations, these platforms can be integrated into facility management workflows. Beyond the energy savings potential from improved scheduling and closer management of these systems, there are significant advantages for maintenance crews since these systems can now be monitored on smart phones or tablets. A grid-responsive load-shedding program has also been implemented for additional cost savings. The networked thermostats can also be connected to additional systems such as economizer controls for improved ventilation management and energy savings. With data from these systems integrated centrally, it can also be used for improved analytics and fault detection. A toolkit has been developed to share the program with other campuses, whether for energy savings, improved management of ventilation, or a more proactive maintenance approach.

Fauchier-Magnan, Nicolas↗

DOE OSTI2016

Development of Kinetics and Mathematical Models for High Pressure Gasification of Lignite-Switchgrass Blends

The overall objective of the current project was to investigate the high pressure gasification characteristics of a feed containing both coal and biomass. The two feed types differ in their ash contents and ash composition, particularly the alkali content. Gasification of a combined feed of coal and biomass has the potential for considerable synergies that might lead to a dramatic improvement in process economics and flexibility. The proposed study aimed to develop a detailed understanding of the chemistry, kinetics, and transport effects during high pressure gasification of coal-biomass blend feed. Specifically, we studied to develop: (a) an understanding of the catalytic effect of alkali and other inorganic species present in the biomass and coal, (b) an understanding of processing conditions under which synergistic effects of the blending of coal and biomass might be observed. This included the role of particle size, residence time, and proximity of the two feed types, (c) kinetics of high pressure gasification of individual feeds as well as the blends, and (d) development of mathematical models that incorporate kinetics and transport models to enable prediction of gasification rate at a given set of operating conditions, and (e) protocols to extend the results to other feed resources. The goal was to provide a fundamental understanding of the gasification process and guide in optimizing the configurations and design of the next generation of gasifiers. The approach undertaken was centered on two basic premises: (1) the gasification for small particles without internal mass transfer limitations can be treated as the sum of two processes in series (pyrolysis and char gasification) , and (2) the reactivity of the char generated during pyrolysis not only depends on the pressure and temperature but is also affected by the heating rates. Thus low heating rates (10-50 °C/min) typical of PTGA fail to produce char that would typically be formed at high heating rates (~10 4 °C/sec), encountered in entrained flow gasifiers. The char morphology, also a function of the heating rate, would influence the transport rates during the char gasification phase. Thus, heating rate plays a critical role through which both, pyrolysis and char gasification, are interconnected. We utilized two complementary gasification experiments: PEFR (pressurized entrained flow gasifier) and PTGA (pressurized thermo-gravimetric analyzer). The PEFR allowed us to study gasification at pressures, temperatures, and heating rates relevant for coal-biomass gasifiers. The PTGA work was useful in understanding the basic chemistry of the evolution of various gaseous species during pyrolysis. These results helped improved our understanding of the chemistry and chemical changes during pyrolysis. The role alkali metals and other inorganics in char gasification using steam and/or CO 2 was investigated. Finally, the mathematical models for char gasification without the transport effects were developed at commercial operating conditions.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

DOE OSTI2017

low-Cost, High-Performance Alternatives for Target Temperature Monitoring Using the Near-Infrared Spectrum

A process is being developed for commercial production of the medical isotope Mo-99 through a photo-nuclear reaction on a Mo-100 target using a highpower electron accelerator. This process requires temperature monitoring of the window through which a high-current electron beam is transmitted to the target. For this purpose, we evaluated two near infrared technologies: the OMEGA Engineering iR2 pyrometer and the Ocean Optics Maya2000 spectrometer with infrared-enhanced charge-coupled device (CCD) sensor. Measuring in the near infrared spectrum, in contrast to the long-wavelength infrared spectrum, offers a few immediate advantages: (1) ordinary glass or quartz optical elements can be used; (2) alignment can be performed without heating the target; and (3) emissivity corrections to temperature are typically less than 10%. If spatial resolution is not required, the infrared pyrometer is attractive because of its accuracy, low cost, and simplicity. If spatial resolution is required, we make recommendations for near-infrared imaging based on our data augmented by calculations

