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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 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Preliminary Pilot-scale Study and Techno-economic Analysis of Chemical Heat Pump with Conventional Nuclear Reactors

The energy economy is continually evolving, particularly in terms of primary energy sources, their conversions to useful forms such as electricity and heat, and their utilization in different sectors, in response to socio-political factors. Because nuclear source is clean and non-carbon-emitting energy source, it is crucial to consider its role in the evolution of the energy economy. A pilot-scale study was conducted for Chemical Heat Pump (ChHP) system at three different scales (25-, 100-, and 1000-kW thermal outputs) using steady state thermal model. To establish the viability of selling heat rather than electricity alone, techno-economic analysis was undertaken for advanced Small Modular Reactor (SMR), and SMR paired with varied thermal output ChHP systems was referred to as the nuclear hybrid energy system (NHES) in this study. Using the U.S. Energy Information Administration statistics, pricing for electricity and natural gas were anticipated for U.S. regions (California, Northwest, Midwest, Southwest, New England, and PJM). Based on thermal output from ChHP, advanced SMR with 100 MWth and four alternative NHES scenarios were explored, namely 50-, 10-, 5-, and 1-MWth. Net present value, payback period, discounted cash flow return, and levelized cost of energy were evaluated for all scenarios. Based on the economic analysis, selling heat to high-temperature industrial processes is more profitable compared to selling electricity only. Higher carbon taxes showed significant improvement in economic parameters for NHESs. Providing heat to high-temperature industries could be beneficial, helping to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions by slashing the fossil fuel consumption.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Local magnetic moments due to loop currents in metals

We present Hartree-Fock calculations on a simple model to obtain the conditions of formation of local magnetic moments due to loop currents $L$ $o$ and spin-loop currents $L$ $s$ and compare them to the conditions of formation of local spin moments $M$ which were given long ago in a similar approximation by Anderson. A model with three degenerate orbitals sitting on an equilateral triangle, with on-site and nearest-neighbor repulsions $U$ and $V$, respectively, and intersite kinetic energy, hybridizing with conduction electrons with a parameter $Δ$ is investigated. $L$ $o$ and $L$ $s$ are promoted by large $V$/$Δ$ and their magnitude is relatively unaffected by $U$/$Δ$. Spin-magnetic moments $M$ promoted by large $U$/$Δ$ on the other hand are adversely affected by $V$/$Δ$. In this model, $L$ $o$ for $V$ multiplied by the number of neighbors is approximately the same as the $M$ promoted by $U$ in Anderson’s local model for $M$. $L$ $o$ and $L$ $s$ are degenerate if exchange interactions and Hund’s rule are neglected but $L$ $o$ is favored when they are included. Many of the qualitative results are visible in an expression for the Hartree-Fock ground state energy derived as a function of small $L$ $o$ , $L$ $s$ , and $M$. Numerical minimization of the Hartree-Fock energy is presented for larger values. Additionally, we also briefly discuss the connection and differences of the interaction-generated orbital currents and spin currents discussed here and generalized to a lattice with the topological states in metals and semiconductors.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Rotational symmetry relation for efficient response function generation in the coarse mesh transport method COMET

The coarse mesh transport code COMET is a continuous energy hybrid stochastic-deterministic neutronics solver with high fidelity and formidable computation speed in solving reactor core problems. Its method is based on the incident flux expansion theory. In this work, we take advantage of the local geometric symmetry in many reactor cores lattices (e.g., fuel lattices and reflector blocks) to develop relations among the flux response expansion coefficients for symmetric surfaces to further improve the computational efficiency of the COMET response function generation tool (method). This is done by a rigorous derivation of the transformation matrices for the angular and spatial expansion moments resulting from a rotation of a coarse mesh by an arbitrary angle. The relations for the response coefficients for the symmetric surfaces can be then written as the Kronecker product of those transformation matrices. The method is implemented into COMET and tested on two advanced high temperature reactor (AHTR) full-length single assembly benchmark problems. The COMET results using the response function library based on the symmetry relations were compared to those using the library directly generated by continuous energy Monte Carlo for all surfaces. It was found that the eigenvalues and stripe-wise fission densities using the two libraries are in statistical agreement as expected. This indicates that the new method maintains the high fidelity of the original COMET method while improving the computational efficiency in the response function generation by 270% to 400%, depending on the local geometric symmetry. This method also reduces the size of the response function library by the same magnitude (270% to 400%). (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Reliable statistics-based detection and investigation of anomalies in a SMART valve system

