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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2014

OMPS Limb Profiler Instrument Performance Assessment

Following the successful launch of the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) aboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) spacecraft, the NASA OMPS Limb team began an evaluation of instrument and data product performance. The focus of this paper is the instrument performance in relation to the original design criteria. Performance that is closer to expectations increases the likelihood that limb scatter measurements by SNPP OMPS and successor instruments can form the basis for accurate long-term monitoring of ozone vertical profiles. The team finds that the Limb instrument operates mostly as designed and basic performance meets or exceeds the original design criteria. Internally scattered stray light and sensor pointing knowledge are two design challenges with the potential to seriously degrade performance. A thorough prelaunch characterization of stray light supports software corrections that are accurate to within 1% in radiances up to 60 km for the wavelengths used in deriving ozone. Residual stray light errors at 1000nm, which is useful in retrievals of stratospheric aerosols, currently exceed 10%. Height registration errors in the range of 1 km to 2 km have been observed that cannot be fully explained by known error sources. An unexpected thermal sensitivity of the sensor also causes wavelengths and pointing to shift each orbit in the northern hemisphere. Spectral shifts of as much as 0.5nm in the ultraviolet and 5 nm in the visible, and up to 0.3 km shifts in registered height, must be corrected in ground processing.

ozone↗
NASA NTRS2017

New-Generation NASA Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) Volcanic SO2 Dataset: Algorithm Description, Initial Results, and Continuation with the Suomi-NPP Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS)

Since the fall of 2004, the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) has been providing global monitoring of volcanic SO2 emissions, helping to understand their climate impacts and to mitigate aviation hazards. Here we introduce a new-generation OMI volcanic SO2 dataset based on a principal component analysis (PCA) retrieval technique. To reduce retrieval noise and artifacts as seen in the current operational linear fit (LF) algorithm, the new algorithm, OMSO2VOLCANO, uses characteristic features extracted directly from OMI radiances in the spectral fitting, thereby helping to minimize interferences from various geophysical processes (e.g., O3 absorption) and measurement details (e.g., wavelength shift). To solve the problem of low bias for large SO2 total columns in the LF product, the OMSO2VOLCANO algorithm employs a table lookup approach to estimate SO2 Jacobians (i.e., the instrument sensitivity to a perturbation in the SO2 column amount) and iteratively adjusts the spectral fitting window to exclude shorter wavelengths where the SO2 absorption signals are saturated. To first order, the effects of clouds and aerosols are accounted for using a simple Lambertian equivalent reflectivity approach. As with the LF algorithm, OMSO2VOLCANO provides total column retrievals based on a set of predefined SO2 profiles from the lower troposphere to the lower stratosphere, including a new profile peaked at 13 km for plumes in the upper troposphere. Examples given in this study indicate that the new dataset shows significant improvement over the LF product, with at least 50% reduction in retrieval noise over the remote Pacific. For large eruptions such as Kasatochi in 2008 (approximately 1700 kt total SO2/ and Sierra Negra in 2005 (greater than 1100DU maximum SO2), OMSO2VOLCANO generally agrees well with other algorithms that also utilize the full spectral content of satellite measurements, while the LF algorithm tends to underestimate SO2. We also demonstrate that, despite the coarser spatial and spectral resolution of the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi-NPP) Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) instrument, application of the new PCA algorithm to OMPS data produces highly consistent retrievals between OMI and OMPS. The new PCA algorithm is therefore capable of continuing the volcanic SO2 data record well into the future using current and future hyperspectral UV satellite instruments.

OMI↗
NASA NTRS2017

Historical Carbon Dioxide Emissions Caused by Land-Use Changes are Possibly Larger than Assumed

The terrestrial biosphere absorbs about 20% of fossil-fuel CO2 emissions. The overall magnitude of this sink is constrained by the difference between emissions, the rate of increase in atmospheric CO2 concentrations, and the ocean sink. However, the land sink is actually composed of two largely counteracting fluxes that are poorly quantified: fluxes from land-use change andCO2 uptake by terrestrial ecosystems. Dynamic global vegetation model simulations suggest that CO2 emissions from land-use change have been substantially underestimated because processes such as tree harvesting and land clearing from shifting cultivation have not been considered. As the overall terrestrial sink is constrained, a larger net flux as a result of land-use change implies that terrestrial uptake of CO2 is also larger, and that terrestrial ecosystems might have greater potential to sequester carbon in the future. Consequently, reforestation projects and efforts to avoid further deforestation could represent important mitigation pathways, with co-benefits for biodiversity. It is unclear whether a larger land carbon sink can be reconciled with our current understanding of terrestrial carbon cycling. Our possible underestimation of the historical residual terrestrial carbon sink adds further uncertainty to our capacity to predict the future of terrestrial carbon uptake and losses.

