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NASA NTRS2013

DSP/FPGA Design for a High-Speed Programmable S-Band Space Transceiver

Traditional command uplink receivers are very limited in performance capability, take a long time to acquire, cannot operate on both uplink bands (NASA & AFSCN), and only support low-rate communications. As a result, transceivers end up on many programs critical paths, even though they should be a standard purchased spacecraft subsystem. Also, many missions are impacted by the low effective uplink throughput. In order to tackle these challenges, a transceiver was developed that will provide on-site frequency agility, support of high uplink rates, and operation on both NASA and AFSCN frequency bands. The device is a low-power, high-reliability, and high-performance digital signal processing (DSP) demodulator for an on-orbit programmable command receiver.

Janicik, Jeffrey↗

DOE OSTI2011

Contingency Visualization for Real-Time Decision Support in Grid Operation

Contingency analysis is a key function in control centers to assess the impact of various combinations of power system component failures based on state estimates. Today's practice analyzes only a limited set of contingency cases and lacks of capabilities in presenting the results in a way that is easy to be understood by grid operators in a short time frame of seconds to minutes. This limits the ability to operate the power grid for better reliability and efficiency. Faster analysis of more cases is required to safely and reliably operate today's power grids which have a less margin and more intermittent renewable energy sources. This paper explores the advancements in high performance computing and visual analytics for improving the computational speed and the information representation in contingency analysis. A framework of advanced contingency analysis is proposed. Case studies using the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) system are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed framework. Comparative assessment by real power grid operators has been performed as part of a WECC operator training class. The assessment results demonstrate the validity of the proposed contingency analysis and visualization approach.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

NASA NTRS2019

An Approach for Uncertainty Quantification and Management of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Health

The increasing interest in low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations is bringing along safety concerns. Performance of small, low-cost UAVs drastically changes with type, size and controller of the vehicle. Their reliability is lower when compared to reliability of commercial aircrafts, and the availability of on-board sensors for health and state awareness is extremely limited due to their size and propulsion capabilities. Uncertainty plays a dominant role in such a scenario, where a variety of UAVs of different size, propulsion systems, dynamic performance and reliability enters the low-altitude airspace. Unexpected failures could have dangerous consequences for both equipment and humans within that same airspace. As a result, a number of research works and methodologies are being proposed in the area of UAV dynamic modeling, health and safety monitoring, but uncertainty quantification is rarely addressed. Thus, this paper pro- poses a perspective towards uncertainty quantification for autonomous systems, giving special emphasis to a UAV health monitoring application. A formal approach to classify uncertainty is presented; it is utilized to identify the uncertainty sources in UAVs health and operations, and then map uncertainty within a predictive process. To show the application of the methodology proposed here, the design of a model-based powertrain health monitoring algorithm for small-size UAVs is used as case study. The example illustrates how the uncertainty quantification approach can help the modeling strategy, as well as the assessment of diagnostic and prognostic performance.

Health Monitoring↗

NASA NTRS2019

Integrated Refrigeration and Storage of LNG for Compositional Stability

Growing interest in liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a rocket fuel necessitates a greater technical understanding of the compositional changes due to preferential boil-off (or weathering) that occurs during long duration storage. The purity of methane in LNG can range from 90 to 98%, and is subject to preferential boil-off due to its low boiling point compared to other constituents despite the use of high-performance thermal insulation systems. Active heat extraction (i.e. refrigeration) is required to completely eliminate weathering. For future operational safety and reliability, and to better understand the quality and efficiency of the LNG as a cryofuel, a 400-liter Cryostat vessel was designed and constructed to measure the composition and temperatures of the LNG at a number of different liquid levels over long durations. The vessel is the centerpiece of a custom-designed lab-scale integrated refrigeration and storage (IRaS) system employing a pulse tube cryocooler capable of roughly 50 W of lift at 100 K. Instrumentation includes ten temperature sensors mounted on a vertical rake and five liquid sample tubes corresponding to five liquid levels. Two modes of operation are studied. The first is without refrigeration in order to determine a baseline in the change in composition, and to study stratification of the LNG. The second is performed with the cryocooler active to determine the operational parameters of the IRaS system for eliminating the weathering as well as stratification effects in the bulk liquid. The apparatus design and test method, as well as preliminary test results are presented in this paper. As a bonus in cost-saving and operational efficiency, the capability of the IRaS system to provide zero-loss capabilities such as zero boil-off (ZBO) keeping of the LNG and zero-loss filling/transfer operations are also discussed.

