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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 829 records · Page 46
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Multi-functional anodes boost the transient power and durability of proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Abstract Proton exchange membrane fuel cells have been regarded as the most promising candidate for fuel cell vehicles and tools. Their broader adaption, however, has been impeded by cost and lifetime. By integrating a thin layer of tungsten oxide within the anode, which serves as a rapid-response hydrogen reservoir, oxygen scavenger, sensor for power demand, and regulator for hydrogen-disassociation reaction, we herein report proton exchange membrane fuel cells with significantly enhanced power performance for transient operation and low humidified conditions, as well as improved durability against adverse operating conditions. Meanwhile, the enhanced power performance minimizes the use of auxiliary energy-storage systems and reduces costs. Scale fabrication of such devices can be readily achieved based on the current fabrication techniques with negligible extra expense. This work provides proton exchange membrane fuel cells with enhanced power performance, improved durability, prolonged lifetime, and reduced cost for automotive and other applications.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Grid connection barriers to renewable energy deployment in the United States

Bulk-power grid connection is an emerging bottleneck to the entry of wind, solar, and storage but has been understudied due to a lack of data. We create and analyze two novel interconnection datasets with more than 38,000 project-level observations that provide new information documenting interconnection challenges in the United States. Active grid connection requests are more than double the total installed capacity of the US power plant fleet (2,600 vs. 1,280 GW). The time required to secure a connection has increased by 70% over the last decade, and withdrawal rates remain high at 80%, suggesting a constrained transmission system that jeopardizes energy transition targets. Wide distributions of interconnection costs indicate the inherent uncertainty of the interconnection process. Interconnection requests that identify large transmission upgrades tend to withdraw from the process. These findings suggest the need for interconnection reforms, tighter links between long-term transmission planning and project-level interconnection processes, and more interconnection outcome transparency.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2023

SPUTTERED THIN FILMS FOR VERY HIGH POWER, EFFICIENT, AND LOW-COST COMMERCIAL SOFCS

The aim of this project was to leverage the low area specific resistance (ASR) of Redox’s GDC electrolyte-based cell architecture and increase solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) efficiency (i.e., open circuit voltage, or OCV) without significantly increasing cell resistance. The key to achieving the increased SOFC efficiency is the introduction of a thin sputtered yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electron-blocking layer and a thin sputtered gadolinia doped ceria (GDC) barrier layer on top of the half-cell substrate (i.e., anode and GDC electrolyte). A key initial effort of the project was to improve the quality of the half-cell substrate surface so that any remaining defects were significantly smaller than the desired film thickness. During lab-scale trials, we had to overcome challenges with film cracking during post-sputtering treatments (e.g., thermal anneals) as well as damage to the sputtering targets. After the initial lab-scale trials, the focus shifted toward the use of commercial scale sputtering equipment with a sputtering equipment manufacturer in the microelectronics industry. Using the commercial sputtering equipment, we deposited films with different variations of power, PO2, sputtering time, platen speed, etc. We then determined the combinations of sputtering conditions and post-sputtering treatments that yielded high-quality films without cracks or other significant defects. While thin films were deposited on cells as large as 10 cm by 10 cm, the processing was optimized using 4 cm by 4 cm cells. Cell performance was evaluated in stainless-steel test fixtures between 500 °C and 700 °C with hydrogen fuel fed to the anode and air fed to the cathode. Extensive studies allowed us to determine that modified cathode and cathode contact firing processes were required to achieve theoretical OCV. Moreover, use of the new firing processes resulted in the need for a modified cathode contact to achieve a low ASR. In summary, the project demonstrated the performance of high OCV (1.13 V at 650 °C) from sputtered layers and a low ASR (~0.25 Ohms-cm2 at 650 °C) resulting from a modification of cathode/contact processing and the introduction of alternative contact layers that are sufficient to yield a Gen-1 cell with a maximum power density of approximately 1.2 W/cm2. At an operating voltage of 0.74 V, this would yield a cell power density of ~1.1 W/cm2. While not utilized in this project, a Redox Gen-2 cell has a catalyst-infiltrated porous anode that reduces the ASR by more than 50% from that of the Gen-1 cells used in this project. Therefore, if the sputtered YSZ electron-blocking layer and GDC barrier layer are added to a Gen-2 half cell with a similar increase in OCV to the theoretical value of ~1.13 V at 650 °C, and if the same improvement in ASR (from that demonstrated in this project) is achieved when using the Gen-2 half-cell architecture as a sputtered cell substrate, then the power density at 0.74 Vop could be as high as ~2.6 W/cm2. The impact of such power density gains, while still maintaining high cell efficiency, and thus high system efficiency, is a dramatic decrease in system cost because the stack represents ~30-40% of the SOFC system cost.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2023

