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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 901 records · Page 50

Circular economy framework for automobiles: Closing energy and material loops

Abstract Corporations, including automotive manufacturers, are increasingly exploring extended circular economy strategies as a means to enhance the sustainability of their products. The circular economy paradigm focuses on reducing nonrenewable materials and energy, promoting renewable feedstocks and energy, and keeping products/materials in use across the life cycle of a system. As such, life cycle environmental burdens associated with vehicle manufacturing, use, and disposal could potentially be reduced through circular economy strategies; however, no such comprehensive circular economy framework currently exists for the automotive industry. We develop the first circular economy schematic of automobiles, derived from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's framework. Further, we characterize the current automotive circular economy using metrics of renewable energy and recycled materials. Specifically, for current U.S. average sedans, we find that internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) use ∼6% renewable life cycle primary energy and 27% recycled materials; for battery electric vehicles (BEVs), these measures are ∼8% and 21%, respectively. On a vehicle‐miles‐traveled basis, BEVs use ∼47% less nonrenewable life cycle primary energy than ICEVs, highlighting the importance of electrification as a strategy for automotive manufacturers to reduce environmental burdens. Our proposed circular economy framework is then applied to Ford Motor Company's sustainability programs and initiatives as an example. This schematic aims to provide a starting point for the automotive industry to operationalize circular economy strategies, the application of which could advance its overall sustainability performance.

Aguilar Esteva, Laura C.↗

Description and status of NASA-LeRC/DOE photovoltaic applications systems experiments

In its role of supporting the DOE Photovoltaic Program, the NASA-Lewis Research Center has designed, fabricated and installed 16 geographically dispersed photovoltaic systems. These systems are powering a refrigerator, highway warning sign, forest lookout towers, remote weather stations, a water chiller at a visitor center, and insect survey traps. Each of these systems is described in terms of load requirements, solar array and battery size, and instrumentation and controls. Operational experience is described and present status is given for each system. The P/V power systems have proven to be highly reliable with almost no problems with modules and very few problems overall

Ratajczak, A. F.↗

Advances in space power research and technology at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Progress and plans in various areas of the NASA Space Power Program are discussed. Solar cell research is narrowed to GaAs, multibandgap, and thin Si cells for arrays in planar and concentrator configurations, with further work to increase cell efficiency, radiation hardness, develop flexible encapsulants, and reduce cost. Electrochemical research is concentrating on increasing energy and power density, cycle and wet stand life, reliability and cost reduction of batteries. Further development of the Ni-H2 battery and O2-H2 fuel cell to multihundred kW with a 5 year life and 30,000 cycles is noted. Basic research is ongoing for alkali metal anodes for high energy density secondary cells. Nuclear thermoelectric propulsion is being developed for outer planets exploration propulsion systems, using Si-Ge generators, and studies with rare earth chalcogenides and sulfides are mentioned. Power Systems Management seeks to harmonize increasing power supply levels with inner and outer spacecraft environments, circuits, demands, and automatic monitoring. Concomitant development of bipolar transistors, an infrared rectenna, spacecraft charging measurement, and larger heat pipe transport capacity are noted.

