Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “testbed”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Salt Tank Testbed: a Test Site Designed to Replicate Floor Buckles Observed in Commercial TES Tanks

A test site has been designed and is under construction to replicate the buckling failure ob-served in several in-service storage tanks for nitrate salts operating up to 565°C. In commercial tanks multiple factors have been identified that influence the floors susceptibility to buck-ling, including: the as-manufactured shape of the floor, high compressive stresses due to thermal gradients and/or friction, fluid inventory and absolute temperature. Based on exten-sive modeling analysis it was determined that similar buckles can be reproduced in a scaled test tank (approximately 9x smaller than a representative commercial tank design). To buckle the scaled tank a radial thermal gradient is generated in the tank with a low fluid level, the fluid level is then increased while maintaining the thermal gradient; based on the modeling results just one of these cycles can plastically deform the tank floor. The test site which is under construction is designed to replicate this damaging cycle at lower temperatures. The goal of testing will be to reproduce this damaging cycle and buckle the scaled test tank floor, allowing proper model validation and a methodology for comparing different tank designs at a smaller (and less costly) scale.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Considerations for a Medium-Voltage DC Electrolysis Testbed

Here we present the results of a study focused on the feasibility of using Medium Voltage DC (MVDC) power distribution from wind power generation to electrolyzers for hydrogen production. This approach, using hybrid energy generation in a MVDC microgrid, offers many advantages. These include possible improvements in efficiency, reliability and installation cost compared to a more typical state-of-the-art AC distribution configuration. It also eliminates the need for transformers, which have recently been subject to price volatility and availability concerns. This study highlights the practical feasibility of MVDC distribution networks for integrating various energy sources, offering improved efficiency and reduced system complexity compared to conventional AC-based solutions. Future work will focus on enhancing fault protection strategies, scaling the system to larger renewable installations, and conducting hardware implementation at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) Flatirons Campus (FC). In the sections that follow we show that a DC Collection and Distribution System (DC CDS) reduces the losses associated with the electrical conversion / distribution process relative to a state-of-the-art AC approach, improving overall efficiency by 5%. On the qualitative side, reducing the number of conversion stages is likely to improve reliability, reduce capital investment cost, and enable simpler control algorithms to be used, and reduced risk of instabilities and malfunctions.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2024

Open-Source Tidal Energy Converter (OSTEC) Testbed: Design Basis Report

This report describes the design basis and design details for an instrumented marine turbine system intended to serve as the DOE’s marine tidal turbine test bed for foundational open-source R&D and data generation to advance our understanding and to identify knowledge gaps on the techno-economic performance of tidal energy converters (TEC) under real tidal flow conditions and at sufficiently large scale to enable upscaling of fluid-structure-interactions and component and material load responses

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2026

Design of a SMART Valve Testbed for Nuclear Thermal Dispatch

By the year 2050, the United States aims to achieve net-zero carbon emissions. To achieve this target, the licensing of the Light Water Reactor (LWR) fleet has been extended for 20 more years. To stay economically competitive with other power sources such as renewable and fossil-fuel power plants, the U.S. Department of Energy has introduced a plan to modernize the existing LWR fleet and diversify the revenue stream. One of the plans is to dispatch thermal energy to endothermic industrial processes. SMART valves will play an important role in this initiative by efficiently balancing the load by regulating valves in a coordinated manner while monitoring the thermal-hydraulic systems to enhance safety and maintain the integrity of the power plant. This research aims to develop a facility to test the coordinated control algorithm and produce various test results for training the monitoring system. The constructed facility is capable of simulating various operational and accidental scenarios by coordinating all the valves (positions) and pump (flowrate). The facility is developed with an Internet of Things (IoT)-based custom system and a python-based valve position control and coordination mechanism. It has achieved stable sensor outputs, pump control, and coordinated valve regulation in all three valves with minimum obstruction in the system.

22 - GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2024

The Advanced Scale Up Reactor Experiment (ASURE) Facility: A Testbed for Advancing the Art of Biomass and Waste Co-Gasification Systems.

This paper was an executive summary for an oral presentation to be included in the conference proceedings of the 2024 Clearwater Clean Energy conference. It includes a brief discussion of the plans to construct a small pilot-scale co-gasification test facility known as the Advanced Scale Up Reactor Experiment (ASURE) Facility at NETL’s Morgantown, WV site in support of FECM’s goals for advancing biomass and waste co-gasification systems for carbon-neutral hydrogen production.

Rowan, Steven↗
DOE OSTI2024

Preliminary Benchmark Uncertainties for Deimos, a HALEU-Fueled and Graphite-Moderated Advanced Reactor Testbed

Many advanced reactor concepts will make use of various uranium fuels with levels of enrichment higher than previously seen in current light water reactors. In particular, High-Assay Low Enriched Uranium (HALEU), that is uranium enriched to 235 U ≈ 20 w/o%, is planned to be used in over ten new reactor concepts. HALEU is attractive for advanced reactors as it enables longer intervals between refueling. Unfortunately, little to no experience with HALEU is available in experimental literature raising concerns for not only licensing advanced re actors but also fabrication and transportation of HALEU fuels. This is where Deimos, a Los Alamos National Laboratory internal project, comes in. Deimos is a new critical experiment scheduled for FY24 at the National Criticality Experiments Research Center (NCERC). Deimos is a graphite moderated, graphite and beryllium reflected critical experiment making use of HALEU TRi-structural ISOtropic (TRISO) fuel from the Compact Nuclear Power System (CNPS). This transaction entails a brief description of efforts to benchmark Deimos for inclusion into the International Criticality Safety

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