Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “load changes”

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

Secure control systems with application to cyber-physical systems

Control systems are computer-based systems with networked units consisting of sensors, actuators, control processing units, and communication devices. The role of control system is to interact, monitor, and control physical processes. Reactive power control is a fundamental issue in ensuring the security of the power network. It is claimed that Synchronous Condensers (SC) have been used at both distribution and transmission voltage levels to improve stability and to maintain voltages within desired limits under changing load conditions and contingency situations. Performance of PI controller corresponding to various tripping faults are analyzed for SC systems. Most of the eort in protecting these systems has been in protection against random failures or reliability. However, besides failures these systems are subject to various signal attacks for which new analysis are discussed here. When a breach does occur, it is necessary to react in a time commensurate with the physical dynamics of the system as it responds to the attack. Failure to act swiftly enough may result in undesirable, and possibly irreversible, physical eects. Therefore, it is meaningful to evaluate the security of a cyber-physical system, especially to protect it from cyber-attack. Illustrative numerical examples are provided together with an application to the SC systems.

Dong, Jin↗

Taxonomy for Modeling Demand Response Resources

Demand response resources are an important component of modern grid management strategies. Accurate characterizations of DR resources are needed to develop systems of optimally managed grid operations and to plan future investments in generation, transmission, and distribution. The DOE Demand Response and Energy Storage Integration Study (DRESIS) project researched the degree to which demand response (DR) and energy storage can provide grid flexibility and stability in the Western Interconnection. In this work, DR resources were integrated with traditional generators in grid forecasting tools, specifically a production cost model of the Western Interconnection. As part of this study, LBNL developed a modeling framework for characterizing resource availability and response attributes of DR resources consistent with the governing architecture of the simulation modeling platform. In this report, we identify and describe the following response attributes required to accurately characterize DR resources: allowable response frequency, maximum response duration, minimum time needed to achieve load changes, necessary pre- or re-charging of integrated energy storage, costs of enablement, magnitude of controlled resources, and alignment of availability. We describe a framework for modeling these response attributes, and apply this framework to characterize 13 DR resources including residential, commercial, and industrial end-uses. We group these end-uses into three broad categories based on their response capabilities, and define a taxonomy for classifying DR resources within these categories. The three categories of resources exhibit different capabilities and differ in value to the grid. Results from the production cost model of the Western Interconnection illustrate that minor differences in resource attributes can have significant impact on grid utilization of DR resources. The implications of these findings will be explored in future DR valuation studies.

Olsen, Daniel↗

Behind the Meter Storage for Electric Vehicle Charging, Electrochemical and Thermal Energy Storage, and Solar Photovoltaic

In response to the potentially large and irregular demand from EVs, along with changing load profiles from buildings with on-site generation, utilities are evaluating multiple options for managing dynamic loads, including time-of-use pricing, demand charges, battery storage, and curtailment of variable generation. Buildings, as well as commercial, public, and workplace EV charging operations, can use a combination of electrochemical battery storage and thermal energy storage coupled with on-site generation to manage energy costs as well as provide resiliency and reliability for EV charging and building energy loads. We are completing a behind the meter storage analysis that focuses on determining the optimal system designs and energy flows for thermal and electrochemical behind the meter storage with on-site solar photovoltaic (PV) generation enabling electric vehicle charging in various climates, building types, and utility rate structures. In completing this analysis, we have developed a tool that combines existing battery models via the System Advisor Model (SAM) and building modeling software via EnergyPlus into a single interface. This tool allows us to simulate a building with a detailed battery model to properly size the battery, thermal energy storage, and solar PV systems to maximize profit for the system owner. This also allows us to assess how the battery degrades under various supervisory control dispatch algorithms to control charging/discharging; we can also see how thermal energy storage is created and used to complement the battery to reduce thermal loads in the building. With this project, we can analyze new batteries that are designed specifically for energy storage, rather than designed to be extremely energy dense for electric vehicle applications, using battery lifetime models from other national labs and the existing SAM battery model, which has detailed lifetime and degradation parameters. We can also assess novel thermal storage technologies by integrating them into the whole building energy simulation program EnergyPlus. Because the model calls both SAM and EnergyPlus, required inputs need to be compatible for both models. These inputs include, on a high-level, the following: weather files, building and electric vehicle load profiles, electricity rate tariff information, and system cost information for the stationary battery, solar PV, and thermal storage system. The various buildings we are studying for this analysis are retail big-box grocery store, commercial office building, fleet vehicle depot and operations facility, multi-family residential, and electric vehicle charging station. For these different applications, the battery and thermal storage will be dispatched differently, and the various technologies are sized differently to optimize cost.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗

Estimation of Electromechanical Modes of Oscillation in the Eastern Interconnection from Ambient PMU Data

A power system's inter-area electromechanical modes of oscillation determine if the system is small-signal stable. Mode meters are tools that estimate the modes based on ambient synchrophasor measurements, allowing continuous monitoring of the system's stability margin. This paper reports on the application of mode meter algorithms to 21 months of synchrophasor measurements from the United States Eastern Interconnection (EI). Estimates for three modes were updated every minute, providing a much more comprehensive set of results than previous studies based on disturbance recordings. The detailed signal designs and mode meter configurations provided in this paper can be used to accelerate mode meter deployments in the EI. Analysis of the mode estimates reveal for the first time how seasonal load changes and system reconfiguration impact the EI system's dynamics.

Follum, James D.↗

Adaptive Protective Relay Settings – A Vision to the Future

Adaptive relaying utilizes the continuously changing status of the power system as the basis for online adjustment of the power system relay settings. Fundamentally they are protection schemes that adjust settings and/or logic of operations based on the prevailing conditions of the system. These adjustments can include, but are not limited to, the logging of data for post-mortem analysis, communication throughout the system, as well as changing relay parameters. Adaptive relaying considers the fact that the status of a power system can change. These include system configuration changes, load effect, cold load pickup, end-of-line protection, transformer protection, and automatic reclosing. In this research, the author focus on the need for a secure, selective, and reliable system for adaptive overcurrent protection in T&D and Distributed Energy Systems. Various types of adaptive methods are presented and explained along with some pros and cons of each.

Mukherjee, Srijib↗

A High Temperature Gas Reactor Integrated Energy System Using Energy Storage as a Buffer for Hydrogen Production

Analysis of an integrated energy system producing hydrogen in a high temperature steam electrolysis system via steam provided by a sensible heat thermal energy storage system charged by a high temperature gas reactor. Preliminary results over a continuous discharge cycle and single charging cycle shows minimal reactor impact despite 25% electrical power load change. Hydrogen production is held constant with steam provided by the thermal energy storage system.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Evaluation of VVER Reactivity Coefficients in Normal Operating Regimes with Change of External Load

The activity coefficients of a reactor facility with VVER in normal operating regimes associated with a change of the external load are studied. The model used to evaluate the reactivity coefficients in terms of the moderator density and fuel temperature aided by the connected KORSAR/GP code is described. A three-dimensional model of the neutron kinetics and a realistic model of the main regulators are used. Calculations of the reactivity coefficients for a regime with unloading of the turbogenerator and the regime of primary regulation of the power system frequency are studied as test problems. A physical analysis of the results is performed.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

DSS 14 64-meter antenna. Computed RF pathlength changes under gravity loadings

Using a computer model of the reflector structure and its supporting assembly of the 64-m antenna rotating about the elevation axis, the radio frequency (RF) pathlengths changes resulting from gravity loadings were computed. A check on the computed values was made by comparing the computed foci offsets with actual field readings of the Z or axial focussing required for elevation angle changes.

Katow, M. S.↗

When Do Efficiency and Demand Flexibility Go Hand-in-hand?

