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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 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Fabrication of metal-organic framework thin films for luminescent sensing applications

Metal−organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as an exciting material class due to their nearly infinite design space: an inexhaustible combination of metal centers, organic linkers, and reaction conditions may be leveraged to obtained desired optical, physical, and chemical properties. This rich synthetic diversity enables properties such as pore dimensions and functionality to be rationally tailored for highly selective and sensitive detection of target analytes. Luminescent MOF-based sensors in particular offer advantages including low cost, portability, and ease-of-use. Often, performance is maximized by utilizing the luminescent MOF in thin film form, for example by integrating the film onto an optical fiber, yet the synthesis of high-quality MOF thin films often requires tedious, expensive, and/or slow approaches. Here, we demonstrate a rapid, simple strategy for growing copper MOFs using metal oxide templates; the concept is first demonstrated with a well-studied system, copper-1,3,5-benznetricarboxylate (Cu-BTC). Variables such as the choice of solvent, pH, and the choice of the copper salt anion all govern thin film quality. We then extend this method to synthesize a solvent and metal-responsive copper MOF that is particularly effective at detecting aluminum, an economically critical metal, at trace concentrations using a fully portable luminescence spectrometer. Taken together, this work demonstrates a convenient, versatile, and sustainable method for developing high quality MOF thin film-based optical sensors.

Crawford, Scott↗
DOE OSTI2022

Tritium Producing Burnable Absorber Rod (TPBAR) Cutterhead Test Report

The Tritium Extraction Facility (TEF) Target Rod Preparation (TRP) Tritium Producing Burnable Absorber Rod (TPBAR) Cutterhead is a specialized remote tubing cutter used to breach TPBARs (approximately 0.381 inch outside diameter x 0.336 inch inside diameter 316 stainless steel tubing). The cutterhead was originally designed by an external engineering firm - RTS Wright Industries. The bearing housing and drive plate, the main drive components, are designed to be fabricated from Nitronic 60, an anti-galling stainless steel, and coated with Dicronite® (Tungsten Disulfide) lubricating coating. These parts have galled after a limited number of cycles, damaging the fine 3.25-32 UN threads which drive the system. In some cases, destructive sectioning is required to remove the failed parts from the cutterhead. Cutterheads have been fabricated by multiple machine shops, with some cutterheads failing very quickly and some lasting more than 1,000 cuts. In 2019, Emery Corporation, now Toner Machining Technologies (TMT) was contracted to fabricate four (4) new complete sets of cutterheads. The newly fabricated cutterheads have not been able to pass the required acceptance test without the bearing housing and drive plate threads galling. TMT has tried multiple sets of Nitronic 60 bearing housing and drive plates; all have galled after less than 10 cuts.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Product Consistency Test Results for the LAW HPVR Glasses

This report summarizes the chemical analysis of Product Consistency Test (PCT) leachates received from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). The leachates are from a series of simulated nuclear waste glasses designated Low-Activity Waste High PCT and VHT Response (LAW HPVR) glasses that were designed and fabricated at PNNL. The glasses included both quenched and canister centerline cooled glasses. The reported data will be used in the development, validation, and implementation of enhanced property/composition models for waste glass vitrification at Hanford. The elemental release for the study glasses is reported as normalized concentration (NC i ). NC i of several elements was computed for both the target and measured glass compositions, which were similar, resulting in no significant differences when computing the NC i values. The majority of the glasses exhibited NC B , NC Na , and NC Si values that were greater than the Hanford Tank Waste Treatment Plant (WTP) low-activity waste constraint of 4 g/L. Several blank solutions included with the study glasses had K, Na, and Si concentrations above the analytical detection limit. Additionally, several of the reference glasses that were included with the study glasses had Na concentrations that were higher than expected. The unexpected analyte concentrations in the reference glass and blank solutions were insignificant with respect to the reported NC i values, and are noted for completeness and their experimental relevance.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2025

JENSA: Past, present, and future

Nuclear reaction studies rely on three main physical components: the beam of nuclei provided by the facility, the detector systems used to measure the outgoing particles of interest, and the target. Target fabrication is thus a critical aspect of studying the reactions that power stars and probe the evolution of nuclear structure. The Jet Experiments in Nuclear Structure and Astrophysics (JENSA) gas jet target is the most dense helium jet target for rare isotope beam reaction studies in the world, providing targets of gaseous elements such as helium, nitrogen, and neon. A brief overview of the design and operation of JENSA, including commissioning and recent science experiments, and a discussion the future of JENSA coupled to the dedicated recoil separator SECAR, are presented.

