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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 703 records · Page 39
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

A case study of replacing pneumatic tools with battery-powered ones at an automobile assembly plant

Compressed air is ubiquitous in manufacturing facilities and vital for the proper operation of numerous types of manufacturing equipment and processes, but compressed air systems are highly inefficient. One way of reducing compressed air usage and the associated electricity consumption is to replace pneumatic tools with battery-powered ones. This paper studied the energy cost savings and return on investment (ROI) of replacing pneumatic torque wrenches with battery-powered ones at a typical automobile assembly plant. With a total triggered time of 400.6 hours and an assumed electricity rate of $0.10/kWh, the annual energy cost savings was estimated to be $104/year per tool. The simple payback period and ROI were 5.8 years and 17.3%, respectively.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2022

Overview of Integrated Pathway Analyses to Meet the Hydrogen Energy Earthshot Goal

This slide deck was presented at the 2021 DOE Hydrogen Shot Summit on Aug. 31, 2021. The presentation describes two ongoing NETL system analysis efforts: "Comparison of Commercial, State-of-the-Art, Fossil-Based Hydrogen Production Technologies" (nearing completion), and "Hydrogen Energy Earthshot Initiative Screening Analysis" (which has recently started). The former study will detail costs and greenhouse gas emissions profiles of current commercial technologies (e.g., reforming and gasification routes). The latter will focus on our efforts to identify pathways that may meet the goal of the DOE Hydrogen Energy Earthshot Initiative (i.e., $1/kg H2 by 2030) as well as low carbon emissions.

Lewis, Eric↗
DOE OSTI2020

Estimation of abatement potentials and costs of air pollution emissions in China

Understanding the air pollution emission abatement potential and associated control cost is a prerequisite to design cost ef?cient control policies. In this study, a linear programming algorithm model, International Control Cost Estimate Tool, was updated with cost data for applications of 56 types of end-of-pipe technologies and ?ve types of renewable energy in 10 major sectors namely power generation, industry combustion, cement pro-duction, iron and steel production, other industry processes, domestic combustion, transportation, solvent use, livestock rearing, and fertilizer use. The updated model was implemented to estimate the abatement potential and marginal cost of multiple pollutants in China. The total maximum abatement potentials of sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), primary particulate matter (PM2.5), non-volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), and ammonia (NH3) in China were estimated to be 19.2, 20.8, 9.1, 17.2 and 8.6 Mt, respectively, which accounted for 89.7%, 89.9%, 94.6%, 74.0%, and 80.2% of their total emissions in 2014, respectively. The associated control cost of such reductions was estimated as 92.5, 469.7, 75.7, 449.0, and 361.8 billion CNY in SO2, NOx, primary PM2.5, NMVOCs and NH3, respectively. Shandong, Jiangsu, Henan, Zhejiang, and Guangdong provinces exhibited large abatement potentials for all pollutants. Provincial disparity analysis shows that high GDP regions tend to have higher reduction potential and total abatement costs. End-of-pipe technologies tended be a cost-ef?cient way to control pollution in industries processes (i.e., cement plants, iron and steel plants, lime production, building ceramic production, glass and brick production), whereas such technologies were less cost- effective in fossil fuel-related sectors (i.e., power plants, industry combustion, domestic combustion, and transportation) compared with renewable energy. The abatement potentials and marginal abatement cost curves developed in this study can further be used as a crucial component in an integrated model to design optimized cost-ef?cient control policies.

Zhang, Fenfen↗
NASA NTRS2006

Novel Hyperspectral Sun Photometer for Satellite Remote Sensing Data Radiometric Calibration and Atmospheric Aerosol Studies

A simple and cost-effective, hyperspectral sun photometer for radiometric vicarious remote sensing system calibration, air quality monitoring, and potentially in-situ planetary climatological studies, was developed. The device was constructed solely from off the shelf components and was designed to be easily deployable for support of short-term verification and validation data collects. This sun photometer not only provides the same data products as existing multi-band sun photometers, this device requires a simpler setup, less data acquisition time and allows for a more direct calibration approach. Fielding this instrument has also enabled Stennis Space Center (SSC) Applied Sciences Directorate personnel to cross calibrate existing sun photometers. This innovative research will position SSC personnel to perform air quality assessments in support of the NASA Applied Sciences Program's National Applications program element as well as to develop techniques to evaluate aerosols in a Martian or other planetary atmosphere.