Utilities have been experimenting with integrated demand side management (IDSM) programs since the 2000s. The potential benefits of improved program cost-effectiveness and customer engagement from combining energy efficiency (EE), demand flexibility (DF), and other distributed energy resources into an integrated customer offering have been recognized although there are several known regulatory and program administrative challenges. In addition, as buildings adopt EE measures, the baseline load profile change generally reduces the potential load that can be shed or shifted. This has been a significant technical barrier for customers and program implementers. However, it is a myth that EE always reduces DF. Load change from EE can be time-varying. Therefore, whether EE improves or reduces DF should be evaluated on an individual measure basis accounting for weather dependencies and interactions. For IDSM program design purpose, it is useful to understand how common EE features influence DF and the underlying building physics. In this paper, we use parametric simulations of a prototype medium office building to evaluate how various EE features influence DF, measured by a “demand decrease intensity” (W/ft2) metric. These EE features cover envelope characteristics, internal loads, and airside HVAC system. The parametric analysis shows that some efficient HVAC control measures will increase DF but not the traditional building envelope, lighting, and ventilation-related efficiency measures. These findings contribute to the technical basis for achieving enhanced energy benefits by packaging appropriate HVAC control measures in IDSM program design. Program developers should further validate these results in targeted pilot projects.

Yu, Lili↗

Sensitivity of buckling loads of anisotropic shells of revolution to geometric imperfections and design changes

Buckling load sensitivity calculations in the shell-of-revolution program FASOR are discussed. This development is based on Koiter's initial postbuckling theory, which has been generalized to include the effect of stiffness changes, as well as geometric imperfections. The implementation in FASOR is valid for anisotropic, as well as orthotropic, shells. Examples are presented for cylindrical panels under axial compression, complete cylindrical shells in torsion, and antisymmetric angle-ply cylindrical panels under edge shear.

Cohen, Gerald A.↗

Exercise load index and changes in body weight during long-duration confinement in an isolated environment

PURPOSE: The objectives of this project were to investigate exercise load and body weight related to long-duration confinement in a closed environment simulating ISS flight conditions, and to evaluate subjects' motivation to continue the experiment and their adaptation to isolation. METHODS: Four Russian male subjects participated in a 240-d experiment (Group I), and four subjects (three male subjects and one female subject) from Austria, Canada, Japan, and Russia participated in a 110-d experiment (Group II). Exercise load was estimated during confinement using a modified Rating of Perceived Exertion scale. Free reports were used to determine subjects' motivation. Body weight was measured before, during, and after confinement. RESULTS: Group I achieved their lowest exercise loads during their first month of isolation; problems with adaptation to the isolation environment were also reported during this first month. Group II exercise load was significantly lower in the second month due to crewmember problems; loss of motivation could be noted from their free reports. The subject with the lowest exercise load retired from the isolation experiment earlier than scheduled. Exercise load was not correlated with prior exercise habits. Significant differences in body weight was observed between group I and II and between Russian and non-Russian subjects. One subject in Group I experienced a significant increase in his body weight. CONCLUSION: Exercise load may be a good indicator for adaptation problems and motivation changes in closed environments. Immobility, lack of space, and smoking cessation in general did not induce significant body weight changes.