Arneth, A.↗
NASA NTRS2020

Changes in Vegetation Phenology and Productivity in Alaska Over the Past Two Decades

Understanding trends in vegetation phenology and growing season productivity at a regional scale is important for global change studies, particularly as linkages can be made between climate shifts and the vegetation’s potential to sequester or release carbon into the atmosphere. Trends and geographic patterns of change in vegetation growth and phenology from the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite data sets were analyzed for the state of Alaska over the period 2000 to 2018. Phenology metrics derived from the MODIS Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) time-series at 250 m resolution tracked changes in the total integrated greenness cover (TIN), maximum annual NDVI (MAXN), and start of the season timing (SOST) date over the past two decades. SOST trends showed significantly earlier seasonal vegetation greening (at more than one day per year) across the northeastern Brooks Range Mountains, on the Yukon-Kuskokwim coastal plain, and in the southern coastal areas of Alaska. TIN and MAXN have increased significantly across the western Arctic Coastal Plain and within the perimeters of most large wildfires of the Interior boreal region that burned since the year 2000, whereas TIN and MAXN have decreased notably in watersheds of Bristol Bay and in the Cook Inlet lowlands of southwestern Alaska, in the same regions where earlier-trending SOST was also detected. Mapping results from this MODIS time-series analysis have identified a new database of localized study locations across Alaska where vegetation phenology has recently shifted notably, and where land cover types and ecosystem processes could be changing rapidly.

Vegetation↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Ramdb: The NASA Raman Spectral Database (version 1.00).

Given that, in most instances, minimal sample preparation is required and due to its contactless instrument design, Raman spectroscopy is one of the most versatile vibrational spectroscopic techniques for the chemical analysis of environmental and biological specimens. The diversity of applications of Raman spectroscopy ranges anywhere from art [1] to planetary science missions [2]. The advancement in the use of Raman spectroscopy in Solar System missions, notably in post-mission sample return analysis, requires a spectral library holding the broad range of specimens that could be found in Solar System sources. For this purpose, we have initiated the development of a Raman spectral database (Ramdb) at NASA Ames Research Center. Currently, the database includes experimental and theoretical Raman spectra of PAHs [3, 4], as well as laboratory Raman spectra of amino acids, carbon allotropes, minerals, and analogs relevance to Earth Sciences [5], Exobiology [6], Planetary [7], and Astrochemistry [8] to name just a few examples. Ramdb can be found on the web at www.astrochemistry.org/ramdb, where raw and processed Raman spectra can be downloaded in CSV format. The laboratory Raman spectra are measured using a laser Raman spectrometer (JASCO NRS-5500-532QRI). The Raman instrument is equipped with three excitation lasers, with wavelengths of 405, 532, and 785 nm. A clean silicon substrate is used as the internal standard for wavenumber calibration. Powdered samples were prepared (microscopic >10 um, grounded microscopic < 10 um) on glass slides. Some raw data exhibited a background signal arising as a combination of laser-induced fluorescence from the sample. To correct this background, we developed a Python pipeline that uses open-source Python libraries. Ramdb provides both raw and processed (using Python pipeline) data, which includes tabulated Raman shift transitions and other measurement details. The theoretical Raman band positions of PAHs (pyrene monomers and tetramer clusters) were computed using density functional theory (DFT) with the help of the Gaussian 16 suite of programs [9]. In the near future, Ramdb will serve as a repository of Raman spectral data from Laboratory Astrophysics and Planetary Science experiments involving the irradiation of organic compounds under simulated space and planetary conditions. In addition, online and offline tools will be developed for utilising the database for comparison to the user’s sample.

