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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 955 records · Page 53
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

Retrofitting a Geothermal Plant with Solar and Storage to Increase Power Generation

Solar hybridization using concentrating solar power (CSP) can be an effective approach to augment the power generation and power cycle efficiency of a geothermal power plant with a declining resource. Thermal storage can further increase the dispatchability of a geothermal/solar hybrid system, which is particularly valued for a national grid with high renewable penetration. In this paper, a hybrid plant design with thermal storage is proposed based on the requirements of the Coso geothermal field in China Lake, California. The objective is to increase the power production by 4 MWe. In this system, a portion of the injection brine is recirculated through a heat exchanger with the solar heat transfer fluid, before being mixed with the production well brine. In the solar heating loop the brine should be heated to at least 155 degrees C to increase the net power. The solar field and storage were sized based on solar data for China Lake. Thermal storage is used to store excess power at the high-solar-irradiation hours and generate additional power during the evenings. The solar field size, the type and capacity of thermal storage and the operating temperatures are critical factors in determining the most economic hybrid system. Further investigations are required to optimize the hybrid system and evaluate its economic feasibility.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Basalt Reactivity Variability with Reservoir Depth in Supercritical CO2 and Aqueous Phases

Long term storage of CO{sub 2} in geologic formations is currently considered the most attractive option to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while continuing to utilize fossil fuels for energy production. Injected CO{sub 2} is expected to reside as a buoyant water-saturated supercritical fluid in contact with reservoir rock, the caprock system, and related formation waters. As was reported for the first time at the GHGT-9 conference, experiments with basalts demonstrated surprisingly rapid carbonate mineral formation occurring with samples suspended in the scCO{sub 2} phase. Those experiments were limited to a few temperatures and CO{sub 2} pressures representing relatively shallow (1 km) reservoir depths. Because continental flood basalts can extend to depths of 5 km or more, in this paper we extend the earlier results across a pressure-temperature range representative of these greater depths. Different basalt samples, including well cuttings from the borehole used in a pilot-scale basalt sequestration project (Eastern Washington, U.S.) and core samples from the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP), were exposed to aqueous solutions in equilibrium with scCO{sub 2} and water-rich scCO{sub 2} at six different pressures and temperatures for select periods of time (30 to 180 days). Conditions corresponding to a shallow injection of CO{sub 2} (7.4 MPa, 34 C) indicate limited reactivity with basalt; surface carbonate precipitates were not easily identified on post-reacted basalt grains. Basalts exposed under identical times appeared increasingly more reacted with simulated depths. Tests, conducted at higher pressures (12.0 MPa) and temperatures (55 C), reveal a wide variety of surface precipitates forming in both fluid phases. Under shallow conditions tiny clusters of aragonite needles began forming in the wet scCO{sub 2} fluid, whereas in the CO{sub 2} saturated water, cation substituted calcite developed thin radiating coatings. Although these types of coatings were sparse, conditions corresponding to deeper depths showed increasing carbonate precipitation. Basalts exposed to aqueous dissolved CO{sub 2} (25.5 MPa, 116 C) for 30 days were coated in tiny nodules of precipitate ({approx}100 {micro}m in diameter) that were identified by micro x-ray diffraction as ankerite, [Ca(Fe,Mg)(CO{sub 3}){sub 2}], a variety of dolomite commonly associated with hydrothermal and metamorphic environments. Surface characterization by SEM revealed well-developed round nodules composed of discrete individual platelets. In contrast, reaction products forming on the basalt in the corresponding wet scCO{sub 2} phase had completely different morphology, appearing in an optical microscope as a surface coating instead of discrete nodules. Examination by SEM revealed layers of discrete platelets forming a cover over a few discrete nodules. Longer test durations (180 days) produced severe iron staining along with minerals structures similar to rhodochrosite and kutnohorite. These preliminary experiments show strong evidence of the faster rate of increase in mineralization reactions taking place in the scCO{sub 2} phase, transformation reactions that are just beginning to be explored in detail.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2012