Chipps, Kelly [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000330501298)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Volumetric Shaping of Nanoparticle-DNA Crystals by Light-Induced Milling

DNA-programmable self-assembly enables the formation of nanoparticle crystals with controlled lattice symmetry. While this approach offers the formation of complexly ordered nanostructures for optical, mechanical, and biological applications, a mesoscale control over such nanomaterials is limited. Directing the material formation process through the assembly pathway or external fields allows for modulating crystal morphology, but achieving arbitrary morphology remains challenging. Here, we present a photothermal method for shaping 3D DNA-programmable crystals of gold nanoparticles. Through local heating of nanoparticles due to plasmonic light absorption, we induce targeted volumetric dissolution of specifically defined crystal areas with micron-scale accuracy. This technique effectively prescribes crystal shaping and creates arbitrarily shaped voids within crystals. We further investigate both computationally and experimentally the key factors governing volumetric material subtraction. The developed automated light-milling platform enables the fabrication of nanomaterials exhibiting both DNA-programmable nanoscale order and custom-designed mesoscale architecture.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Final Design and Analysis of the Superconducting Magnets for the Material Plasma Exposure Experiment

The Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment (MPEX), which has completed its final design, is a new linear plasma device to advance the understanding of plasma-material interactions through the generation and delivery of plasmas as they are expected in future fusion reactor divertors. MPEX will be a steady-state device to study high-fluence exposures of plasma-facing materials and components. The requirements for the magnetic field at the heating stages and the target make the application of superconducting coils necessary. The final designs for the superconducting magnets have been developed using three cryostat designs with warm bore diameters of 65 cm and 156 cm. The large bores are required to for other systems such as vacuum, water cooling, and RF power. There are 19 superconducting coils in MPEX that are contained in six cryostats. Although design, fabrication, and testing for the magnets as stand-alone units are straightforward, challenges will arise during the integration of the system. Various field profiles will be used during operation. The magnetic field where the electron cyclotron heating occurs needs to operate at both 1.25 and 2.50 T. Analyses that have been performed on the final design include designing the coils and determining operating currents to meet field requirements, forces between cryostats, the effects of coil and/or cryostat movement, and quench analysis. To ensure that the magnetic field requirements are met, a plan for monitoring the magnetic field at specified locations has been developed which includes the effect of coil and/or cryostat movement.

Burkhardt, Earle↗
DOE OSTI2021

Methane Mitigation Thermoelectric Generator (MMTEG) (Final Scientific/ Technical Report)

Gas Technology Institute (GTI) has completed a $1.815M (plus $500K cost share), 54-month Co-operative agreement with the Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory to develop a Methane Mitigation Thermoelectric Generator (MMTEG) system for gas field applications. This novel system uses fugitive gas to produce electrical power and consists of Thermoelectric Generators (TEG) driven by a linear burner, an air compressor, an accumulator, valves, batteries, and power electronics. The electrical power generated by the system is used to compress air and, in turn, the air is used to operate the pneumatic valves at the well site instead of using natural gas (NG) which would then be vented. The team completed the project objectives which included (1) Design, fabricate and test an integrated 6We nominal MMTEG prototype system, (2) Design a “retrofit kit” MMTEG system capable of being field tested at a gas well production site, and (3) build and test the field MMTEG system in a laboratory environment. Multiple system options were developed prior to selecting a “Passive” system which meets cost, NG savings, and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets although not as efficient as initially planned. The MMTEG system is built primarily from commercial off-the-shelf parts (in some cases re-purposed) including the heat exchanger, heat rejection, electronic components, and also the TEGs. The team developed and implemented a novel system including the control system developed by Morrison Applied Sciences (MAS). The team completed incremental demonstrations of the hardware prior to the MMTEG system demonstration. A one-year simulation of the air delivery and battery charging subsystems was completed prior to the integration into the MMTEG system. In addition, the team simulated two-years of thermal cycles for integrated Burner/TEG/heat rejection subsystem. Finally, the entire MMTEG system was assembled, and troubleshooting was completed over a two-week period. Next, the MMTEG system was tested to simulate over 15 weeks of entire system operation over approximately four weeks in an accelerated test fashion with minimal intervention (such as changing fuel tanks). The MMTEG system met the key goals of a unit cost of under $1500 while saving 97% of NG expended today (including leakage) on average by pneumatic systems venting to the atmosphere. The MMTEG system reduced GHG emissions by 1000X (using the methane intensification factor of 28 relative to CO2). GTI is currently pursuing a field test of the MMTEG system. Interfacing with producers has provided additional insight into system improvements. Planned improvements include additional weather protection and control system improvements including the implementation of a long- range radio capability to notify operators if there is a fault.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Accelerated Aging Humidity Chamber for Nuclear Grade HEPA Filter Media

