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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 OSTI2020

Southeast Regional CO 2 Utilization and Storage Acceleration Partnership (SECARB-USA): Data Quality Methodology (4.2.1)

SECARB-USA Deliverable 4.2.1 utilizes the outputs from the Needs Assessment (Subtask 2.1) to develop a data quality methodology. Many types of data are needed to evaluate a site for technical and financial viability. Several inventories of data types have been produced (for example NETL, 2010). The objective here is to organize the data types so that the needs met are specified. From this cross index (Table 1 in the Appendix), it will be possible in future tasks to (1) determine, on a site-specific basis, how much of each data type is required at each stage of a project to meet the need, and conversely (2) to further specify and define the data collection methods applied such that the data are tailored to fit that need. Derivative tables can then be developed to semi-quantitively evaluate the extent to which need is critical for early go/no decision points, or if it is more important than average, requiring faster or larger capitalization and spend to meet the need. In an additional step, the current availability of data for a site can be semi-quantitively assessed. From the table of data criticality and the table of data availability, site-specific cost for meeting the data needs can be determined, and allow a pre-permit spend estimated for a portfolio of projects. All of the data needs to evaluate a site are somewhat interconnected. We used criterion (2) above to determine if the data collection design would have to be modified to meet the need; if this was commonly true a linkage was shown. The application of this cross index to sites in the subsequent tasks will demonstrate that the demand for data types varies site-to-site and project-to-project. Examples of factors to be considered are the complexity of the geology, the injection goals such as rate and duration of the injection, and the types of risk and risk tolerance of key stakeholders. In future tasks the team will compare the demand for data with existing data availability. This will, in turn, determine when data needs to be acquired to support project development. For example, in a project area with complex structure, 3-D seismic data may be needed earlier and more urgently than in an area with simple rock body geometries. In some locations, a 3-D seismic survey has already been collected and can be purchased. In other locations the project developer will need to collect these data. For another example, a project near an urban area or near to a park may generate earlier and more substantive public concern than a site that is developed in mined lands. A calculation using the derivative from table 1 will show the different investment needs. Project cost will vary corresponding to data criticality and data availability.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Enhancing Site Screening for Underground Hydrogen Storage: Qualitative Site Quality Assessment - SHASTA: Subsurface Hydrogen Assessment, Storage, and Technology Acceleration Project

The global shift towards renewable energy sources to mitigate fossil fuel dependency and meet carbon emission targets by 2050 has underscored the importance of innovative solutions to address energy supply-demand imbalances. Underground Hydrogen Storage (UHS) has emerged as a promising strategy to store excess renewable energy in subsurface formations for future retrieval and utilization. This report focuses on enhancing the site screening process for UHS facilities. By drawing on insights from prior research to identify key criteria influencing site suitability, our objective is to present a comprehensive set of sixteen specific criteria essential for refining the selection of UHS sites. These criteria cover various aspects such as reservoir performance, legal access, regulatory compliance, economic viability, public acceptance, and safety and security considerations. Our proposed methodology allows users to evaluate potential sites using binary responses, transitioning from isolated factors to broader considerations that facilitate a qualitative assessment of site suitability. This method enables comparative analysis and informed decision-making, supporting stakeholders in the site selection process. Our approach is designed as a guiding framework rather than a rigid template for site screening, emphasizing the importance of customizing approaches to individual circumstances. As UHS site development project evolves, adopting a comprehensive selection methodology that integrates holistic evaluations will be essential for ensuring efficient and effective site screening processes tailored to specific project needs.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2024

Enhancing Site Screening for Underground Hydrogen Storage: Qualitative Site Quality Assessment - SHASTA: Subsurface Hydrogen Assessment, Storage, and Technology Acceleration Project