N Punnakayathil↗
DOE OSTI2012

Optimal control system design for IGCC power plants with CO2 capture

Designing an optimal control system for an integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plant with CO2 capture addresses the challenge of efficiently operating and controlling a coal-fed IGCC plant with the desired extent of CO2 capture in the face of disturbances without violating operational and environmental constraints. The control system design needs to optimize a desired scalar objective function while satisfying all the operational and environmental constraints in the presence of measured and unmeasured disturbances. Various objective functions can be considered for the control system design such as maximization of profit, maximization of the power produced, or minimization of the auxiliary power. The design of such a control system makes the plant suitable to play an active role in the smart grid era as the plant will have the required agility. In addition, other penalty function(s) such as emission penalties for CO2 or other criteria pollutants can be considered in the framework as well as losses associated with any hydrogen or carbon monoxide loses. The proposed control system design is performed in two stages. In the first stage, a top-down analysis is performed to generate a list of controlled, manipulated, and disturbance variables considering a scalar operational objective and other process constraints. In the second stage, a bottom-up approach for simultaneous design of the control structure and the controllers is used. In this paper, the first stage of the two-stage approach is applied to the IGCC’s acid gas removal (AGR) process which removes both H2S and CO2 from the shifted synthesis gas. While these results are still preliminary, they demonstrate the application of the proposed approach for a commercial-scale plant and show some interesting results related to controlled variable selection. Such an approach can be followed not only to design control systems for new power plants, but also to retrofit control systems for existing plants with suitable modifications.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Startup process for a dual active bridge converter to prevent over-voltage failure and thermal run-away

A system and method for controlling a dual active bridge based DC/DC converter. A controller implements a startup control scheme and DC bus pre-charge routine to prevent damage to the converter upon startup. During startup of the converter, the startup control process can be used to prevent excessive phase-shift and the DC bus pre-charge routine adjusts the pulse width modulated duty cycle by increasing the dead time between signals, resulting in a decreased DC bus capacitor.

Singh, Braj K.↗
DOE OSTI2013

MODIFICATION OF THE MOOG SPECTRAL SYNTHESIS CODES TO ACCOUNT FOR ZEEMAN BROADENING OF SPECTRAL LINES

In an attempt to widen access to the study of magnetic fields in stellar astronomy, I present MOOGStokes, a version of the MOOG one-dimensional local thermodynamic equilibrium radiative transfer code, overhauled to incorporate a Stokes vector treatment of polarized radiation through a magnetic medium. MOOGStokes is a suite of three complementary programs, which together can synthesize the disk-averaged emergent spectrum of a star with a magnetic field. The first element (a pre-processing script called CounterPoint) calculates for a given magnetic field strength, wavelength shifts, and polarizations for the components of Zeeman-sensitive lines. The second element (a MOOG driver called SynStokes derived from the existing MOOG driver Synth) uses the list of Zeeman-shifted absorption lines together with the existing machinery of MOOG to synthesize the emergent spectrum at numerous locations across the stellar disk, accounting for stellar and magnetic field geometry. The third and final element (a post-processing script called DiskoBall) calculates the disk-averaged spectrum by weighting the individual emergent spectra by limb darkening and projected area, and applying the effects of Doppler broadening. All together, the MOOGStokes package allows users to synthesize emergent spectra of stars with magnetic fields in a familiar computational framework. MOOGStokes produces disk-averaged spectra for all Stokes vectors ( I, Q, U, V ), normalized by the continuum. MOOGStokes agrees well with the predictions of INVERS10 a polarized radiative transfer code with a long history of use in the study of stellar magnetic fields. In the non-magnetic limit, MOOGStokes also agrees with the predictions of the scalar version of MOOG.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2011

Collisional Processing of Comet Surfaces: Impact Experiments into Olivine

A new paradigm has emerged where 3.9 Ga ago, a violent reshuffling reshaped the placement of small bodies in the solar system (the Nice model). Surface properties of these objects may have been affected by collisions caused by this event, and by collisions with other small bodies since their emplacement. In addition, objects in the Kuiper Belt are believed to undergo extensive collisional processing while in the Kuiper Belt. Physical manifestations of shock effects (e.g., planar dislocations) in minerals typically found in comets will be correlated with spectral changes (e.g. reddening, loss and shift of peaks, new signatures) to allow astronomers to better understand geophysical impact processing that has occurred on small bodies. Targets will include solid and granular olivine (forsterite), impacted over a range of impact speeds with the Experimental Impact Laboratory at NASA JSC. Analyses include quantification of the dependence of the spectral changes with respect to impact speed, texture of the target, and temperature.