Multi-scale approach to the modeling of fission gas discharge during hypothetical loss-of-flow accident in gen-IV sodium fast reactor

The required technological and safety standards for future Gen IV Reactors can only be achieved if advanced simulation capabilities become available, which combine high performance computing with the necessary level of modeling detail and high accuracy of predictions. The purpose of this paper is to present new results of multi-scale three-dimensional (3D) simulations of the inter-related phenomena, which occur as a result of fuel element heat-up and cladding failure, including the injection of a jet of gaseous fission products into a partially blocked Sodium Fast Reactor (SFR) coolant channel, and gas/molten sodium transport along the coolant channels. The computational approach to the analysis of the overall accident scenario is based on using two different inter-communicating computational multiphase fluid dynamics (CMFD) codes: a CFD code, PHASTA, and a RANS code, NPHASE-CMFD. Using the geometry and time history of cladding failure and the gas injection rate, direct numerical simulations (DNS), combined with the Level Set method, of two-phase turbulent flow have been performed by the PHASTA code. The model allows one to track the evolution of gas/liquid interfaces at a centimeter scale. The simulated phenomena include the formation and breakup of the jet of fission products injected into the liquid sodium coolant. The PHASTA outflow has been averaged over time to obtain mean phasic velocities and volumetric concentrations, as well as the liquid turbulent kinetic energy and turbulence dissipation rate, all of which have served as the input to the core-scale simulations using the NPHASE-CMFD code. A sliding window time averaging has been used to capture mean flow parameters for transient cases. The results presented in the paper include testing and validation of the proposed models, as well the predictions of fission-gas/liquid-sodium transport along a multi-rod fuel assembly of SFR during a partial loss-of-flow accident. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Pressure Response Optimization of an Eddy Current-Driven Flyer Plate Valve for the ITER Shattered Pellet Injection System

One technique for mitigating disruptions in a tokamak is shattered pellet injection (SPI). SPI is a process in which a large solid pellet consisting of deuterium, neon, or argon is desublimated in a pipe gun barsrel and launched downstream. Pellets are shattered just before entering the plasma by an impact with an angled tube. Injection of these materials into the plasma radiates stored thermal energy, limits current decay rates, suppresses the generation of runaway electrons, and dissipates runaway electrons if necessary. A critical element of the SPI system is a fast-acting valve that releases high-pressure gas to dislodge and accelerate pellets directly, or indirectly via a mechanical punch. A prototype valve sized for the ITER SPI system has been designed and fabricated. A pulsed high-voltage power supply energizes the valve’s internal magnetic coil, which induces eddy currents in the adjacent flyer plate resulting in a repulsive force between the flyer plate and the coil. The flyer plate action lifts a valve seat, allowing high-pressure gas to flow from the valve plenum to the downstream (breech) location of the pellet or mechanical punch. All of the valve’s internal components are designed to operate in ITER-level static background magnetic fields. Here, a study was conducted to optimize the downstream pressure response for a range of valve sizes and operating pressures. In particular, the study analyzes the breech pressure response associated with varying plenum pressures as well as varying breech volumes. A computational fluid dynamics simulation was built in STAR-CCM+ and validated against data from laboratory experiments. The resulting simulation outputs, in the form of downstream responses for a variety of initial plenum pressures and breech volumes, will be used as a complement to experimental data to ensure the pressure pulse is suitable for pellet survivability. These data, combined with studies on pellet shear strength and shock response, will be applied to optimization of overall operating parameters of the ITER SPI system.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Effects of Carbonic Acid-Rock Interactions on CO2/Brine Multiphase Flow Properties in the Upper Minnelusa Sandstones

