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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 109 records · Page 6
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DOE OSTI2024

Analysis and Design for Sustainable Circularity of Barrier Films Used in Sheet Molding Composites Production

Sheet molding composites (SMC) are thermoset based molding compounds with a global market size of USD 2.1 billion in 2020. SMC is usually processed with multilayer barrier/carrier films to prevent emissions from volatile organic compounds (VOC). The plastic barriers are separated from SMC after the curing process and discarded. To illustrate the high consumption volume of SMC barrier/carrier films, Kohler Co., a company which uses SMC in their bath and showering product lines, alone generates over 1M lb/year of SMC barrier/carrier film waste. Therefore, high amount of SMC barrier/carrier film plastic waste creates a great opportunity for reusing, recycling, or valorization at its end of life. This can be achieved through transition from a linear to a circular supply chain design. However, this transition will not be feasible without overcoming the technical and economic barriers. This project aims to tackle this by making the film circular. Different end of life alternatives will be evaluated experimentally. The reusability of the film will be studied through applying different mechanical and solvent cleaning techniques. The operability concerns regarding the utilization of the cleaned film for long run operations will be addressed by thermally stitching the film. Pelletizing of the cleaned film will also be investigated as a viable technique for recycling or downcycling of the film as molded products. In addition to technical barriers, designing a sustainable circular supply chain for SMC carrier film products requires uncovering the collaboration opportunities between suppliers and users at different stages of the value chain to expand its use to other products. These opportunities will be investigated by finding companies willing to buy or treat the plastic film waste. Finally, the economic viability and environmental impacts of these circular design alternatives will be evaluated through techno-economic assessment (TEA) and life cycle analysis (LCA). Techno-economic and life cycle inventory data for various pathways will also be made available as one of the main outcomes of this project. Preliminary LCA results indicate that the current SMC film supply chain (base case) emits 5.81 tonne CO2 eq. and consumes 104 GJ energy per tonne of SMC film. It is estimated that alternative circular pathways result in 14-20% less CO2 emissions and 34-44% reduction in embodied energy. This project will develop a tool to analyze the circularity and sustainability of hundreds of combinations of alternatives in different life cycle stages. Users of this tool will be able to choose the best combination among these alternatives with respect to the selected economic, environmental and circularity objectives.

circular economy↗
DOE OSTI2024

Circular Economy Contributions to Decarbonizing the US Steel Sector

The potential benefits of the circular economy (CE) for decarbonization have recently attracted much attention in the academic and grey literature. The department of energy (DOE) industrial decarbonization roadmap highlight that in addition to the four pillars (energy efficiency, electrification, low-carbon fuels, feedstocks, and energy sources, and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS)) identified in the roadmap, "scenarios [...] will need to be developed that incorporate materials efficiency and circular economy strategies". Moreover, the roadmap identifies hard-to-abate CO2 emissions across the five industrial subsectors included in the analysis (iron & steel, chemical, food & beverage, refining, and cement manufacturing). Thus, additional options to decarbonize the industrial sector, like the CE, could prove beneficial to address those hard-to-abate emissions. Moreover, they may be less costly, require less R&D or incentives, and be more readily adopted than other strategies such as energy efficiency and CCUS. While the Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap includes some CE strategies (e.g., the increasing market share of steel from electric arc furnaces - which incorporate steel scrap), a deeper dive into what role the CE could play in the United States (US) industrial decarbonization is needed. In this work, we present several industrial decarbonization scenarios that incorporate materials efficiency and circular economy strategies for the iron & steel subsector. The scenarios identify barriers (including technical limits and constraints), opportunities, and R&D needs.Moreover, we estimate the contribution of those scenarios to reducing the industrial sector's CO2 emissions and their potential synergies with the Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap's four pillars. Iron & steel manufacturing was responsible for 90 million tons of industrial CO2 emissions in 2020 - 7% of the industrial sector's total process- related emissions. Besides recycling - which presents technical limitations due to trace contaminants - CE strategies on the demand side could lower iron & steel manufacturing emissions (e.g., the development of lighter products or business models that encourage a more intensive use). This study reviews barriers, opportunities, and trade-offs for 5 material efficiency strategies. Many topics explored in the review call for further research.

barriers↗
DOE OSTI2022

Building a Diverse and Inclusive STEM Workforce: The JUMP into STEM Program: Preprint

The JUMP into STEM program is a DOE-funded initiative jointly run by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Oak Ridge National La-boratory. Through this program, students from historically underrepresented backgrounds are engaged in the science of building energy-efficient infrastruc-ture. Through program stages, students have opportunity to compete in chal-lenges, competitions, and internship opportunities. We have conducted a study of past participants in the program. We find that 1) the program has been effec-tive at engaging a diverse array of participants from a variety of backgrounds, including historically underrepresented backgrounds, and 2) the program has been effective at promoting career paths in STEM, and more specifically, in en-ergy efficiency.

