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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 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Zero-Emission Vehicle Adoption Resource Guide for Government Fleets in Jackson County, Illinois

As part of Communities LEAP (Local Energy Action Program), the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) provided technical assistance to Jackson County, Illinois to help develop their clean energy transition roadmap. Fleet electrification was identified as a potential pathway that could address the environmental injustices, high energy burden, and local pollution experienced by this former coal community. NREL worked with Jackson County, Illinois to develop a resource guide that can assist fleet managers considering a transition to electric light-duty fleet vehicles. To further understand the unique challenges of fleet electrification in Jackson County, NREL met with three leaders within the county who either managed current fleets or were responsible for fleet purchases. This resource guide includes best practices and resources that address many of the frequently asked questions that arose during these discussions. Interested fleets can then use this resource guide to help identify the initial steps needed to plan for vehicle electrification. The resource guide summarizes the basics of electric vehicle (EV) adoption for fleets, funding and incentive pathways, total cost of ownership in comparison to conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, charging infrastructure, and pilot programs.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Integrated Energy System Investigation for the Eastman Chemical Company, Kingsport, TN Facility

The industrial manufacturing industry is looking to implement new methods of energy production to ensure a consistent energy supply while reducing economic costs and environmental impacts. Much of the manufacturing industry relies on fossil fuels—primarily coal and natural gas—of which there are finite resources subject to price volatility due to an inelastic demand. These resources also come with significant negative environmental impacts related to emissions. While complete independence from fossil fuels is not immediately realistic, options are available to significantly reduce dependency on fossil fuel supplies, including integrated energy systems (IESs) which tightly couple nuclear energy source generators with energy consumers (i.e., industrial factories) to fulfill power and energy requirements. Once realized, optimized IESs may yield significant economic and environmental benefits over traditionally isolated generator and consumer facilities. This report presents a feasibility study for siting an IES to meet the steam and electricity needs of Eastman Chemical Company’s facility in Kingsport, Tennessee. This study explored reactor technology options, evaluation,and optimization,with a focus on meeting the facility’s operational and reliability requirements. This work is part of an ongoing effort by Eastman to be good environmental stewards and meet the demands of their customers by shifting to more environmentally sustainable solutions for their energy needs. Outcomes of this report are also of general interest and value to any design or development team seeking to deploy an IES,as many topics described herein are generally applicable to any nuclear power facility.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Integrated Energy System Investigation for the Eastman Chemical Company, Kingsport, Tennessee Facility

The industrial manufacturing industry is looking to implement new methods of energy production to ensure a consistent energy supply while reducing economic costs and environmental impacts. Much of the manufacturing industry relies on fossil fuels—primarily coal and natural gas—of which there are finite resources subject to price volatility due to an inelastic demand. These resources also come with significant negative environmental impacts related to emissions. While complete independence from fossil fuels is not immediately realistic, options are available to significantly reduce dependency on fossil fuel supplies, including integrated energy systems (IESs) which tightly couple nuclear energy source generators with energy consumers (i.e., industrial factories) to fulfill power and energy requirements. Once realized, optimized IESs may yield significant economic and environmental benefits over traditionally isolated generator and consumer facilities. This report presents a feasibility study for siting an IES to meet the steam and electricity needs of Eastman Chemical Company’s facility in Kingsport, Tennessee. This study explored reactor technology options, evaluation, and optimization, with a focus on meeting the facility’s operational and reliability requirements. This work is part of an ongoing effort by Eastman to be good environmental stewards and meet the demands of their customers by shifting to more environmentally sustainable solutions for their energy needs. Outcomes of this report are also of general interest and value to any design or development team seeking to deploy an IES, as many topics described herein are generally applicable to any nuclear power facility.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS1980

Overall requirements for an advanced underground coal extraction system

Underground mining systems suitable for coal seams expoitable in the year 2000 are examined with particular relevance to the resources of Central Appalachia. Requirements for such systems may be summarized as follows: (1) production cost; (2)miner safety; (3) miner health; (4) environmental impact; and (5) coal conservation. No significant trade offs between production cost and other performance indices were found.

