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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 OSTI2025

Harnessing peptide–cellulose interactions to tailor the performance of self-assembled, injectable hydrogels

Taking inspiration from natural systems, such as spider silk and mollusk nacre, that employ hierarchical assembly to attain robust material performance, we leveraged matrix–filler interactions within reinforced polymer–peptide hybrids to create self-assembled hydrogels with enhanced properties. Specifically, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were incorporated into peptide–polyurea (PPU) hybrid matrices to tailor key hydrogel features through matrix–filler interactions. Herein, we examined the impact of peptide repeat length and CNC loading on hydrogelation, morphology, mechanics, and thermal behavior of PPU/CNC composite hydrogels. The addition of CNCs into PPU hydrogels resulted in increased gel stiffness; however, the extent of reinforcement of the nanocomposite gels upon nanofiller inclusion also was driven by PPU architecture. Temperature-promoted stiffening transitions observed in nanocomposite PPU hydrogels were dictated by peptide segment length. Analysis of the peptide secondary structure confirmed shifts in the conformation of peptidic domains (α-helices or β-sheets) upon CNC loading. Finally, PPU/CNC hydrogels were probed for their injectability characteristics, demonstrating that nanofiller–matrix interactions were shown to aid rapid network reformation (∼10 s) upon cessation of high shear forces. Overall, this research showcases the potential of modulating matrix–filler interactions within PPU/CNC hydrogels through strategic system design, enabling the tuning of functional hydrogel characteristics for diverse applications.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Methods identifying cost reduction potential for water electrolysis systems

The electrochemical reduction of water to form hydrogen is an emerging alternative for energy storage, where hydrogen can be used as a transportation fuel, combusted to generate electricity, utilized in a fuel cell, or used as a feedstock for chemical synthesis. Techno-economic analysis (TEA) is a valuable tool for understanding how to inform research directions that could make hydrogen from electrolysis cost competitive with that produced by conventional means like steam methane reforming. The current state of knowledge on TEA of electrolysis systems suggests cost reductions are likely to result from advances in system design and materials, scale-up of manufacturing processes, and learning by doing effects as electrolysis deployment increases. Future directions and opportunities for TEA of electrolysis systems include dispatchable operation in wholesale power markets, optimization of capital cost and system durability, and analysis of pathways for hydrogen to support economy-wide decarbonization.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2023

(Invited) Utilization of Bio-CO 2 and Bio-Methane for Fuel Production: Integration Solid Oxide Electrolyzer, Low Energy Plasma Reformer with Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis

Transition to renewable energy is essential to achieve climate protection objectives. Besides storing electricity for later use, fuel production using renewable energy is an essential part of reducing fossil dependance. The highest value application in current markets is the production of liquid transportation fuels such as sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) from sustainable, ideally biogenic carbon resources. A system is presented for processing anaerobic digester gas for liquid hydrocarbon production. Bio-CO 2 is processed through a solid oxide electrolysis cell and bio-CH 4 through a low energy plasma reformer. The combined synthesis gas is supplied to a Fischer-Tropsch reactor for the production of liquid hydrocarbons. The combination of technologies nearly doubles the yield of biofuel by utilizing the bio-CO 2 in addition to the bio-CH 4 . Here, the product fuel is all bio-carbon but it also embodies renewable electric energy in a high-value, storable and transportable liquid hydrocarbon.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Aging mechanisms of filled cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) cable insulation material exposed to simultaneous thermal and gamma radiation

