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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 91 records · Page 5

Energy flexibility of residential buildings: A systematic review of characterization and quantification methods and applications

With building electric demand becoming increasingly dynamic, and a growing percentage of intermittent renewable power generation from solar photovoltaics and wind turbines, the power grid is facing increasing challenge to manage the real time balance between the supply and demand. With advancements in smart sensing and metering, smart appliances, electric vehicles, and energy storage technologies, demand side management of residential buildings can help the grid to improve stability by optimizing flexible loads. This paper reviews recent studies on residential building demand side management, with a focus on characterization and quantification of energy flexibility covering various types of flexible loads, metrics, methods, and applications. The reviewed studies showed four levels of applications: building level (45%), district or community level (29%), system level (19%), and building sector level (7%). Shifting loads is the dominant flexibility type in 60% of applications, followed by shedding (19%), generation (16%), and modulating (6%). Depending on the technology and application scope, flexible operations have a wide range of performance, with peak power reductions of 1%~65%, energy savings up to 60%, operational cost reduction of 1%~48%, and greenhouse gas emission reductions of up to29%. More than half (51%) of the studies employed control strategies to achieve flexibility; among those 72% used optimal controls, while 28% used rule-based controls. About 58% of the studies used mathematical formulation to quantify energy flexibility. Most studies were based on simulation, while less than 15% of the studies had measurements from experiments or field tests. The review reveals research opportunities to address significant gaps in the existing literature: (1) establishing a common definition and performance metrics for energy flexibility of buildings that are technology and application agnostic, (2) developing an ontology to standardize representation of flexibility resources for interoperability, (3) integrating occupant impacts into the quantification and optimization of energy flexibility, and (4) developing requirements and credits of energy flexibility in building energy codes and standards. Findings from the review can inform future research and development of energy flexible buildings which are essential to a reliable and resilient power grid.

Li, H↗

Transfer learning for smart buildings: A critical review of algorithms, applications, and future perspectives

Smart buildings play a crucial role toward decarbonizing society, as globally buildings emit about one-third of greenhouse gases. In the last few years, machine learning has achieved a notable momentum that, if properly harnessed, may unleash its potential for advanced analytics and control of smart buildings, enabling the technique to scale up for supporting the decarbonization of the building sector. In this perspective, transfer learning aims to improve the performance of a target learner exploiting knowledge in related environments. The present work provides a comprehensive overview of transfer learning applications in smart buildings, classifying and analyzing 77 papers according to their applications, algorithms, and adopted metrics. The study identified four main application areas of transfer learning: (1) building load prediction, (2) occupancy detection and activity recognition, (3) building dynamics modeling, and (4) energy systems control. Furthermore, the review highlighted the role of deep learning in transfer learning applications that has been used in more than half of the analyzed studies. The paper also discusses how to integrate transfer learning in a smart building's ecosystem, identifying, for each application area, the research gaps and guidelines for future research directions.

Pinto, G↗

Assessing the role of mini-applications in predicting key performance characteristics of scientific and engineering applications

Computational science and engineering application programs are typically large, complex, and dynamic, and are often constrained by distribution limitations. As a means of making tractable rapid explorations of scientific and engineering application programs in the context of new, emerging, and future computing architectures, a suite of miniapps has been created to serve as proxies for full scale applications. Each miniapp is designed to represent a key performance characteristic that does or is expected to significantly impact the runtime performance of an application program. In this paper we introduce a methodology for assessing the ability of these miniapps to effectively represent these performance issues. We applied this methodology to four miniapps, examining the linkage between them and an application they are intended to represent. Herein we evaluate the fidelity of that linkage. This work represents the initial steps required to begin to answer the question, ''Under what conditions does a miniapp represent a key performance characteristic in a full app?''

