Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Load sharing”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 163 records · Page 9

Integrated Micro‐Scale Concentrating Photovoltaics: A Scalable Path Toward High‐Efficiency, Low‐Cost Solar Power

The global energy market is seeing increases in the electricity demand of a couple of percentage points annually. The photovoltaic (PV) industry is also growing rapidly every year. One of the PV technologies is concentrator photovoltaics (CPV). CPV uses high‐efficiency multijunction solar cells and optics to concentrate sunlight, thereby significantly reducing the amount of semiconductor material needed. Yet, due to the high upfont manufacturing cost of CPV, it currently does not offer a competitive price against silicon PV. With this a new branch is introduced to the industry, micro‐CPV, which can be broadly explained as the miniaturization of the solar cells and optical components. The motivation for micro‐CPV is lowering the cost by decreasing the material volume and enabling new system architectures and high‐throughput manufacturing methods, while still maintaining high electrical efficiencies, taking advantage of a lower thermal load, shorter optical paths, lower resistive losses, and lower material volumes. Herein, a comprehensive review of the technological advances is presented, key synergies between micro‐CPV and other industries sharing similar challenges are identified, exemplified by micro‐light emitting diodes display manufacturing. New assembly process development in these industries will facilitate commercial adoption of micro‐CPV with continued miniaturization while driving down the cost.

Jost, Norman↗

Confinement effects and acid strength in zeolites

Chemical reactivity and sorption in zeolites are coupled to confinement and—to a lesser extent—to the acid strength of Brønsted acid sites (BAS). In presence of water the zeolite Brønsted acid sites eventually convert into hydronium ions. The gradual transition from zeolite Brønsted acid sites to hydronium ions in zeolites of varying pore size is examined by ab initio molecular dynamics combined with enhanced sampling based on Well-Tempered Metadynamics and a recently developed set of collective variables. While at low water content (1–2 water/BAS) the acidic protons prefer to be shared between zeolites and water, higher water contents (n > 2) invariably lead to solvation of the protons within a localized water cluster adjacent to the BAS. At low water loadings the standard free energy of the formed complexes is dominated by enthalpy and is associated with the acid strength of the BAS and the space around the site. Conversely, the entropy increases linearly with the concentration of waters in the pores, favors proton solvation and is independent of the pore size/shape.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Characterization of a Pixelated Cadmium Telluride Detector System Using a Polychromatic X-Ray Source and Gold Nanoparticle-Loaded Phantoms for Benchtop X-Ray Fluorescence Imaging

In this paper, the imaging dose and scan time have been considered as the two major constraints for routine benchtop x-ray fluorescence computed tomography (XFCT) imaging. One way to address this issue is to acquire x-ray fluorescence (XRF) signals in parallel through a 2D array of single-crystal detectors or a pixelated detector along with the cone-beam x-ray source. To identify a detector system suitable for this purpose, a commercially available, fully spectroscopic cadmium telluride (CdTe) pixelated detector, HEXITEC (High-Energy X-ray Imaging Technology), was tested under the experimental conditions optimized for benchtop XFCT imaging of gold nanoparticles (GNPs). Specifically, two different parallel-hole stainless steel collimators were fabricated and coupled with the detector for seamless integration into our existing benchtop cone-beam XFCT system. After the detector deployment, this benchtop XFCT system was used to detect XRF photons from GNP-loaded phantoms. A pixel-merging algorithm was introduced to enhance the sensitivity of XRF photon detection thereby minimizing the scan time. The effect of pixel-level charge sharing correction algorithms was investigated within the context of benchtop XFCT imaging. The detector energy resolution, in terms of the full width at half maximum (FWHM) values at different gold K-shell XRF energies, was also determined. Of the two charge sharing correction algorithms examined, the charge sharing addition gave better sensitivity than the charge sharing discrimination (csd). On the other hand, under the current experimental conditions, the energy resolution of the HEXITEC detector was the best with the csd and estimated to be 1.56 keV FWHM at 66-69 keV photon energy. Overall, despite some degradation of the detector energy resolution (compared with typical single crystal CdTe detectors), the HEXITEC detector enabled parallel data acquisition under the experimental conditions typical of benchtop XFCT imaging and operated well within our benchtop XFCT setup.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Kosh