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

DOE OSTI2017

NOx Sensor for Monitoring Emissions, CRADA TC02179.0

This was a collaborative effort between Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC as manager and operator of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and EmiSense Technologies, LLC, to develop a commercial NOx sensor and suitable electronics.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2017

Transforming Ordinary Buildings into Smart Buildings via Low-Cost, Self-Powering Wireless Sensors & Sensor Networks

The research objective of this project is to design and demonstrate a low-cost, compact, easy-to-deploy, maintenance-free sensor node technology, and a network of such sensors, which enable the monitoring of multiphysical parameters and can transform today’s ordinary buildings into smart buildings with environmental awareness. We develop the sensor node and network via engineering and integration of existing technologies, including high-efficiency mechanical energy harvesting, and ultralow-power integrated circuits (ICs) for sensing and wireless communication. Through integration and innovative power management via specifically designed low-power control circuits for wireless sensing applications, and tailoring energy-harvesting components to indoor applications, the target products will have smaller volume, higher efficiency, and much lower cost (in both manufacturing and maintenance) than the baseline technology. Our development and commercialization objective is to create prototypes for our target products under the CWRU-Intwine collaboration.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2017

High Efficiency and Low Cost Thermal Energy Storage System

BgtL, LLC (BgtL) is focused on developing and commercializing its proprietary compact technology for processes in the energy sector. One such application is a compact high efficiency Thermal Energy Storage (TES) system that utilizes the heat of fusion through phase change between solid and liquid to store and release energy at high temperatures and incorporate state-of-the-art insulation to minimize heat dissipation. BgtL’s TES system would greatly improve the economics of existing nuclear and coal-fired power plants by allowing the power plant to store energy when power prices are low and sell power into the grid when prices are high. Compared to existing battery storage technology, BgtL’s novel thermal energy storage solution can be significantly less costly to acquire and maintain, does not have any waste or environmental emissions, and does not deteriorate over time; it can keep constant efficiency and operates cleanly and safely. BgtL’s engineers are experienced in this field and are able to design and engineer such a system to a specific power plant’s requirements. BgtL also has a strong manufacturing partner to fabricate the system such that it qualifies for an ASME code stamp. BgtL’s vision is to be the leading provider of compact systems for various applications including energy storage. BgtL requests that all technical information about the TES designs be protected as proprietary information. To honor that request, only non-proprietay summaries are included in this report.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2017

A Near-Real-Time Electromagnetic Data-Link for Geothermal Downhole Instruments

The purpose of this research is to determine the feasibility of developing a commercial electro-magnetic (EM) based, wireless, through the earth (TTE) telemetry system to be used for real-time monitoring and control in geothermal and high-temperature oil & gas downhole drilling applications.

10 SYNTHETIC FUELS↗

DOE OSTI2017

The Development of High Temperature Thermoplastic Composite Materials for Additive Manufactured Autoclave Tooling

In this work, ORNL and Techmer investigated and screened different high temperature thermoplastic reinforced materials to fabricate composite molds for autoclave processes using Additive Manufacturing (AM) techniques. This project directly led to the development and commercial release of two printable, high temperature composite materials available through Techmer PM. These new materials are targeted for high temperature tooling made via large scale additive manufacturing.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2018

Development of an Active, Man-Portable, Cooling System with Dehumidification Capabilities for Personal Protective Clothing/Equipment