A unique accelerated aging humidity chamber for simulating the natural aging process of nuclear grade high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter media is being designed, implemented, and tested. The nuclear industry currently lacks information regarding the shelf life and service life of HEPA filter media. The Department of Energy recommends disposing of HEPA filters 10 years after the manufacture date for filters operated under dry conditions. Studies have shown the tensile strength and water repellency of HEPA filter media diminish with age. The chamber's principal function is to sustain an elevated relative humidity condition for an extended duration specified by the Arrhenius aging model. To accomplish this, various design parameters were established: (1) consistently achieve uniform humidity conditions within the chamber to equally expose media sheets, (2) ensure the chamber is sufficiently sealed to mitigate the uncontrolled infiltration of air, (3) confidently secure the media sheets to avert the introduction of unnecessary stressing/creasing, (4) fabricate the chamber from clear polycarbonate material to allow inspection of the media sheets, (5) provide a safe and ergonomic design for personnel, (6) ensure the chamber design is replicable and relatively easy to fabricate/assemble. A humidity source, fan, PID controller, humidity and temperature transmitters, and data loggers are required for proper operation and control of the chamber. The humidity source must accommodate target values up to 95% relative humidity throughout the chamber. The three humidity and temperature transmitters are strategically spaced throughout the chamber to ensure uniform conditions. The 10 cubic feet per minute (CFM) fan selected intends to accomplish the desired air change rate inside the chamber of approximately 20 air changes per hour (ACH). The 2 plenums on the upper and lower portions of the chamber utilize a perforated design to uniformly distribute air, promote air mixing, and control the air velocity entering the chamber. Industrial blueprint hanging clamps are being retrofitted to be seated within the chamber drawers and firmly secure the nuclear grade filter media. The aged media will be evaluated using autopsy methodology, and the results obtained intend to help clarify the useful life of nuclear grade HEPA filters. Nuclear grade high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters are defined as disposable, extended-media, dry-type filters with a rigid casing enclosing the full depth of the pleats and have a minimum particle removal efficiency of 99.97%. [1] - HEPA filters are constantly exposed to stressors and subsequently have been shown to degrade as the filter ages. Properties such as tensile strength and water repellency, along with others, are negatively impacted. [2] - Due to the scarcity of naturally aged HEPA filters available, it is crucial to develop accelerated aging methods which effectively mimic the natural degradation effects. - After accelerated aging, the filters are subject to testing in the Axial Flow Large Scale Test Stand (ALSTS) and other analysis techniques such as the same qualification tests performed directly after being manufactured. - Quality data is necessary for future decisions regarding the lifetime of nuclear grade HEPA filters. - The objective is to develop a prototype accelerated aging humidity chamber for nuclear grade HEPA filter media. The chamber should expose the media to commonly occurring stressors to expedite the degradation process caused by aging. PID yields reliable and reproducible results: - CFD model correlates well with actual performance; - Further analysis is needed to complete characterization; - Future work for the chamber is still to be completed. The data shown in Figure 5 and Table 1 indicate the system is functioning as designed. As can be determined from the system response evaluation in Table 1, the PID controller is yielding reliable and reproducible results at each set point. As the set point increases, the time constant and 20% settling time increase accordingly. From the results in Table 1, it stands to reason that the CFD model correlates well with the actual performance of the system. Each system response parameter for the 90%RH* CFD model is slightly lower than the parameters collected from the physical model tested at an equivalent set point. This is to be expected considering the inlet in the CFD model is a constant supply of water vapor, whereas the physical model uses a PID controller to monitor the amount of water vapor needed and reacts accordingly. More analysis is still to be done on the prototype chamber. A pressure test will be conducted in order to determine the hourly leak rate of the chamber. This test will involve constant air flow into the chamber until the desired pressure is reached. A uniformity test will also be conducted in order to ensure each filter medium is being exposed to equivalent relative humidity levels. This test will involve an array of humidity meters strategically oriented inside the chamber to record any possible gradients. Future work for the chamber includes dehumidification abilities, tests while fully loaded with filters, and temperature control. Once completed, the autopsy team at Institute of Clean Energy Technology will conduct necessary accelerated aging studies as needed.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2024