DEI↗
DOE OSTI2022

Application of a Novel Heat Pump Model for Estimating Economic Viability and Barriers of Heat Pumps in Dairy Applications in the United States

Heat pumps represent an important opportunity for energy savings and decarbonization. This work investigates the techno-economic performance of high-temperature heat pumps (HTHPs) for use in the U.S. dairy industry. The studied heat pump performs a 50 °C temperature lift on a waste heat stream of cleaning water and applies the upgraded heat stream to a fluid milk pasteurization process. This work involved the creation of a HTHP model that estimated the coefficient of performance (COP), internal rate of return (IRR), net present value (NPV), and payback period (PBP), and emissions saved for a heat pump replacing a natural gas boiler. Capital costs, operations, and maintenance (O&M) cost, heat pump lifetime, electricity prices, natural gas prices, and a cost of carbon were varied to perform a parametric study on the factors affecting the break-even price of HTHPs. The results show that HTHP economics are highly sensitive to COP and energy price environment, and less sensitive to capital and O&M cost variance, leading to a large scatter of positive and negative NPVs based on U.S. location. PBPs demonstrate a defined threshold, based on energy price environment, below which favorable two-to-three-year PBPs predominate. This work is focused on the U.S. dairy industry, but international application in relation to fossil vs. electricity price regimes. Heat pumps have seen wider adoption in regions with a high ratio of fossil energy to electricity prices ($/MMBTU vs. $/kWh). The U.S. has plentiful natural gas resulting in lower fossil energy prices which has reduced heat pump adoption. This paper identifies potential first mover industries for HTHP adoption and their associated price regimes even in regions with lower ratios of fossil energy to electricity prices that exist many places globally.

ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION,↗
DOE OSTI2024

Budget-Constrained Sizing of Renewable and Energy Storage Systems for Farm-Scale Ammonia Production Within the Food-Energy-Water Nexus

In the transition toward sustainable agriculture, farms have emerged as eco-friendly pioneers, harnessing clean hybrid wind and solar systems to improve farm performance. A concern in this paradigm is the effective sizing of renewable energy systems to ensure optimal energy use within budget considerations. This research focuses on optimizing renewable energy sizing in small-scale ammonia production to meet specific farm demands and enhance local resilience, emphasizing the interplay between environmental and economic factors. These findings promise increased energy efficiency and sustainability in this innovative agricultural sector. Additionally, our approach considers small-scale ammonia plant needs and the dynamic relationships between ammonia, water, and farm demands. Simulations demonstrate substantial cost savings in farm electricity consumption. Specifically, scenarios with renewable energy integration in the farm can reduce at least 13% electricity cost compared to a grid-dependent system in the 15-year simulation.

ammonia↗
DOE OSTI2021

Blueprint for Integrating Grid-Interactive Efficient Building (GEB) Technologies into U.S. General Services Administration Performance Contracts

This document provides recommended strategies for increasing implementation of grid-interactive efficient building (GEB) measures in federal performance contracts. This document outlines distributed energy resource screening processes, contractual considerations for GEB technologies within performance contracts, and guidance for integration of GEB analysis procedures and technologies into each phase of a performance contract.

ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION,↗
DOE OSTI2021

Transitioning Coal Power Plants to Nuclear Power

Most large U.S. power companies are setting zero-carbon-emission goals and is a reflection of utility commitments to carbon reduction and policies at the Federal and State levels. Increasing the rate of coal power plant (CPP) retirements has been seen across the industry. Previous transitions of coal to gas fuel are becoming less desirable as having zero carbon emissions become ever more import. As CPPs are retired, a reliable and affordable zero-emission power replacement is desired. Nuclear power plants (NPP) is the only existing dispatchable and clean source of energy that can directly replace a CPP. The report covers different factors that affect CPP to NPP projects.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2023

LA100 Equity Strategies. Chapter 6: Universal Access to Safe and Comfortable Home Temperatures