Rose, Laura P.↗

NASA NTRS2019

Integrated Refrigeration and Storage of LNG for Compositional Stability

Rose, L.↗

DOE OSTI2017

Probability of Detection Study to Assess the Performance of Nondestructive Inspection Methods for Wind Turbine Blades.

Wind turbine blades pose a unique set of inspection challenges that span from very thick and attentive spar cap structures to porous bond lines, varying core material and a multitude of manufacturing defects of interest. The need for viable, accurate nondestructive inspection (NDI) technology becomes more important as the cost per blade, and lost revenue from downtime, grows. NDI methods must not only be able to contend with the challenges associated with inspecting extremely thick composite laminates and subsurface bond lines, but must also address new inspection requirements stemming from the growing understanding of blade structural aging phenomena. Under its Blade Reliability Collaborative program, Sandia Labs quantitatively assessed the performance of a wide range of NDI methods that are candidates for wind blade inspections. Custom wind turbine blade test specimens, containing engineered defects, were used to determine critical aspects of NDI performance including sensitivity, accuracy, repeatability, speed of inspection coverage, and ease of equipment deployment. The detection of fabrication defects helps enhance plant reliability and increase blade life while improved inspection of operating blades can result in efficient blade maintenance, facilitate repairs before critical damage levels are reached and minimize turbine downtime. The Sandia Wind Blade Flaw Detection Experiment was completed to evaluate different NDI methods that have demonstrated promise for interrogating wind blades for manufacturing flaws or in-service damage. These tests provided the Probability of Detection information needed to generate industry-wide performance curves that quantify: 1) how well current inspection techniques are able to reliably find flaws in wind turbine blades (industry baseline) and 2) the degree of improvements possible through integrating more advanced NDI techniques and procedures. _____________ S a n d i a N a t i o n a l L a b o r a t o r i e s i s a m u l t i m i s s i o n l a b o r a t o r y m a n a g e d a n d o p e r a t e d b y N a t i o n a l T e c h n o l o g y a n d E n g i n e e r i n g S o l u t i o n s o f S a n d i a , L L C , a w h o l l y o w n e d s u b s i d i a r y o f H o n e y w e l l I n t e r n a t i o n a l , I n c . , f o r t h e U . S . D e p a r t m e n t o f E n e r g y ' s N a t i o n a l N u c l e a r S e c u r i t y A d m i n i s t r a t i o n u n d e r c o n t r a c t D E - N A 0 0 0 3 5 2 5 .

