Industry Day seeks to accelerate commercialization of Sandia's "Cooler" technology.
Abstract not provided.
Janes, Michael↗
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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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Improving the Cyber Resiliency and Security Posture of Public Power (Final Report)
The key objective of Improving the Cyber Resiliency and Security Posture of Public Power (Project) was to develop a culture of cyber resiliency and security within the public power community. The relative smaller size and unique structure of community-owned electric utilities can sometimes present challenges in immediate recognition of threats and the escalation of potential incidents. The Project offered targeted education, coordination, capability building, and resources to help the public power community better understand, install, and implement cyber and physical resiliency and security systems. The American Public Power Association (APPA) accelerated efforts to develop resources for and with the public power community to understand and implement resiliency, cybersecurity and cyber-physical solutions, including refining and improving the adoption of advanced control concepts. The Project consisted of four major multi-pronged tasks which included: 1) Advance cyber resiliency and security assessments; 2) Conduct, evaluate, and use the results of onsite vulnerability assessments; 3) Research, evaluate, deploy, and integrate both commercial and pre-commercial security technologies; and 4) Research, evaluate, and implement information sharing mechanisms.
24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
Atomic Layer Deposition for Materials-Based H2 Storage: Opportunities and Limitations
The transportation demands in our growing hydrogen (H2) economy requires robust storage systems. The current commercially implemented technology in fuel cell cars relies on the well-established technology of hydrogen gas compressed to 350-700 bar, depending on the application. The compressed gas tanks in use today are bulky and cost intensive. To address this challenge, material-based storage is one of the long-term alternatives considered and constitutes the focus of this talk. Material-based storage is broadly defined as hydrogen bound to solid materials, with its binding strength varying from physisorption to porous materials, such as zeolites and metal organic frameworks, to chemisorption in (complex) metal hydrides. The ultimate targets set by the U.S. Department of Energy for this technology include a system gravimetric capacity of 6.5 wt% and volumetric capacity of 40 g/L at 100 bar, operating temperatures ranging between -40 C and +40 C and adsorption/desorption timescales of < 5 min. Storage in the form of physisorbed or chemisorbed hydrogen has guided the materials research, which metal- organic framework and (complex) metal hydrides being the most promising materials classes. A variety of these materials have met one or more of the targets, but it has remained elusive for a single material system to meet all these stringent requirements. Nano-encapsulation and low-concentration chemical additives have previously been employed separately to overcome such challenges. Functionalization via atomic layer deposition (ALD), however, offers unique characteristics that make it suitable for both, nano-encapsulation and "doping" with low-concentration additives. This deposition technique has sub-monolayer thickness control, is highly conformal in high-surface area materials and is self-limiting, i.e., once the gas-phase precursor reacts with the available surface sites, the surface reactions stop. In this presentation, we will showcase examples where ALD, more generally vapor-phase functionalization, on (complex) metal hydrides and organic frameworks has improved the material properties for H2 storage. In our first study, Al2O3 was deposited on magnesium borohydride, Mg(BH4)2, at room temperature using trimethylaluminum (TMA) and water. From our findings, encouraging initial results were obtained: the H2 desorption temperature was lowered by 60-120 degrees C, the desorbed gravimetric H2 capacity at temperatures < 250 degrees C was doubled, and the desorption kinetics increased by a factor of ~6 compared to uncoated Mg(BH4)2. However, hydrolysis reactions caused by residual surface -OH groups from the ALD water-pulse degraded the sample substantially. Through this study, the use of TMA was observed to be highly reactive with the Mg(BH4)2 surface species, leading to the strategy of exposing the sample only to TMA. The relative mole fraction of the vapor-phase additive can be precisely controlled with the number of TMA pulses and pulse duration. By tuning these parameters, we show in our second study that 10 pulses of TMA at ambient conditions were able to decrease the H2 desorption temperature by ~100 degrees C while retaining <95 % of its H2 capacity. We applied this approach with other additives such as BBr3, TiCl4 and tetrahydrofuran, and demonstrate that this unique approach opens the door to a new class of molecular additives and catalysts which cannot easily be introduced with conventional mechano-chemical or solvent-based techniques for (complex) metal-hydrides. In the case of metal organic frameworks, ALD is a promising technique to functionalize the pores with metal atoms or functional groups able to tune the gas selectivity and binding energy, for which ~15 kJ/mol has been established as the optimal value for H2 storage in sorbent materials. Vapor-phase techniques such as ALD have numerous benefits over other functionalization tools for H2 storage materials opening innumerable opportunities to the field. To exploit these opportunities, the current limitations on room temperature and water-less ALD processes needs to be overcome which will greatly expand the possibilities of encapsulation and incorporation of additives for organic frameworks and (complex) metal hydrides.