Demonstrating Load-Shaping Capabilities of Cost Minimizing Heat Pump Water Heater Controls with Varying Price Profiles

Increased penetration of photovoltaics and electrification of traditionally gas appliances are exacerbating existing challenges in cost-effectively balancing electricity grid supply and demand. Decarbonization without incurring expensive transmission and distribution system capacity increases requires shifting building loads from peak demand times to peak renewable production times. Grid operators are evaluating new ways of encouraging load shifting, including using time-varying price structures to provide a financial incentive. If devices incorporate price-responsive controls, a price profile could be designed to yield a wide variety of load curves as needed to optimize grid functionality. Heat pump water heaters (HPWHs) are an ideal device for price-responsive controls because the storage tank enables them to optimize the timing of electricity consumption without impacting hot water delivery service. This paper presents work demonstrating how price-responsive controls for HPWHs can provide different load profiles, as needed to stabilize the grid, in response to different price profiles. HPWH manufacturers now include web API and CTA-2045 communication capabilities which enable sending load shaping control signals. Pilot studies and preliminary programs have utilized these capabilities with uniform control strategies to reduce 4-9 PM electricity consumption. However, no studies have developed flexible controls capable of both a) responding to constantly varying price profiles and b) customizing logic to match the needs of each HPWH. Berkeley Lab's CalFlexHub project is pioneering price-driven load flexibility by developing and deploying cost-minimizing controls utilizing setpoint setting signals for fleets of HPWHs in response to varying price profiles. Control development is based on simulations using the Flexible Heat Pump Water Heater Performance Predictor which captures the control decisions of a residential, integrated HPWH manufacturer’s on-board controller. The proposed cost-reducing controls respond to constantly changing price profiles, providing the ability to change the price profile to generate load curves as needed to maintain grid stability. Preliminary simulations studying the load shaping capabilities of price-responsive controls on a fleet of 60 HPWHs have demonstrated an average of a) 135.4% increases in load during low-price periods, b) >36.8% reductions in electricity peak-price period, and c) 6.2% electricity cost savings.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Catalyzing deep decarbonization with federated battery diagnosis and prognosis for better data management in energy storage systems

Industrial data analytics methods play a central role in improving energy storage performance and efficiency, impacting the future of electrified transportation and renewable electricity generation. However, significant challenges hinder the large-scale deployment of batteries. Conventional methods rely on centralized collection and processing of fleet-level data, leading to database size issues and privacy concerns due to potential data breaches. To enable scalable deployment of battery management systems, this article proposes a federated battery diagnosis and prognosis model, which distributes the processing of battery standard current-voltage-time-usage data in a privacy-preserving manner. Instead of transferring the raw data, this approach communicates only the locally processed parameters, thus reducing communication load and preserving data confidentiality. The federated model offers a paradigm shift in battery health management through privacy-preserving distributed methods for battery data processing and lifetime prediction, ensuring the reliable and sustainable deployment of lithium-ion batteries in a rapidly evolving world.

asset health management↗
DOE OSTI2022

Impact of Storage Dispatch Assumptions on Resource Adequacy and Capacity Credit

Representing energy-limited resources in power system probabilistic resource adequacy assessment introduces new considerations that invalidate classical modeling assumptions. In particular, such resources have multi-period operating objectives and constraints that in real systems are addressed via a sequence of rolling intertemporal optimizations. Ideally, adequacy models would develop dispatch decisions by solving a similar sequence of problems, but this approach has historically been too computationally intensive for practical use in Monte Carlo simulations, with studies making use of simplifying approximations instead. These simplifications have the potential to distort the assessed value of energy-limited resources on the system.This work describes three classes of storage dispatch assumptions in current use and discusses their theoretical differences. It then provides an empirical analysis of their differences on test systems with different levels of storage, assessing the potential for a study's modeling assumptions to influence the perceived contribution of energy-limited resources.

capacity credit↗
DOE OSTI2025

Matrix Diffusion Controls Mountain Hillslope Groundwater Ages and Inferred Storage Dynamics