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2016

Remote Retrieval, Disruption and Processing of Legacy Nuclear Waste - 16179

The UK National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) is currently undertaking, in conjunction with Sellafield Ltd, a series of high profile trials of robotic equipment on a full scale test facility at their Workington Laboratory in England. These trials are designed to underpin and substantiate the processes proposed for the remote retrieval, disruption and processing of legacy Miscellaneous Beta Gamma Waste (MBGW) from a number of different donor plants on the Sellafield site, including some of the older fuel storage ponds and storage silos. These processes will be conducted inside the new Box Encapsulation Plant (BEP) which is due to be commissioned at Sellafield by 2020. These processes will subsequently enable Sellafield Ltd to safely recover legacy Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) from the older storage facilities on site and process it into a safer form which is more suitable for long term storage and then ultimately final disposal in a Geological Disposal Facility. As part of this legacy waste processing within the BEP plant, MBGW waste items will have to be remotely removed from a variety of different types of import skips. This waste will then be transferred, using robots, into the export container, which is a 3 m{sup 3} box liner, where the processed waste will be flood grouted to produce an encapsulated waste package. As part of this processing, any MBGW items consisting of sealed containers will have to be remotely disrupted before being grout encapsulated. This disruption is in order to (a) release any trapped liquors or gases from the containers and (b) ensure full grout infiltration of the container contents, thus minimising the amount of free liquors and voids within the final waste product. The NNL are conducting this technical work to confirm the viability of the proposed concept, processes and equipment. The developed solution consists of a linear layout of processing equipment with a pair of heavy duty, standard industrial, 'commercially off the shelf' (COTS) robots positioned around a Waste Handling Table. These robots have a 500 kg payload capacity and are operated remotely to handle all of the various types of MBGW waste, including the heavy and bulky items. The robots can be operated in manual tele-operation mode as well as pre-programmed automatic mode and have a range of primary and secondary tooling in order to perform the waste processing and disruption tasks as well as undertake general house-keeping and cleaning duties within the cell. The main tools include two types of hydraulic grab for the main waste recovery and handling tasks and a hydraulic shear for the waste disruption activities, but a number of other tools have also been designed and built for ancillary activities, such as a set of general purpose gripper jaws, drilling tool, bolt removal tool, pump tool, spray tool and a number of different housekeeping tools etc. The robot trials were started in November 2014, and have attracted a significant degree of high level stakeholder interest, including the UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), Environment Agency (EA) and Radioactive Waste Management Limited (RWML) witnessing a number of the critical demonstration trials. Robots of the type selected are readily available, robust, reliable and easy to use. The trials have been very successful in proving the retrieval, processing and disruption operations, reducing the burden in the legacy waste facilities. Utilising robots to perform these tasks will lower the probability of producing non-compliant waste packages. In addition the robots can increase the consolidation of incoming waste skips into outgoing 3 m{sup 3} box liners, significantly increasing packing efficiencies and reducing the overall number of export containers produced thus lowering the decommissioning and waste storage/disposal costs. The trials have also enabled an assessment of the optimum way to operate the robots, as well as their reliability and maintainability issues. Engineering work associated with recovering failed robots and removing them from a typical Sellafield plant environment and then subsequently replacing them with functioning robots has also been undertaken and further work is now planned. The success of the trials, completed safely to a very challenging timescale, has enabled the use of robots in BEP to be endorsed as a viable option by the key stakeholders. Following a robust decision making process, this was a clear cut decision. The technical development and testing of the robot technology is currently continuing in order to investigate areas such as robot reliability, failure recoveries, human factors, ease of waste identification, optimisation of throughput rates, nuclearisation modifications etc. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Strategies for Quantifying Human Space Flight Performance in the Crew Health and Performance System

The Crew Health and Performance-Probabilistic Risk Assessment (CHP-PRA) team at NASA Glenn Research Center is planning a customized approach to quantify human spaceflight performance changes with respect to changes to the CHP system functions and capabilities. Using the Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAG) initiated by NASA’s Human Systems Risk Board (HSRB) [1], the team is surveying potential candidate models and novel strategies that generate metrics suitable for supporting decision making related to how the CHP system may influence human system performance risk. One such investigation includes classic Human Reliability Analysis (HRA) models. Traditionally, HRA methods estimate the occurrence of human errors and their impact on the success of an activity when designing and operating a system. While humans perceive, interpret, decide on, and carry out a course of action, the factors affecting performance and error likelihood are commonly referred to as performance shaping factors (PSFs). Originally developed to alleviate safety concerns related to nuclear power plant operations, HRA methods such as THERP [2] and CREAM [3] dismantle an activity into tasks, requiring elemental steps to be executed, and assess their failure due to predefined PSFs. In this study, we compare generic HRA methods and those that incorporate some human spaceflight aspects, such as sleep conditions (SCREAM [4]), with respect to how they may be adopted to capture performance with an intention to mitigate detrimental outcomes elucidated by the HSRB DAGs. We suggest strategies to quantify astronaut performance specific to spaceflight activities and illustrate how such concepts may help in optimizing the CHP system capabilities with respect to Artemis missions.