Reliable anomaly detection and diagnosis are critical for the safe operation of complex engineered systems. This study presents a unified framework that integrates statistical, model-based, and data-driven techniques for anomaly detection and investigation, demonstrated on SMART valve systems in hybrid energy applications. Four detection methods—mean deviation, seasonal extreme studentized deviate, ARIMA forecasting, and matrix profiling—were implemented and compared. Matrix profiling was particularly effective in revealing subtle deviations and hidden relationships among variables. Anomaly investigation was performed by analyzing variable-level and grouped signal profiles, with system topology incorporated to distinguish primary faults from propagated effects. Grouping signals by type enhanced interpretability, enabling accurate localization of anomalies across multi-dimensional datasets. Experimental results confirmed the framework's capability to consistently detect and isolate anomalies while providing actionable insights into system interdependencies. The proposed methodology offers a robust, interpretable, and scalable solution for condition monitoring, with potential applications in safety-critical domains such as nuclear energy, aerospace, and process industries.

ARIMA models↗
DOE OSTI2023

Incoherent nonadiabatic to coherent adiabatic transition of electron transfer in colloidal quantum dot molecules

Electron transfer is a fundamental process in chemistry, biology, and physics. One of the most intriguing questions concerns the realization of the transitions between nonadiabatic and adiabatic regimes of electron transfer. Using colloidal quantum dot molecules, we computationally demonstrate how the hybridization energy (electronic coupling) can be tuned by changing the neck dimensions and/or the quantum dot sizes. This provides a handle to tune the electron transfer from the incoherent nonadiabatic regime to the coherent adiabatic regime in a single system. We develop an atomistic model to account for several states and couplings to the lattice vibrations and utilize the mean-field mixed quantum-classical method to describe the charge transfer dynamics. Here, we show that charge transfer rates increase by several orders of magnitude as the system is driven to the coherent, adiabatic limit, even at elevated temperatures, and delineate the inter-dot and torsional acoustic modes that couple most strongly to the charge transfer dynamics.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

High-throughput injection-acceleration of electron bunches from a linear accelerator to a laser wakefield accelerator

Plasma-based accelerators (PBAs) driven by either intense lasers (laser wakefield accelerators, LWFAs) or particle beams (plasma wakefield accelerators, PWFAs), can accelerate charged particles at extremely high gradients compared to conventional radio-frequency (RF) accelerators. In the past two decades, great strides have been made in this field, making PBA a candidate for next-generation light sources and colliders. However, these challenging applications necessarily require beams with good stability, high quality, controllable polarization and excellent reproducibility. To date, such beams are generated only by conventional RF accelerators. As such, it is important to demonstrate the injection and acceleration of beams first produced using a conventional RF accelerator, by a PBA. In some recent studies on LWFA staging and external injection-acceleration in PWFA only a very small fraction (from below 0.1% to few percent) of the injected charge (the coupling efficiency) was accelerated. For future colliders where beam energy will need to be boosted using multiple stages, the coupling efficiency per stage must approach 100%. Here we report the first demonstration of external injection from a photocathode-RF-gun-based conventional linear accelerator (LINAC) into a LWFA and subsequent acceleration without any significant loss of charge or degradation of quality, which is achieved by properly shaping and matching the beam into the plasma structure. Furthermore, this is an important step towards realizing a high-throughput, multi-stage, high-energy, hybrid conventional-plasma accelerator.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Incorporating Operational Uncertainties into the Dispatch of an Integrated Solar and Storage System

The economic assessment of hybrid energy systems (HES) pairing battery energy storage systems (BESSs) and photovoltaics (PV) is highly important for advancing their deployment in power systems. This paper presents an innovative assessment framework, including an optimal control policy for dispatch under uncertainty and procedures for exploring control parameters that maximize economic benefits. The proposed dispatch policy consists of two steps using system forecast information. The first step is to determine whether a BESS will be used within an operational scheduling time frame based on the probability of events and their thresholds. Once the dispatch of BESS is triggered, a model predictive control (MPC) is carried out in the second step for scheduling using the expected value of system information. By exercising this policy with different thresholds, one can explore the trade-offs between short-term benefits and battery lifetime, and identify an optimal threshold that maximizes the total economic benefits within the battery lifetime. An evaluation study in a real-world HES project is presented to illustrate the proposed framework. Compared with traditional optimal dispatch algorithms, the proposed method can significantly improve the economic benefits of an HES scheduled under forecast uncertainties.