Thermal and simultaneous thermal and gamma radiation aging experiments were conducted on an industry grade cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) cable insulation material, which is a composite material with XLPE as polymer matrix and various additives and fillers. Reverse engineering was conducted to identify and quantify the material composition given that this information was not revealed by the cable manufacture. Samples were then aged at temperatures of 60, 90, and 115 °C, exposed to gamma radiation for total doses of 0 to 324 kGy, and at dose rates of 0 to 540 Gy/h. Aging mechanisms were studied using various materials characterization techniques including pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry (Py-GCMS), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), and gel-fraction tests. Results show that the flame-retardant components were decomposed into smaller molecules when the material was exposed to gamma radiation, while no changes were observed when the samples were aged thermally without gamma radiation. With exposure to gamma radiation, the crystalline phase of the XLPE were damaged by gamma radiation introducing defects in the crystals, resulting in smaller and less perfect crystals. The dominance of chain scission or chain reformation process largely depends on the chain mobility, which is decided by the aging temperature. Chain scission was seen to dominate when the material was exposed to gamma radiation at 60 °C. Chain cross-linking slightly dominated when the material was exposed to gamma radiation at 90 °C and became more dominant with exposure to gamma radiation at 115 °C. No significant change to the XLPE polymer matrix was observed when the samples were exposed to thermal aging without gamma radiation. Finally, antioxidant is more effective in protecting the XLPE polymer matrix under thermal aging, but less effective with sample exposure to gamma radiation.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2025

The 8RH 2 Process for Producing Clean Hydrogen with Autothermal Reforming and Carbon Capture

The primary objective of this project is to demonstrate the commercial viability and environmental benefits of an 8 Rivers Hydrogen (8RH 2 ) process, a proprietary technology developed to optimally produce high-purity blue H 2 with up to 99% carbon capture. This 8RH 2 process is particularly notable for its integration of a low-energy cryogenic CO 2 separation system that not only maximizes hydrogen recovery but also minimizes the carbon footprint of the operation. This aligns with global environmental goals and supports the United States' push toward energy sustainability and independence.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2023

High-performance strategies for the recent MRSF-TDDFT in GAMESS

Multiple ERI (Electron Repulsion Integral) tensor contractions (METC) with several matrices are ubiquitous in quantum chemistry. In response theories, the contraction operation, rather than ERI computations, can be the major bottleneck, as its computational demands are proportional to the multiplicatively combined contributions of the number of excited states and the kernel pre-factors. Here, this paper presents several high-performance strategies for METC. Optimal approaches involve either the data layout reformations of interim density and Fock matrices, the introduction of intermediate ERI quartet buffer, and loop-reordering optimization for a higher cache hit rate. The combined strategies remarkably improve the performance of the MRSF (mixed reference spin flip)-TDDFT (time-dependent density functional theory) by nearly 300%. The results of this study are not limited to the MRSF-TDDFT method and can be applied to other METC scenarios.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Geologic hydrogen: a review of resource potential, subsurface dynamics, exploration, production, transportation, and research opportunities

Hydrogen is a versatile resource with critical roles in decarbonization, industrial manufacturing, and energy integration. However, most hydrogen today is produced from fossil fuels, resulting in high emissions and energy consumption. Although low-carbon hydrogen production methods, such as steam methane reforming with carbon capture and renewable-powered electrolysis, are advancing, their high costs hinder large-scale deployment. Identifying alternative pathways for producing low-cost, low-emission hydrogen is therefore essential. Geologic hydrogen, referring to natural and stimulated hydrogen generated in the Earth's subsurface, has attracted growing attention as a potential source of sustainable, economically viable, and environmentally favorable hydrogen. This paper provides a comprehensive review of geologic hydrogen, covering its resource potential, origins, migration and trapping mechanisms, exploration techniques, production strategies, and pipeline transportation. It also identifies key knowledge gaps and proposes a roadmap for future research. The review indicates that geologic hydrogen has vast resource potential and can leverage existing subsurface technologies and geophysical exploration methods. However, major challenges persist, including uncertain hydrogen generation rates, limited understanding and control of serpentinization processes, costly transportation infrastructure, the lack of validated techno-economic analysis, and potential social and environmental issues. As the field is still in its early stages, progress will require interdisciplinary collaboration spanning geoscience, engineering, economics, environmental science, and policy and regulation.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

High Energy Systems for Transforming CO 2 to Valuable Products (Final Report)