The long road to ignition: An eyewitness account

This paper reviews the many twists and turns in the long journey that culminated in ignition in late 2022 using the laser heated indirect-drive approach to imploding DT filled targets at the National Ignition Facility (NIF), located at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). We describe the early origins of the Laser Program at LLNL and key developments such as the paradigm shifting birth of high energy density physics (HEDP) studies with lasers, changes in choice of laser wavelength, and the development of key diagnostics and computer codes. Fulfilling the requirements of the multi-faceted Nova Technical Contract was a necessary condition for the approval of the NIF, but more importantly, the end of the Cold War and the cessation of nuclear testing were key catalysts in that approval, along with the ready-and-waiting field of HEDP. The inherent flexibility of the field of laser driven inertial confinement fusion played a fundamental role in achieving success at the NIF. We describe how the ultimately successful ignition target design evolved from the original “point design” target, through the lessons of experiment. All key aspects of that original design changed: The capsule's materials and size were changed; the hohlraum's materials, size, laser entrance hole size, and gas fills were also all changed, as were the laser pulse shapes that go along with all those changes. The philosophy to globally optimize performance for stability (by raising the adiabat and thus lowering the implosion convergence) was also key, as was progress in target fabrication, and in increasing NIF's energy output. The persistence of the research staff and the steadfast backing of our supporters were also necessary elements in this success. We gratefully acknowledge seven decades of researcher endeavors and four decades of the dedicated efforts of many hundreds of personnel across the globe who have participated in NIF construction, operation, target fabrication, diagnostic, and theoretical advances that have culminated in ignition.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

High Temperature Ceramic Heat Exchangers for the Gen3 Concentrated Solar Power Systems

As part of the Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technology Office (SETO), the Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Gen3 Demonstration Roadmap outlined the various technology pathways, goals, and technology needs/gaps to integrate CSP to a supercritical CO 2 (sCO 2 ) power cycle that operates at temperatures >700 °C. It is envisioned that the higher temperature power cycle will enhance the overall system efficiencies and reduce the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) to meet a 2030 cost target of $0.05/kWhe for baseload CSP plants with ≥12 hours of storage. In this regard, there is a need for heat exchangers (HXs) that can operate at high sCO 2 pressures and temperatures >700 °C. Since current high-temperature alloys degrade at high temperatures, as part of this project, advanced ceramic materials, HX designs, and low-cost additive manufacturing approaches were developed to fabricate and evaluate the performance of the lab-scale ceramic HX prototypes.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Modeling and design of a separate effects irradiation test targeting fission gas release from Cr-doped UO 2