Kosh allows codes to store, query, share data via an easy-to-use Python API. Kosh lies on top of Sina and as a result can use any database backend supported by Sina. In adition Kosh aims to make data access and sharing as simple as possible. Via "loaders" kosh can open files associated with datasets in a seemless fashion independently of the actual file format. Kosh's loader can also load data in different format, although numpy is the most usual output type. Once loaded data from sources, data can be further processed via "transformers"

Doutriaux, Charles↗

Predicted Heat Flux Performance of Actively Cooled Tungsten-Armored Graphitic Foam Monoblocks

Tungsten (W)–armored graphitic foam monoblocks were developed for applications requiring high-Z plasma-facing material in long-pulse fusion experiments and ultimately deuterium-tritium fusion reactors. The monoblocks are an integrated material system combining the advantages of a chemical vapor deposited (CVD) W coating with a high-conductivity graphitic foam. The W is a high-melting-point, high-Z material with low tritium retention. The graphitic foam coupled to a swirl tube serves as a high-thermal-conductivity heat sink that cannot melt, although it can sublime at much higher temperatures than copper melts. Together, they comprise a robust plasma-facing component (PFC) weighing roughly 5% of an all-W component or 17% of a traditional W-coated copper heat sink.A single-channel mock-up consisting of four graphitic foam monoblocks equipped with a water-cooled swirl tube was fabricated for eventual testing in the 60-kW, EB-60, rastered electron beam at the Applied Research Laboratory of The Pennsylvania State University. Two monoblocks have a thin 50-μm-thick coating of pure W chemically vapor deposited over NbC and pure Nb interlayers. Two others have a 2-mm-thick pure W coating CVD on graphitic monoblocks using the same interlayers. The mock-up will be cooled with available 10 m/s, 0.7 MPa water with a 22°C inlet temperature and subjected to varying uniform heat loads up to 20 MW/m 2 . It is equipped with type-K thermocouples at various depths, and calibrated infrared thermography and spot pyrometry will be used to characterize the heated surface. Real-time water calorimetry will be used to ascertain the absorbed steady-state power and infer the heat flux during testing. Since testing cannot be done under prototypic divertor flow conditions, it is necessary to predict the thermal response of this novel PFC system and investigate the power sharing between radiation and convection at divertor heat flux levels and its inherent ability to avoid critical heat flux. Results are reported for predictions obtained from computational fluid dynamics models up to 30 MW/m 2 of steady-state uniform heat flux. Leading-edge heat loads of 30 MW/m 2 on a 2-mm-wide side strip were also investigated to ascertain if coating delamination is likely.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

AMAROK: A Radio Frequency Development Platform for High-Power, Full-Scale Positive Ion Sources for DIII-D Neutral Beam Injectors

Next-generation neutral beam injection (NBI) systems demand RF ion sources capable of efficiently coupling >120 kW at 2–4-MHz frequencies, yet existing designs face voltage standoff and impedance-matching challenges. To address this, the advanced multicoil antenna for RF operations at kilowatts (AMAROK) was developed as a high-power RF inductively coupled plasma (ICP) source delivering up to 200 kW in the 2–4-MHz range via four phase-controlled generators for flexible power sharing. Two antenna designs—a single-strap multiturn (MT) and a multistrap single-turn (ST) design—were evaluated to optimize resonance, impedance matching, and power coupling across plasma loads. Here, a semi-analytical self-resonant frequency (SRF) model, validated experimentally, predicts resonance trends for arbitrary turn counts and tubing diameters, enabling rapid antenna optimization. Strap-to-strap mutual inductance in the ST configuration showed strong spatial dependence, guiding generator operation and total load inductance. These insights informed a custom π -topology matching network, achieving stable impedance matching over a wide range of plasma-driven loads. Collectively, these results position AMAROK as a versatile testbed for advancing high-power RF source technology in fusion NBI applications.