The objective of this project is to develop the Direct E-Beam Synthesis (DEBS) process that uses high-energy electron beams (E-Beam) to break chemical bonds. This allows the production of valuable chemicals, such as acetic acid, methanol, and carbon monoxide, at relatively low severity (pressure near one atmosphere and temperatures <150°C) from near-pure CO 2 captured from a pulverized coal-fired power plant and methane, imported as natural gas. Creating such valuable products will offset the cost of carbon capture and storage. Through this project, we have designed, constructed, and operated an E-Beam reactor to examine the feasibility of performing dry reforming reaction without a catalyst using only DEBS. We have verified the production of syngas with 1:1 H2:CO ratio and calculated that the energy cost for conversion is about 5.2 eV/molecule of product for dry reforming reaction which is similar to the energy cost for conversion using conventional thermochemical conversion but under significantly milder conditions (room temperature and atmospheric pressure). We have performed a technoeconomic analysis (TEA) to estimate the total capital requirement and the cost of production for a 99.4 MMSCFD syngas production plant via non-catalytic Direct E-Beam Synthesis (DEBS) technology utilizing a high-energy electron beam (E-Beam) accelerator. No assumption is made for syngas utilization downstream, and the incoming reactants are pure CO 2 from carbon capture (assumed to be at zero cost) and natural gas. The Total As-Spent Cost (TASC) was calculated to be $\$242.5$ million, resulting in a levelized cost of syngas (LCOS) of $\$175.84$/tonne (metric) at a natural gas price of $\$6.24$/MMBTU1. The cost of syngas is primarily determined by the price of natural gas. If the cost of the CO 2 feedstock is assumed to be non-zero, then the price of the CO 2 feed also heavily influences the levelized cost of syngas. The potential impact on the cost of electricity from syngas revenue is significant. Following DOE NETL’s guidance, a lifecycle analysis (LCA) was conducted to compare the cradle-to-gate life cycle emissions of GTI Energy’s novel Direct E-Beam Synthesis (DEBS) process that produces syngas via the reaction of methane and carbon dioxide to the emissions of a state-of-the-art Steam Methane Reforming (SMR) process that also produces syngas via the reaction of methane and steam. The DEBS process results in less GHG emissions than SMR (with CO product as the basis of comparison). openLCA was used for the LCA and the results show that the total global warming potential (GWP) of DEBS is 0.981 kg CO 2 e per kg CO product, while the SMR process has a global warming potential of 2.573 kg CO 2 e per kg CO product. The ratio of the GWP of the proposed product system to the comparison product system is 0.381. This percent change is 61.9% lower GWP than SMR.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Options For Large-Scale Installation of Individual Heat Substations Based on International Best Practices

The purpose of this report is to provide recommendations for actions Ukraine could take to implement large-scale installation of IHSs as part of comprehensive district heating reform. The report discusses the importance of IHS in the district heating sector, then presents several case studies of approaches that European countries have taken to facilitate large-scale IHS installation in multi-apartment buildings. These case studies focus on the ownership and financing of IHS, as there are different models for how this can be done (the DH company can make the investments and recover the costs through the tariff, or building residents can make the investments themselves). They also include details on the approval process and technical specifications, as these can add additional barriers and time to the installation process.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
NASA NTRS2009

Nitric Oxide and Oxygen Air-Contamination Effects on Extinction Limits of Non-Premixed Hydrocarbon-Air Flames for a HIFiRE Scramjet