Lederer, S. M.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Phase Shift Interferometer and Growth Set Up to Step Pattern Formation During Growth From Solutions. Influence of the Oscillatory solution Flow on Stability

We have assembled an experimental setup based on Michelson interferometry with the growing crystal surface as one of the reflective surfaces. The crystallization part of the device allows optical monitoring of a face of a crystal growing at temperature stable within 0.05 C in a flow of solution of controlled direction and speed. The reference arm of the interferometer contains a liquid crystal element that allows controlled shifts of the phase of the interferograms. We employ an image-processing algorithm, which combines five images with a pi/2 phase difference between each pair of images. The images are transferred to a computer by a camera capable of capturing 60 frames per second. The device allows data collection on surface morphology and kinetics during the face layers growth over a relatively large area (approximately 4 sq. mm) in situ and in real time during growth. The estimated depth resolution of the phase shifting interferometry is approximately 50 Angstroms. The data will be analyzed in order to reveal and monitor step bunching during the growth process. The crystal chosen as a model for study in this work is KH2PO4 (KDP). This optically non-linear material is widely used in frequency doubling applications. There have been a number of studies of the kinetics of KDP crystallization that can serve as a benchmark for our investigations. However, so far, systematic quantitative characteristics of step interaction and bunching are missing. We intend to present our first quantitative results on the onset, initial stages and development of instabilities in moving step trains on vicinal crystal surfaces at varying supersaturation, flow rate, and flow direction. Behavior of a vicinal face growing from solution flowing normal to the steps and periodically changing its direction in time was considered theoretically. It was found that this oscillating flow reduces both stabilization and destabilization effects resulted from the unidirectional solution flow directed up the step stream and down the step stream. This reduction of stabilization and destabilization comes from effective mixing which entangles the phase shifts between the spatially periodic interface perturbation and the concentration wave induced by this perturbation. Numerical results and simplified mixing criterion will be discussed.

Chernov, Alex A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Collisional broadening, line shifting, and line mixing in the stimulated Raman 2nu2 Q branch of CH4

Self-, argon-, and helium-broadening coefficients have been measured for 13 lines in the 2nu2 Raman Q branch of CH4 using stimulated inverse Raman spectroscopy. The linewidths clearly show the symmetry-state dependence characteristic of pressure broadening, and inelastic processes in general, involving spherical-top molecules. Pressure-induced line shifts have also been measured for these features in pure methane. The pressure-shift coefficients do not display the symmetry-state dependence found for the linewidths. By applying the Rosenkranz perturbation treatment to a pair of collisionally mixed lines, an estimate of individual state-to-state contributions to the overall linewidth has been obtained.

Millot, G.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Locating buildings in aerial photos

Algorithms and techniques for use in the identification and location of large buildings in digitized copies of aerial photographs are developed and tested. The building data would be used in the simulation of objects located in the vicinity of an airport that may be detected by aircraft radar. Two distinct approaches are considered. Most building footprints are rectangular in form. The first approach studied is to search for right-angled corners that characterize rectangular objects and then to connect these corners to complete the building. This problem is difficult because many nonbuilding objects, such as street corners, parking lots, and ballparks often have well defined corners which are often difficult to distinguish from rooftops. Furthermore, rooftops come in a number of shapes, sizes, shadings, and textures which also limit the discrimination task. The strategy used linear sequences of different samples to detect straight edge segments at multiple angles and to determine when these segments meet at approximately right-angles with respect to each other. This technique is effective in locating corners. The test image used has a fairly rectangular block pattern oriented about thirty degrees clockwise from a vertical alignment, and the overall measurement data reflect this. However, this technique does not discriminate between buildings and other objects at an operationally suitable rate. In addition, since multiple paths are tested for each image pixel, this is a time consuming task. The process can be speeded up by preprocessing the image to locate the more optimal sampling paths. The second approach is to rely on a human operator to identify and select the building objects and then to have the computer determine the outline and location of the selected structures. When presented with a copy of a digitized aerial photograph, the operator uses a mouse and cursor to select a target building. After a button on the mouse is pressed, with the cursor fully within the perimeter of the building, the program scans from the position of the cursor to a perimeter position where a shift in grayscale is detected. Once at the perimeter, the process traces along it, around the building, until it eventually returns to the perimeter starting point. Spatial resolution limits cause the perimeter trace to be somewhat course so that a line straightening algorithm is employed. One result is that the building corner positions become more distinctly defined.