The LA100 Equity Strategies project integrates community guidance with robust research, modeling, and analysis to identify strategy options that can increase equitable outcomes in Los Angeles' clean energy transition. This chapter focuses on housing weatherization and cooling technologies as means to increase access to safe and comfortable home temperatures. Lack of cooling access and use can have severe health impacts on building occupants during heat waves. Specifically, NREL developed and used a residential building stock model to simulate the energy use of 50,000 dwellings representing the diversity of housing types, appliances, climate zones, and household incomes across Los Angeles. We compared a baseline scenario with seven upgrade scenarios. Five scenarios cooled the entire household and featured cooling systems at varying efficiency levels with various improvements to the envelope, roof, and shading, and two scenarios cooled a single room in a household with no prior cooling using either a room air-conditioning or a heat pump system. For each scenario, we evaluated impacts on utility bills, payback periods, and changes in energy burdens, as well as ability to achieve safe and comfortable temperatures. We also examined the effects of building types (multifamily vs. single-family) on indoor air temperatures. Based on the results of modeling, analysis, and community guidance, we identified six short-term and two long-term strategies for improving access to building envelope upgrades and cooling strategies that could save lives and maintain safe home temperatures for Los Angeles' low-income households during heat waves. Research was guided by input from the community engagement process, and associated equity strategies are presented in alignment with that guidance.

air conditioning↗
DOE OSTI2025

Bridging the Gap on Data and Analysis for Distribution System Planning: Information That Utilities Can Provide Regulators, State Energy Offices and Other Stakeholders

Electric utilities conduct planning annually to ensure their distribution system meets technical standards, policies, and regulations; addresses forecasted grid conditions; satisfies customer needs; and advances utility priorities. The plan identifies grid deficiencies, analyzes potential solutions, and prioritizes capital investments and other expenditures. About 20 U.S. states and jurisdictions require regulated utilities to file some type of distribution system plan with the public utility commission for review. Requirements for sharing distribution system data and analyses vary widely, from few specific requirements to a detailed list of information that must be provided. While utilities conduct extensive analysis to develop distribution system plans, in most jurisdictions regulators and stakeholders do not know what data are available and how the utility uses the data in planning and investing. This report aims to bridge the gap by increasing understanding of the types of data and analyses utilities employ to develop distribution system plans and how the information affects their decision-making. The report describes information that states and stakeholders can ask for related to 11 data categories: -Forecasting loads and distributed energy resources (DERs) -Scenario analysis -Worst-performing circuits -Asset management strategy -Hosting capacity analysis -Value of DERs -Grid needs assessment -Cost-effectiveness framework for investments -Distribution system investment strategy and implementation -Geotargeted programs -Non-wires alternatives procurements.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Assimilating partial observation to enhance feedback control of stochastic dynamical systems

Here, in this paper, we present a novel methodology to tackle feedback optimal control problems in scenarios where the exact state of the controlled process is unknown. It integrates data assimilation techniques and optimal control solvers to manage partial observation of the state process, a common occurrence in practical scenarios. Traditional stochastic optimal control methods assume full state observation, which is often not feasible in real-world fluid dynamics control problems. Our approach underscores the significance of utilizing observational data to inform control policy design. Specifically, we introduce a kernel learning backward stochastic differential equation (SDE) filter to enhance data assimilation efficiency and propose a sample-wise stochastic optimization method within the stochastic maximum principle framework. We demonstrate the efficacy and accuracy of our method in the control of advection-diffusion-reaction flow problem and the Dubins airplane maneuvering problem with model uncertainty.

data driven↗
DOE OSTI2020

Commercial Energy Code Compliance – Just the Facts, Ma’am

What percent of newly constructed commercial buildings comply with the energy code? How much energy and cost could be saved if the compliance increased? Which code requirements have both low compliance rates and high savings potential? These are the questions U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is trying to answer through its Commercial Energy Code Field Study. Previous commercial studies have been very limited and did not result in a widely accepted and tested methodology. DOE’s goal is to create a standardized methodology that can produce actionable results at a reasonable study cost, that can be used by state and local governments and utilities and provides valuable information to policy makers. This paper builds on the methodology presented at the 2016 Summer Study and provides a first glimpse of the results as seen in the field. The field study team has implemented the pilot methodology, compiling a data set of over 200 office and retail buildings in climate zones 2A and 5A. The approach is based on identifying lost savings on a total energy cost basis rather than simply counting the quantity of measures that do not meet code. This paper will review the findings of that analysis, discuss critical aspects of the methodology, such as sampling and recruitment strategies, and identify areas where the greatest return—bang for the buck—exists in improving compliance with codes in commercial buildings. In addition, the team will make specific recommendations for jurisdictions looking to use the methodology to maximize energy code savings achieved in the field.