Exercise/physiology↗

Codisposal Waste Package Loading Options for DOE SNF and HLW PPT

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for managing spent nuclear fuel (SNF) that is currently in, or will in the future come into, its possession. DOE must continue to safely store that SNF, transport it to an interim storage site or a repository, and dispose of it. These fuels come from a wide range of reactor types with various cladding materials and enrichments. Many of these reactors, now decommissioned, had unique design features, such as core configuration, fuel element and assembly geometry, moderator and coolant materials, operational characteristics, and neutron spatial and spectral properties, resulting in a large diversity of reactor and fuel designs. Because of the wide variety and conditions of SNF, a robust DOE Standard Canister was proposed that would confine radionuclides and preclude moderator. The DOE Standard Canister had four variations: 3.05-meter (10-foot) or 4.57-meter (15-foot) length, and 45.7-cm (18-inch) or 61.0-cm (24-inch) diameter. For ultimate disposal in the Yucca Mountain Repository, these canisters were to be grouped with 61.0-cm (24-inch) diameter high level waste (HLW) canisters in a 2.13-meter (84-inch) diameter co-disposal waste package. The smaller 45.7-cm (18-inch) diameter DOE Standard Canister could be placed in the middle of five HLW canisters. The larger 61.0-cm (24-inch) diameter DOE Standard Canister would take the place of one of the five HLW canisters on the outer ring in the co-disposal waste package. No DOE Standard Canisters have been loaded. A preliminary evaluation has estimated the number of elements of a fuel type that can fit into the different sizes of the DOE Standard Canister, but no definitive loading configuration has been selected. Changing the loading configuration could impact the number of loadable DOE Standard Canisters and the number of co-disposal waste packages needed for eventual disposition. This paper conveys the ranges of DOE Standard Canisters and HLW canisters that may be produced under certain conditions. It also examines the differences in the estimated number of co-disposal waste packages produced for eventual disposal when using different loading strategies in the DOE Standard Canister for Advanced Test Reactor (ATR), Peach Bottom, and High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) SNF. Changing the loading configurations of ATR, Peach Bottom, and HFIR SNF slightly impacted the number of co-disposal waste packages that may be needed for ultimate disposal. The change in loading configuration was more impactful when a different canister was used, as opposed to varying the number of elements that could fit inside the same size canister. In one case, a reduction of co-disposal waste packages could be achieved by allowing mixing of short HLW canisters with long DOE Standard Canisters. The main conclusion from this analysis is that the ratio between HLW canisters and DOE Standard Canisters will drive the total number of co-disposal waste packages. If too many HLW canisters (i.e., more than five times the number of 18-inch DOE standard canisters) or DOE Standard Canisters are produced, some co-disposal waste packages may not have all positions filled. A co-disposal waste package may be filled with all HLW with no DOE Standard Canister, or a co-disposal waste package could be filled with a single DOE Standard Canister. A ratio that does not closely align to optimum could allow for the design of waste packages that hold just HLW canisters or just DOE SNF canisters.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Co-Disposal Waste Package Loading Options for DOE SNF and HLW - 20331

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for managing spent nuclear fuel (SNF) that is currently in, or will in the future come into, its possession. DOE must continue to safely store that SNF, transport it to an interim storage site or a repository, and dispose of it. These fuels come from a wide range of reactor types with various cladding materials and enrichments. Many of these reactors, now decommissioned, had unique design features, such as core configuration, fuel element and assembly geometry, moderator and coolant materials, operational characteristics, and neutron spatial and spectral properties, resulting in a large diversity of reactor and fuel designs. Because of the wide variety and conditions of SNF, a robust DOE Standard Canister was proposed that would confine radionuclides and preclude moderator. The DOE Standard Canister had four variations: 3.05-meter (10-foot) or 4.57-meter (15-foot) length, and 45.7-cm (18-inch) or 61.0-cm (24-inch) diameter. For ultimate disposal in the Yucca Mountain Repository, these canisters were to be grouped with 61.0-cm (24-inch) diameter high level waste (HLW) canisters in a 2.13-meter (84-inch) diameter co-disposal waste package. The smaller 45.7-cm (18-inch) diameter DOE Standard Canister could be placed in the middle of five HLW canisters. The larger 61.0-cm (24-inch) diameter DOE Standard Canister would take the place of one of the five HLW canisters on the outer ring in the co-disposal waste package. No DOE Standard Canisters have been loaded. A preliminary evaluation has estimated the number of elements of a fuel type that can fit into the different sizes of the DOE Standard Canister, but no definitive loading configuration has been selected. Changing the loading configuration could impact the number of loadable DOE Standard Canisters and the number of co-disposal waste packages needed for eventual disposition. This paper conveys the ranges of DOE Standard Canisters and HLW canisters that may be produced under certain conditions. It also examines the differences in the estimated number of co-disposal waste packages produced for eventual disposal when using different loading strategies in the DOE Standard Canister for Advanced Test Reactor (ATR), Peach Bottom, and High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) SNF. Changing the loading configurations of ATR, Peach Bottom, and HFIR SNF slightly impacted the number of co-disposal waste packages that may be needed for ultimate disposal. The change in loading configuration was more impactful when a different canister was used, as opposed to varying the number of elements that could fit inside the same size canister. In one case, a reduction of co-disposal waste packages could be achieved by allowing mixing of short HLW canisters with long DOE Standard Canisters. The main conclusion from this analysis is that the ratio between HLW canisters and DOE Standard Canisters will drive the total number of co-disposal waste packages. If too many HLW canisters (i.e., more than five times the number of 18-inch DOE standard canisters) or DOE Standard Canisters are produced, some co-disposal waste packages may not have all positions filled. A co-disposal waste package may be filled with all HLW with no DOE Standard Canister, or a co-disposal waste package could be filled with a single DOE Standard Canister. A ratio that does not closely align to optimum could allow for the design of waste packages that hold just HLW canisters or just DOE SNF canisters. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Characterizing the Subsurface Using Deformation from Pumping and Surface Loading Tests