Goldsmith, M.↗
DOE OSTI2021

A hub and spoke approach to optimizing energy wheeling of renewable resources

The deployment of zero carbon renewable energy sources needs to increase significantly to support the goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. At the same time energy end use needs to decarbonize. This will change both energy supply and energy demand patterns, requiring the energy delivery infrastructure (grid-based transmission circuits) to become increasingly flexible to maintain security of supply everywhere and always. The integration of zero carbon renewable energy requires cross-border and cross energy system coupling and a fit-for-purpose design. Nowadays, energy systems are planned, designed and operated in silos with a strong national focus. However, large-scale offshore wind production needs to be transported to deep inland locations, across country borders. The increased peak generation capacity of renewable energy sources will, at times, significantly exceed demand (Matthew Langholtz, 2020). The traditional solution of continuously reinforcing and extending the electricity grid is not sustainable from a cost and societal perspective. This paper will, however, propose a deterministic approach on how networked (interconnected grid) Points of receipt (POR) to Points of Delivery (POD) can be optimized for wheeling renewable energy resources while minimizing energy cost with a hub and spoke approach. The statistical approach will be done via using existing daily energy market clearing prices, available transmission capacity and firm daily transmission prices in open access energy markets. Renewable energy targets, including specific offshore wind targets, need to be in line with the ramp-up as implied by the Paris Agreement. These targets are required to provide industry with a secure market outlook that allows them to build up supply chains accordingly. Optimizing wheeled energy paths from carbon neutral resources such as renewables make them not only cost competitive on the unit commitment stack, but also more accessible on the dispatch stack to other carbon heavy forms of generation such as coal and natural gas turbines (Matthew Langholtz, 2020). This correlates to maximizing renewable resource inertia (wind, solar, biomass) within an interconnected grid without having to consider additional expansion of resources via land purchases and de-forestation.

Mukherjee, Srijib↗
NASA NTRS1975

Our national energy future - The role of remote sensing

An overview of problems and opportunities in remote sensing of resources. The need for independence from foreign and precarious energy sources, availability of fossil fuel materials for other purposes (petrochemicals, fertilizer), environmental conservation, and new energy sources are singled out as the main topics. Phases of response include: (1) crisis, with reduced use of petroleum and tapping of on-shore and off-shore resources combined; (2) a transition phase involving a shift from petroleum to coal and oil shale; and (3) exploitation of renewable (inexhaustible and clean) energy. Opportunities for remote sensing in fuel production and energy conservation are discussed along with problems in identifying the spectral signatures of productive and unproductive regions. Mapping of water resources, waste heat, byproducts, and wastes is considered in addition to opportunities for international collaboration.

Schmitt, H. H.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Remote sensing of strippable coal reserves and mine inventory in part of the Warrior Coal Field in Alabama

Methods by which estimates of the remaining reserves of strippable coal in Alabama could be made were developed. Information acquired from NASA's Earth Resources Office was used to analyze and map existing surface mines in a four-quadrangle area in west central Alabama. Using this information and traditional methods for mapping coal reserves, an estimate of remaining strippable reserves was derived. Techniques for the computer analysis of remotely sensed data and other types of available coal data were developed to produce an estimate of strippable coal reserves for a second four-quadrangle area. Both areas lie in the Warrior coal field, the most prolific and active of Alabama's coal fields. They were chosen because of the amount and type of coal mining in the area, their location relative to urban areas, and the amount and availability of base data necessary for this type of study.