Unique nitric oxide (NO) and oxygen air-contamination effects on the extinction Flame Strength (FS) of non-premixed hydrocarbon (HC) vs. air flames are characterized for 7 gaseous HCs, using a new idealized 9.3 mm straight-tube Opposed Jet Burner (OJB) at 1 atm. FS represents a laminar strain-induced extinction limit based on cross-section-average air jet velocity, Uair, that sustains combustion of a counter jet of gaseous fuel just before extinction. Besides ethane, propane, butane, and propylene, the HCs include ethylene, methane, and a 64 mole-% ethylene / 36 % methane mixture, the writer s previously recommended gaseous surrogate fuel for HIFiRE scramjet tests. The HC vs. clean air part of the work is an extension of a May 2008 JANNAF paper that characterized surrogates for the HIFiRE project that should mimic the flameholding of reformed (thermally- or catalytically-cracked) endothermic JP-like fuels. The new FS data for 7 HCs vs. clean air are thus consolidated with the previously validated data, normalized to absolute (local) axial-input strain rates, and co-plotted on a dual kinetically dominated reactivity scale. Excellent agreement with the prior data is obtained for all 7 fuels. Detailed comparisons are also made with recently published (Univ. Va) numerical results for ethylene extinction. A 2009-revised ethylene kinetic model (Univ. Southern Cal) led to predicted limits within approx. 5 % (compared to 45 %, earlier) of this writer s 2008 (and present) ethylene FSs, and also with recent independent data (Univ. Va) obtained on a new OJB system. These +/- 5 % agreements, and a hoped-for "near-identically-performing" reduced kinetics model, would greatly enhance the capability for accurate numerical simulations of surrogate HC flameholding in scramjets. The measured air-contamination effects on normalized FS extinction limits are projected to assess ongoing Arc-Heater-induced "facility test effects" of NO production (e.g., 3 mole-%) and resultant oxygen depletion (from 21 to 19.5 %), for testing the "64/36" surrogate fuel in Langley s Arc-Heated Scramjet Test Facility for HIFiRE engine designs. The FS results show a generally small (< 4 %) "nitric oxide enhancement" effect, relative to clean air, for up to 3 % NO (freestream Mach number up to 7 in Arc Jet testing). However, a progressively large "oxygendeficiency weakening" effect develops. For 3 % NO, a net weakening of 26 % in FS is derived for the "64/36" fuel vs. air. The corresponding net weakening for pure ethylene is 20 %. A number of practical recommendations regarding facility test effects are offered.

Pellett, Gerald L.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Comprehensive Analysis of Thirty Years of Land Change in Georgia: Forest Degradation, Land-Use Patterns, and Drivers

In this talk, we present results from a study, funded by the NASA Land-Cover and Land-Use Change program, of thirty years of environmental change in the country of Georgia. The country, a former Soviet Union Republic, has experienced more political, economic and social change in the last 30 years than most countries. But the environmental implications of these extreme events remain largely unknown – the region is understudied, no national forest inventory has been completed in 20 years, and previous research in the area conducted by the authors were not successful. The latter statement is because of forest degradation. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, much of the forestry infrastructure broke down and people resorted to chopping down individual trees. The result was in many parts of the country a reduction in forest biomass but not to the point of a change in land cover. This type of forest degradation, which was either gradual over decades or abrupt, could not be readily identified using the methods and data at our disposal at the time. In the recent study, we had full access to the Landsat archive in combination with computing power. By using monitoring methods that are based on time series analysis, we were able to capture and identify the gradual processes driven by small scale activities that are so characteristic of the post-Soviet Georgian landscape. We developed an approach (“CCDC-SMA”) that combines time series analysis and spectral mixture analysis running on Google Earth Engine for monitoring abrupt and gradual forest degradation. By using this approach, we found that forest degradation was significantly larger than the area estimate of deforestation; 3,541 ± 556 km2 (11% of the forest area in 1987) compared to 158 ± 98 km2 from 1987 to 2020. The prevailing narrative is that legal and illegal cutting of trees for fuelwood is primarily responsible for this process. Yet, since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the country has undergone rapid socioeconomic and institutional changes which have not been explored as drivers of forest change. To further our understanding of the underlying causes, we combined forest disturbance estimates, Georgian statistical data, and historical institutional change data to examine socioeconomic drivers of forest degradation. We found that higher winter temperature and drought were associated with higher degradation at the regional scale, while major institutional changes and drought were associated with higher forest degradation at the national level. Access to natural gas, the major energy alternative to fuelwood, had no significant association with degradation. Our results challenge the narrative that poverty and a lack of alternative energy infrastructure drive forest degradation and suggest that government policies banning household fuelwood cutting, including the new Forest Code of 2020, may not reduce forest degradation. Given these results, improved data on wood harvesting and more research on the commercial drivers of degradation and their links to economic and political reforms is needed to better inform forest policy in the region, especially given ongoing risks from climate change.