Groundwater age distributions provide fundamental insights on coupled water and biogeochemical processes in mountain watersheds. Field-based studies have found mixtures of young and old-aged groundwater in mountain catchments underlain by bedrock; yet, the processes that dictate these groundwater age distributions are poorly understood. In this work, we use the coupled ParFlow-CLM integrated hydrologic and EcoSLIM particle tracking models to simulate groundwater age distributions on a lower montane hillslope in the East River Watershed, Colorado (USA). We develop a convolution-based approach to propagate fracture-matrix diffusion processes to the EcoSLIM advection-dominated age distributions. We compare observed 3 H and 4 He concentrations from two groundwater wells against model predictions that have varying advective transport times and matrix diffusion magnitudes. Based on a Monte Carlo analysis that considers uncertain matrix and fracture parameters, we find that matrix diffusion is needed to jointly predict 3 H and 4 He observations at both wells. The advection-dominated age distributions lack adequate mixing of young and old-aged water to capture the observed co-occurrence of 3 H and 4 He. The model scenario that best matches the 3 H, 4 He, and water level observations when considering both advective flowpath and matrix diffusion mixing processes has a dynamic bedrock groundwater reservoir that is susceptible to considerable storage losses during low-snow periods. This dynamic groundwater system amplifies the need to assimilate deeper bedrock groundwater into watershed hydro-biogeochemical predictions. This work further highlights the importance of considering matrix diffusion when interpreting environmental tracers in bedrock groundwater systems.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Revisiting Discharge Mechanism of CF x as a High Energy Density Cathode Material for Lithium Primary Battery

Lithium/fluorinated graphite (Li/CFx) primary batteries show great promise for applications in a wide range of energy storage systems due to their high energy density (>2100 Wh kg –1 ) and low self-discharge rate (<0.5% per year at 25 °C). While the electrochemical performance of the CF x cathode is indeed promising, the discharge reaction mechanism is not thoroughly understood to date. In this article, a multiscale investigation of the CF x discharge mechanism is performed using a novel cathode structure to minimize the carbon and fluorine additives for precise cathode characterizations. Titration gas chromatography, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, cross-sectional focused ion beam, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and scanning transmission electron microscopy with electron energy loss spectroscopy are utilized to investigate this system. Results show no metallic lithium deposition or intercalation during the discharge reaction. Crystalline lithium fluoride particles uniformly distributed with <10 nm sizes into the CF x layers, and carbon with lower sp2 content similar to the hard-carbon structure are the products during discharge. This article deepens the understanding of CF x as a high energy density cathode material and highlights the need for future investigations on primary battery materials to advance performance.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Assessing the Resource Adequacy and Community Impacts of an Evolving Grid: Considerations for State Regulators

As U.S. power systems continue to decarbonize, state regulators must be able to broadly assess the cost and reliability implications of proposed fossil retirements and the corresponding resources that are coming online to replace them. Specifically, regulators must evaluate whether proposed infrastructure investments are sufficient to ensure the long-term reliability of the system, while also protecting rate payers by ensuring that such investments are necessary and not excessive. Broadly speaking, this objective is typically framed in terms of maintaining long-term resource adequacy at the lowest cost, while also ensuring that other social and/or environmental objectives are satisfied. System planners currently have a host of sophisticated analytical tools at their disposal to evaluate the cost-benefit trade-offs of different approaches to ensuring resource adequacy. However, most of these tools and associated metrics were designed with traditional power systems in mind. Over the past decade, it has become increasingly clear that the metrics and models that have reliably assessed resource adequacy in systems dominated by large thermal and hydropower resources will be insufficient for systems with significant contributions from emerging technologies such as wind, solar and storage. Therefore, in recent years many new metrics and modeling approaches have been developed, and are increasingly being implemented, to meet the needs of the clean energy transition.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2021

Intelligent Monitoring Systems and Advanced Well Integrity and Mitigation

Long-term seismic monitoring of carbon capture and storage projects is needed to verify that the injected gas is safely stored in the subsurface until permanence can be assured. Conventional surface seismic monitoring techniques are usually expensive, require highly invasive surface operations, and need significant time investments on the part of personnel for both the field effort and processing the acquired data. For these reasons, permanent reservoir monitoring technologies are preferred, as they can offer a cost-effective solution for long-term monitoring. As part of the monitoring program of the Archer Daniels Midland’s large-scale injection of CO 2 in Decatur, Illinois, USA, a continuous seismic monitoring array was installed using a combination of surface orbital vibrator (SOV) sources and fiber-optic cables for distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) acquisition with the objective to build a continuous monitoring array. The aim of the presented project was to build a monitoring array and platform that integrates real-time seismic data with conventional data streams and provides continuous data analysis using dynamic computational models to deliver a comprehensive real-time assessment of subsurface conditions. It is in this context that the Intelligent Monitoring Systems and Advanced Well Integrity and Mitigation project was proposed with the objective to develop an integrated architecture that utilizes a permanent seismic monitoring network, combines the real-time geophysical and process data with reservoir flow and geomechanical models to create a comprehensive monitoring, visualization, and control system that delivers critical information for process surveillance and optimization.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Module-OT: A Turnkey Solution for Securing Energy Systems