Joiner, T. J.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Wabash Hydrogen Negative Emissions Technology Demonstration

The objectives of the Wabash Hydrogen Negative Emissions Technology Demonstration Project (Wabash Project) are to develop and design all aspects of the scope, cost, characteristics and investment case of a world class flexible gasification, net negative carbon, hydrogen co-products power plant. The outcome of this undertaking is a complete set of deliverables that has been produced by a preeminent team of engineers, constructors, operators, and developers, building upon previous technology, utilizing cutting edge technology, and thoroughly defining all aspects of this fully integrated 21st Century Powerplant. The Wabash Project encapsulates several cross-cutting initiatives within the US Department of Energy, such as 100% hydrogen powered combustion turbine, geological carbon sequestration, coal with biomass gasification and hydrogen energy storage. The flexible gasifier at the Wabash Valley Resources plant is a slurry-fed, entrained flow, high-temperature, oxygen-blown gasifier that has been proven commercially to operate successfully on various coals and petroleum coke (petcoke). The ability to be fuel flexible and feed various biomass (woody biomass and agriculture residue) and petroleum waste (plastics) was evaluated during BP 1 (BP1). This involved the preparation and testing of feedstocks into slurries to determine what fuels can be fed to the gasifier. By utilizing a flexible oxygen-blown gasifier, the ability to address operational issues common to lower temperature biomass gasification, such as the handling of tars, can be mitigated. The overall goal is to achieve a design capable of carbon-negative emissions while leveraging the substantial investments made and operating experience already gained at the Wabash site.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2021

Business Models for Coal Plant Decommissioning

Aging coal-fired power plants are retiring across the United States. Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory studied coal-fired power plant decommissioning business models to support program development for the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE) to engage with communities affected by power plant retirement processes. Evaluating and reducing the impact on coal-dependent communities from phasing out coal production is a crucial piece of nationwide economic development and community-directed engagement in the clean energy future. This report describes the steps in the typical coal-fired power plant decommissioning process, including analysis of the following key factors: Drivers including policy and regulations, competition with other fuels, and corporate responsibility goals; Types of coal plant decommissioning including plant retirement without full decommissioning, repurposing with fuel switch, redeveloping to utilize existing transmission, and decommissioning and repurposing with other commercial activities; and, Costs of coal plant decommissioning, including variations across regulated and deregulated markets and the funding resources to support decommissioning activities. The details described in this report relied heavily on the availability of local news reports and communications regarding plant retirements, as the researchers identified a lack of formal literature surrounding business models for coal plant decommissioning and a need for a more robust source material collection. In addition, a lack of oversight entities responsible for decommissioning processes may have led to this shortfall of information. Future research regarding coal plant decommissioning can include quantitative studies on power plant retirement drivers, procedures, and costs, qualitative assessments on affects decommissioning has on surrounding communities, investors, and other stakeholders, and identifying best practices to engage community stakeholders in the decommissioning process.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2025

Predictive Assessment of the Chemical Composition of Coal Ash in Reserve at U.S. Disposal Sites

In the United States, more than 2 Gt of coal combustion residuals (i.e., coal ash) are stored in hundreds of disposal units. Recent federal regulations mandate the closure or retrofitting of most coal ash impoundments, presenting significant challenges for waste management. These regulatory pressures also present opportunities to reuse coal ash. However, the quality and quantity of discarded coal ash across the U.S. are not well known, even though this information is crucial for spurring its reuse for conventional and new material applications. This study describes a predictive model for the major element composition of coal ash in reserve at disposal sites of major U.S. coal-fired power plants. This model was constructed from coal purchase records of 705 power stations from 1973 to 2022 and was trained on coal ash composition data, showing that coal ash elemental composition is strongly associated with the source of feedstock coal. The model showed regional shifts in the major element contents of ash produced by power plants in the last 50 years, particularly for calcium and iron (expressed as %CaO and %Fe2O3), as power stations changed their source of coal over this time frame. Our approach enables an estimation of chemical composition for ash stored in waste impoundments at individual power stations. Such information can help to delineate the regional market resource potential of supplementary cements for concrete and other material innovations that would utilize coal ash harvested from disposal sites across the U.S.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
NASA NTRS1978

A synoptic description of coal basins via image processing

An existing image processing system is adapted to describe the geologic attributes of a regional coal basin. This scheme handles a map as if it were a matrix, in contrast to more conventional approaches which represent map information in terms of linked polygons. The utility of the image processing approach is demonstrated by a multiattribute analysis of the Herrin No. 6 coal seam in Illinois. Findings include the location of a resource and estimation of tonnage corresponding to constraints on seam thickness, overburden, and Btu value, which are illustrative of the need for new mining technology.