Mainstream Engineering Corporation completed a highly successful SBIR program, during which we developed and commercialized products for microclimate cooling systems (MCS) and the heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC/R) industry. We are marketing the MCS family of products for use with personal protective clothing/equipment (PPC/PPE) for firefighters, workers in clean rooms, HAZMAT response and other contamination/remediation teams, and military personnel that are required to wear Mission-Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) suits and bomb disposal suits. Workers in these industries risk heat stress when confined within protective garments while in hot and humid environments. Our family of MCS and HVAC/R products that resulted from this SBIR program includes: 1. Active, Man-Portable, MCS for PPC/E—Our active system provides 350 W cooling of personal cooling for workers in thermally stressed environments. Although industrially hardened, this system is compact (0.69 ft 3 ) and lightweight (22.9 lbs). The MSC is easily decontaminated or disposed of between uses. 2. Miniature Screw Compressor for MCS—Our 350 Wcooling miniature screw compressor was originally designed for MCS and personal cooling systems. Occupying only 11 in 3 and weighing 1.4 lbs, the size and weight are less than any commercially available compressor with a similar cooling capacity. This miniature screw compressor is marketable as a low-pressure compressor or refrigerant pump. 3. Miniature Sliding Vane Compressor and Drive for MCS—Our 350 Wcooling compressor subassembly consists of a commercial miniature sliding vane compressor packaged with our motor controller. At 29.4 in3 and 1.5 lbs, this compressor is larger and heavier than the miniature screw but is lower cost and capable of producing higher head pressure. 4. Small Screw Compressor for HVAC/R—Our 50 kW cooling small screw compressor is for commercial HVAC/R applications. This compressor is extremely power dense at 0.34 ft 3 and 43 lbs and has a specific cooling capacity (kW/lb) five times greater than existing commercial compressors. We demonstrated high reliability (>5,100 hrs of operation and >3,400 on/off cycles), and we are currently discussing commercialization opportunities with laser manufacturers for cooling of their high-power devices. This final report summarizes the design, fabrication, testing, features, and benefits of each product. The commercialization potential and recommendations for the future are included.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2018

Updated OpenStudio (OS) Small Office Prototype Model

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) supports the development of commercial building energy codes and standards by participating in industry review, update processes, and providing technical analyses to support both published model codes and potential changes. DOE publishes its findings to ensure transparency in its support, and to make its analysis available for both public review and use. In conjunction with this effort, DOE’s flagship building energy model (BEM) tools consist of the open-source EnergyPlus simulation engine and OpenStudio. These tools allow a user to modify a building, estimate energy use, and new releases are typically downloaded by over 20,000 users.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2018

Biologically Inspired Ammonia Production with Immobilized Nitrogenase Final Report

Ammonia is a critical component of the US economy as US agricultural exports exceeded $100BB in 2015 and depend heavily on ammonia fertilizers. Ammonia production consumes 1% of the world’s total energy supply and millions of tons are imported each year. An innovative bioelectrocatalyzed process is being developed using immobilized mutated nitrogenase enzymes to directly convert atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia at standard conditions, 25° C and 1 atm, and without the need for natural gas. This technology utilizes an enhanced enzyme and advanced enzyme immobilization method for increased production efficiency. The Phase I project developed a new enzyme and polymer support structure which enables direct conversion of nitrogen to ammonia under mild conditions without the need for added chemicals; only electricity and water are required. The system exhibited significantly higher efficiency than competing technologies. The Phase II project will develop a commercial process for the enzyme/polymer system. This will include scaling up production of the enzyme and determining process conditions for maximum productivity. This technology is intended for the commercial fertilizer industry, which currently uses large, expensive plants for centralized production, consuming vast amounts of natural gas and generating significant CO 2 pollution. This technology could also be used to generate alternative ammonia-based fuel and ammonia-based commodity chemicals. The Federal Government would benefit from this technology by reducing dependence on foreign imports, and increasing domestic production of a commodity chemical. Ammonia is used as key component in explosives and propellants and is essential for national security. Distributed production will lower the vulnerability of this resource. The key benefit for the customer is lower capital and operating cost. Building new ammonia production plants cost >$2BB with considerable infrastructure costs to ship the ammonia. The primary method of transportation is pipe to truck distribution, although some is still carried via railway. The feature that set our technology apart from the current Haber-Bosch process is the ability for low-cost distributed production.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2019