Green, James S.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Effects of Convective Transport of Solute and Impurities on Defect-Causing Kinetics Instabilities

For in-situ studies of the formation and evolution of step patterns during the growth of protein crystals, we have designed and assembled an experimental setup based on Michelson interferometry with the surface of the growing protein crystal as one of the reflective surfaces. The crystallization part of the device allows optical monitoring of a face of a crystal growing at temperature stable within 0.05 C in a developed solution flow of controlled direction and speed. The reference arm of the interferometer contains a liquid-crystal element that allows controlled shifts of the phase of the interferograms. We employ an image processing algorithm which combines five images with a pi/2 phase difference between each pair of images. The images are transferred to a computer by a camera capable of capturing 6-8 frames per second. The device allows data collection data regarding growth over a relatively large area (approximately .3 sq. mm) in-situ and in real time during growth. The estimated dept resolution of the phase shifting interferometry is about 100 A. The lateral resolution, depending on the zoom ratio, varies between 0.3 and 0.6 micrometers. We have now collected quantitative results on the onset, initial stages and development of instabilities in moving step trains on vicinal crystal surfaces at varying supersaturation, position on the facet, crystal size and temperature with the proteins ferritin, apoferritin and thaumatin. Comparisons with theory, especially with the AFM results on the molecular level processes, see below, allow tests of the rational for the effects of convective flows and, as a particular case, the lack thereof, on step bunching.

Vekilov, Peter G.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Understanding KOtBu in atomic layer deposition – in situ mechanistic studies of the KNbO3 growth process

Functional coatings based on alkali metals have become increasingly attractive in the current shift towards sustainable technologies. While lithium-based compounds have a natural impact on batteries, other alkali metal compounds are important as replacements for toxic materials in a range of electronic devices. This is especially true for potassium, being a major component in e.g. K x Na 1-x NbO 3 (KNN) and KTa x Nb 1-x O 3 (KTN), with hope to replace Pb(Zr x Ti 1-x )O 3 (PZT) in piezo-/ferroelectric and electrooptic devices. ALD facilitates functional conformal coatings at deposition temperatures far below what is reported using other techniques and with excellent compositional control. The ALD growth of potassium-containing films using KO t Bu has, however, been unpredictable. Untraditional response to the pulse composition and precursor dose, severe reproducibility issues, and very high growth per cycle are some of the puzzling features of these processes. In this article, we shed light on the growth behavior of KO t Bu in ALD by in situ quartz crystal microbalance and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy studies. We study the precursor's behavior in the technologically interesting KNbO 3 -process, showing how the potassium precursor strongly affects the growth of other cation precursors. We show that the strong hygroscopic nature of the intermediary potassium species has far-reaching implications throughout the growth. This helps not only to enhance the understanding of alkali metal containing compounds’ growth in ALD, but also to provide the means to control the growth of novel sustainable technological materials.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2019

Spatial gradients in the characteristics of soil-carbon fractions are associated with abiotic features but not microbial communities

Coastal terrestrial-aquatic interfaces (TAIs) are dynamic zones of carbon biogeochemical cycling influenced by landscape-scale salinity gradients. However, there is significant cross-system heterogeneity in salinity influences over TAI soil biogeochemical function, such as gas fluxes and dissolved organic carbon concentrations. One potential explanation for the lack of consistency is unrecognized variation in soil organic carbon chemistry and microbial communities. To provide a foundation for understanding the role of C chemistry and microbial communities on biogeochemical cycling in coastal soils, we evaluated associations among a landscape scale soil salinity gradient, molecular-level soil carbon chemistry, and microbial community assembly processes. Based on observations in related systems we hypothesized systematic shifts along the salinity gradient in organic carbon thermodynamics, biochemical transformation profiles, and heteroatom content. While the thermodynamic favorability of water soluble organic compounds in shallow soils did decrease with increasing salinity (R2=0.78, p<0.00001), this was opposite the expected direction. The number of inferred biochemical transformations and total heteroatom content also decreased with increasing salinity. These patterns indicate lower microbial activity at higher salinity that is potentially constrained by less favorable organic carbon. Furthermore, organic compound classes appeared to be primarily marine/algal derived in the floodplains with greater terrestrial signatures in upland soil. Based on a recent simulation-based study we further hypothesized a relationship between microbial community assembly processes and carbon chemistry. Null modelling revealed particularly strong influences of dispersal limitation over microbial composition, which may be due limited hydrologic connectivity within the clay-rich soils. Signatures of dispersal limitation indicate stochastically assembled microbial communities, which was further reflected in the lack of an association between community assembly processes and carbon chemistry. This suggests a disconnect between microbial composition and carbon biogeochemistry, thereby indicating that the salinity-associated gradient in carbon chemistry was driven by a combination of spatially-structured inputs and salinity-associated metabolic responses of microbial communities that are independent of community composition. Our results collectively indicate that soil carbon chemistry varies systematically with salinity at the landscape scale. This variation has not been accounted for in studies examining impacts of salinity to biogeochemical rates and pools. We propose that impacts of salinity in coastal soil biogeochemistry need to be understood in context of carbon chemistry and microbial physiology, while microbial composition may have less influence.