Pontus Olofsson↗
DOE OSTI2021

Compact ammonia reforming at low temperature using catalytic membrane reactors

Ammonia is a leading carrier for the storage and transport of renewable hydrogen, but its deployment requires scalable technologies for efficient decomposition and purification. In this work, we report on the efficient delivery of high purity hydrogen from ammonia decomposition using a catalytic membrane reactor (CMR). Improvements to the electroless plating process reduced the Pd membrane thickness by >35%, resulting in commensurate increases in hydrogen permeance without sacrificing selectivity. To increase throughput a commercial Ru/Al 2 O 3 catalyst was added to the lumen, and the CMR could process ammonia flowrates 10–50 times higher than an equivalent packed bed reactor while maintaining the same level of conversion. It is shown that the earth-abundant zeolite clinoptilolite could reduce ammonia impurities in the permeated H 2 to the levels required by PEM fuel cells (<25 ppb). Performance increased significantly across a >500-h durability test due to improvements in membrane permeability. Finally, the results show that CMRs are a viable technology for distributed production of hydrogen from ammonia.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Ligation of Single-Site Ruthenium within Perovskite Oxides for Efficient Conversion of Thermodynamically Stable Molecules

Ru cation ligation in SrTiO 3 perovskite and their migration to the surface through exsolution are investigated for the dry reforming of methane (DRM), a chemistry that requires activation of two thermodynamically stable molecules, CH 4 and CO 2 . Compared to a supported 1 wt % Ru/SrTiO 3 benchmark, doped and exsolved Ru-SrTiO 3 demonstrate ≥3× higher CH 4 turnover rates (873 K), with isolated, ligated Ru exhibiting higher reactivity. Reactor studies assert that CH 4 and CO 2 activation are both kinetically relevant for CH 4 turnover rates on exsolved Ru-SrTiO 3 , unlike for supported Ru systems, where H-abstraction from CH 4 is the sole kinetically relevant step. As such, exsolved and doped Ru architectures are responsive toward co-reactant activation strategies, with their consequent reaction networks showing marked departures from those established for supported Ru catalysts. In situ spectroscopy and kinetic analyses propose distinct sensitivity toward CO 2 on Ru-SrTiO 3 systems, where higher CH4 turnover rates result from O-assisted C─H bond activation pathways. These pathways occur on paired Ru-oxygen vacancy sites that are inherent to the perovskite structure and are not readily accessible on supported Ru catalysts. Here, CO 2 is activated on oxygen vacancies directly adjacent to Ru active sites, which facilitates CH 4 C─H bond activation through a surface methoxy intermediate. The high reactivity of Ru-SrTiO 3 systems enables stable CH 4 turnover rates at milder reaction temperatures (673 K), conditions under which the supported counterpart, Ru/SrTiO 3 , is inactive. Overall, this work demonstrates that ligation of catalytically active cations in perovskite oxides facilitates site engineering toward atom-efficient activation of thermodynamically stable feedstocks.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