Large scale, Low Temperature, Microplasma UV Lighting Tiles for Water Purification and Sterilization

Eden Park Illumination, Inc. is pursuing the development and commercialization of microcavity plasma lamps capable of generating light in the vacuum ultraviolet and deep ultraviolet wavelength ranges (VUV and UVC respectively), but in a slim and flat form factor. Ultraviolet light is well known to be efficient in enabling a number of chemical processes,and is particularly effective for disinfection.The ability of deep UV and VUV radiation to neutralize pathogens, drugs (hormone regulators), and organic chemicals is of increasing concern in drinking water and water re-use and is well-documented.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2019

Integrated Solar Thermochemical Reaction System (Final Report)

This report describes progress accomplished in a three-phase project that has advanced the concept for a Solar Thermochemical Advanced Reactor System (STARS) – a system that is designed to convert solar energy into storable/useful chemical energy – from Technology Readiness Level 3 to Technology Readiness Level 6. STARS accomplishes its objective by directing the heat from a dish concentrator onto a chemical reaction system, increasing the energy content of the feedstock, methane, a chemical fuel that is available from multiple sources including natural gas, landfills and anaerobic digesters. The system uses a parabolic dish solar concentrator, previously developed for electrical power generation, and a compact, process-intensive chemical reaction system based on micro- and meso-channel process technology (MMPT). The combined Dish-STARSTM system provides a solar augment to the incoming methane stream, increasing its chemical energy content by 20-30% while decreasing its carbon intensity. When the immediate chemical product, known as syngas, is directly used for power generation the result is electricity with approximately 20% less CO 2 emissions. Alternately, if the syngas is further reacted to produce valuable chemical products, such as hydrogen, the reduction in carbon emissions is retained and reduced carbon intensities can be attained for the chemical products. In a co-production mode, lowcarbon hydrogen or electricity plus various hydrocarbons (for example, methanol, olefins or plastics) can be produced. Over the course of this project, the efficiency of Dish-STARSTM was improved from a previous value of 63% to slightly over 70%, with results and analyses indicating a potential for values greater than 80%; manufacturing investigations identified fabrication methods for the MMPT components, proofed-out additive manufacturing for microchannel heat exchangers, developed equipment cost models and, together with on-sun testing, supported technoeconomic evaluations. If developed into commercial products, project results indicate the potential for the efficient use of concentrated solar energy in nearterm applications for electrical power generation and the production of chemicals, including hydrogen.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2019

Application of artificial neural network to prompt gamma neutron activation analysis for chemical warfare agents identification

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗

DOE OSTI2020

Real-Time Acoustic Analysis of Batteries

The project explored development and commercialization of an acoustical approach to battery diagnostics. The technology has significant potential impacts for battery manufacturing and quality assurance, battery management during operation, and could be an enabler for the second-life battery market. Research was focused on inspecting and analyzing the physical condition of batteries using ultrasound. This consisted of designing and building hardware for gathering high-quality acoustic data, as well as using battery charge-discharge cyclers and temperature chambers to operate and age the batteries. Over the course of the 2-year program, we were able to build our first prototypes that are robust enough to be used by industry partners to evaluate our technology. Using the same prototypes, we also showed preliminary evidence that our acoustic inspection method may have distinct advantages over standard electrical methods in terms of detecting differences in the physical quality of battery cells. The project also expanded the participant’s core capabilities beyond time-of-flight acoustic measurements.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2020

Application of Gaussian Bayes classifier to differentiate chlorine-based chemical agents