The Modular Security Apparatus for Managing Distributed Cryptography for Command-and-Control Messages on Operational Technology Networks (Module-OT) is a flexible and lightweight solution for grid-edge devices focusing on end-to-end security. It is a bump- in- the-wire solution acting as a secure conduit for data between devices or systems across a network. It improves the cybersecurity posture of DER systems by providing authentication, authorization, and data integrity to secure DER communications. Additionally, it performs key management, provides data security through whitelisting Internet Protocol addresses and ports, blocks unauthorized connections, controls user access, and allows serial or Ethernet connections for added flexibility. The core software is portable to various Linux-based operating systems and is developed to be customized by the developer and researcher communities. Module-OT has been validated in the lab, has been demonstrated at a 500-KW PV-plus-storage site, and has been proven ready to secure operational technology devices. Its core functionality meets current standards, including validation procedures of the NIST Cryptographic Algorithm Validation Program (CAVP) and the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS 140-2). Because of its capability to provide an accessible and affordable option for stepping up security across modern energy systems, Module-OT can serve as an effective technological option to standardize cybersecurity moving forward.

cryptography↗
DOE OSTI2025

Round Robin Measurements of Molten Salt Properties for LiF-NaF-KF (FLiNaK) and NaCl-KCl Mixtures

The development, operation, and regulation of nuclear reactors that utilize molten salts as fuel or as heat transfer media require knowledge of the thermal properties of the salt systems and quantification of the corresponding uncertainties. Knowledge of molten salt properties is also necessary for applications in material synthesis, processing, separations, solar thermal power generation, and energy storage. A round robin was conducted with national laboratory and university participants from twenty-one laboratories in five countries to compare property measurements, to better understand uncertainties, and to identify possible best practices. Two salt mixtures, each from a common batch, were distributed to participants for evaluation: equimolar NaCl-KCl and 45.0LiF-13.7NaF-41.3KF mol % (FLiNaK). Measurements were performed to determine the major constituent composition, oxygen content, density, thermal expansivity, melting point, and thermal conductivity. Error analysis was performed on each measurement for uncertainty quantification for each type of property that was explored. Finally, the resulting discussion of the methodologies used in this work is meant to lay the groundwork for the development of standard methods and reference materials for future high-temperature property measurements on halide melts.

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Driving magnetic domains at the nanoscale by interfacial strain-induced proximity

Here, we investigate the local nanoscale changes of the magnetic anisotropy of a Ni film subject to an inverse magnetostrictive effect by proximity to a V 2 O 3 layer. Using temperature-dependent photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) combined with X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD), direct images of the Ni spin alignment across the first-order structural phase transition (SPT) of V 2 O 3 were obtained. We find an abrupt temperature-driven reorientation of the Ni magnetic domains across the SPT, which is associated with a large increase of the coercive field. Moreover, angular dependent ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) shows a remarkable change in the magnetic anisotropy of the Ni film across the SPT of V 2 O 3 . Micromagnetic simulations based on these results are in quantitative agreement with the PEEM data. Direct measurements of the lateral correlation length of the Ni domains from XMCD images show an increase of almost one order of magnitude at the SPT compared to room temperature, as well as a broad spatial distribution of the local transition temperatures, thus corroborating the phase coexistence of Ni anisotropies caused by the V 2 O 3 SPT. We show that the rearrangement of the Ni domains is due to strain induced by the oxide layers’ structural domains across the SPT. Our results illustrate the use of alternative hybrid systems to manipulate magnetic domains at the nanoscale, which allows for engineering of coercive fields for novel data storage architectures.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Remotely powered line monitor