atomic layer deposition↗
Quantifying the Value of Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings through Field Study: Preprint
Quantifying the annual energy impacts of efficient technologies in commercial buildings has been well established by the building science field. As we move toward enabling grid-interactive efficient buildings (GEB) targeting flexible building operation and carbon reduction, quantification methods to evaluate time-sensitive peak load and emissions impact are much less defined. A number of national laboratories are working to field validate four different GEB software solutions that provide the capability to control multiple building end-use systems in multiple load flexibility modes (i.e., energy efficiency, load shed, load shift, and possible load modulation at the second to sub-second level). To guide the laboratory leads in effective measurement and verification (M&V) practices, two of the laboratories collaborated to define metrics to quantify the impacts of flexible load control on building demand, utility costs, carbon emissions, facility management, and occupant comfort. This paper summarizes the proposed metrics to quantify peak load and emission impacts in the field, decision parameters, approaches to accurately conduct M&V, lessons learned, and outstanding needs and next steps.
ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION↗
Quantifying the Value of Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings through Field Study
Quantifying the annual energy impacts of efficient technologies in commercial buildings has been well established by the building science field. As we move toward enabling grid-interactive efficient buildings (GEB) targeting flexible building operation and carbon reduction, quantification methods to evaluate time-sensitive peak load and emissions impact are much less defined. A number of national laboratories are working to field validate four different GEB software solutions that provide the capability to control multiple building end-use systems in multiple load flexibility modes (i.e., energy efficiency, load shed, load shift, and possible load modulation at the second to sub-second level). To guide the laboratory leads in effective measurement and verification (M&V) practices, two of the laboratories collaborated to define metrics to quantify the impacts of flexible load control on building demand, utility costs, carbon emissions, facility management, and occupant comfort. This paper summarizes the proposed metrics to quantify peak load and emission impacts in the field, decision parameters, approaches to accurately conduct M&V, lessons learned, and outstanding needs and next steps.
Langner, Rois↗
Means of Meeting Chapter 15 Requirements for a Small Modular Reactor Cooled by Lead-Bismuth
The mission of the Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) is to advance nuclear power as a resource capable of meeting the nation’s energy, environmental, and national security needs by resolving technical, cost, safety, proliferation resistance, and security barriers through Research, Development, and Demonstration (RD&D). To assist in accomplishing this, DOE-NE has established the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) to provide the nuclear community with access to the technical, regulatory, and financial support necessary to move innovative nuclear energy technologies toward commercialization. As part of this program, a GAIN Voucher was awarded to the Columbia Basin Consulting Group (CBCG) to develop for the Lead-Bismuth Reactor (LBR): (1) a means of meeting Chapter 15 requirements and (2) to perform an assessment against a gap analysis developed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for Chapter 15. These two assessments will determine to what extent the LBR can adapt to or meet the Chapter 15 Accident Analysis requirements, and determine gaps that may still exist and what additional information is needed in order to close them. The CBCG LBR design is being developed with a high level of passive safety. It has the advantages of the classical liquid metal reactor, i.e. small size and passive safety, while having the additional advantage of a chemically inert coolant. The CBCG and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) collaborated to develop an initial licensing pathway for the CBCG Lead-Bismuth conceptual reactor design. It was found that the reactor is well along the licensing pathway and is licensable although some additional design information is needed to establish a complete licensing basis. The missing information is identified in this report and it is noted that much of the missing information can be obtained from the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF), a DOE liquid metal test reactor. It was also found that the traditional Chapter 15 requirements for assessing the response of a reactor to possible accident sequences can be adapted to the LBR concept. The Chapter 15 review examined several classes of initiating events and accidents that are normally covered in Chapter 15: reactivity initiated events, reduction in heat removal events, local fuel failure events, and events initiated on the steam supply side. Although some design information is lacking at present, the LBR can be expected to respond as required by Chapter 15 requirements to almost all of the first three events. For events initiated on the steam side, design information is lacking and so conclusions cannot be reached at present. On the other hand, it should be quite possible to develop the design information for the steam supply side and the impact of events initiated on this side can be assessed in a subsequent study.