Pagnutti, Mary↗
NASA NTRS2006

Novel Hyperspectral Sun Photometer for Satellite Remote Sensing Data Radiometeic Calibration and Atmospheric Aerosol Studies

A simple and cost-effective, hyperspectral sun photometer for radiometric vicarious remote sensing system calibration, air quality monitoring, and potentially in-situ planetary climatological studies, was developed. The device was constructed solely from off the shelf components and was designed to be easily deployable for support of short-term verification and validation data collects. This sun photometer not only provides the same data products as existing multi-band sun photometers but also the potential of hyperspectral optical depth and diffuse-to-global products. As compared to traditional sun photometers, this device requires a simpler setup, less data acquisition time and allows for a more direct calibration approach. Fielding this instrument has also enabled Stennis Space Center (SSC) Applied Sciences Directorate personnel to cross-calibrate existing sun photometers. This innovative research will position SSC personnel to perform air quality assessments in support of the NASA Applied Sciences Program's National Applications program element as well as to develop techniques to evaluate aerosols in a Martian or other planetary atmosphere.

Pagnutti, Mary↗
NASA NTRS2019

Evolving Management Strategies to Improve NASA Flagship's Cost and Schedule Performance: LUVOIR as a Case Study

The LUVOIR study process has brought to fruition an extremely exciting scientific mission concept. The 3.5 year LUVOIR study duration enabled an unprecedented level of scientific, engineering, and technology thoroughness prior to the Astro2020 Decadal. This detail also shed light on many technical and programmatic challenges for efficiently developing a mission of this scale. While NASA's flagships perform exquisitely once on-orbit, there is understandable growing frustration in their development cost and schedule overruns. We felt it incumbent upon ourselves to ask how we could improve on delivering LUVOIR (or any of NASA's future flagships) on schedule and on budget, not just for the next mission, but for all NASA large strategic missions to come. We researched past and current NASA flagship's lessons learned publications and other large government projects that pointed to some systemic challenges that will only grow with larger and more complex strategic missions. Our findings pointed us to some ways that could potentially evolve NASA's current flagship management practices to help improve on their development cost and schedule performance despite their growing complexity.. This paper briefly comments on the science motivation for NASA's flagships and on the science motivation for a LUVOIR-like mission. We argue the motivation for improving NASA's flagships development cost and schedule performance. We review the specific challenges of NASA's flagships to acknowledge their specific issues. We then examine the most repeated systemic challenges we found from previous NASA flagship and other large government project lessons learned/observed. Lastly, we offer recommendations to tackle these repeated systemic challenges facing NASA's flagships. The recommendations culminate into a proactive integrated development and funding framework to enable improving the execution of NASA's future flagship's cost and schedule performance.

Crooke, Julie A.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Communications systems technology assessment study. Volume 2: Results

The cost and technology characteristics are examined for providing special satellite services at UHF, 2.5 GHz, and 14/12 GHz. Considered are primarily health, educational, informational and emergency disaster type services. The total cost of each configuration including space segment, earth station, installation operation and maintenance was optimized to reduce the user's total annual cost and establish preferred equipment performance parameters. Technology expected to be available between now and 1985 is identified and comparisons made between selected alternatives. A key element of the study is a survey of earth station equipment updating past work in the field, providing new insight into technology, and evaluating production and test methods that can reduce costs in large production runs. Various satellite configurations were examined. The cost impact of rain attenuation at Ku-band was evaluated. The factors affecting the ultimate capacity achievable with the available orbital arc and available bandwidth were analyzed.

Kelley, R. L.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Finned-tube-integrated modular thermal storage systems for HVAC load modulation in buildings

While there is considerable focus on latent-based thermal energy storage (TES) systems, the low thermal conductivity of phase change materials (PCMs) remains a critical concern. Many approaches to enhance PCM conductivity either require complicated synthesis processes or are cost prohibitive. In this study, we investigate finned-tube modular TES systems, which are simple in design, easy to manufacture, and cost-effective due to their standard materials and components. The study includes detailed modeling and experimentation of two devices containing similar amounts of PCM but different fin spacings. The study reveals that having more fins does not necessarily increase the TES thermal performance because the reduction in the PCM volume fraction can reduce the TES volumetric and specific energy densities. We find that larger fin spacings provide a higher specific energy for lower C rates (<1C), while smaller fin spacings provide a higher specific energy for higher C rates (>1C).