dag↗

DOE OSTI2025

Virtual Cable Impedance based Load Sharing in a Microgrid for Parallel Connected Grid Forming Converters

This paper presents a novel approach to power sharing between direct connected grid-forming converters, utilizing virtual cable impedance and droop-based outer loop control. To enhance stability, resistive droop is implemented, while virtual cable impedance with non-zero resistive and inductive components ensures improved power sharing. The inner loop controller employs a Lyapunov energy function to achieve superior dynamic performance. The proposed control architecture is validated through comprehensive modeling and real-time processor-in-the-loop simulations, demonstrating its robustness and efficiency under various operating conditions. The results highlight the potential of this control strategy to improve the reliability and efficiency of renewable energy systems. Additionally, a comparative analysis with traditional methods underscores the advantages of the proposed approach in terms of stability and performance. The proposed control architecture offers a scalable and flexible solution for grid-forming converters, enabling seamless integration of renewable energy sources. Its robustness and adaptability make it an attractive solution for real-world applications. Furthermore, the approach can be extended to other power electronic systems, enhancing overall system performance and efficiency. By providing a reliable and efficient control strategy, this paper contributes to the advancement of renewable energy systems and their adoption in the energy sector. The proposed control strategy has far-reaching implications for the widespread adoption of renewable energy sources, enabling a more sustainable and efficient energy future. The overall system is modeled in MATLAB/Simulink and PLECS software domain.

grid forming converters (GFM)↗

DOE OSTI2012

Mentoring Human Performance - 12480

Although the positive effects of implementing a human performance approach to operations can be hard to quantify, many organizations and industry areas are finding tangible benefits to such a program. Recently, a unique mentoring program was established and implemented focusing on improving the performance of managers, supervisors, and work crews, using the principles of Human Performance Improvement (HPI). The goal of this mentoring was to affect behaviors and habits that reliably implement the principles of HPI to ensure continuous improvement in implementation of an Integrated Safety Management System (ISMS) within a Conduct of Operations framework. Mentors engaged with personnel in a one-on-one, or one-on-many dialogue, which focused on what behaviors were observed, what factors underlie the behaviors, and what changes in behavior could prevent errors or events, and improve performance. A senior management sponsor was essential to gain broad management support. A clear charter and management plan describing the goals, objectives, methodology, and expected outcomes was established. Mentors were carefully selected with senior management endorsement. Mentors were assigned to projects and work teams based on the following three criteria: 1) knowledge of the work scope; 2) experience in similar project areas; and 3) perceived level of trust they would have with project management, supervision, and work teams. This program was restructured significantly when the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) and the associated funding came to an end. The program was restructured based on an understanding of the observations, attributed successes and identified shortfalls, and the consolidation of those lessons. Mentoring the application of proven methods for improving human performance was shown effective at increasing success in day-to-day activities and increasing confidence and level of skill of supervisors. While mentoring program effectiveness is difficult to measure, and return on investment is difficult to quantify, especially in complex and large organizations where the ability to directly correlate causal factors can be challenging, the evidence presented by Sydney Dekker, James Reason, and others who study the field of human factors does assert managing and reducing error is possible. Employment of key behaviors-HPI techniques and skills-can be shown to have a significant impact on error rates. Our mentoring program demonstrated reduced error rates and corresponding improvements in safety and production. Improved behaviors are the result, of providing a culture with consistent, clear expectations from leadership, and processes and methods applied consistently to error prevention. Mentoring, as envisioned and executed in this program, was effective in helping shift organizational culture and effectively improving safety and production. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2011