The Portable Isotopic Neutron Spectroscopy (PINS) is a commercialized system developed by Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to examine chemical warfare agents (CWA) non-destructively, utilizing Prompt Gamma Neutron Activation Analysis (PGNAA) techniques. The PINS system takes advantage of a high-resolution gamma-ray spectrum from a mechanically-cooled high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector. One of the difficult technical challenges is to discriminate the chlorine-based chemical agents. Especially, CN, CNB, CNS and CG have similar chemical compositions to make it hard to discriminate them with a higher confidence. Current identification algorithms for PINS systems with 252-Cf sources have been improved and updated continuously as more field data became available, and new algorithms was studied to complement the current algorithms by adopting the Gaussian Bayes classifier. These new algorithms were intended to be applied to a subset of chlorine-based chemical agents, and their main goal is discriminate CN, CNB, CNS and CG with their ratios of the chlorine neutron inelastic 1763keV peak to the chlorine thermal neutron capture 1959keV peak, which is referred to as the “Cl i/c” or “clic” ratio in this study. The Cl i/c ratios were assumed to follow Gaussian distributions with the means and the standard deviations unique to their corresponding chemical agents. The prior probabilities of these four chemical agents were optimized with a collection of field data to achieve the best performance in terms of precision or positive predictive value (PPV). Finally, their posterior probabilities as functions of the Cl i/c ratio were implemented in the current version of PINS analysis software in order to be tested with more field data.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗

DOE OSTI2020

TRANSENSOR: Transformer Real-time Assessment INtelligent System with Embedded Network of Sensors and Optical Readout. Final Report

Utilities across the world are wrestling with evolving market dynamics, population growth and climate change. Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) such as solar photovoltaics, distributed generators and energy storage systems are becoming important parts of the U.S. energy mix. These factors are driving an increasing need for low-cost grid asset monitoring. Aside from being costly, traditional utility monitoring systems are not sufficiently robust and do not provide real-time visibility into the condition of grid assets such as transformers. Lack of accurate real-time measurements on performance has resulted in the use of lagging indicators, such as oil sample analysis. To address this need, an innovative embedded optical sensing technology, Transformer Real-time Assessment Intelligent System (TRANSENSOR) was developed, validated and demonstrated in this project. To date, TRANSENSOR has focused on transformers but is extendable to other grid assets. In addition to the technology being embedded into new transformers during manufacturing, a retrofit configuration that can be installed on existing transformers in the field was also developed. It is anticipated that the ability to retrofit existing transformers will help accelerate adoption of the underlying TRANSENSOR technology. Phase 1 of the project focused on laboratory development and qualification of the technology. Following iterations and exploration of relevant optical sensing modalities and multiplexed configurations of interest for the transformer environment, an effective candidate configuration was agreed upon, down-selected and custom-designed for embedding into General Electric (GE) network transformers. Two new GE 500 kilovolt ampere (kVA), 27 kilovolt (kV) distribution network transformers were built with embedded fiber-optic (FO) sensors and successfully qualified per industry standards at GE’s Shreveport, Louisiana facility during Phase 1 of the project. Following the successful completion of Phase 1, the team proceeded to Phase 2, which focused on a field demonstration of the technology. Over Phase 2, the first new GE transformer built with embedded fiber-optic sensors was installed in an above-ground cage and connected to the grid at Con Edison’s Astoria facility. A second transformer equipped with TRANSENSOR was installed in an underground vault. Additionally, an older (1982 year model) GE transformer in an above-ground cage was retrofitted with fiber- optic sensors and reconnected to the grid at ConEd’s facility. Analysis of data acquired from the sensors showed interesting correlations with transformer loading. Additionally, key events such as transformer low-voltage network connection, primary-side energizing, and a pressure loss event from an oil sampling were detected by the TRANSENSOR system. Online data processing/feature extraction algorithms for the second transformer in the underground vault detected key features and event alerts that were transmitted through a wireless 4G connection. The remote deployment concept showed promising results with data collection running for a total of 8 months across the three (3) GE transformers instrumented for the Phase 2 field demonstration. This sets the stage well for further development and commercialization.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