The Role of Innovation in the Electric Utility Sector

Innovation is essential for future power systems to be safe and secure, clean and sustainable, affordable and equitable, and reliable and resilient, according to a recent National Academies report. But state regulatory reforms are needed to encourage adoption of new technologies to support evolution of the nation’s power systems.1 Berkeley Lab's report, The Role of Innovation in the Electric Utility Sector, provides consumer, labor, utility, third-party provider, and clean technology consultant perspectives on this theme. To achieve state targets for clean energy and greenhouse gas emissions, some state regulatory utility commissions are exploring new approaches to spur innovation: -For utilities, regulatory and marketing flexibility, increased funding for demonstration projects, and performance-based ratemaking including multi-year rate plans -For third parties, ways to provide utility customers with innovative products and services directly Among the questions the report addresses: 1. How are consumer advocate views evolving with respect to innovative regulatory and ratemaking approaches? 2. How can utility decarbonization and grid modernization initiatives provide opportunities for local communities and workers to receive tangible benefits and facilitate community support for siting electricity infrastructure? 3. How are electric utilities partnering with technology companies to provide innovative energy management services and sustainable energy solutions for utility customers? 4. What regulatory innovations are public utility commissions exploring to enable third-party providers to participate in the transition to a modern electric system? 5. What regulatory changes are needed to enable innovative solutions from utilities and third parties at the necessary speed and scale to meet state decarbonization goals? The report is the 13th in the Future Electric Utility Regulation series, which taps leading thinkers to tackle complex regulatory issues for electricity. 1 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. The Future of Electric Power in the United States. The National Academies Press.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Microwave-assisted dehydrogenation of fossil fuels using iron-based alumina nanocomposites

Hydrogen is mainly produced via steam reforming of methane and gasification of coal, with enormous CO 2 emissions in both cases. Microwave-assisted thermocatalytic decomposition (pyrolysis) is of interest as a method for hydrogen production from fossil fuels with no CO 2 emissions. For successful implementation of this technology, it is necessary to develop decomposition catalysts that are also good microwave absorbers and can be produced from inexpensive materials via a robust synthetic route. Recently, iron-based alumina nanocomposites, fabricated by solution combustion synthesis (SCS), have shown promising microwave-absorbing and catalytic properties in the pyrolysis of plastics. The reported project explored the feasibilities of improving such catalysts and using them for the microwave-assisted pyrolysis of liquid fossil fuels, viz., diesel fuel, gasoline, and crude oil. The research focused on how SCS parameters affect the material properties and pyrolysis performance.

02 PETROLEUM↗
DOE OSTI2022

Transformational Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) Technology

This project was conducted under the Co-operative Agreement No. DE-FE0027584 with the US Department Energy to developed advanced Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) Technologies. The overall objective of this project was to advance SOFC technology at the cell and stack level to enhance cell robustness and durability, increase performance, and reduce balance-of-plant (BOP) requirements. By reducing system complexity combined with the increases in power density and efficiency, the ultimate goal of the project was to increased reliability and to reduce capital and operating costs of installed systems. The project was focused on pathways that will reduce the cost of the SOFC cell and stack, including the following areas: Robust, redox tolerant cell technology Lower cost cell manufacturing through advances in cell design, which will reduce the amount of material, energy and time used in the fabrication of SOFCs High performance, low temperature electrolyte based on improvement of established materials Innovative SOFC stack architecture which truly integrates Balance of Plant functionality into the stack level design Thermal management of the fuel cell stack for increased durability and expanded window of operation Novel stack design amenable for use in sub-MW to multi-MW-scale power plants and having low replacement cost The incorporation of balance-of-plant (BOP) equipment into the stack platform increased the economic viability of smaller scale systems. The project objectives were met by a multi-prong approach, including new cell design complemented with modifications to existing cell technology, as well as a new stack design incorporating components typically included in the BOP, such as heat exchangers, oxidizer, fuel reformers, and recycle systems. The project culminated with demonstration of a stack test validating the viability of the cell and stack improvements. A cost model was also developed to estimate costs for the advanced stack technology at high volume manufacturing levels. The net outcome of the project is SOFC cell and stack technology with costs significantly below current DOE targets without compromising and, in some cases, improving on the performance and degradation rate demonstrated with the current state-of-the-art stack design. The results of this project advanced the reliability, robustness, and endurance of low-cost SOFC technology that ultimately are ready to be deployed in coal power systems with greater than 60 percent efficiency (based on higher heating value of fuel) and the capability for ≥97% CO 2 capture at a cost-of-electricity that is approximately 40 percent below presently available Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle systems.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Sustainable hydrogen manufacturing via renewable-integrated intensified process for refueling stations