Magnetic Insulation for Electrostatic Accelerators

The voltage gradient which can be sustained between electrodes without electrical breakdowns is usually one of the most important parameters in determining the performance which can be obtained in an electrostatic accelerator. We have recently proposed a technique which might permit reliable operation of electrostatic accelerators at higher electric field gradients, perhaps also with less time required for the conditioning process in such accelerators. The idea is to run an electric current through each accelerator stage so as to produce a magnetic field which envelopes each electrode and its electrically conducting support structures. Having the magnetic field everywhere parallel to the conducting surfaces in the accelerator should impede the emission of electrons, and inhibit their ability to acquire energy from the electric field, thus reducing the chance that local electron emission will initiate an arc. A relatively simple experiment to assess this technique is being planned. If successful, this technique might eventually find applicability in electrostatic accelerators for fusion and other applications.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

NASA NTRS2001

Revalidation of the NASA Ames 11-by 11-Foot Transonic Wind Tunnel with a Commercial Airplane Model

The 11-By 11-Foot Transonic leg of the Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel (UPWT) was modernized to improve tunnel performance, capability, productivity, and reliability. Wind tunnel tests to demonstrate the readiness of the tunnel for a return to production operations included an Integrated Systems Test (IST), calibration tests, and airplane validation tests. One of the two validation tests was a 0.037-scale Boeing 777 model that was previously tested in the 11-By 11-Foot tunnel in 1991. The objective of the validation tests was to compare pre-modernization and post-modernization results from the same airplane model in order to substantiate the operational readiness of the facility. Evaluation of within-test, test-to-test, and tunnel-to-tunnel data repeatability were made to study the effects of the tunnel modifications. Tunnel productivity was also evaluated to determine the readiness of the facility for production operations. The operation of the facility, including model installation, tunnel operations, and the performance of tunnel systems, was observed and facility deficiency findings generated. The data repeatability studies and tunnel-to-tunnel comparisons demonstrated outstanding data repeatability and a high overall level of data quality. Despite some operational and facility problems, the validation test was successful in demonstrating the readiness of the facility to perform production airplane wind tunnel%, tests.

Kmak, Frank J.↗

NASA NTRS2007

Continuously Regenerable Freeze-Out CO2 Control Technology

Carbon dioxide (CO2) removal technology development for portable life support systems (PLSS) has traditionally concentrated in the areas of solid and liquid chemical sorbents and semi-permeable membranes. Most of these systems are too heavy in gravity environments, require prohibitive amounts of consumables for operation on long term planetary missions, or are inoperable on the surface of Mars due to the presence of a CO2 atmosphere. This paper describes the effort performed to mature an innovative CO2 removal technology that meets NASA s planetary mission needs while adhering to the important guiding principles of simplicity, reliability, and operability. A breadboard cryogenic carbon dioxide scrubber (Cryo Scrubber) for a closed loop cryogenic PLSS was developed, designed, and tested, and a conceptual design suitable for a PLSS was developed based on the results of the breadboard testing. The Cryo Scrubber freezes CO2 and other trace contaminants out of expired vent loop gas using cooling available from a liquid oxygen (LOX) based PLSS. The device is continuously regenerable, with solid CO2 being removed from the cold freeze-out surfaces, sublimated, and vented overboard. Duration is limited only by the supply of LOX stored in the PLSS. Simplicity, reliability, and operability are universally important criteria for critical hardware on long duration Lunar or Mars missions. The Cryo Scrubber has no moving parts, requires no additional consumables, and uses no electrical power, contributing to its simplicity and reliability. It is easy to use; no operator action is required to prepare, use, or shut down the Cryo Scrubber, and it does not require charging or regeneration. The versatility of the concept allows for operation on earth, the moon, and Mars, and in microgravity.