Wootan, David W.↗
Costs and benefits of energy efficiency improvements in ceiling fans
Ceiling fans contribute significantly to residential electricity consumption, especially in developing countries with warm climates. The paper provides analysis of costs and benefits of several options to improve the efficiency of ceiling fans to assess the global potential for electricity savings and green house gas (GHG) emission reductions. Ceiling fan efficiency can be cost-effectively improved by at least 50% using commercially available technology. If these efficiency improvements are implemented in all ceiling fans sold by 2020, 70 terawatt hours per year could be saved and 25 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e) emissions per year could be avoided, globally. We assess how policies and programs such as standards, labels, and financial incentives can be used to accelerate the adoption of efficient ceiling fans in order to realize potential savings.
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
Electrochemical Reaction Engineering: A Lost (and Found) Art
The heart (or, perhaps more appropriately, the stomach) of any chemical manufacturing process is the reactor, where chemical and physical transformations occur under precisely controlled conditions. For non-electrochemical industrial processes, the design, optimization and operation of chemical reactors are extremely well developed, drawing upon the principles of chemistry, physics, calculus and economics. However, electrolytic processes face a dearth of well documented reaction engineering principles and design practices. This tutorial-style poster presentation introduces electrochemistry students and industrial practitioners to the "lost art" of reaction engineering and its organic extensions to electrochemical devices. Electrochemical reactor fundamentals and illustrative design equations are presented alongside a proposed five-step generalizable methodology for electrochemical reactor scale-up. Overall, this contribution seeks to educate electrochemistry researchers on practical means of reducing laboratory technologies to commercial practice.
electrochemistry↗
Residual waste detection in HLW tanks - 15701
This research uses commercial sonar technology to monitor residual waste in the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Site high-level-waste staging tanks, with primary focus on the detection and imaging of the settled solids at specified areas of interest along the tank surface within a limited amount of time. High-level waste (HLW) is generated at the US-DOE Hanford Site as a by-product from the processing of nuclear materials. Waste is currently stored in 177 underground carbon-steel waste tanks. Pulse jet mixers (PJM) are often used to break loose and suspend the solids that have settled at the bottom of the tanks. A typical tank can have 6-8 pulse tubes. The Solid Liquid Interface Monitor (SLIM) must be capable of measuring dynamic movements in Region 1 zone between each PJM cycle. SLIM was originally developed to map the sludge/supernate interface within the U.S. DOE Hanford Site's HLW tanks. SLIM is a dual-axis mechanically rotating sonar and consists of an acoustic transducer, rotation motor with gearbox, tilt motor, position reference sensor, and pressure balancing mechanisms and its associated deployment platform. The sonar gathers a swath of data in the horizontal plane and rotates the transducer through a programmed angle around the vertical axis. Oil-filled device. No user serviceable parts. No semiconductors. Hard anodized aluminum and polyurethane delrin. May be deployed in areas of significant radioactivity. Kaolin will be used during mixing operations in order to simulate the physical properties of the expected slurry. In order to reduce the amount of time needed to image and object, all settings were decreased to their minimal state. The low resolution settings provide insufficient data for the manufacturer's 3D profiler to compile a visible point cloud and much less to allow the meshing algorithm to work properly. Several filtering algorithms have been applied to each scan in order to remove erroneous spikes and ghosting effects. Data has been collected for the mixing process of kaolin. This data consists of scans executed while the pump was active and inactive. The imaging algorithm has also been used with data derived from scans of 3% or less of kaolin. Future work: Mixing of kaolin within an experimental tank will be conducted in order to simulate the settling time of the HLW within the tank. The same filtering algorithms will be applied to each of these scans to evaluate the SLIM's efficiency to image solids at the bottom of a tank through increasing volume of kaolin.