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Measurement and applications: Exploring the challenges and opportunities of hierarchical federated learning in sensor applications

Sensor applications have become ubiquitous in modern society as the digital age continues to advance. AI-based techniques (e.g., machine learning) are effective at extracting actionable information from large amounts of data. An example would be an automated water irrigation system that uses AI-based techniques on soil quality data to decide how to best distribute water. However, these AI-based techniques are costly in terms of hardware resources, and Internet-of-Things (IoT) sensors are resource-constrained with respect to processing power, energy, and storage capacity. These limitations can compromise the security, performance, and reliability of sensor-driven applications. To address these concerns, cloud computing services can be used by sensor applications for data storage and processing. Unfortunately, cloud-based sensor applications that require real-time processing, such as medical applications (e.g., fall detection and stroke prediction), are vulnerable to issues such as network latency due to the sparse and unreliable networks between the sensor nodes and the cloud server [1]. As users approach the edge of the communications network, latency issues become more severe and frequent. A promising alternative is edge computing, which provides cloud-like capabilities at the edge of the network by pushing storage and processing capabilities from centralized nodes to edge devices that are closer to where the data are gathered, resulting in reduced network delays [2], [3].

Po-Leen Ooi, Melanie↗

Application Potential of a Dew-Point Cooling Tower in Selected Energy Intensive Applications in Temperate Climate

In the article, the application potential of the dew-point cooling tower (DPCT) in selected energy-intensive applications in temperate climates was analyzed and discussed. The applications selected for analysis are power generation with natural gas turbines and chilled water air conditioning systems. The study is based on a mathematical model derived from a modified ε-NTU model. The model was validated against experimental results and showed satisfactory agreement with the experimental data. DPCT was compared with a typical cooling tower limited by the wet-bulb temperature (wet-bulb cooling tower, WBCT). The simulation results showed that DPCT is able to provide significant energy savings in energy-intensive applications; therefore, its application potential in temperate climates can be considered justified. In the case of gas turbines, DPCT was able to generate 2 to 10 percentage points more capacity than operating on outdoor air and 1.8 to 5 percentage points more than operating with WBCT. In the case of air conditioning systems, the system equipped with DPCT achieved EERs (energy efficiency ratios) higher by 1 to 7.2 compared to dry cooling and by 0.3 to 5.1 compared to systems equipped with WBCT. The annual energy savings obtained by the system with DPCT were 14.7 MWh compared to WBCT and 30 MWh compared to dry cooling.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Metadata Schemas and Ontologies for Building Energy Applications: A Critical Review and Use Case Analysis

With the increasing digitalization of processes throughout the lifecycle of buildings, data exchanged between stakeholders and between building systems has grown significantly. However, a lack of semantic interoperability between data in different systems is still prevalent, hindering the development of applications that can be reused across buildings and limiting the scalability of innovative solutions. Semantics refers to the description of the meaning of the data in a way that can be consistently understood by applications. Recently, several competing initiatives have been developing metadata schemas and ontologies to express this semantic information for different applications in the building domain. This paper systematically reviews these schemas and conducts an analysis of five of them to evaluate their applicability to three high-value use cases for building operations: energy audits, automated fault detection and diagnostics and optimal control. The survey finds 40 schemas published in the last 10 years but but their actual use in industry is difficult to estimate. Among the five selected ontologies, several gaps are highlighted in relation to the three use cases. Recommendations for the future include better harmonization of these initiatives, more centralized repositories and search engines for these schemas as well as better industry engagement to facilitate their adoption.

Smart Building, Sematic, Metadata, Ontology, Data ↗

NASA Application Team Program: Application of aerospace technology in biology and medicine

The results of the medically related activities of the NASA Application Team Program in technology application for the reporting period September 1, 1972, to August 31, 1973 are reported. The accomplishments of the application team during the reporting period are as follows: The team has identified 39 new problems for investigation, has accomplished 7 technology applications, 4 potential technology applications, 2 impacts, has closed 38 old problems, and has a total of 59 problems under active investigation.

Source record↗

Grid Application and Controls Development for Medium-Voltage SiC-Based Grid Interconnects

This paper studies, the grid-interconnection requirements of directly connected medium-voltage (MV) Silicon Carbide-based (SiC-based) converters and details the necessary control implementations. These power electronic converters follow the interconnection standard IEEE 1547-2018, but can also have additional controls supported by the microgrid standards in IEEE 2030.7, which is demonstrated in this work. Additionally, this paper defines the grid applications realized by these directly connected medium-voltage power electronic converters at the distribution scale and demonstrates results. The controls for the studied grid applications are then developed and implemented on the controller. The paper also includes details of the control algorithm development and validations of the control algorithm through hardware-in-the-loop results.