Fission gas release (FGR) from nuclear fuel during operation can diminish heat transfer properties across the pellet-cladding gap and increase the fuel rod internal pressure, thereby posing a concern to fuel reliability and safety during an accident. Enlarging the fuel grain size, which has been shown to improve fission gas retention, can be achieved by doping the fuel feedstock prior to sintering. In this work, the BISON fuel performance code was used to predict FGR from undoped and chromia-doped UO 2 (referred to as Cr-doped UO 2 ) fuel specimens with different grain sizes and across various temperatures. The BISON models identified the irradiation conditions for which FGR is most significant, and a separate effects irradiation experiment in the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) was then developed targeting those conditions. Further, the experiment leveraged the MiniFuel irradiation capability at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and consisted of 12 fuel specimens of varying grain size and Cr content. A coupling scheme between BISON FGR results and the ANSYS finite element thermal model used for experiment design was formulated to predict cumulative FGR from each fuel specimen based on expected irradiation temperature histories. The fuel samples were fabricated and characterized as a part of this work, and the fuel compositions modeled in BISON were representative of the specimens used in the experiment. This combined modeling and experimental effort aims to study the effect of fuel grain size and Cr content on FGR and to provide simulated BISON FGR results that can be used for future model validation activities.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Optimizing the Fabrication of Electrospun Nanofibrous Membrane Using Fractional Factorial Design

Electrospinning, a simple and easily tunable technique that utilizes the force balance between the electrostatic force and the solution surface tension to fabricate membranes out of 1D nanostructured fibers, has garnered much interest especially from the nanotechnology community. Depending on the morphology of the fibers, electrospun membrane has found its way in a wide range of applications, such as oil-water separation, desalination, tissue engineering, and batteries. During an electrospinning process, many factors can affect the morphology of the products, such as viscosity of the solution, voltage supply, discharge distance, feed rate of the solution, and electrospinning time. In this work, we investigated the impacts of the most important parameters on the morphology of electrospun fibrous membrane based on the fractional factorial design. We evaluated the electrospun fibrous membrane morphology using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and capillary flow porometry. Poly (vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) was chosen for the current study due to its interesting and versatile functionalities including superior hydrophobicity, high free volume, and piezoelectricity. This work provides valuable insight for the fabrication of electrospun membranes, especially for tailoring membrane properties in accordance with any targeted applications.

Zhao, Yajing↗
DOE OSTI2025

Development of a second COMB dipole magnet with STAR wires

Rare-Earth Barium Copper Oxide (REBCO) coated conductors are an attractive option for application in high-field accelerator magnets due to their high critical field and the convenience of fabrication without heat treatment compared to some other superconductors. Fermilab plays a vital role in superconducting accelerator magnet R&D under the framework of the U.S. Magnet Development Program. An integral part of that program is the accelerator magnet development based on REBCO conductors to demonstrate self-fields of 5 T or greater compatible with operation in hybrid configurations to generate fields beyond 16 T for future High Energy Physics (HEP) applications. A small, two-layer REBCO dipole magnet based on the Conductor on Molded Barrel (COMB) magnet technology, developed at Fermilab with Symmetric Tape Round (STAR®) wires from AMPeers LLC was recently fabricated and tested in liquid helium, demonstrating the design feasibility. A second dipole magnet based on the same technology is currently under development at Fermilab. The coil has a 60-mm clear bore and a 120-mm OD and consists of six layers of STAR® conductor, which allows to significantly increase the magnetic field compared to the previous design, and potentially probe the 5 T self-field target. This presentation reports the progress in the magnet development.

Kashikhin, Vadim [Fermilab]↗
DOE OSTI2020

Optimization of target lifetime for production of 14 MeV neutrons

Two methods are examined for extending the life of tritium targets for production of 14 MeV neutrons by the 3 H( 2 H,n) 4 He nuclear reaction. With thick film targets the neutron production rate decreases with time due to isotope exchange of tritium in the film with implanted deuterium. Here, the target life is maximized by operating the target at elevated temperature where the implanted deuterium mixes by thermal diffusion throughout the entire thickness of the film. The number of neutrons obtained from a target is then proportional to the initial tritium content of the film. A novel thin-film target design was also developed and tested. With these thin-film targets, the incident deuterium is implanted through the tritide into the underlying substrate material. A thin permeation barrier layer between the tritide film and substrate, reduces the rate of tritium loss from the tritide film. Good thin-film target performance was achieved using W and Fe for the barrier and substrate materials respectively. Thin-film targets were fabricated and tested and shown to produce similar number of neutrons as thick-film targets while using only a small fraction of the amount of tritium.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Void-Engineered Metamaterial Delay Line with Built-In Impedance Matching for Ultrasonic Applications