Farrell, K. W., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1981

New technologies - How to assess environmental effects

A method is provided for assessing the environmental effects of a room-and-pillar mining system (RP) and a new hydraulic borehole mining system (HBM). Before environmental assessment can begin, each technology is defined in terms of its engineering characteristics at both the conceptual and preliminary design stages. The mining sites are also described in order to identify the significant advantages and constraints for each system. This can be a basic physical and biological survey of the region at the conceptual stage, but a more specific representation of site characteristics is required at the preliminary stage. Assessment of potential environmental effects of each system at the conceptual design is critical to its hardware development and application. A checklist can be used to compare and identify the negative impacts of each method, outlining the resource affected, the type of impact involved, and the exact activity causing that impact. At the preliminary design stage, these impacts should be evaluated as a result of either utilization or alteration. Underground coal mining systems have three major utilization impacts - the total area disturbed, the total water resources withdrawn from other uses, and the overall energy efficiency of the process - and one major alteration impact - the degradation of water quality by sedimentation and acid contamination. A comparison of the RP and HBM systems shows the HBM to be an environmentally less desirable system for the Central Appalachia region.

Sullivan, P. J.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Evaluation of coal-associated sediments, wastes, and AMD sludge in the Southern Appalachian Basin as feedstock materials for REE and Li recovery

Critical minerals (CM) such as rare earth elements (REE+) and Lithium (Li) are essential to technological innovation, energy transitions, global economic and defense security, necessitating the search for unconventional resources and efficient recovery methods to avert supply chain disruptions. Here, this study evaluates coal-associated sediments (underclay and roof rock) and wastes from the Pennsylvanian Pottsville Formation of the Southern Appalachian Basin (SAB) as potential feedstocks for CM recovery. A total of 34 samples (15 underclays, 12 roof rocks, 5 Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) sludges, and 2 coal mining wastes) were characterized using XRD, XRF, ICP-MS, and μ-XRF analytical methods. The REE+ and Li concentrations of these materials ranged from 46.8 to 334.4 ppm and from 11.1 to 519 ppm, respectively, with one underclay sample (Hendrix 3456) yielding the highest values for both. Bulk mineralogy for all samples was dominated by aluminosilicate clay phases, particularly illite and kaolinite. All samples exhibited REY def, rel% values >26% and C outl indices that ranged from 0.69 to 0.94, classifying their REE ore potential as Category II (Promising) as defined by Seredin and Dai (2012). Extractability tests (EPA method 3051 A) yielded low REE+ and Li recoveries, with maximum values of 3.3% and 3.6%, respectively, suggesting associations with resistant minerals like clay and phosphates. Elemental mapping indicates that REE+ is associated with phosphate, whereas statistical analysis suggests that REE+ are associated with aluminosilicates, suggesting heterogeneous associations or minimal phosphate contribution. Li also correlated positively with Al 2 O 3 , indicating an aluminosilicate host. This study highlights the potential of coal-associated sediments in the SAB.

Clay minerals↗
DOE OSTI2020

Wyoming CCUS Study: Regional Electricity and Environmental Markets

This study is accompanies the Leonardo Technologies, Inc. study performed for the Office of Fossil Energy entitled: ''Wyoming Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) Report''. In this study, NETL examined the regional electricity and environmental markets impacts of maintaining coal-fired generating units identified for retirement in the 2019 PacifiCorp Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) through retrofit with CCUS. In this study, the authors propose an alternative least cost resource portfolio that includes a CCUS option along with resources identified in the IRP required to meet service obligations. This alternative portfolio is estimated to produce a lower CO 2 emissions footprint and a lower cost to the consumer than the proposed IRP.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2022