Summary Carbon dioxide (CO2) injection into a deep saline aquifer can dissolve into formation brine and generate carbonic acid. The resulting acid can drive fluid-rock geochemical reactions. The impact of these fluid-rock geochemical reactions on porosity, permeability, and multiphase flow responses is relevant to the determination of CO2 storage capacity of deep saline aquifers. In this research, carbonic acid flooding experiments were performed on core samples consisting of poorly sorted, quartz-rich sand with laminated bedding from a possible CO2 storage target in northwest Wyoming. Complementary pre- and post-injection porosity and permeability, thin-section, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area, mercury intrusion capillary pressure (MICP), and time-domain nuclear magnetic resonance (TD-NMR) measurements were conducted. Overall, both core porosity and permeability increased after a 7-day carbonic acid injection, from 6.2 to 8.4% and 1.6 to 3.7 md, respectively. We attributed these changes to carbonate mineral dissolution, which was evidenced by the effluent brine geochemistry, pore-throat size distribution (PTSD), and BET surface area. To be more specific, within the more-permeable section of core samples containing larger pore size, the permeability increment is apparent due to dolomite mineral grains and cements dissolution. However, for the lower-permeability section corresponding to the smaller pore size, mineral precipitation possibly lessened dissolution effects, leading to insignificant petrophysical properties changes. Consequently, the observed heterogeneous carbonic acid-rock interactions resulted in alterations of CO2/brine relative permeability (i.e., the initial CO2 saturation decreased and the CO2 flow capacity was enhanced). This research provides a fundamental understanding regarding effects of fluid-rock reactions on changes in static and multiphase flow properties of eolian sandstones, which lays the foundation for more accurate prediction/simulation of CO2 injection into deep saline aquifers.

Engineering↗
NASA NTRS2010

Jet Noise Reduction by Microjets - A Parametric Study

The effect of injecting tiny secondary jets (microjets ) on the radiated noise from a subsonic primary jet is studied experimentally. The microjets are injected on to the primary jet near the nozzle exit with variable port geometry, working fluid and driving pressure. A clear noise reduction is observed that improves with increasing jet pressure. It is found that smaller diameter ports with higher driving pressure, but involving less thrust and mass fraction, can produce better noise reduction. A collection of data from the present as well as past experiments is examined in an attempt to correlate the noise reduction with the operating parameters. The results indicate that turbulent mixing noise reduction, as monitored by OASPL at a shallow angle, correlates with the ratio of jet to primary jet driving pressures normalized by the ratio of corresponding diameters (p d /pjD). With gaseous injection, the spectral amplitudes decrease at lower frequencies while an increase is noted at higher frequencies. It is apparent that this amplitude crossover is at least partly due to shock-associated noise from the underexpanded jets themselves. Such crossover is not seen with water injection since the flow in that case is incompressible and there is no shock-associated noise. Centerline velocity data show that larger noise reduction is accompanied by faster jet decay as well as significant reduction in turbulence intensities. While a physical understanding of the dependence of noise reduction on p d /pjD remains unclear, given this correlation, an analysis explains the observed dependence of the effect on various other parameters.

Zaman, K. B. M. Q.↗
DOE OSTI2017

Experimental development of low-frequency shear modulus and attenuation measurements in mated rock fractures: Shear mechanics due to asperity contact area changes with normal stress

Reservoir core measurements can help guide seismic monitoring of fluid-induced pressure variations in tight fractured reservoirs including those targeted for supercritical CO 2 injection. We present the first seismic-frequency ‘room-dry’ measurements of fracture specific shear stiffness, using artificially fractured standard granite samples with different degrees of mating, a well-mated tensile fracture from a dolomite reservoir core, as well as simple roughened polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) surfaces. We have adapted a low-frequency (0.01 to 100 Hz) shear modulus and attenuation apparatus to explore the seismic signature of fractures and understand the mechanics of asperity contacts under a range of normal stress conditions. Our instrument is unique in its ability to measure at low normal stresses (0.5 – 20 MPa), simulating 'open' fractures in shallow or high fluid pressure reservoirs. The accuracy of our instrument is demonstrated by calibration and comparison to ultrasonic measurements and low-frequency direct shear measurements of intact samples from the literature. Pressure sensitive film was used to measure real contact area of the fracture surfaces. The fractured shear modulus for the majority of the samples shows an exponential dependence on real contact area. A simple numerical model, with one bonded circular asperity, predicts this behavior and matches the data for the simple PMMA surfaces. The rock surfaces reach their intact moduli at lower contact area than the model predicts, likely due to more complex geometry. Lastly, we apply our results to a Linear-Slip Interface Model to estimate reflection coefficients and calculate shear wave time delays due to the lower wave velocities through the fractured zone. We find that cross-well surveys could detect even well-mated hard rock fractures assuming the availability of high repeatability acquisition systems.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