Mullin, J. P.↗

Commercially Scalable Process to Fabricate Porous Silicon

Navitas Advanced Solutions Group proposes a novel, commercially scalable approach to supply microporous silicon (μpSi) to lithium ion battery manufacturers. If successful, this project will result in a significant reduction in the cost and environmental impact of high capacity anodes that are needed to meet the EV Everywhere battery goals. Silicon nanocomposite materials have been identified as a viable anode technology for EV batteries. Presently, high capacity silicon-based anodes rely either on materials that are expensive (e. g., silane or nano-silicon powder) or on processes that are limited by low yield methods (e.g., chemical vapor deposition). Microporous silicon potentially avoids these limitations and is attracting increasing attention as a lower cost alternative for the manufacture of high capacity silicon-based anodes. Microporous silicon suitable for EV batteries is not currently available as a commodity material. Microporous silicon can be produced at lab scale through a metal catalyzed hydrofluoric acid etching process. However, this process is expensive and hazardous. Our proposed production route will facilitate the availability of μpSi to lithium ion battery producers and developers at a scale and cost able to support EV battery production. Under the Vehicle Technologies FOA AOI 4 seeks Advances in Existing and Next-Generation Battery Material Manufacturing to reduce the cost of EV batteries. The EV Everywhere initiative establishes a goal of $100/kWh system level cost for an EV battery. This cost target can be met with moderate risk through pairing silicon-based high capacity anodes with lithium metal-rich nickel manganese cobalt oxide 'LMR-NMC' cathodes. For this set of assumptions, the silicon anode active material cost would need to be <$25/kg. The Navitas µpSi powder manufacturing process will reach this target through a combination of low-cost commodity raw materials and reactants with scalable and low environmental impact processes. Processing will involve mechanical milling and thermal reduction operations that are in wide application at industrial scale. The goal of this program is to reach most or all of the MRL 6 criteria in a pilot scale demonstration for the manufacturing of porous silicon powder, while minimizing raw material added cost and limiting hazardous and environmental impact and using scalable industrial processing (i.e. mechanical milling, thermal reduction). The Navitas μpSi fabrication process represents a novel approach to reduce the cost of silicon anode material manufacturing. This process has been shown to be more efficient (higher yield) and economical on scaling up than conventional metal-assisted etching. The process significantly reduces the cost on $/mAh basis versus existing anode materials. The μpSi powders can be modified to form nanocomposite structures through blending with graphite or coating with carbon or a metal oxide to decrease initial capacity loss (ICL) and improve cell cycle life, a key barrier to adoption of silicon anodes into EV batteries. The impact of this technology will be driven by the projected rate of EV adoption and market share. By reducing battery cost, the proposed technology will stimulate EV adoption rate. Assuming this technology enables capturing an additional 6% of the present PHEV + EV market the reduction in petroleum consumption would be 90,000 gallons of gasoline per day, or 1.6M barrels per year. The carbon emissions from a gallon of gasoline = 2.4 kg/gallon. Thus, if the proposed technology was incorporated into just 0.1% of all new vehicles produced and if all the electricity to power those electric-drive vehicles was produced from clean, renewable sources such as wind and solar, it would result in 15K metric tons/yr reduction of CO2 emissions.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Programmable Pacemaker

Released in 1995, the Trilogy cardiac pacemaker is the fourth generation of a unit developed in the 1970s by NASA, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory and St. Jude Medical's Cardiac Rhythm Management Division (formerly known as Pacesetter Systems, Inc.). The new system incorporates the company's PDx diagnostic and programming software and a powerful microprocessor that allows more functions to be fully automatic and gives more detailed information on the patient's health and the performance of the pacing systems. The pacemaker incorporates bidirectional telemetry used for space communications for noninvasive communication with the implanted pacemaker, smaller implantable pulse generators from space microminiaturization, and longer-life batteries from technology for spacecraft electrical power systems.

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Consort Suborbital Rocket Series: Starfire I on Launch Rail

The enclosed report provides information on the sixth flight of the Consort suborbital rocket series. Consort 6 is currently scheduled for launch on February 19, 1993, with lift off at 11:00 a.m., Mountain Time. It will carry seven materials and biotechnology experiments, two accelerometer systems, a controller and battery packs in a module nearly 12 feet tall and weighing approximately 1,004 pounds. Consort 6 will reach an apogee of approximately 200 miles providing about 7 minutes of microgravity time. The entire mission, from launch to touchdown, is expected to last approximately 15 minutes. The Consort series is part of a unique suborbital rocket launch services program conducted by the Office of Advanced Concepts and Technology (OACT) in conjunction with its Centers for the Commercial Development of Space (CCDS). This service is managed through the Consortium for Materials Development in Space (CMDS), a CCDS based University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). This suborbital rocket program provides CCDS investigators with a microgravity environment to achieve commercial development objectives, or to test developmental hardware or techniques in preparation for orbital flights or additional follow-on work. Rocket and launch services for Consort 6, including use of the Starfire 1 launch vehicle, are provided by EER Systems Corporation. Integration of the payload into Starfire 1 will be handled by McDonnell Douglas Space Systems Company.