Ma, Xu↗
DOE OSTI2022

Dynamic Frequency Regulation Improvement in Hydropower-Hybrid System using Variational Mode Decomposition

Providing frequency response, especially fast frequency response such as Red D in the Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland Interconnection (PJM) market, is challenging for many generation plants to deliver on their own. If they have adequate flexibility, hydropower plants are typically able to provide slower regulation support (e.g., Reg A in PJM), but do not respond fast enough to provide Reg D. The ability to provide Reg D would improve their revenue because this service is typically more valuable. This work presents a control approach to use hydropower, battery, and ultracapacitor systems to provide fast regulation in a way that uses the response contribution of each asset. In particular, the proposed control architecture applies a variational mode decomposition (VMD) technique on the incoming Reg D signal to extract multiple dynamic-regulation components with non-overlapping frequencies. With the response-speed dependent alignment, these regulation components are fed to the hydrogenator and hybrid energy storage system (HESS). The paper evaluates the proposed approach on a direct-current (DC)-coupled active system by computing several performance measures and analyzing sensitivity based on HESS component proportional capacities. The results reveal that the proposed VMD-based signal conditioning performs well and that optimizing the sizing of the battery and ultracapacitor components further enhances performance.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

H2Integrate [SWR-23-31]

H2Integrate(H2I) is an open-source Python package for hybrid systems engineering design and technoeconomic analysis. It models and optimizes hybrid energy plants that produce electricity, hydrogen, ammonia, steel, and other products. H2Integrate is designed to be flexible and extensible, allowing users to create their own components and models for various energy systems. The tool currently includes distributed energy generation (wind, solar, wave, tidal), battery storage, hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, and steel technologies. Other elements such as desalination systems, pipelines, compressors, and storage systems can also be included as developed by users. Some modeling capabilities in H2Integrate are provided by integrating existing tools, such as HOPP, PySAM, ORBIT, and ProFAST. The H2Integrate tool is built on top of NASA's OpenMDAO framework, which provides a powerful and flexible environment for modeling and optimization.

King, Jennifer [National Renewable Energy Laborato↗
DOE OSTI2025

Considerations for a Medium-Voltage DC Electrolysis Testbed

Here we present the results of a study focused on the feasibility of using Medium Voltage DC (MVDC) power distribution from wind power generation to electrolyzers for hydrogen production. This approach, using hybrid energy generation in a MVDC microgrid, offers many advantages. These include possible improvements in efficiency, reliability and installation cost compared to a more typical state-of-the-art AC distribution configuration. It also eliminates the need for transformers, which have recently been subject to price volatility and availability concerns. This study highlights the practical feasibility of MVDC distribution networks for integrating various energy sources, offering improved efficiency and reduced system complexity compared to conventional AC-based solutions. Future work will focus on enhancing fault protection strategies, scaling the system to larger renewable installations, and conducting hardware implementation at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) Flatirons Campus (FC). In the sections that follow we show that a DC Collection and Distribution System (DC CDS) reduces the losses associated with the electrical conversion / distribution process relative to a state-of-the-art AC approach, improving overall efficiency by 5%. On the qualitative side, reducing the number of conversion stages is likely to improve reliability, reduce capital investment cost, and enable simpler control algorithms to be used, and reduced risk of instabilities and malfunctions.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2025

Real-Time Simulation of Solid Oxide Electrolyzers (SOEC) for Dynamic Operability Improvement and Cyber-Physical System Development

As more intermittent-renewable generations are being added to the power grid, solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOEC) must enhance their rapid load transition capabilities to load follow and support grid resilience. At NETL, we developed real-time SOEC models to research SOEC transients during load step changes. The gained insights can be useful for dynamic operability improvement. These real-time SOEC models also established the basis for cyber-physical SOEC hybrid energy systems. (Virtual presentation to the 2025 MILLENNIUM CLEAN and SUSTAINABLE POWER workshop, University of Genoa, Italy)

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
NASA NTRS1987

Ground-state properties of the periodic Anderson model

The ground-state energy, hybridization matrix element, local moment, and spin-density correlations of a one-dimensional, finite-chain, periodic, symmetric Anderson model are obtained by numerical simulations and compared with perturbation theory and strong-coupling results. It is found that the local f-electron spins are compensated by correlation with other f-electrons as well as band electrons leading to a nonmagnetic ground state.

Blankenbecler, R.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Simulations of the general circulation of the Martian atmosphere. II - Seasonal pressure variations

The CO2 seasonal cycle of the Martian atmosphere and surface is simulated with a hybrid energy balance model that incorporates dynamical and radiation information from a large number of general circulation model runs. This information includes: heating due to atmospheric heat advection, the seasonally varying ratio of the surface pressure at the two Viking landing sites to the globally averaged pressure, the rate of CO2 condensation in the atmosphere, and solar heating of the atmosphere and surface. The predictions of the energy balance model are compared with the seasonal pressure variations measured at the two Viking landing sites and the springtime retreat of the seasonal polar cap boundaries. The following quantities are found to have a strong influence on the seasonal pressures at the Viking landing sites: albedo of the seasonal CO2 ice deposits, emissivity of this deposit, atmospheric heat advection, and the pressure ratio.