SECARB Initial Injection Period Reservoir Modeling Report

The Southeast Carbon Sequestration Partnership Phase III Anthropogenic Test at Citronelle Field is the United States’ largest CO 2 capture and transportation, injection, storage and monitoring project using CO 2 derived from a coal-fired power station. The project represents a U.S. Department of Energy research and development initiative designed to demonstrate deep underground injection and containment of 100,000 tonnes or more of anthropogenic-source CO 2 . A series of reservoir modeling runs will be performed during the pre-injection, injection, and post-injection phases of the project and will be used to predict plume migration and areal extent. Pressure, temperature, and downhole measurements (seismic, fluid and logging), all data collected as a part of the monitoring program, are utilized as reservoir performance parameters to tune the existing geophysical and geochemical simulation models. The ability to represent site injection activities with the produced detailed simulation models lend credence to long-term forecasts of CO 2 fate and the progress of the CO 2 plume. This report provides an assessment of the simulation model results for CO 2 injection at the Citronelle Anthropogenic Test site from the period of August 20, 2012 to August 31, 2013.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2012

Multipurpose Acoustic Sensor for Downhole Fluid Monitoring

The projects objectives and purpose are to: (1) development a multipurpose acoustic sensor for downhole fluid monitoring in Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) reservoirs over typical ranges of pressures and temperatures and demonstrate its capabilities and performance for different EGS systems; (2) determine in real-time and in a single sensor package several parameters - temperature, pressure, fluid flow and fluid properties; (3) needed in nearly every phase of an EGS project, including Testing of Injection and Production Wells, Reservoir Validation, Inter-well Connectivity, Reservoir Scale Up and Reservoir Sustainability. (4) Current sensors are limited to operating at lower temperatures, but the need is for logging at high temperatures. The present project deals with the development of a novel acoustic-based sensor that can work at temperatures up to 374 °C, in inhospitable environments.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Time-resolved 3D imaging of two-phase fluid flow inside a steel fuel injector using synchrotron X-ray tomography

The multiphase flow inside a diesel injection nozzle is imaged using synchrotron X-rays from the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory. Through acquisitions performed at several viewing angles and subsequent tomographic reconstruction, in-situ 3D visualization is achieved for the first time inside a steel injector at engine-like operating conditions. The morphology of the internal flow reveals strong flow separation and vapor-filled cavities (cavitation), the degree of which correlates with the nozzle's asymmetric inlet corner profile. Micron-scale surface features, which are artifacts of manufacturing, are shown to influence the morphology of the resulting liquid-gas interface. The data obtained at 0.1 ms time resolution exposes transient flow features and the flow development timescales are shown to be correlated with in-situ imaging of the fuel injector's hydraulically-actuated valve (needle). As more than 98.5% of the X-ray photon flux is attenuated within the steel injector body itself, we are posed with a unique challenge for imaging the flow within. Time-resolved imaging under these low-light conditions is achieved by exploiting both the refractive and absorptive properties of X-ray photons. The data-processing strategy converted these images with a signal-to-noise ratio of similar to 10 into a meaningful dataset for understanding internal flow and cavitation in a nozzle of diameter 200 mu m enclosed within 1-2 millimeters of steel.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Effect of Liner Cooling Flow on Combustor Emissions for Commercial Supersonics Technology