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
NASA NTRS1983

Photovoltaic power - An important new energy option

A review of photovoltaic (PV) power technology is presented with an emphasis of PV as an economical and technically feasible alternative source of energy. The successful completion of the development and transfer of emerging low-cost technologies into a fully commercialized status are identified as the means to the realization of this option's full potential. The DOE National Photovoltaics Program, a significant sponsor of PV R&D, expects both flat-plate and concentrator collectors to meet established cost targets. Citing the DOE large flat-plate grid-connected system project of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, current technology modules priced at near $5/Wp (1983 dollars) are steadily reducing costs. A recent DOE study suggests that PV-generated electricity produced at a 30-year levelized cost of 15 cents per kWh would represent a viable energy supply alternative for the nation.

Ferber, R. R.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Techno-economic comparison of sCO 2 cycles for particle-based CSP at design-point conditions

In this work, we compare the techno-economic performance of supercritical carbon dioxide power cycles integrated in a particle CSP system. We model four core cycle configurations: simple (with optional bypass), recompression (with optional bypass), partial cooling, and turbine split flow, which each demonstrate different benefits in a CSP system, such as high efficiency, low cost, or large HTF temperature differences. We parametrically sweep cycle design variables for each configuration. The set of power cycle performance results are then combined with a design point particle CSP system model which calculates the system specific cost. The simple cycle and turbine split flow cycles have the best performance in the baseline results, with system specific costs of 5,912 and 5,899 $\$$/kWe respectively. In addition to the baseline set of results, we also vary key parameters and costs in a sensitivity study. The cycle designs with the best system performance limit their efficiency to ~45 %, despite demonstrating higher maximum efficiencies, due to the rapid increase in cost of recuperation as efficiencies rise. The simple cycle has strong performance in the analysis and is on average only 1.4 % worse than the optimal configuration. Lowered turbine inlet temperatures from the sensitivity study improve performance by reducing the PHX and turbine cost. Decreasing the inlet temperature from 700 to 625°C results in an >8 % decrease in system specific cost. Future work should expand sensitivity analyses to colder turbine inlet temperatures and calculate system performance by simulating annual performance with off-design solar and cycle component models.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Binder Jet Additive Manufacturing Process and Material Characterization for High Temperature Heat Exchangers Used in Concentrated Solar Power Applications

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Sunshot 2030 initiative has a goal of reducing the cost of concentrating solar power (CSP) to 5 cents per kWh for baseload power plants. One of the potential pathways to this goal includes a reduction in the cost of the supercritical CO2 (sCO2) power block to 0.9 cents per kWh. Recuperators—high and low temperatures, used in the sCO2 power cycle, contribute to >50% of the cost of the power cycle. This work studies the feasibility towards a ≥10% cost reduction for High Temperature Recuperators (HTR) used in the sCO2 power cycle. One way to address the cost reduction is by leveraging low-cost additive manufacturing, specifically, Binder Jet Additive Manufacturing (BJAM) to 3D print HTRs at scale. This study focuses on the development of a BJAM process towards 3D printing HTR cores using Stainless Steel alloy 316L (SS316L). To evaluate the suitability of the BJ process towards the HTR, high level specifications of the application are translated to materials capability requirements. Subsequently, at-temperature materials testing is conducted on as-printed and sintered additively manufactured coupons. Data from the coupons are compared against cast and wrought SS316L data obtained from the literature. Results show that the tensile properties from the BJ process compare well against cast properties. Furthermore, a baseline analysis of creep testing data is established for the BJ process, and insights are drawn from the results towards future improvements of the process.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1973

Silica RSI for Application to the Shuttle Orbiter

Silica reusable surface insulation is analyzed for its cold soak properties, bond properties at low temperature, gap and step heating effects, and aerodynamic surface roughness effects to determine space shuttle weight and cost sensitivity to structure subsystem weights. Computerized simulation studies show that total program cost savings of silica (vs. mullite) exceed thermal protection system design and development costs and that an early introduction of silica increases total program cost savings.