Pollack, James B.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Thermo-Elastic Triangular Sandwich Element for the Complete Stress Field Based on a Single-Layer Theory

This study presents a new triangular finite element for modeling thick sandwich panels, subjected to thermo-mechanical loading, based on a {3,2}-order single-layer plate theory. A hybrid energy functional is employed in the derivation of the element because of a C interelement continuity requirement. The single-layer theory is based on five weighted-average field variables arising from the cubic and quadratic representations of the in-plane and transverse displacement fields, respectively. The variations of temperature and distributed loading acting on the top and bottom surfaces are non-uniform. The temperature varies linearly through the thickness.

Das, M.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Integration of Dynamical System Scaling to RAVEN and Facility Application

As part of the design optimization and model validation effort within the hybrid energy systems program, the research to implement dynamical system scaling (DSS) code to RAVEN is funded under the Integrated Energy System program in collaboration with the Digital Reactor Technology & Development department. The DSS data processing algorithm has been coded within the RAVEN framework along with other metrics and postprocessing models. The implemented code was tested using a gravity-driven draining tank draining case modeled in RELAP5-3D and generated data was successfully postprocessed based on the scaling analyses defined by DSS. Postprocessed data concluded less agreement for the tank exit velocity and indicated that the modeled input deck for RELAP5-3D requires modification to enforce minimal pressure differential effects to the draining process.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Need for research and training reactors for advanced reactor designs

Full text of publication follows. Research and training reactors have served a valuable role in helping train workforce for currently operating fleet of light water reactors. These research and training reactors have been used in reactor laboratory classes to familiarize the students with such vital concepts as approach to criticality, reactor period, neutron moderation, reactivity, flux distribution and leakage, etc. As the industry moves toward advanced non-light-water reactor designs, it is critical that research and training reactors be developed and deployed at university campuses to help train the new generation of nuclear and non-nuclear engineers who are likely to design, build, and operate these advanced reactors. Among the designs currently being pursued for nuclear power generation include molten salt, sodium cooled, and gas cooled designs, with options for various fuel forms. Thus, industry and DOE in collaboration with academic institutions should devise plans on how to familiarize the next generation of nuclear workforce with hands-on experience necessary for such designs. These research and training reactors will play a vital role in familiarizing the future workforce with hands-on experience with concepts associated with fast spectrum reactors, gas cooled reactors, and other features not associated with light water reactors. In addition to classical nuclear engineering concepts, these advanced research and training reactors can also be used for hands-on training as well as for research on features being considered in the design of GEN-IV reactors: cyber security for digital control room operations, hybrid energy system, hydrogen generation, district heating, autonomous control... (author)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Flow and extraction of energy and charge carriers in hybrid plasmonic nanostructures

Strong interactions of electromagnetic fields with plasmonic nanomaterials have been exploited in various applications. These applications have centred on plasmon-enhanced scattering rates in nearby molecules or plasmon-induced heating. A question that has emerged recently is whether it is possible to use plasmonic nanostructures in a range of hot electron (hole) applications, including photocatalysis, photovoltaics and photodetection. These applications require coupling of a plasmonic component, which amplifies the interaction of light with the material, to an attached non-plasmonic component that extracts this energy in the form of electronic excitations to perform a function. Here, in this Perspective, we discuss recent work in the emerging field of hybrid plasmonics. We focus on fundamental questions related to the nanoscopic flow of energy and excited charge carriers in these multicomponent materials. We also address critical misconceptions, challenges and opportunities that require more attention.

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

Wind and Solar Hybrid Power Plants for Energy Resilience

Wind-solar-storage hybrid power plants represent a significant and growing share of new proposed projects in the United States (U.S.). Their uptake is supported by increasing renewable energy market share, technical abilities for dispatch and control, and decreasing wind, solar, and battery storage costs. Simultaneously, generation and storage resources are increasingly used in distributed power systems. While concerns around the reliability of the aging, transforming U.S. electric grid are growing, diversifying energy resources through hybridization or spatial distribution provides an opportunity to enhance power system resilience compared to single-source generation. Understanding where to build hybrids for resilience value, rather than bulk power supply, has not been fully explored in previous studies. Therefore, in this study, we complete a national complementarity analysis to identify areas in the U.S. that are particularly suited for wind-solar hybrid power plant development. We show the importance of seasonal and diurnal patterns in assessing complementarity, and identify that regions in the Great Plains, Midwest, and Southeast are particularly suited for hybrid power plants. We demonstrate the resilience value of hybridization for a reference system based near Memphis, Tennessee, and show optimal sizing of wind, solar, and storage assets given 1.0 and 0.9 critical load factors. Results indicate that pairing wind and solar assets better meet constant load demand and reduce storage requirements compared to solar alone. These results enable future work integrating complementarity metrics in resilience frameworks and indicate a need for more finer resolution of local resource, demand, and hazard data.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