28 EE - Advanced Manufacturing Office (EE-5A)↗

Development and validation of chemistry agnostic flow battery cost performance model and application to nonaqueous electrolyte systems: Chemistry agnostic flow battery cost performance model

A chemistry agnostic cost performance model is described for a nonaqueous flow battery. The model predicts flow battery performance by estimating the active reaction zone thickness at each electrode as a function of current density, state of charge, and flow rate using measured data for electrode kinetics, electrolyte conductivity, and electrode-specific surface area. Validation of the model is conducted using a 4kW stack data at various current densities and flow rates. This model is used to estimate the performance of a nonaqueous flow battery with electrode and electrolyte properties used from the literature. The optimized cost for this system is estimated for various power and energy levels using component costs provided by vendors. The model allows optimization of design parameters such as electrode thickness, area, flow path design, and operating parameters such as power density, flow rate, and operating SOC range for various application duty cycles. A parametric analysis is done to identify components and electrode/electrolyte properties with the highest impact on system cost for various application durations. A pathway to 100$kWh -1 for the storage system is identified.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Global Optimization of Chemical Cluster Structures: Methods, Applications, and Challenges

Chemical clusters are relevant to many applications in catalysis, separations, materials, and energy sciences. Experimentally, the structure of clusters is difficult to determine, but it is very important in understanding their chemistry and properties. Computational methods can be used to examine cluster structure, however finding the most stable structure is not simple, particularly as the cluster size increases. Global optimization techniques have long been used to tackle the problem of the most stable structure, but such approaches would have to look for a global minimum, while sampling local minima over the whole potential energy surface as well. In this review, the state-of-the-art theory of global optimization theory is summarized. First, the definition, significance, relation to experiments, and a brief history of global optimization is presented. We then discuss, in more detail, three versatile global optimization methods: the basin hopping, the artificial bee colony algorithm, and the genetic algorithm. We close with some representative application examples of global optimization of clusters since 2016 and the challenges, open questions and opportunities in this field.

Global optimization, Chemical clusters, Artificial↗

Advances in microscale separations towards nanoproteomics applications

Microscale separations (e.g., liquid chromatography or capillary electrophoresis) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) has become the primary tool for advanced proteomics, an indispensable technology for gaining understanding of complex biological processes. While significant advances have been achieved in MS-based proteomics, the current platforms still face a significant challenge in overall sensitivity towards nanoproteomics (i.e., with less than 1 g total amount of proteins available) applications such as cellular heterogeneity in tissue pathologies. Herein, we review recent advances in microscale separation techniques and integrated sample processing systems that improve the overall sensitivity and coverage of the proteomics workflow, and their contributions towards nanoproteomics applications.

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗

Multiscale high-order/low-order (HOLO) algorithms and applications

We review the state of the art in the formulation, implementation, and performance of so-called high-order/low-order (HOLO) algorithms for challenging multiscale problems. HOLO algorithms attempt to couple one or several high-complexity physical models (the high-order model, HO) with low-complexity ones (the low-order model, LO). The primary goal of HOLO algorithms is to achieve nonlinear convergence between HO and LO components while minimizing memory footprint and managing the computational complexity in a practical manner. Key to the HOLO approach is the use of the LO representations to address temporal stiffness, effectively accelerating the convergence of the HO/LO coupled system. The HOLO approach is broadly underpinned by the concept of nonlinear elimination, which enables segregation of the HO and LO components in ways that can effectively use heterogeneous architectures. The accuracy and efficiency benefits of HOLO algorithms are demonstrated with specific applications to radiation transport, gas dynamics, plasmas (both Eulerian and Lagrangian formulations), and ocean modeling. Across this broad application spectrum, HOLO algorithms achieve significant accuracy improvements at a fraction of the cost compared to conventional approaches. It follows that HOLO algorithms hold significant potential for high-fidelity system scale multiscale simulations leveraging exascale computing.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Grey-box modeling and application for building energy simulations - A critical review