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Space Shuttle Upgrades Advanced Hydraulic Power System

Three Auxiliary Power Units (APU) on the Space Shuttle Orbiter each provide 145 hp shaft power to a hydraulic pump which outputs 3000 psi hydraulic fluid to 41 hydraulic actuators. A hydrazine fuel powered APU utilized throughout the Shuttle program has undergone many improvements, but concerns remain with flight safety, operational cost, critical failure modes, and hydrazine related hazards. The advanced hydraulic power system (AHPS), also known as the electric APU, is being evaluated as an upgrade to replace the hydrazine APU. The AHPS replaces the high-speed turbine and hydrazine fuel supply system with a battery power supply and electric motor/pump that converts 300 volt electrical power to 3000 psi hydraulic power. AHPS upgrade benefits include elimination of toxic hydrazine propellant to improve flight safety, reduction in hazardous ground processing operations, and improved reliability. Development of this upgrade provides many interesting challenges and includes development of four hardware elements that comprise the AHPS system: Battery - The battery provides a high voltage supply of power using lithium ion cells. This is a large battery that must provide 28 kilowatt hours of energy over 99 minutes of operation at 300 volts with a peak power of 130 kilowatts for three seconds. High Voltage Power Distribution and Control (PD&C) - The PD&C distributes electric power from the battery to the EHDU. This 300 volt system includes wiring and components necessary to distribute power and provide fault current protection. Electro-Hydraulic Drive Unit (EHDU) - The EHDU converts electric input power to hydraulic output power. The EHDU must provide over 90 kilowatts of stable, output hydraulic power at 3000 psi with high efficiency and rapid response time. Cooling System - The cooling system provides thermal control of the Orbiter hydraulic fluid and EHDU electronic components. Symposium presentation will provide an overview of the AHPS upgrade, descriptions of the four hardware elements, and a summary of development results to date.

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Robust optimisation-based microgrid scheduling with islanding constraints

This paper proposes a robust optimization based optimal scheduling model for microgrid operation considering constraints of islanding capability. Our objective is to minimize the total operation cost, including generation cost and spinning reserve cost of local resources as well as purchasing cost of energy from the main grid. In order to ensure the resiliency of a microgrid and improve the reliability of the local electricity supply, the microgrid is required to maintain enough spinning reserve (both up and down) to meet local demand and accommodate local renewable generation when the supply of power from the main grid is interrupted suddenly, i.e., microgrid transitions from grid-connected into islanded mode. Prevailing operational uncertainties in renewable energy resources and load are considered and captured using a robust optimization method. With proper robust level, the solution of the proposed scheduling model ensures successful islanding of the microgrid with minimum load curtailment and guarantees robustness against all possible realizations of the modeled operational uncertainties. Numerical simulations on a microgrid consisting of a wind turbine, a PV panel, a fuel cell, a micro-turbine, a diesel generator and a battery demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheduling model.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Assessment of Energy Storage Alternatives in the Puget Sound Energy System

As part of an ongoing study co-funded by the Bonneville Power Administration, under its Technology Innovation Grant Program, and the U.S. Department of Energy, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has developed an approach and modeling tool for assessing the net benefits of using energy storage located close to the customer in the distribution grid to manage demand. PNNL in collaboration with PSE and Primus Power has evaluated the net benefits of placing a zinc bromide battery system at two locations in the PSE system (Baker River / Rockport and Bainbridge Island). Energy storage can provide a number of benefits to the utility through the increased flexibility it provides to the grid system. Applications evaluated in the assessment include capacity value, balancing services, arbitrage, distribution deferral and outage mitigation. This report outlines the methodology developed for this study and Phase I results.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Coordinated PEV Charging for Distribution System Management

Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) can help to reduce worldwide dependence on petroleum and carbon emissions. In the past a few years, PEVs have received considerable attention as an eco-friendly and cost-effective alternative to conventional gasoline vehicles. PEVs consume higher power from the grid during charging compared to conventional residential loads. Therefore, the emerging fleet of PEVs will introduce a considerable amount of additional load on power system. On the other hand, majority of PEVs are parked for more than 90% of the time, making them ideal for providing various services through Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE), a.k.a. charging stations which are PEVs’ connection points to the power system. In this project, coordinated PEV charging are developed to provide distribution system services, considering PEV characteristics, realistic travel pattern, charging behaviors, and EVSE power rating and availability. The main efforts and contributions are summarized as follows. • Mobility models and EVSE charging capability/availability are indispensable for evaluating PEV charging coordination strategies and developing PEV charging control. Many existing studies utilize simplified mobility models assuming that the entire vehicle fleet returns home in the evening and is parked at home until the next morning. Some other PEV models better represent diversified home arrival and departure time, but cannot capture varying charging flexibility and capability at different locations, and therefore are not appropriate to study the impacts of public EVSE on PEV load and utilization. In this work, a mobility and charging flexibility model is proposed to better represent the temporal availability and varying charging capability from PEV onboard charger and EVSE. • Based on the mobility model, a generalized optimization method is proposed to evaluate different PEV charging coordination strategies. In existing literature, different algorithms and methods need to be designed to evaluate each charging strategy from both vehicle owners’ and system’s perspective. With the optimization method proposed in this work, different charging control strategies can be studied and compared by only updating objective functions. Moreover, optimization tricks are provided to convert the optimization problems to equivalent linear programming problems, which can be efficiently solved with existing solvers. • An innovative scheduling and control framework is proposed to enable smart PEV charging for grid services while meeting PEV owners’ travel needs. In the proposed framework, each set of EVSE is equipped with a controller that estimates charging power and energy flexibility based on vehicle characteristics, EVSE power rating, battery energy state, and upcoming trip information. With the simplified charging flexibility model received from each EVSE controller, the central coordinator determines the optimal power allocation for a look-ahead time window for the given grid services. The proposed charging control can help reduce the computational complexity and communication requirement compared with existing methods. It is also scalable to the expanding PEV fleet and robust to uncertainties in upcoming vehicle trips and future system condition. • The proposed charging strategy evaluation and smart charging control methods are applied to one of the prototypical feeders developed by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for case studies. Detailed trip information extracted from the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) is used to represent travel and parking patterns. Different scenarios are simulated to evaluate the performance of the proposed methods and understand how PEV mobility and public EVSE availability affect PEV load and potential grid services.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Numerical Modeling and Parametric Study of a Dual Purpose Underground Thermal Battery

Buildings’ thermal energy systems for providing space heating/cooling consume a considerable amount of electricity nationwide. Integrating thermal energy storage with buildings’ thermal systems has the potential to shave the peak electric demand and to overcome the mismatch between the intermittent renewable power and the fluctuating daily demand for electricity. A novel dual-purpose underground thermal battery (DPUTB) has been developed to provide diurnal thermal energy storage in conjunction with a dual-source heat pump (DSHP)system. A two-dimensional numerical model is developed to simulate the transient performance of the DPUTB. This model has similar accuracy as a detailed three-dimensional model developed with commercial heat transfer and fluid dynamics simulation program but with 1000 times faster computational speed. A parametric study is performed to identify a design of the DPUTB that can provide 14 kWh thermal storage capacity for each charging and discharging cycle. A system simulation has been developed to assess the performance of the designed DPUTB when it is integrated with a DSHP for conditioning a typical residential building in summer and winter. Simulation results indicate that the DPUTB can meet all the design requirements in both summer and winter with the simple rule-based control strategy and the overall integrated DPUTB and DSHP system can shift the electric load for meeting the thermal demand from the peak hours to off-peak hours during a day, which would result in considerable energy cost savings if a Time of Use electricity tariff is applicable.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Lithium-Ion Cell Charge Control Unit