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
Cogeneration of electricity and liquid fuels using an HTGR as the heat source - 18698
A high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) used for cogeneration of electricity and liquid transportation fuels was modeled. The model consisted of two HTGRs, each transferring heat through: - a steam generator (SG) to a supercritical Rankine Cycle (SCRC) producing electricity, and - an intermediate heat exchanger (IHX) to a biomass gasifier and Fischer-Tropsch (FT) process producing gasoline, jet fuel, diesel, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and/or naphtha. The individual systems and components in the cogeneration model are mature technologies and commercially available, because minimizing the need for additional innovation increases the overall probability of success for a new and unique hybrid system. Technical evaluations of cogeneration on the island of Oahu in the State of Hawaii, using eucalyptus and sugarcane as the biomass feedstock, indicated that high thermal efficiency was achievable and that the concept is technically viable. Economic evaluations of cogeneration, based on construction and finance costs and current electricity and liquid fuel prices, indicated that the cogeneration plant is economically viable. Additional analyses quantified the potential number of jobs created in the state and the reduction in carbon emissions. Further analyses indicated that cogeneration would significantly enhance Hawaii's energy security. (authors)
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
Development and Testing of an Advanced Cascaded Thermoelectric Residential Heat Pump
Electricity-driven heat pumps using vapor compression cycle are an energy-efficient solution to replace fossil fuel burning and reduce greenhouse gas emissions for space heating in residential buildings. However, heating capacity and Coefficient of Performance (COP) of heat pumps degrade significantly with increasing temperature difference between ambient and indoor environments. Residents and building owners are hence reluctant to fully embrace electric heat pumps. The use of conventional all-electric heat pumps also causes concern for electric utilities due to an increased winter peak demand arising from the use of supplemental electric resistance heaters. Our research is an attempt to alleviate these concerns by designing and laboratory testing a thermoelectric (TE) heat pump cascaded with a vapor compression cycle to enhance heating capacity and COP. TE modules increase the subcooling in the refrigerant liquid of the vapor compression cycle to enlarge the evaporating capacity and works at an efficiency greater than a conventional electric resistance strip. This results in a simple, affordable, efficient and highly controllable solution to adequately meet space heating needs in dwellings. The laboratory testing of the 3-stage cascaded TE heat pump performed in this research has exhibited a higher heating capacity by above 15%, while maintaining a heating COP of 2.0-3.6 in the ambient temperature range of -18˚C to 8˚C (0˚F to 47 ˚F), which represents more than 60% of winter temperatures observed in US. If successfully commercialized, this technology can advance space-heating electrification by overcoming consumer cost barrier of heat pumps.
Shen, Bo↗
A Refined BISON-Griffin Workflow For Designing Targeted TRISO Transient Experiments In The Transient Reactor Test Facility
U.S. industry is expected to deploy tristructural isotropic (TRISO) particle fuel technologies for commercial reactors within the next decade. In our previous work, we defined a preliminary transient design space for TRISO fuels, identified potential gaps in the available data, and began to develop multiphysics modeling tools that could be applied to design targeted Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT) experiments to fill these gaps. This work builds on that foundation by (1) updating BISON fuel performance and Griffin reactor physics models to reflect the current TREAT experiment tube and capsule designs,(2) coupling the codes to improve the accuracy and usability of the transient design analyses, and (3) demonstrating their use over an expanded design space that includes fuel burnup. The simulated mechanical responses of the TRISO particles were complex functions of fission product accumulation, fission gas release, and irradiation-induced dimensional change in the pyrolytic carbon layers. Predicted tangential stresses in particle silicon carbide layers were least compressive for preheated tests involving fresh fuels but remained compressive throughout the ranges of temperature, heat rate, and burnup considered in this work. Finally, comparisons between the potential TREAT transients and historical test reactor irradiations showed that the TREAT tests would produce significantly lower average energy deposition rates, yielding less severe transients with greater relevance to near-term commercial applications. Use of these predictive capabilities has the potential to increase the value of each test, improving the overall efficiency and cost effectiveness of transient testing for TRISO and other advanced fuels.