Cheslak, Kimberly↗
DOE OSTI2021

Puerto Rico Energy Efficiency Scenario Analysis Tool (PREESAT)

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) developed the Puerto Rico Energy Efficiency Scenario Analysis Tool (PREESAT) to allow stakeholders to estimate the long-term aggregate electricity consumption impacts of various energy efficiency measures in Puerto Rico’s residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. PREESAT is an energy accounting framework that addresses electricity use. These presentation slides provide a summary of the electrical sector in Puerto Rico and an overview of how the PREESAT tool can be used to project energy savings from various energy efficiency measures in the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors.

commercial↗
DOE OSTI2022

Novel Manufacturing Method Could Reduce Costs, Time, and Energy Needed to Make High-Quality Metals

Industry is responsible for about 30% of U.S. carbon emissions and consumes about a third of the country's energy. Much of that energy is used to make essential materials for transportation, defense, and marine applications, like cars, airplanes, space shuttles, and ships. Now, with a novel manufacturing method called Shear Assisted Processing and Extrusion (ShAPE), manufacturers could make higher quality materials while significantly reducing their energy consumption, carbon emissions, and costs.

aluminum extrusion↗
DOE OSTI2022

REopt for Resilient Buildings: Leveraging Energy Efficiency and Distributed Energy Resources for Resilience Solutions

Community resilience hubs are locally identified and community-serving facilities that provide residents year-round access to support resources. During extreme weather, they can reduce the burden on emergency response teams by supplying power before, during, and after grid outages through onsite energy systems. This presentation analyzes how NREL's REopt tool can leverage energy efficiency, distributed generation, and storage resources to ensure critical community facilities are online when they are needed most. We showcase the tool's capabilities and application through a case study that focuses on achieving resilience for critical facilities in Manatee County.

better buildings↗
DOE OSTI2022

End-Use Load Profiles for the U.S. Building Stock: Technical Advisory Group Meeting #11

A technical advisory group guided the End-Use Load Profiles dataset development to ensure that the direction and outcomes of the work were aligned with market needs. The technical advisory group included roughly 100 representatives from organizations that were likely to use the resulting load profiles in their work, including utility companies, utility program implementers, grid operators, consultancies, research centers, state regulatory agencies, and regional energy efficiency organizations. This is the presentation from TAG Meeting #11.

buildings↗
DOE OSTI2022

Engaging a Diverse Workforce in the Building Sciences Through the JUMP Into STEM Program: Impact Study; Preprint

Ensuring inclusivity in building science professions requires engaging people from underrepresented demographics; unfortunately, many races, ethnicities, and genders continue to be underrepresented. The JUMP into STEM program works to rectify this, encouraging creative ideation and highlighting the unique perspectives of a diverse array of students. The top students are awarded internships that provide opportunities to work in building science research with close supervision from mentors in the field. In the research presented here, we investigate the impact of participation in JUMP into STEM on students' careers, including the impact on students from diverse backgrounds. Furthermore, we research students' awareness of career opportunities in building science, students' perception of their ability to meaningfully contribute to this field, and the career building opportunities that JUMP into STEM provides for students. Through participant interviews and data analysis, we measure program diversity, inclusion, and effectiveness at achieving goals. We find that among the hundreds of students who have participated in this program, more than 25 different majors and/or educational degree programs are represented and more than 45% of students attend minority serving institutions or historically black colleges and universities. The JUMP into STEM experience had a significant effect on career choices or career development for more than 80% of participants. Our results also indicate that the JUMP into STEM program is effective at promoting diversity in the building sciences and is successfully contributing to the larger effort within the building science industry to promote and ensure equity in technological progress and innovation.

building energy science↗
DOE OSTI2023

Impacts of Thawing Permafrost on Residential Infrastructure: Results and Resources

Permafrost underlies approximately 20% of the landmass in the Northern Hemisphere. Inevitably human infrastructure has been and will be built on permafrost; however, due to climate change, the permafrost in many regions has begun to thaw. Using past reports and surveys as guidance, a survey was conducted to track the effects of permafrost thaw on housing infrastructure in the community of Point Lay, Alaska. The Cold Climate Housing Research Center, Inc. and the National Renewable Energy Lab conducted a literature review and interviews to document community issues from thawing permafrost and identify potential mitigation strategies for existing and new infrastructure. Researchers also identified strategies for individual homeowners to inspect their foundations for current issues or anticipate future ones. This poster will cover the results from the survey on the effects of permafrost thawing to Point Lay and include permafrost basics, common concerns from thawing permafrost, steps to identify permafrost sites and visible signs of permafrost degradation, and potential mitigation strategies that may be beneficial to Alaskans and increase resilience in the Arctic.

Alaska↗