soil carbon, Coastal Biogeochemistry, microbial co↗
DOE OSTI2013

Advanced CO 2 Capture Technology for Low Rank Coal IGCC System

The overall objective of the project is to demonstrate the technical and economic viability of a new Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) power plant designed to efficiently process low rank coals. The plant uses an integrated CO 2 scrubber/Water Gas Shift (WGS) catalyst to capture over90 percent capture of the CO 2 emissions, while providing a significantly lower cost of electricity (COE) than a similar plant with conventional cold gas cleanup system based on Selexol TM technology and 90 percent carbon capture. TDA’s system uses a high temperature physical adsorbent capable of removing CO 2 above the dew point of the synthesis gas and a commercial WGS catalyst that can effectively convert CO in The overall objective of the project is to demonstrate the technical and economic viability of a new Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) power plant designed to efficiently process low rank coals. The plant uses an integrated CO 2 scrubber/Water Gas Shift (WGS) catalyst to capture over90 percent capture of the CO 2 emissions, while providing a significantly lower cost of electricity (COE) than a similar plant with conventional cold gas cleanup system based on Selexol TM technology and 90 percent carbon capture. TDA’s system uses a high temperature physical adsorbent capable of removing CO 2 above the dew point of the synthesis gas and a commercial WGS catalyst that can effectively convert CO in bituminous coal the net plant efficiency is about 2.4 percentage points higher than an Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) plant equipped with Selexol TM to capture CO 2 . We also previously completed two successful field demonstrations: one at the National Carbon Capture Center (Southern- Wilsonville, AL) in 2011, and a second demonstration in fall of 2012 at the Wabash River IGCC plant (Terra Haute, IN). In this project, we first optimized the sorbent to catalyst ratio used in the combined WGS and CO 2 capture process and confirmed the technical feasibility in bench-scale experiments. In these tests, we did not observe any CO breakthrough both during adsorption and desorption steps indicating that there is complete conversion of CO to CO 2 and H 2 . The overall CO conversions above 90 percent were observed. The sorbent achieved a total CO 2 loading of 7.82 percent wt. of which 5.68 percent is from conversion of CO into CO 2 . The results of the system analysis suggest that the TDA combined shift and high temperature PSA-based Warm Gas Clean-up technology can make a substantial improvement in the IGCC plant thermal performance for a plant designed to achieve near zero emissions (including greater than 90 percent carbon capture). The capital expenses are also expected to be lower than those of Selexol. The higher net plant efficiency and lower capital and operating costs result in substantial reduction in the COE for the IGCC plant equipped with the TDA combined shift and high temperature PSA-based carbon capture system.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2022