DIII-D↗

Oscillatory Power Control and Consensus in Unbalanced Networks Using Grid Forming Inverters

In this paper, a state-space nonlinear control previously designed for balanced operation of grid-forming (GFM) inverters is extended to unbalanced operations. Unbalanced voltages and currents are analyzed, and their time-varying direct, quadrature, and zero components are parameterized in terms of six constant parameters. These parameters provide primary control design choices for not only an inverter’s terminal voltage but also its injections of both real and oscillatory power. It is shown that the proposed GFM control can precisely achieve a desired balanced terminal voltage under unbalanced loads. It is also shown that, by allowing the terminal voltage to be slightly unbalanced, oscillatory power can be adaptively minimized. Lastly, it is illustrated that oscillatory power can also be shared among multiple GFM inverters. Case studies and their simulations demonstrate that the proposed GFM control is effective in meeting the aforementioned objectives.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

International Actions to Reduce Miscellaneous Electrical Loads Energy Consumption

Miscellaneous electric loads (MELs) research dates back over thirty years, with the earliest publications on MELs originating in the late 1980s. As the number and types of MELs grew over the subsequent decades, so did the body of minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) and regulations put in place to control what is now an ever-growing source of energy consumption in the residential and commercial sectors. In particular, these MEPS are designed to control off-mode, standby, and connected standby power consumption to prevent energy waste. Research on MELs focuses a great deal on analyzing the characteristics of MELs, approaches for measuring their consumption, and at a higher level what constitutes a MEL. Despite these advances, there has yet to be a comparison of different approaches across regulatory bodies of MELs – both between and within countries – to identify similarities, gaps, and opportunities for crafting common language and testing procedures. This study provides an international analysis of MELs-related voluntary and mandatory MEPS across 12 economies to address this gap. The analysis demonstrates that even while economies may participate in shared commitments to regulated MELs energy consumption, there remains no common language for framing MELs, nor is there a shared understanding of updating aging test procedures used globally for verifying MELs-related MEPS.

Miscellaneous Electric Loads, MELs, Appliance and ↗

District-Scale Analysis of Electricity Load and Strategies to Improve Energy Reliability Using Prototype District Models

Projected increases in electricity demand in the U.S. highlight the urgent need for effective load management to ensure grid reliability. As the building sector accounts for approximately 75% of electricity usage, enhancing energy efficiency and flexibility in this sector is crucial. Adopting district-level approaches offers significant advantages over traditional individual building analyses by enabling shared infrastructure and economies of scale. To navigate the data and computational challenges associated with modeling energy at the district level, prototype district models have been proposed as holistic, system-level solutions that capture complex interactions within typical configurations. This study presents these models as a reference tool for analyzing district-scale energy systems across various climate zones in the U.S. Developed with input from stakeholders, these models integrate varied building characteristics, inter-building connections, and energy system interactions. A case study utilizing the Urban Edge prototype district model, implemented on the URBANopt™ platform, evaluates multiple demand scenarios and the impact of distributed energy resources such as fuel-fired backup generators, photovoltaic systems, and batteries. Findings suggest that while new electric systems can significantly reduce annual energy use, they may also elevate peak electricity loads, with a notable 43% increase in heating-dominant climate zone 5B. The optimal backup power solutions vary based on location, influenced by factors such as utility rates and incentives. For example, PV and batteries perform well in high-cost regions like New York City, while diesel backup generators are more suitable for backup needs in climate zone 3A, such as Atlanta. Thus, this research highlights the importance of prototype district models for future district-scale energy planning.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Smart-DS: Synthetic Models for Advanced, Realistic Testing: Distribution Systems and Scenarios