Fricker, John↗

DOE OSTI2013

IDHEAS – A NEW APPROACH FOR HUMAN RELIABILITY ANALYSIS

This paper describes a method, IDHEAS (Integrated Decision-Tree Human Event Analysis System) that has been developed jointly by the US NRC and EPRI as an improved approach to Human Reliability Analysis (HRA) that is based on an understanding of the cognitive mechanisms and performance influencing factors (PIFs) that affect operator responses. The paper describes the various elements of the method, namely the performance of a detailed cognitive task analysis that is documented in a crew response tree (CRT), and the development of the associated time-line to identify the critical tasks, i.e. those whose failure results in a human failure event (HFE), and an approach to quantification that is based on explanations of why the HFE might occur.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

DOE OSTI2012

Lithium-based surfaces controlling fusion plasma behavior at the plasma-material interface

The plasma-material interface and its impact on the performance of magnetically confined thermonuclear fusion plasmas are considered to be one of the key scientific gaps in the realization of nuclear fusion power. At this interface, high particle and heat flux from the fusion plasma can limit the material's lifetime and reliability and therefore hinder operation of the fusion device. Lithium-based surfaces are now being used in major magnetic confinement fusion devices and have observed profound effects on plasma performance including enhanced confinement, suppression and control of edge localized modes (ELM), lower hydrogen recycling and impurity suppression. The critical spatial scale length of deuterium and helium particle interactions in lithium ranges between 5-100 nm depending on the incident particle energies at the edge and magnetic configuration. Lithium-based surfaces also range from liquid state to solid lithium coatings on a variety of substrates (e.g., graphite, stainless steel, refractory metal W/Mo/etc., or porous metal structures). Temperature-dependent effects from lithium-based surfaces as plasma facing components (PFC) include magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instability issues related to liquid lithium, surface impurity, and deuterium retention issues, and anomalous physical sputtering increase at temperatures above lithium's melting point. The paper discusses the viability of lithium-based surfaces in future burning-plasma environments such as those found in ITER and DEMO-like fusion reactor devices.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

NASA NTRS2002

Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) Options for the Future Shuttle

The main engines for the Future Shuttle will focus on improved safety and operability. Performance enhancements may also be required for vehicle safety purposes to achieve more desirable abort scenarios. This paper discusses the potential improvements that will be considered for implementation into the Future Shuttle. Integrated engine and vehicle health management systems will achieve additional system-level reliability improvements over those currently in development. Advanced instrumentation for detecting leaks, analyzing component wear and degradation, and providing sophisticated operational data will be used for reliable engine control and scheduling maintenance operations. A new nozzle and main combustion chamber (MCC) will reduce failure probability by 50% and allow for higher thrust capability without requiring the entire engine to be redesigned. Turbopump improvements may range from minor component improvements to using 3rd-generation pumps built on the advanced concepts demonstrated by the Integrated Powerhead Development (IPD) program and the Space Launch Initiative (SLI) prototype engines.The main engines for the Future Shuttle will focus on improved safety and operability. Performance enhancements may also be required for vehicle safety purposes to achieve more desirable abort scenarios. This paper discusses the potential improvements that will be considered for implementation into the Future Shuttle. Integrated engine and vehicle health management systems will achieve additional system-level reliability improvements over those currently in development. Advanced instrumentation for detecting leaks, analyzing component wear and degradation, and providing sophisticated operational data will be used for reliable engine control and scheduling maintenance operations. A new nozzle and main combustion chamber (MCC) will reduce failure probability by 50% and allow for higher thrust capability without requiring the entire engine to be redesigned. Turbopump improvements may range from minor component improvements to using 3rd-generation pumps built on the advanced concepts demonstrated by the Integrated Powerhead Development (IPD) program and the Space Launch Initiative (SLI) prototype engines.