Improved devices, apparatuses, systems, and methods involving the use of field probes with voltage-controlled variable impedance elements and surface-launched acoustic wave devices, including surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices and SAW sensor-tag wireless interface devices to measure voltage and current in current carrying conductors (CCCs) via measurement of the electric fields and magnetic fields around said CCCs are disclosed. The devices, apparatuses, systems, and methods taught in the present invention include a remotely powered line-mounted measurement unit that requires no connection to electrical ground for operation, and that has no internal energy source, no energy harvesting or power conditioning circuitry, no discrete energy storage components, and no radio. The devices, apparatuses, systems, and methods taught in the present invention also provide for determining the phase (leading or lagging) of the current relative to the voltage in AC power systems, and also provide for measurement of temperature of the conductor.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Towards an Introspective Dynamic Model of Globally Distributed Computing Infrastructures

Large-scale scientific collaborations like ATLAS, Belle II, CMS, DUNE, and others involve hundreds of research institutes and thousands of researchers spread across the globe. These experiments generate petabytes of data, with volumes soon expected to reach exabytes. Consequently, there is a growing need for computation, including structured data processing from raw data to consumer-ready derived data, extensive Monte Carlo simulation campaigns, and a wide range of end-user analysis. To manage these computational and storage demands, centralized workflow and data management systems are implemented. However, decisions regarding data placement and payload allocation are often made disjointly and via heuristic means. A significant obstacle in adopting more effective heuristic or AI-driven solutions is the absence of a quick and reliable introspective dynamic model to evaluate and refine alternative approaches. In this study, we aim to develop such an interactive system using real-world data. By examining job execution records from the PanDA workflow management system, we have pinpointed key performance indicators such as queuing time, error rate, and the extent of remote data access. The dataset includes five months of activity. Additionally, we are creating a generative AI model to simulate time series of payloads, which incorporate visible features like category, event count, and submitting group, as well as hidden features like the total computational load—derived from existing PanDA records and computing site capabilities. These hidden features, which are not visible to job allocators, whether heuristic or AI-driven, influence factors such as queuing times and data movement.

kilic, Ozgur Ozan [Brookhaven National Laboratory ↗
DOE OSTI2023

Emergency Asset Positioning for Resilient Transmission Grid Operation

In this paper we study a problem of hurricane emergency preparedness via placement of emergency storage assets prior to its strike. We present a two-stage stochastic model for choosing locations and quantities of emergency storage to help support the power grid through a hurricane event. The expectation of losses in our two-stage model is estimated using the sample average approximation. We construct damage scenarios for sample average approximation using WIND Toolkit meteorological data and fragility curves of various electric grid components. We demonstrate the efficacy of our two-stage planning model by simulating operations during Hurricane Dolly on the 2000-bus transmission test system. Our model, coupled with our scenario selection strategy, is effective at mitigating loss of load when compared to a model without emergency storage assets placed prior to an extreme event.

emergency preparedness↗
DOE OSTI2023

Modeling of a Networked Community Microgrid with High Solar Penetration Considering Control Dynamics of Inverter-Based Resources

Microgrids help facilitate the integration of renewable energy in distribution-level grids and increase the resilience of the electric grid to extreme weather, especially in rural areas. Compared to traditional microgrids, a networked microgrid leverages multiple grid-forming sources to form a potential meshed grid and is more flexible in operation. This paper demonstrates the simulation modeling of an actual networked microgrid located in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico. The model contains representations of power inverters that connect the battery energy storage systems and photovoltaic generation systems to the networked microgrid and is capable of simulating fast grid transients as well as long-term operation of the networked microgrid. The modeling technique for power inverters allows the time-efficient simulation of the microgrid with a minimal penalty on model accuracy.

Li, Dingrui↗
DOE OSTI2022

Techno-Economic Analysis Using REopt for Community Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing Properties [Slides]

Multifamily affordable housing (MFAH) providers can identify and prioritize properties in their portfolios for which community solar development is feasible by following portfolio screening steps in a process outlined by NREL. Once MFAH providers have identified the most feasible sites, they can conduct more detailed analyses for a select number of sites to assess how distributed energy resources such as solar plus storage can help them meet their goals. The step is completed using NREL's REopt (https://reopt.nrel.gov/tool), a free techno-economic optimization model that determines DER sizes and dispatch strategies that minimize the life cycle cost of energy at a site. This presentation describes how to perform this step using REopt to help MFAH providers answer questions such as: What size solar PV system will result in the most energy bill savings at this site? What size solar-plus-storage system would be needed to power critical loads through a utility grid outage? What is the financial impact of rate switching, net metering, and/or meter aggregation? What percentage of the site's load can be offset with renewable energy? What are the emissions benefits of this renewable generation?

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