The explosion of new ideas for distributed energy resources and advanced distribution grid algorithms faces a critical challenge: how can one effectively develop and evaluate these breakthrough technologies without an adequate set of power systems network, load, and resource data to test against? Today's open test systems, particularly for distribution systems, are tiny and incomplete; and though with enough effort, obtaining utility data under NDA can overcome scale challenges, the results can't be openly shared, preventing fair comparison. The Smart-DS project-led by NREL in partnership with MIT, Universidad Pontificia Comillas, CYME, and EDD-is working to overcome this gap by generating multiple large-scale, open, synthetic, distribution systems that are realistic but not real. These datasets go beyond a single medium voltage feeder (~1000 customers) to cover entire metropolitan areas and their surrounds with up to hundreds of feeders and millions of customers, complete with low voltage customer connections and high voltage sub-transmission. This scale allows adequate testing and analysis of not just local controls and advanced DERs, but also multiple substation interactions, optimized switching, full-scale distribution-OPF, and more. To accompany these datasets, the project is also building a rich set of scenario generation tools that can be used for distribution and transmission systems alike. This includes automated, spatially aware access to world-class, high-resolution solar, wind, and weather data: forward looking generation mixes: and highly configurable DER, load, climate, outage, control-scheme, and other scenarios. We will also highlight DiTTo, an exciting open-source, multi-way distribution dataset transformation tool for many-to-many format translation with scenario, merge/split, and many other manipulation capabilities.

DERs↗

High Performance PEFC Electrode Structures

Raytheon Technologies Research Center (RTRC) in collaboration with Ion Power Inc. and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and the FC-PAD consortium executed a project that: (1) developed comprehensive models of oxygen and proton transport in cathode catalyst layers that provided new insights about losses associated with reducing platinum loading to 0.1 mg/cm 2 , (2) designed, fabricated, characterized, and tested cells featuring carbon-supported catalyst layers with low platinum loadings that met efficiency and power density targets set forth by the Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Technology Office, and (3) designed, fabricated, characterized, and tested novel catalyst structures. The modeling efforts produced eight scientific publications that shared new descriptions of oxygen and proton transport in catalyst layers with the broader technical community. The key physical insights from the models are expressed in straightforward algebraic expressions, facilitating easy adoption by other researchers. The models developed during the project explain why resistance to oxygen transport is inversely proportional to interfacial area of platinum – an observation that eluded quantitative explanation for a decade. The models quantitatively predict polarization when measured morphological parameters and transport properties are input. Membrane-electrode assemblies made during the project met stated goals for current at high voltage and power density at rated voltage for transportation fuel cells at the end of budget period 2. High performance was achieved by developing a diffusion layer with low resistance to oxygen transport and a PtCo/C cathode catalyst layer capable of supporting rapid proton and oxygen transport. The project was subsequently directed to curtail experimental work and focus on modeling during budget period 3. Ion Power Inc. developed new expertise in fabricating catalyst layers containing platinum-cobalt catalysts, and processing very thin membranes. The University of Arkansas at Little Rock developed novel nanocolumnar self-supported thin film electrocatalysts that can be grown on carbon supports using a simple high pressure sputter deposition method. The nanocolumnar microstructure provides adequate surface-to-volume ratio for efficient platinum utilization, and the conformal platinum shell with larger crystal grain sizes covering the carbon support surface may eliminate durability issues associated with catalyst dissolution, agglomeration, and carbon corrosion.

08 HYDROGEN↗

ENERGY STAR for Tenants: An Online Energy Estimation Tool for Commercial Office Building Tenants

The commercial building sector consumes over 18% of the total energy in the United States. According to the 2012 Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS), office buildings comprise nearly 16 billion square feet of floor space and consume 253 billion kWh of energy annually. Office buildings represent nearly one-fifth of the energy consumed by commercial buildings, more than any other building type. Therefore, monitoring and reducing energy consumption in office buildings has become an increasingly important focus across the United States. The goal of the ENERGY STAR for Tenants program is to recognize office building tenants who demonstrate commitment to energy efficiency and environmental stewardship. Tenants seeking recognition must complete five major steps: estimate energy use, meter energy use, use efficient lighting, use efficient equipment, and share data. NREL is responsible for the underlying analysis performed for step one, estimating energy use. An online survey was developed for tenants to input information about their office space and its internal loads. NREL performed a parametric analysis across a large parameter space of office buildings. The analysis results were processed to map the user inputs to output energy ranges. The mappings enable the web tool to provide users with instant energy usage estimates based on a limited number of inputs.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Hydrogen station in situ back-to-back fueling data for design and modeling