Jue, Fred↗

DOE OSTI2019

Chemical Looping Coal Gasification Sub-Pilot Unit Demonstration and Economic Assessment for IGCC applications (Final Report)

The Ohio State University (OSU) coal to syngas (CTS) technology is an advanced air separation process that can be applied for electricity production via an integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC). The objective of the proposed project is to enable the OSU CLG technology for a commercially relevant demonstration by 2020. In order to accomplish this objective, small pilot scale demonstration of the CLG reactor system was performed. The small pilot test unit incorporates commercially scalable non-mechanical gas sealing and solids flow control components for extended operations of the integrated reactor system. A cumulative demonstration of greater than 100 hours was performed to confirm the reliability of the reactors (reducer and oxidizer) and non-mechanical devices in maintaining controlled solid circulation, gas sealing, and coal distribution in the reactor (reducer) as well as to confirm sustained syngas product performance. A comprehensive techno-economic analysis (TEA) of the OSU CLG process for IGCC application was conducted with the support of WorleyParsons, Ltd. (WP) and compared to the Department of Energy (DOE) baseline IGCC report. Using the data gained from the small pilot demonstration, a complete comprehensive techno-economic analysis (TEA) of the CLG process was conducted. The evaluation was used as basis to attract utilities and coal industries in Ohio. The project duration lasts 30 months (6 months of no cost extension). Ohio coal was used in the integrated CLG small pilot unit to convert to high hydrogen syngas. A demonstration of the integrated chemical looping reactor system at the 15 kW th scale accelerates technology commercialization in the near term. The 15 kWth demonstration addressed several major technology gaps, such as coal injection and distribution in the reducer, controllable solids circulation with the desired fuel to solids ratio, system pressure distribution for proper gas sealing, effects of contaminants and fuel/oxygen carrier residence time requirements. The fates of impurities, such as SO x and NO x was also investigated in unit demonstrations. WP conducted a comprehensive system TEA to optimize the OSU CLG process design for efficient electricity generation with greater than 90% CO 2 capture in IGCC applications. The conclusion of this project supports the further scale-up of the technology to a commercially applicable large pilot scale test unit for operation by 2020. More importantly, it benefits Ohio as it provides an economically competitive mean for power generation with carbon capture. Given the rise of natural gas usage and strict environmental regulations, the use of Ohio coal is expected to decrease and thus impact the coal economy in Ohio. The conclusion of this project provided way for Ohio coal to compete in the future and secure jobs in the energy sector.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗

DOE OSTI2022

Transformational Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) Technology

This project was conducted under the Co-operative Agreement No. DE-FE0027584 with the US Department Energy to developed advanced Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) Technologies. The overall objective of this project was to advance SOFC technology at the cell and stack level to enhance cell robustness and durability, increase performance, and reduce balance-of-plant (BOP) requirements. By reducing system complexity combined with the increases in power density and efficiency, the ultimate goal of the project was to increased reliability and to reduce capital and operating costs of installed systems. The project was focused on pathways that will reduce the cost of the SOFC cell and stack, including the following areas: Robust, redox tolerant cell technology Lower cost cell manufacturing through advances in cell design, which will reduce the amount of material, energy and time used in the fabrication of SOFCs High performance, low temperature electrolyte based on improvement of established materials Innovative SOFC stack architecture which truly integrates Balance of Plant functionality into the stack level design Thermal management of the fuel cell stack for increased durability and expanded window of operation Novel stack design amenable for use in sub-MW to multi-MW-scale power plants and having low replacement cost The incorporation of balance-of-plant (BOP) equipment into the stack platform increased the economic viability of smaller scale systems. The project objectives were met by a multi-prong approach, including new cell design complemented with modifications to existing cell technology, as well as a new stack design incorporating components typically included in the BOP, such as heat exchangers, oxidizer, fuel reformers, and recycle systems. The project culminated with demonstration of a stack test validating the viability of the cell and stack improvements. A cost model was also developed to estimate costs for the advanced stack technology at high volume manufacturing levels. The net outcome of the project is SOFC cell and stack technology with costs significantly below current DOE targets without compromising and, in some cases, improving on the performance and degradation rate demonstrated with the current state-of-the-art stack design. The results of this project advanced the reliability, robustness, and endurance of low-cost SOFC technology that ultimately are ready to be deployed in coal power systems with greater than 60 percent efficiency (based on higher heating value of fuel) and the capability for ≥97% CO 2 capture at a cost-of-electricity that is approximately 40 percent below presently available Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle systems.

03 NATURAL GAS↗