Metamaterials exhibit unique ultrasonic properties that are not always achievable with traditional materials. However, the structures and geometries needed to achieve such properties are often complex and difficult to obtain using common fabrication techniques. In the present research work, we report a novel metamaterial acoustic delay line with built-in impedance matching that is fabricated using a common 3D printer. Delay lines are commonly used in ultrasonic inspection when signals need to be separated in time for improved sensitivity. However, if the impedance of the delay line is not perfectly matched with those of both the sensor and the target medium, a strong standing wave develops in the delay line, leading to a lower energy transmission. The presented metamaterial delay line was designed to match the acoustic impedance at both the sensor and target medium interfaces. This was achieved by introducing graded engineered voids with different densities at both ends of the delay line. The measured impedances of the designed metamaterial samples show a good match with the theoretical predictions. The experimental test results with concrete samples show that the acoustic energy transmission is increased by 120% and the standing wave in the delay line is reduced by over a factor of 2 compared to a commercial delay line.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Advanced manufacturing provides tailor-made solutions for crystallography with x-ray free-electron lasers

Serial crystallography at large facilities, such as x-ray free-electron lasers and synchrotrons, evolved as a powerful method for the high-resolution structural investigation of proteins that are critical for human health, thus advancing drug discovery and novel therapies. However, a critical barrier to successful serial crystallography experiments lies in the efficient handling of the protein microcrystals and solutions at microscales. Microfluidics are the obvious approach for any high-throughput, nano-to-microliter sample handling, that also requires design flexibility and rapid prototyping to deal with the variable shapes, sizes, and density of crystals. Here, we discuss recent advances in polymer 3D printing for microfluidics-based serial crystallography research and present a demonstration of emerging, large-scale, nano-3D printing approaches leading into the future of 3D sample environment and delivery device fabrication from liquid jet gas-dynamic virtual nozzles devices to fixed-target sample environment technology.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

A novel active veto prototype detector with an inner target for improved rare event searches

Here, we report the fabrication and performance of an annular, cryogenic, phonon-mediated veto detector that can host an inner target detector, allowing substantial reduction in radiogenic backgrounds for rare event search experiments. A germanium veto detector of mass ~500g with an outer diameter of 76 mm and an inner diameter of 28 mm was produced inside of which was mounted a 25 mm diameter germanium inner target detector of mass ~10g. The detector was designed using inputs from a GEANT4 based simulation, where it was modeled to be sandwiched between two germanium detectors. The simulation showed that the background rates (dominated by gamma interactions) could be reduced by >90%, and that such an arrangement is sufficient for aggressive background reduction needed for neutrino and dark matter search experiments. Operating at mK temperatures at the experimental site, the veto detector prototype achieved a baseline resolution of 1.24±0.02 keV while hosting a functional inner target detector. The baseline resolution of the inner target detector was 147±2 eV. The experimental results of an identical detector arrangement are in excellent agreement with the simulation.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

SOFC Prototype System Test

The goal of this U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) sponsored project is to test a 200 kWe thermally self-sustaining atmospheric-pressure solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) prototype system at a prominent site. Fuel Cell Energy Inc. (FCE) utilized the state-of-the-art SOFC technology of its wholly-owned subsidiary Versa Power Systems (VPS) to design, fabricate and test the 200 kW prototype system. The specific objectives of this project were to achieve an SOFC stack power degradation rate of ≤1.5% per 1000 hours for the 400 kW stand-alone prototype power system undergoing ≥ 5000 hours of steady state tests at thermally self-sustained normal operating conditions (NOC), and to verify the prospects for a high volume SOFC stack production cost below the DOE target of 225 dollars per kilowatt. Achieving these goals enables commercial natural gas fueled SOFC system deployment in the 2020 timeframe, which will eventually lead to SOFC technology that is viable for large scale central power generation applications.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