Hydrogen technologies are rapidly spreading, with significant attention to the mobility sector requiring a robust and widespread fueling infrastructure. Hydrogen stations are indeed fundamental to transitioning from pilot projects towards large-scale implementation in many countries. Operating under extreme conditions, the new stations need more informed designs and equipment to meet the growing demand and their more frequent utilization. Via a set of experimental research activities and investigated scenarios carried out at the Cal State LA Hydrogen Research and Fueling Facility, here this paper shares a novel and comprehensive set of data collected over a period of one year on fueling events frequency and refueling process station behaviors. A performance evaluation of the station is presented under different load scenarios in severe conditions during "back-to-back fuelings", with monitoring of fundamental parameters for infrastructure sizing, including dynamic cooling response, pressure levels, thermodynamics, and the state of charge of the vehicle. The presented data analysis could surely contribute as closer-to-reality inputs for a variety of station performance modeling tools.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Trends and source apportionment of aerosols in Europe during 1980-2018

Aerosols have significantly affected health, environment, and climate in Europe. Aerosol concentrations have been declining since the 1980s in Europe,mainly owing to a reduction of local aerosol and precursor emissions.Emissions from other source regions of the world, which have been changing rapidly as well, may also perturb the historical and future trends of aerosols and change their radiative impact in Europe. This study examines trends of aerosols in Europe during 1980–2018 and quantifies contributions from 16 source regions using the Community Atmosphere Model version 5 with Explicit Aerosol Source Tagging (CAM5-EAST). The simulated near-surface total mass concentration of sulfate, black carbon, and primary organic carbon had a 62 % decrease during 1980–2018. The majority of which was contributed to reductions of local emissions in Europe, and 8 %–9 % was induced by a decrease in emissions from Russia–Belarus–Ukraine. With the decreases in the fractional contribution of local emissions, aerosols transported from other source regions are increasingly important for air quality in Europe. During 1980–2018, the decrease in sulfate loading led to a warming effect of 2.0 W m –2 in Europe, with 12 % coming from changes in non-European sources, especially from North America and Russia–Belarus–Ukraine. According to the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP) scenarios, contributions to the sulfate radiative forcing over Europe from both local European emissions and non-European emissions should decrease at a comparable rate in the next 3 decades, suggesting that future changes in non-European emissions are as important as European emissions for causing possible regional climate change associated with aerosols in Europe.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Multifunctional Heat Pump with Energy Storage Capability

Replacing gas furnaces with heat pumps on a large scale can pose challenges to the electrical grid. It will significantly increase the demand, strain the electrical grid, especially during peak usage times. To ensure that heat pumps contribute to reducing emissions, it's essential to increase the share of renewable energy in the grid. However, the supply of renewable energy is unstable. Large scale of electrification must address the concern of grid resilience to meet necessary heating/cooling demands and shift peak electric load. All these require future heat pumps having energy storage capability. These systems can store excess energy during low-demand periods and release it during high-demand periods, reducing stress on the grid. This paper will introduce an innovative configuration, control, and laboratory investigations of a multifunctional packaged heat pump. In addition to the original indoor and outdoor air coils, the heat pump has a parallel hydronic loop with a brazed plate heat exchanger (BHP). The hydronic loop circulates hot/chilled water to store heating/cooling energy in phase change material (PCM). It is capable of space cooling, space heating, cooling energy storage/defrosting, water heating/heating energy storage with outdoor air source or indoor air source, and cooling/heating energy free discharge. The laboratory studies and breadboard unit are presented. Additionally, building energy simulation demonstrates utility cost reduction potential via charging PCM panels/ceilings during off-peak hours and releasing the energy during peak hours to mitigate the peak power consumption.