Conceptual Design of Pulverized Coal Electricity Generating Units for Flexible Operation

This National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) study addresses the conceptual design of greenfield pulverized coal (PC) plants intended for flexible rather than high capacity factor baseload operation. The United States has plentiful, low-cost natural gas resources - studies of aggressive decarbonization scenarios of the US energy sector suggest that the variability of carbon-free power can be economically addressed using dispatchable natural gas-fueled generation. Globally, natural gas resources are not as plentiful or low cost; consequently, some regions of the world are anticipated to continue to rely upon coal generation, even as they pursue decarbonization efforts. To support the increased utilization of variable renewable generation in these coal-dependent regions, plant designs must target low-capacity factor coal plants with increased emphasis on flexibility attributes such as start-up times, ramp rates, minimum load, and part-load heat rates. While much work has been performed on the improvement of the flexibility for existing coal plants originally designed for baseload service, little public literature exists on clean sheet design for flexible operation. This conceptual design study aims to define the features, performance characteristics, and costs for greenfield coal plants intended for flexible operation. Quantifying these characteristics provides critical information required by utility owners, grid planners, energy market modelers, and energy policy decision makers in coal-dependent regions of the world to better understand how coal-fired power plants can support a transition to low carbon generation.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
NASA NTRS1977

Hydrogen fueled subsonic aircraft - A prospective

The performance characteristics of hydrogen-fueled subsonic transport aircraft are compared with those of aircraft using conventional aviation kerosene. Results of the Cryogenically Fueled Aircraft Technology Program sponsored by NASA indicate that liquid hydrogen may be particularly efficient for subsonic transport craft when ranges of 4000 km or more are involved; however, development of advanced cryogenic tanks for liquid hydrogen fuel is required. The NASA-sponsored program also found no major technical obstacles for international airports converting the liquid hydrogen fueling systems. Resource utilization efficiency and fuel production costs for hydrogen produced by coal gasification or for liquid methane or synthetic aviation kerosene are also assessed.

Witcofski, R. D.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Satellite spectral data and archaeological reconnaissance in western Greece

A Macro-geographical reconnaissance of the Western Peloponnesos adopts spectral signatures taken by Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper as a new instrument of archaeological survey in Greece. Ancient records indicate that indigenous resources contributed to the prosperity of the region. Natural resources and Ancient, Medieval, and Pre-modern Folklife in the Western Peloponnesos describes the principal lines of research. For a supervised classification of attested ancient resources, a variety of biophysical surface features were pinpointed: stone quarries, coal mines, forests of oak and silver fir, terracotta-producing clay beds, crops, and various wild but exploited shrubs such as flax.

Cooper, Frederick A.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Solvent recovery from solvent-fine coal slurries by filtration and steam stripping

Dewatering of fine coal is a significant industrial challenge with economic and environmental implications. Due to the lack of suitable dewatering technologies, fine coal particles are often discarded to waste impoundments, leading to substantial loss of valuable natural resources while creating environmental problems. The hydrophobic-hydrophilic separation (HHS) process is a unique solution to this problem. In this process, a recyclable solvent is used to simultaneously remove inorganic impurities (ash) and water from a run-of-mine fine coal slurry. A small amount of recyclable oil (or solvent) is added to a fine coal slurry so that the solvent can spontaneously displace the water from the surface of coal particles. The spent solvent is subsequently recovered and recycled in a closed loop. Here, we report the results obtained using two different solvents, i.e., pentane and hexane, to de-ash and dewater ultrafine coal and recover the spent solvent by filtration, followed by steam stripping. Most of the spent solvent can be recovered during the filtration step at 20 psig N₂ and at a 60 s filtration time. The residual solvent left in the cake was then recovered using steam under different conditions. The results showed that the residual solvent concentration could be reduced to <1,400 ppm after 10 s of steam stripping at 150°C and 15 psig.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