An overview is provided of a parametric study conducted to study the effect of liner cooling airflow rates on NOx emissions of a seven-element lean-direct injection (LDI) module with radial airflow main swirlers. The goal of the CFD study was to determine the increase in cooling flow rate at which the NOx emissions would exceed 20% of the predicted emissions with zero liner cooling flow. The Open version of the National Combustion Code (OpenNCC) was used to perform two-phase reacting flow computations with a new LDI injection module design with radial airflow swirlers instead of axial airflow swirlers. CFD analysis with OpenNCC predicted a 20% increase in EINOx emissions was reached when the liner cooling airflow rate was increased to 15% of the baseline combustor airflow rate. The liner cooling flow rate was predicted to have a non-linear effect on increase in overall EINOx of the seven element LDI injection module.

CFD↗
DOE OSTI2017

In situ measurement of velocity-stress sensitivity using crosswell continuous active-source seismic monitoring

The ability to characterize time-varying reservoir properties, such as the state of stress, has fundamental implications in subsurface engineering, relevant to geologic sequestration of CO 2 . Stress variation, here in the form of changes in pore fluid pressure, is one factor known to affect seismic velocity. Induced variations in velocity have been used in seismic studies to determine and monitor changes in the stress state. Previous studies conducted to determine velocity-stress sensitivity at reservoir conditions rely primarily on laboratory measurements of core samples or theoretical relationships. In this paper, we have developed a novel field-scale experiment designed to study the in situ relationship between pore-fluid pressure and seismic velocity using a crosswell continuous active-source seismic monitoring (CASSM) system. At the Cranfield, Mississippi, CO 2 sequestration field site, we actively monitored seismic response for five days with a temporal resolution of 5 min; the target was a 26 m thick injection zone at approximately 3.2 km depth in a fluvial sandstone formation (lower Tuscaloosa Formation). The variation of pore fluid pressure was obtained during discrete events of fluid withdrawal from one of the two wells and monitored with downhole pressure sensors. The results indicate a correlation between decreasing CASSM time delay (i.e., velocity change for a raypath in the reservoir) and periods of reduced fluid pore pressure. The correlation is interpreted as the velocity-stress sensitivity measured in the reservoir. This observation is consistent with published laboratory studies documenting a velocity ( V ) increase with an effective stress increase. A traveltime change ( d t ) of 0.036 ms is measured as the consequence of a change in pressure of approximately 2.55 MPa ( d P e ). For T = 13 ms total traveltime, the velocity-stress sensitivity is d V / V / d P e = d t / T / d P e = 10.9 × 10 - 4 / MPa . Finally, the overall results suggest that CASSM measurements represent a valid technique for in situ determination of velocity-stress sensitivity in field-scale monitoring studies.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Addressing wellbore integrity and thief zone permeability using microbially-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP): A field demonstration

Microbially-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) is an emerging biotechnology for wellbore integrity applications including sealing defects in wellbore cement and modifying the permeability of rock formations. The goal of this field demonstration was to characterize a failed waterflood injection well and provide proof of principle that MICP can reduce permeability in the presence of oil using conventional oilfield fluid delivery methods. Here we compared well logs performed at the time the well was drilled with ultrasonic logs, sonic cement evaluation, and temperature logs conducted after the well failed. Analysis of these logs suggested that, rather than entering the target waterflood formation, injectate was traveling through defects in the well cement to a higher permeability sandstone layer above the target formation. Sporosarcina pasteurii cultures and urea-calcium media were delivered 2290 ft (698 m) below ground surface using a 3.75 gal (14.2 L) slickline dump bailer to promote mineralization in the undesired flow paths. By Day 6 and after 25 inoculum and 49 calcium media injections, the injectivity [gpm/psi] had decreased by approximately 70%. This demonstration shows that 1) common well logs can be used to identify scenarios where MICP can be employed to reduce system permeability, remediate leakage pathways, and improve waterflood efficiency, and 2) MICP can occur in the presence of hydrocarbons.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2016