Shen, Bo↗

How Improved Forecasting Can Increase the Bulk Power System Value of Price-Responsive Electric Vehicle Managed Charging

Personal light-duty vehicle (LDV) electric vehicle managed charging (EVMC) can reduce power system costs by better aligning electric vehicle (EV) charging with locations and times of low energy cost or infrastructure use. The need to coordinate charging demand across thousands to millions of vehicles while preserving mobility service is a barrier to realizing the value of EVMC. Price-responsive dispatch mechanisms like time-of-use rates (TOU) and hourly real-time prices (RTP) are attractive compared to direct load control (DLC) because they only require one-way communications and local controls. However, increasing participation in price responsive mechanisms can induce costly-to-serve spikes in load and otherwise increase, rather than decrease, production costs. We quantify the ability of improved EVMC forecasting to sustain savings from price responsive mechanisms beyond the limit of 14% of LDVs actively participating observed in previous work. Perfect forecasting of price-responsive EV load makes TOU and RTP value-competitive with a low-error DLC formulation with up to 27% (within-week flexibility) to 45% or more (within-session flexibility) of LDVs participating in EVMC in an envisioned New England power system with 84% clean energy. Additional costs of implementing DLC should be no more than tens of dollars per vehicle-year if DLC is to be value-competitive with accurately forecast price-responsive EVMC for double-digit percentage shares of LDVs participating.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

In Situ Neutron Scattering Studies on the Oxidation and Reduction of CeO 2 and Pt–CeO 2 Nanorods

The oxygen vacancy structure of ceria plays a key role in its performance as a favored material for catalysis applications. Here, in this work, we develop an understanding of the effects of Pt loading on the structural evolution of ceria nanorods under redox gas environments that mimic real automotive catalytic converters. In situ neutron scattering studies under redox flow reveal that both CeO 2 and Pt–CeO 2 nanorods share a bulk fluorite structure with the presence of surface Frenkel-type oxygen defects. However, Pt–CeO 2 nanorods are more easily reducible than CeO 2 rods as evidenced by an increased concentration of Ce 3+ , determined by NAP-XPS. Importantly, this work finds no evidence of oxygen vacancy ordered surface reconstruction which has been reported in earlier ex situ investigations. Thus, this work highlights the discrepancy between ex situ and in situ structural observations and emphasizes the need for robust in situ investigations of catalysts to develop industrially relevant materials.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Simulation of high-frequency dissolved oxygen dynamics in a shallow estuary, the Corsica River, Chesapeake Bay

Understanding shallow water biogeochemical dynamics is a challenge in coastal regions, due to the presence of highly variable land-water interface fluxes, tight coupling with sediment processes, tidal dynamics, and diurnal variability in biogeochemical processes. While the deployment of continuous monitoring devices has improved our understanding of high-frequency (12 - 24 hours) variability and spatial heterogeneity in shallow regions, mechanistic modeling of these dynamics has lagged behind conceptual and empirical models. The inherent complexity of shallow water systems is represented in the Corsica River estuary, a small basin within the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem, where abundant monitoring data have been collected from long-term monitoring stations, continuous monitoring sensors, synoptic sensor surveys, and measurements of sediment-water fluxes. A state-of-the-art modeling system, the Semi-implicit Cross-scale Hydroscience Integrated System Model (SCHISM), was applied to the Corsica domain with a high-resolution grid and nutrient loads from the most recent version of the Chesapeake Bay watershed model. The Corsica SCHISM model reproduced observed high-frequency variability in dissolved oxygen, as well as seasonal variability in chlorophyll-a and sediment-water fluxes. Time-series signal analyses using Empirical Model Decomposition and spectral analysis revealed that the diurnal and M2 tide frequencies are the dominant high-frequency modes and physical transport contributes a larger share to dissolved oxygen budgets than biogeochemical processes on an hourly time scale. Heterogeneity and patchiness in dissolved oxygen resulting from phytoplankton distributions and geometry-driven eddies amplify the physical transport effect, and on longer time scales oxygen is controlled more by photosynthesis and respiration. Our simulation demonstrates that interactions among physical and biological dynamics generate complex high-frequency variability in water quality and non-linear reposes to nutrient loading and environmental forcing in shallow water systems.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