Potential State Regulatory Pathways to Facilitate Low-Carbon Fuels

States and the federal government are increasingly engaged in the challenges around decarbonizing the electric grid. In particular, regulators, consumers, stakeholders, and utilities recognize the need to carefully consider the role natural gas will play in a decarbonized future. A variety of technology and policy options to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with natural gas use are available, including energy efficiency programs, demand reduction tools, strategic electrification, and strategies to reduce emissions from natural gas production, transportation, and consumption. Low-carbon fuels – mainly renewable natural gas (RNG) and clean hydrogen – are being considered an important component of decarbonization goals. RNG and hydrogen may be able to meaningfully reduce emissions from processes independent of geologic natural gas, displacing emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Although RNG and hydrogen are not cost-competitive today with geologic natural gas and are smaller in scale and potential than other decarbonization options, they can be explored as potential critical tools to decarbonize sectors that are difficult to electrify or shift off of natural gas entirely, such as air travel, industrial processes, maritime transport, long-distance trucking, space heating on cold days, and railroads (Nadel, 2022). The role of this report is to provide informational context for state utility regulators to understand the impacts of and challenges associated with broader integration of low-carbon fuels, followed by examples of state regulatory actions taken to date to facilitate the development of low-carbon fuels. Setting clear guidance to calculate the environmental benefits of low-carbon fuels and continuing federal and state investments in research and development to reduce costs relative to fossil fuels will be important steps to take to signal the desire to grow the market for these fuels. State public utility commissions may play a key role in setting regulatory frameworks for low-carbon fuels and ensuring that ratepayer funds, if utilized, are done so to further the public interest. This report is intended to summarize decisions that states have made to date on low-carbon fuels. In the spirit of understanding the current market and sharing information, this report provides success stories, and lessons learned across states as regulators implement varying strategies to achieve decarbonization objectives while maintaining their focus on affordability, safety, and reliability of the energy system. The report begins with an introduction of the role of natural gas in the U.S. economy (Section I) and background information on natural gas use, decarbonization, and low-carbon fuels (Section II). Next, the report describes the current market by discussing the scale of current production, emissions intensity, resource potential, and costs of low-carbon fuels compared to geologic natural gas (Section III). Following these sections, the report describes four strategies states have employed to facilitate low-carbon fuels: opening exploratory dockets, approving voluntary tariffs for customers, approving interconnection tariffs for producers, and considering portfolio-wide procurement targets (Section IV). This section lists states that have taken actions in each category, citing utility filings, commission decisions, stakeholder comments, and other relevant sources. Finally, the report concludes with suggested questions regulators may wish to consider regarding low-carbon fuels, in the interest of preparing to make decisions in the future (Section V). These questions include: Are there existing regulatory or technical barriers to voluntary purchases of low-carbon fuels? Can customers work with utilities to procure low-carbon fuels; are producers able to interconnect projects without significant barriers to entry? Should the infrastructure and/or commodity costs of low-carbon fuels be socialized among all ratepayers, or borne solely by the large commercial and industrial (C&I) customers currently driving the market? Should regulated natural gas and/or electric utilities own and operate low-carbon fuel production? How should regulators consider the unique decarbonization potential of low-carbon fuels, particularly for hard-to-abate sectors, in decision-making? Is additional direction or clarity from state policymakers needed? What no-regrets approaches can help facilitate both near-term RNG development and long-term development of hydrogen and other zero-carbon fuels? We collectively wish to express our gratitude to the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, for supporting this report and other technical assistance resources for state regulators on natural gas topics. State regulators operate under a variety of policy environments, and states have vastly different types of energy resources, infrastructure, and customers. While there is no optimal regulatory, policy, or technological solution that will be successful in every state, state regulators can benefit by exchanging lessons learned with their peers across the country. We look forward to continued engagement with our fellow commissioners, commission staff, NARUC, the U.S. Department of Energy, and other stakeholders to develop sound regulation in the public interest.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Meteorological Influences on Anthropogenic PM 2.5 in Future Climates: Species Level Analysis in the Community Earth System Model v2

Abstract Biomass and fossil fuel burning impact air quality by injecting fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) and its precursors into the atmosphere, which poses serious threats to human health. However, the surface concentration of PM 2.5 depends not only on the magnitude of emissions, but also secondary production, transport, and removal. For example, in response to greenhouse gas driven warming, meteorological conditions that govern aerosol removal, primarily through rainfall and wet deposition, could shift in pattern, frequency, and intensity. This climate change driven process can impact air quality even without changes in aerosol emissions. In this experiment, we conduct new simulations by fixing aerosol emissions at present‐day levels in the Community Earth System Model Version 2, but increasing greenhouse gases through the 21st century. In our results, the changes in patterns and intensity of PM 2.5 are found to be associated with precipitation (via aerosol removal), temperature (via secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation), and moisture and clouds (via sulfate production). A decrease in wet day frequency (∼1.2% global mean) contributes to increases in the surface concentrations of black carbon, primary organic matter, and sulfate in many regions. This is offset in some regions by an upward vertical shift in the level where SOA forms, which contributes to higher column burden but lower surface concentration. These results highlight a need, using a variety of modeling tools, to continually reassess aerosol emissions regulations in response to anticipated climate changes.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