The widescale consumer adoption of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (HFCEVs) is currently hindered by the high cost of small-scale hydrogen generation and the lack of extensive hydrogen refueling infrastructure. Natural gas-based hydrogen is cheaper when produced in large volumes but is also associated with high CO 2 emissions. To counter these challenges, we propose a hybrid approach where both natural gas and renewables are integrated in a synergistic manner using a dynamic process intensification technology that can be deployed on-site for meeting local demands of refueling stations. The technology is based on sorption enhanced steam methane reforming (SE-SMR) that utilizes a combination of reaction with in-situ CO 2 adsorption for enhancing process modularity, productivity and efficiency thereby outperforming conventional SMR at small scale. We develop a mixed integer linear programming (MILP)-based optimization framework for simultaneous design and scheduling of the SE-SMR process. The simultaneous optimization provides a synergistic combination whereby the renewables allow sustainable hydrogen manufacturing and the dynamic SE-SMR allows optimal use of the intermittency of the renewables. The U.S. nationwide analysis indicates that for futuristic renewable prices and a hydrogen production capacity of 2 ton/day, hydrogen can be produced at 50% less cost compared to the current cost of small-scale hydrogen generation. Finally, the city-wise analysis with varying hydrogen demand shows that even with just 5% HFCEV market penetration level, hydrogen production cost less than $3/kg can be obtained at small scales across the United States with even cheaper hydrogen for large cities.

08 HYDROGEN↗
NASA NTRS2013

Analyses Made to Order: Using Transformation to Rapidly Configure a Multidisciplinary Environment

Aerospace problems are highly multidisciplinary. Four or more major disciplines are involved in analyzing any particular vehicle. Moreover, the choice of implementation technology of various subsystems can lead to a change of leading domain or reformation of the driving equations. An excellent example is the change of expertise required to consider aircraft built from composite or metallic structures, or those propelled by chemical or electrical thrusters. Another example is in the major reconfiguration of handling and stability equations with different control surface configuration (e.g., canards, t-tail v four-post tail). Combinatorial problems are also commonplace anytime that a major system is to be designed. If there are only 5 attributes of a design to consider with 4 different options, this is already 1024 options. Adding just 5 more dimensions to the study explodes the space to over one million. Even generous assumptions like the idea that only 10% of the combinations are physically feasible can only contain the problem for so long. To make matters worse, the simple number of combinations is only the beginning. Combining the issue of trade space size with the need to reformulate the design problem for many of the possibilities makes life exponentially more difficult. Advances in software modeling approaches have led to the development of model-driven architecture. This approach uses the transformation of models into inferred models (e.g. inferred execution traces from state machines) or the skeletons for code generation. When the emphasis on transformation is applied to aerospace, it becomes possible to exploit redundancy in the information specified in multiple domain models into a unified system model. F1urther, it becomes possible to overcome the combinatorial nature of specifying integrated system behavior by manually combining the equations governing a given component technology. Transformations from a system specification combined with a system-analysis mapping specification enable one-click combination of domain analyses. This is a flexibility that has been missing from many engineering codes, which often entangle design specification and physical examination much more than is required to conduct the analysis. This capability has been investigated and cultivated within the DARPA F6 program by a team of JPL and Phoenix Integration engineers building the Adapatable Systems Design and Analysis (ASDA) framework. By embracing system modeling with SysML and the Query-View-Transformation (QVT) language, the ASDA team has been able to build a flexible, easily reconfigurable framework for building up and solving large tradespaces. Examples of application and lessons learned in building the framework will be described in this paper. In addition, the motivation will be laid for various tool vendors to develop open model description standards while being able to maintain competitive advantage through proprietary algorithms and approaches. These standards will also be compared to the underpinnings of model-driven architecture and the OMG standards of the Meta-Object Facility (MOF), SysML, and QVT.

Cole, Bjorn↗