11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
Technology Transition a Model for Infusion and Commercialization
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has as part of its charter the mission of transferring technologies developed for the space program into the private sector for the purpose of affording back to the American people the economical and improved quality of life benefits associated with the technologies developed. In recent years considerable effort has been made to use this program for not only transitioning technologies out of the NASA Mission Directorate Programs, but also to transfer technologies into the Mission Directorate Programs and leverage the impact of government and private sector innovation. The objective of this paper is to outline an approach and the creation of a model that brings together industry, government, and commercialization strategies. When these elements are integrated, the probability of successful technology development, technology infusion into the Mission Programs, and commercialization into the private sector is increased. This model primarily addresses technology readiness levels between TRL 3 and TRL 6. This is typically a gap area known as the valley of death. This gap area is too low for commercial entities to invest heavily and not developed enough for major programs to actively pursue. This model has shown promise for increasing the probably of TRL advancement to an acceptable level for NASA programs and/or commercial entities to afford large investments toward either commercialization or infusion.
McMillan, Vernotto C.↗
Zero-Emission Bus Evaluation Results: County Connection Battery Electric Buses
The U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT's) Federal Transit Administration (FTA) supports the research, development, and demonstration of low- and zero-emission technology for transit buses. FTA funds research projects with a goal of facilitating commercialization of advanced technologies for transit buses that will increase efficiency and improve transit operations. DOT's Research, Development, and Technology Office (OST-R) also has an interest in zero-emission bus (ZEB) technology deployment and commercialization. OST-R is coordinating and collaborating with FTA on the evaluation process and results by providing funding to cover additional evaluations. FTA and OST-R are collaborating with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to conduct in-service evaluations of advanced technology buses developed under its programs. NREL uses a standard evaluation protocol for evaluating the advanced technologies deployed under the FTA programs. FTA seeks to provide results from new technologies being adopted by transit agencies. The eight evaluations selected to date include battery electric buses (BEBs) and fuel cell electric buses (FCEBs) from different manufacturers operating in fleets located in both cold and hot climates. The purpose of this report is to present the results from Central Contra Costa Transit Authority (County Connection) deployment of four BEBs in Concord, California. NREL's evaluation of the BEBs at County Connection was funded by OST-R.
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
[Radiation Tolerant Electronics]
Research work in the providing radiation tolerant electronics to NASA and the commercial sector is reported herein. There are four major sections to this report: (1) Special purpose VLSI technology section discusses the status of the VLSI projects as well as the new background technologies that have been developed; (2) Lossless data compression results provide the background and direction of new data compression pursued under this grant; (3) Commercial technology transfer presents an itemization of the commercial technology transfer; and (4) Delivery of VLSI to the Government is a solution and progress report that shows how the Government and Government contractors are gaining access to the technology that has been developed by the MRC.
Source record↗
Fusion energy technology and design-specific safety considerations
Design of commercial fusion energy technology must be done in a manner safe to the general public. This presentation is intended to cover the major non-radiological categories which must be considered for adequate safety of fusion devices.
70 - PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Fusion energy technology and design-specific safety considerations
Design of commercial fusion energy technology must be done in a manner safe to the general public. This presentation is intended to cover the major non-radiological categories which must be considered for adequate safety of fusion devices.
70 - PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Dust Solution Testing Initiative (DuSTI): Infusing Commercial Off the Shelf Dust Mitigation Technologies with NASA Practices
Dust is one of the most significant hazards to human lunar exploration. However, since the Apollo program concluded, limited research has been performed on lunar dust mitigation technologies. The safety of the crew members and sustainability of habitats, science, and supporting hardware depend on effective dust mitigation techniques and technologies. As NASA pursues a new generation of lunar missions with the Artemis program, the project team will pursue dust mitigation solutions with the Dust Solution Testing Initiative (DuSTI). DuSTI is a lunar dust mitigation effort that involves performing tests on commercial off the shelf (COTS) technologies over FY21. DuSTI will preform component and subsystem tests in dusty environments for up to five technologies with high potential. The specific technologies identified for study were selected based on several factors, including a market analysis of current terrestrial dust mitigation applications, availability of the technology, accessibility of various testing facilities, and cost of procurement. These technologies support the active and passive dust mitigation requirements of filtration systems, electro-mechanical systems, electro-static systems, surface coatings, textiles, and silicone polymers. Technology Readiness Level (TRL) will be increased by validating components in relevant environments. For example, if the COTS technology is at a TRL 9 for terrestrial use but at a 4-5 TRL for use in the lunar environment, we will test that technology in a lunar dust environment to increase the TRL for use on the Moon.
lunar dust↗