Grey-box modeling, as one of the three fundamental modeling techniques for building energy models, has many advantages compared with black-box modeling and white-box modeling. Additionally, it has been widely applied to solve problems of building technologies, such as building load estimation, control and optimization, and building-grid integration. However, a thorough review of grey-box modeling is not available. This review study systematically investigated various aspects of grey-box modeling for buildings. First, the fundamental aspects of grey-box modeling are presented, including the theoretical background, modeling of building elements, modeling order, modeling diagram, and order reduction. Second, the detailed modeling approaches are discussed. Third, multiple applications of grey-box modeling are investigated for building energy domain, which are categorized into the following groups: heat dynamics analysis, thermal load estimation, building control and optimization, district/urban scale energy modeling, and building-grid integration. Finally, the available software packages for grey-box modeling are compared. Overall, the challenges of using grey-box modeling can be summarized as follows: (1) the theoretical limitations and assumptions of grey-box modeling are unclear; (2) grey-box model naming convention and structure are confusing; (3) grey-box model creation is vague; (4) suitable applications of grey-box models are unknown; and (5) grey-box models lack unified software solutions for wider adoption.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Applicability of Allen–Heine–Cardona Theory on MO x Metal Oxides and ABO 3 Perovskites: Toward High-Temperature Optoelectronic Applications [plus supplemental information]

We report characterizing the temperature-dependent electronic structures of optoelectronic materials is vital for their application in high-temperature processes. Allen–Heine–Cardona (AHC) theory is an established theory to determine the impact of electron–phonon coupling on the temperature renormalization of the electronic structure. A question of fundamental interest is how applicable this approach can be in a broad range of materials. Herein, we establish the consensus on the temperature dependence of band gaps between AHC predictions and experimental measurements, in a versatile set of nine MO x metal oxides and six ABO 3 perovskites that are utilized as gas sensors. Both calculations and measurements point to the appreciable band gap downshifts within the temperature range relevant to typical high-temperature applications in all examined materials. The correlation between the band gaps and temperatures was quantified at zero- and finite-temperature limits using the analytical parameters of the O’Donnell model. We found fairly comparative agreements between AHC- and experiment-derived parameters, especially for the parameters (S and $\langle\hbar$ω$\rangle$) defining the temperature dependence behavior of band gaps at the finite-temperature regime. Our findings provide important implications for the first-principles modeling of the electronic structures and their temperature dependency, which should be the focus toward high-temperature optoelectronic applications.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Colloidal Three-Dimensional Covalent Organic Frameworks and Their Application as Porous Liquids

Developing solid porous materials into free-flowing liquids with permanent porosity is a promising strategy for overcoming certain limitations of conventional sorbent materials employed in gas storage and separation applications. The ability to control the pore size and chemical functionalities of organic frameworks gives these particular nanoporous materials distinct advantages over other small cage-like molecules or hollow particles that have been developed into porous liquids. Here, we describe the synthesis of a 3D imine-linked colloidal covalent organic framework (COF)-based porous liquid, designed for efficient size-exclusion of solvent, as well as for long-term stability. By tethering ionic liquids to the colloid surface, the colloids can be dried, purified, and resuspended in a variety of solvents without irreversible aggregation typically observed of COF colloids. Colloid size could be controlled between 50 and 400 nm, with surface areas as high as 800 m2/g. The 3D intertwining morphology of the colloids had pore sizes ranging from 5 to 14 Å, allowing them to efficiently sizeexclude bulky ionic liquids. The COF colloids were stable towards flocculation in an ionic liquid for > 1 year. Permanent porosity was confirmed with a combination of 19F NMR measurements and gas sorption techniques. CO2 and CH4 uptake in these porous liquids increased more than 10 and 20-fold, respectively, over non-porous, neat ionic liquid control samples. The work not only advances the state of COF-based colloid science but also represents a practical advance towards developing more robust, tunable framework-based porous liquid materials for a host of gas storage and separation applications.

Mow, Rachel E.↗

Application of JLab 12GeV helium refrigeration system for the FRIB accelerator at MSU

The planned approach to have a turnkey helium refrigeration system for the MSU-FRIB accelerator system, encompassing the design, fabrication, installation and commissioning of the 4.5-K refrigerator cold box(es), cold compression system, warm compression system, gas management, oil removal and utility/ancillary systems, was found to be cost prohibitive. Following JLab’s suggestion, MSU-FRIB accelerator management made a formal request to evaluate the applicability of the recently designed 12GeV JLab cryogenic system for this application. The following paper will outline the findings and the planned approach for the FRIB helium refrigeration system.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