Changes in pore pressure or applied load cause deformation that can be used to characterize the subsurface. A series of field tests were conducted by measuring the deformation and pressure response from a variety of stresses at our test site in South Carolina. The site is underlain by saprolite to a depth of 30 m, and the water table in the unconfined aquifer occurs at a depth of 9 m. The types of tests performed included constant-rate pumping tests and surface point loading tests using the weight of a person or vehicle. Vertical displacement of the saprolite in response to these stresses was measured at depths of 3, 6, 9 and 11 meters in both saturated and unsaturated conditions using an extensometer with a resolution of +/- 10 nm. Results from 2.5-hr-long constant-rate pumping tests indicate a repeatable, compressive vertical strain of roughly 0.1 microstrain in the vadose zone and 1-10 microstrain in the saturated zone. Drawdown was 5 m in the pumping well and 0.1 m in a nearby (r = 9m) observation well. Under saturated conditions, the strain rate gradually decreased throughout the test in a pattern that resembles the drawdown curve in the monitoring well. In contrast, the strain in the vadose zone increased quickly early in the test, but the strain rate diminished and was negligible after approximately 30 minutes of pumping. Interestingly, drawdown in the pumping well also increased quickly over 30 minutes and remained roughly constant after that. Additional tests were conducted by applying a load (weight of a person or vehicle) at the ground surface above the extensometer and allowing the signal to stabilize before removing the load. In the vadose zone, the soil compressed rapidly and then stabilized. In the saturated zone, sudden compression was followed by additional compression at a much slower rate. A similar response was observed upon removal of the load. This transient signal in the saturated zone is interpreted to be a poroelastic effect. When a load is applied, the solid skeleton compresses and pressurizes the pore fluid, causing flow. The strain rate is then a function of pressure diffusion. Simulation of the deformation from both pumping and loading tests using an unsaturated, poroelastic finite-element model indicates that strains are sensitive to the Young’s modulus and hydraulic conductivity as functions of saturation.

well tests, strain, surface loading, hydromechanic↗

A simple optical system delivering a tunable micrometer pink beam that can compensate for heat-induced deformations

The radiation from an undulator reflected from one or more optical elements (usually termed `pink-beam') is used in photon-hungry experiments. The optical elements serve as a high-energy cutoff and for focusing purposes. One of the issues with this configuration is maintaining the focal spot dimension as the energy of the undulator is varied, since this changes the heat load absorbed by the first optical element. Finite-element analyses of the power absorbed by a side water-cooled mirror exposed to the radiation emitted by an undulator at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) and at the APS after the proposed upgrade (APSU) reveals that the mirror deformation is very close to a convex cylinder creating a virtual source closer to the mirror than the undulator source. Here a simple optical system is described based on a Kirkpatrick–Baez pair which keeps the focus size to less than 2 µm (in the APSU case) with a working distance of 350 mm despite the heat-load-induced change in source distance. Detailed ray tracings at several photon energies for both the APS and APSU show that slightly decreasing the angle of incidence on the mirrors corrects the change in the `virtual' position of the source. The system delivers more than 70% of the first undulator harmonic with very low higher-orders contamination for energies between 5 and 10 keV.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