Imaging and quantification of spreading and trapping of carbon dioxide in saline aquifers using meter-scale laboratory experiments

The role of capillary forces during buoyant migration of CO 2 is critical toward plume immobilization within the postinjection phase of a geological carbon sequestration operation. However, the inherent heterogeneity of the subsurface makes it very challenging to evaluate the effects of capillary forces on the storage capacity of these formations and to assess in situ plume evolution. To overcome the lack of accurate and continuous observations at the field scale and to mimic vertical migration and entrapment of realistic CO 2 plumes in the presence of a background hydraulic gradient, we conducted two unique long-term experiments in a 2.44 m × 0.5 m tank. X-ray attenuation allowed measuring the evolution of a CO 2 -surrogate fluid saturation, thus providing direct insight into capillarity-dominated and buoyancy-dominated flow processes occurring under successive drainage and imbibition conditions. The comparison of saturation distributions between two experimental campaigns suggests that layered-type heterogeneity plays an important role on nonwetting phase (NWP) migration and trapping, because it leads to (i) longer displacement times (3.6 months versus 24 days) to reach stable trapping conditions, (ii) limited vertical migration of the plume (with center of mass at 39% versus 55% of aquifer thickness), and (iii) immobilization of a larger fraction of injected NWP mass (67.2% versus 51.5% of injected volume) as compared to the homogenous scenario. Finally, while these observations confirm once more the role of geological heterogeneity in controlling buoyant flows in the subsurface, they also highlight the importance of characterizing it at scales that are below seismic resolution (1–10 m).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

Development of Geomechanical Screening Tools to Identify Risk: An Experimental and Modeling Approach for Secure CO 2 Storage Final Technical Report

CO 2 injection in the subsurface introduces additional complexity in terms of interactions of the reservoir host pore fluid with natural heterogeneity of hydro-mechanical properties of the rock. Natural heterogeneity of the reservoir rock and caprock formations includes spatial variation of hydro-mechanical properties as well as the presence of natural fractures. We developed a coupled mathematical modeling and experimental framework that takes into account the effect of rock heterogeneity on effective mechanical properties of the rock in contact with CO 2 . We performed accurate laboratory experiments to determine the changes in rock mechanical properties due to mineral dissolution in the presence of carbonic acid generated by CO 2 injection. A two-scale adaptive homogenization framework was then developed to consistently upscale petrophysical and geomechanical properties to the field scale. Further, we also developed high-fidelity, numerical solution schemes, non-linear and linear solvers and preconditioners to solve the coupled flow, reactive transport and geomechanical system. The numerical model was then used to study field scale CO 2 sequestration problems for the two selected field sites: (1) Frio formation and (2) Cranfield site. We also developed robust schemes for field data assimilation, model calibration such that the residual uncertainty at the end of the data assimilation procedures can be faithfully represented while taking into account the coupled geochemical and geomechanical processes.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1973

Analysis of the injection of a heated turbulent jet into a cross flow

The development of a theoretical model is investigated of the incompressible jet injection process. The discharge of a turbulent jet into a cross flow was mathematically modeled by using an integral method which accounts for natural fluid mechanisms such as turbulence, entrainment, buoyancy, and heat transfer. The analytical results are supported by experimental data and demonstrate the usefulness of the theory for estimating the trajectory and flow properties of the jet for a variety of injection conditions. The capability of predicting jet flow properties, as well as two- and three-dimensional jet paths, was enhanced by obtaining the jet cross-sectional area during the solution of the conservation equations. Realistic estimates of temperature in the jet fluid were acquired by accounting for heat losses in the jet flow due to forced convection and to entrainment of free-stream fluid into the jet.

Campbell, J. F.↗