Forsberg, K. J.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Quantifying Rooftop Solar Benefits: A State-Level Value of Solar Analysis for India

Analyses that quantify the costs and benefits associated with rooftop solar (RTS) adoption and operation can inform decision-makers in the development and evaluation of RTS policies. One such analysis is a Value of Solar (VOS) study, which quantifies select costs and benefits surrounding RTS based on the electricity system context. These studies can drive changes to existing policies towards fairer, more cost-reflective RTS compensation or alternatively can provide confidence for the decision-maker to stay the course and largely maintain existing policies. This report provides a VOS analysis for two states in India: Gujarat and Jharkhand and provides details related to the methodology and key findings.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Harnessing plant‐based platform for low‐cost cellulosic sugar recovery from bioenergy crops

The price of pure cellulase enzyme for the recovery of fermentable cellulosic sugars is one of the major challenges that limit the commercialization of second-generation biofuels and bio-based products. This work shows a means to greatly reduce the cost of cellulases. The abundant capacity of plants to synthesize and hyperaccumulate transgenic proteins in their plastids has been demonstrated for two gene constructs using either NPT II or Tet C to regulate the expression of bacterial cellulase Cel6A. Previously, the expression of Cel6A to 20–35% of total soluble leaf protein in tobacco was shown in two consecutive field trials. Moving forward, the key challenge was the extraction of active enzymes from the transgenic tobacco leaves hyperaccumulating bacterial cellulases in a cost-effective manner. The study showed that unpurified crude extracts of NPT II and Tet C transgenic tobacco leaves recovered ~23% and ~29% w/w cellulosic sugars from energycane bagasse, respectively. A supplementation of as low as 25% of purified commercial cellulase improved the glucose recovery by 2.9 times (~85% w/w) compared to 100% crude extract, which is comparable to the glucose recovery obtained by commercial cellulases, thereby suggesting a reduced requirement of commercial cellulases leading to a cost reduction of 75% for biorefineries. Assuming a stable 40% cellulase yield in total soluble protein under field conditions and multiple harvests (one to three) a year, the study estimates that the potential cost for saccharification of 1 t of lignocellulosic biomass can be reduced to 67–200 USD by using crude leaf extracts of transgenic tobacco.

biofuel↗
NASA NTRS1976

A comparison between conventional and LANDSAT based hydrologic modeling: The Four Mile Run case study

Models designed to support the hydrologic studies associated with urban water resources planning require input parameters that are defined in terms of land cover. Estimating the land cover is a difficult and expensive task when drainage areas larger than a few sq. km are involved. Conventional and LANDSAT based methods for estimating the land cover based input parameters required by hydrologic planning models were compared in a case study of the 50.5 sq. km (19.5 sq. mi) Four Mile Run Watershed in Virginia. Results of the study indicate that the LANDSAT based approach is highly cost effective for planning model studies. The conventional approach to define inputs was based on 1:3600 aerial photos, required 110 man-days and a total cost of $14,000. The LANDSAT based approach required 6.9 man-days and cost $2,350. The conventional and LANDSAT based models gave similar results relative to discharges and estimated annual damages expected from no flood control, channelization, and detention storage alternatives.

Ragan, R. M.↗
NASA NTRS1989

The benefits and costs of automation in advanced helicopters - An empirical study

A helicopter simulation was conducted to examine the interaction between voice-activated controls and altitude-hold automation. A single-pilot scout/attack helicopter with conventional controls was simulated with full out-the-window computer-generated imagery. Helicopter pilots performed simulated missions which included hover, cruise and ground attack phases. For half of the flights, voice-activated controls were used instead of manual controls, for two flight tasks (weapon selection and data-burst transmission). Hover performance during data-burst hover improved when voice-activation was used. However, subjective ratings indicated higher workload levels with voice-activation. An altitude-hold automation manipulation was crossed with the voice-activation/manual manipulation. Altitude-hold automation provided two significant benefits: (1) pilots were able to hover with less lateral movement; and (2) pilots reported less workload. However, there was a performance cost associated with the automation. Pilots were significantly slower in responding to unexpected events during hover.

Bortolussi, Michael R.↗