Life-test data of Lithium-Ion battery cells is critical in order to establish their performance capabilities for NASA missions and Exploration goals. Lithium-ion cells have the potential to replace rechargeable alkaline cells in aerospace applications, but they require a more complex charging scheme than is typically required for alkaline cells. To address these requirements in our Lithium-Ion Cell Test Verification Program, a Lithium-Ion Cell Charge Control Unit was developed by NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC). This unit gives researchers the ability to test cells together as a pack, while allowing each cell to charge individually. This allows the inherent cell-to-cell variations to be addressed on a series string of cells and results in a substantial reduction in test costs as compared to individual cell testing. The Naval Surface Warfare Center at Crane, Indiana developed a power reduction scheme that works in conjunction with the Lithium-Ion Cell Charge Control Unit. This scheme minimizes the power dissipation required by the circuitry to prolong circuit life and improve its reliability.

Reid, Concha↗

Packages of Distributed Energy Technologies Demonstrating Demand Flexibility at Community Scale

The combination of increased electric load growth across all sectors, deferred electrical infrastructure investment, and other factors resulting in variable electric power supply, has created technical challenges to maintaining a resilient and reliable grid. Many federal, regional, and local efforts are in play to modernize the electric grid, including advancing building technologies and distributed energy resources (DERs) that are utilizing smarter controls to become responsive to both occupant and grid needs. This report reviews ten pilot projects demonstrating how groups of buildings combined with behind-the-meter (BTM) DERs such as electric vehicle (EV) charging, battery storage, flexible HVAC and domestic hot water systems, and photovoltaic systems can reliably and cost effectively provide grid services. Each of the ten pilot projects aim to deliver both energy efficiency and demand flexibility (DF) while supporting load growth. The ten demonstration teams are piloting flexible DER packages across diverse communities of residential and commercial buildings to address a variety of regional grid needs. The outcomes of these pilot projects will be used to inform future scaling through utility program development. This paper characterizes the ten teams, showcasing the decision-making process used by each group to develop their packages (Section 2), the grid services they plan to deliver (Section 3), the types of DER packages selected for deployment within building sectors (Section 4) and trends between building sector, DER types, and grid services In order to achieve community scale benefits, the pilot projects must utilize aggregated control mechanisms for coordinating buildings and DERs together. Several types of coordinated control architectures have evolved amongst the teams, influenced by use type, existing market conditions, and integration type. Three coordinated controls architectures have been characterized, highlighting their use cases, benefits, challenges, and tradeoffs in their design. These insights can aid utilities, control vendors, and developers in scaling community-level energy systems (Paul, 2024). Ultimately, the technology packages selected by the ten teams will be coordinated to provide power system services, also known as grid services. Insights from these demonstrations will be useful for grid operators, regulators, aggregators and other stakeholders as they look to deploy demand flexible resources as grid services in the future. The grid services that each team is targeting for demonstration are described in Section 3 and Section 4. Methods for evaluating the grid services have been described in the paper Metrics for Evaluating Grid Service Provision from Communities of Grid-interactive and Efficient Buildings and other DER (MacDonald, 2023). To identify technology packages for demonstration, Section 2 shows that project teams used a range of analysis approaches, including building energy modeling, AMI data analysis, cost-benefit frameworks, and utility pilot data. Some teams emphasized technical modeling to quantify grid impacts and demand reduction potential, while others prioritized economic evaluations, stakeholder input, or exploratory pilots to inform deployment decisions. This diversity reflects the need to tailor selection methods to project goals, available data, and organizational context. Section 5 discusses trends between the DER technologies deployed and the grid service provisions from each team. Residential buildings (multifamily and single family) lean towards technologies that enhance energy efficiency (e.g. weatherization upgrades, smart thermostats) and onsite power generation integration (e.g. solar PV). Commercial building demonstrations prioritize technologies that ensure operational reliability (e.g. battery storage) and centralized energy management systems and optimization solutions. Teams that are deploying controllable storage-based technologies are more likely to provide grid services that require a near real-time response. Teams incorporating load shifting technologies like smart thermostats with HEMs are likely to include energy markets participation and customer bill management offerings. Campus demonstrations are adopting diverse sets of DERs to emphasize renewable generation, paired with centralized control. This section also describes technologies that were considered during project planning but ultimately excluded from final deployment. These demonstrations reveal that effective DER package design should be tailored to building type, customer segment, and construction vintage. Multifamily buildings benefit from centralized HVAC upgrades and supervisory controls, while single-family homes are well-suited for individualized technologies like solar, storage, and smart home energy monitors. Commercial and campus settings prioritize EMIS integration and load optimization. New construction enables cost-effective integration of DER-ready infrastructure, whereas retrofits require deployments aligned with owner and tenant value streams. For utility program planners, early coordination with developers and building owners, paired with segmented and modular program offerings, can improve adoption, scalability, and grid impact.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Design of a GaAs/Ge Solar Array for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) are being proposed for many applications including surveillance, mapping and atmospheric studies. These applications require a lightweight, low speed, medium to long duration airplane. Due to the weight, speed, and altitude constraints imposed on such aircraft, solar array generated electric power is a viable alternative to air-breathing engines. Development of such aircraft is currently being funded under the Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) program. NASA Lewis Research Center (LeRC) is currently building a Solar Electric Airplane to demonstrate UAV technology. This aircraft utilizes high efficiency Applied Solar Energy Corporation (ASEC) GaAs/Ge space solar cells. The cells have been provided by the Air Force through the ManTech Office. Expected completion of the plane is early 1995, with the airplane currently undergoing flight testing using battery power.

Scheiman, David A.↗

Electric vehicle supply equipment location and capacity allocation for fixed-route networks

Electric vehicle (EV) supply equipment location and allocation (EVSELCA) problems for freight vehicles are becoming more important because of the trending electrification shift. Some previous works address EV charger location and vehicle routing problems simultaneously by generating vehicle routes from scratch. Although such routes can be efficient, introducing new routes may violate practical constraints, such as drive schedules, and satisfying electrification requirements can require dramatically altering existing routes. To address the challenges in the prevailing adoption scheme, we approach the problem from a fixed -route perspective. We develop a mixed -integer linear program, a clustering approach, and a metaheuristic solution method using a genetic algorithm (GA) to solve the EVSELCA problem. The clustering approach simplifies the problem by grouping customers into clusters, while the GA generates solutions that are shown to be nearly optimal for small problem cases. A case study examines how charger costs, energy costs, the value of time (VOT), and battery capacity impact the cost of the EVSELCA. Charger equipment costs were found to be the most significant component in the objective function, leading to a substantial reduction in cost when decreased. VOT costs exhibited a significant decrease with rising energy costs. Further, an increase in VOT resulted in a notable rise in the number of fast chargers. Longer EV ranges decrease total costs up to a certain point, beyond which the decrease in total costs is negligible.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

Expanding PV Value: Lessons Learned from Utility-led Distributed Energy Resource Aggregation in the United States

Distributed PV capacity in the United States has increased from about 0.4 Gigawatts (GW) in 2010 to 10.5 GW in 2017 (GTM Research and SEIA 2018). When distributed PV is coupled with other emerging distributed energy resources (DERs) like battery storage and electric vehicles (EVs) they can provide demand response, voltage regulation, and other grid services. When many DERs are aggregated and called upon to provide these services simultaneously they may offer the same or more value than large, centralized power producers. In the United States, utility efforts to aggregate DERs are in the nascent stage. If initial DER aggregation programs prove successful, it could open new value streams for PV and other emerging DERs, thereby expanding deployment and transforming the energy market. The literature on the scope, performance, and lessons learned from utility-led DER aggregation programs is limited. This report fills this research gap, first by surveying utility-led DER aggregation programs nationwide, and then providing a deeper analysis of five utility pilots. We compare lessons learned across the five cases to develop a list of common challenges and related solutions that other utilities might consider when developing next generation programs.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