The global shift towards renewable energy sources to mitigate fossil fuel dependency and meet carbon emission targets by 2050 has underscored the importance of innovative solutions to address energy supply-demand imbalances. Underground Hydrogen Storage (UHS) has emerged as a promising strategy to store excess renewable energy in subsurface formations for future retrieval and utilization. This report focuses on enhancing the site screening process for UHS facilities. By drawing on insights from prior research to identify key criteria influencing site suitability, our objective is to present a comprehensive set of sixteen specific criteria essential for refining the selection of UHS sites. These criteria cover various aspects such as reservoir performance, legal access, regulatory compliance, economic viability, public acceptance, and safety and security considerations. Our proposed methodology allows users to evaluate potential sites using binary responses, transitioning from isolated factors to broader considerations that facilitate a qualitative assessment of site suitability. This method enables comparative analysis and informed decision-making, supporting stakeholders in the site selection process. Our approach is designed as a guiding framework rather than a rigid template for site screening, emphasizing the importance of customizing approaches to individual circumstances. As UHS site development project evolves, adopting a comprehensive selection methodology that integrates holistic evaluations will be essential for ensuring efficient and effective site screening processes tailored to specific project needs.

08 HYDROGEN↗
NASA NTRS2012

Urban Climate Station Site Selection Through Combined Digital Surface Model and Sun Angle Calculations

Meteorological measurements within urban areas are becoming increasingly important due to the accentuating effects of climate change upon the Urban Heat Island (UHI). However, ensuring that such measurements are representative of the local area is often difficult due to the diversity of the urban environment. The evaluation of sites is important for both new sites and for the relocation of established sites to ensure that long term changes in the meteorological and climatological conditions continue to be faithfully recorded. Site selection is traditionally carried out in the field using both local knowledge and visual inspection. This paper exploits and assesses the use of lidar-derived digital surface models (DSMs) to quantitatively aid the site selection process. This is acheived by combining the DSM with a solar model, first to generate spatial maps of sky view factors and sun-hour potential and second, to generate site-specific views of the horizon. The results show that such a technique is a useful first-step approach to identify key sites that may be further evaluated for the location of meteorological stations within urban areas.

digital surface model↗
NASA NTRS1975

Enhancement and evaluation of Skylab photography for potential land use inventories, part 1

The author has identified the following significant results. Three sites were evaluated for land use inventory: Finger Lakes - Tompkins County, Lower Hudson Valley - Newburgh, and Suffolk County - Long Island. Special photo enhancement processes were developed to standardize the density range and contrast among S190A negatives. Enhanced black and white enlargements were converted to color by contact printing onto diazo film. A color prediction model related the density values on each spectral band for each category of land use to the spectral properties of the various diazo dyes. The S190A multispectral system proved to be almost as effective as the S190B high resolution camera for inventorying land use. Aggregate error for Level 1 averaged about 12% while Level 2 aggregate error averaged about 25%. The S190A system proved to be much superior to LANDSAT in inventorying land use, primarily because of increased resolution.

Hardy, E. E.↗
DOE OSTI2023

An ecologically-constrained deep learning model for tropical leaf phenology monitoring using PlanetScope satellites

In tropical forests, leaf phenology signals leaf-on/off status and exhibits considerable variability across scales from a single tree-crown to the entire forest ecosystem. Such phenology signals importantly regulate large-scale biogeochemical cycles and regional climate. PlanetScope CubeSats data with a 3-m resolution and near-daily global coverage provide an unprecedented opportunity to monitor both fine- and ecosystem-scale phenology variability along large environmental gradients. However, a scalable method that accurately characterizes leaf phenology from PlanetScope with biophysically meaningful metrics remains lacking. Here we developed an index-guided, ecologically constrained autoencoder (IG-ECAE) method to automatically derive a deciduousness metric (i.e. percentage of tree canopies with leaf-off status within an image pixel) from PlanetScope. The IG-ECAE first estimated the reflectance spectra of leafy/leafless canopies based on their spectral indices characteristics, then used the derived reflectance spectra to guide an autoencoder deep learning method with additional ecological constraints to refine the reflectance spectra, and finally used linear spectral unmixing to estimate the relative abundance of leafless canopies (or deciduousness) per PlanetScope image pixel. We tested the IG-ECAE method at 16 tropical forest sites spanning multiple continents and a large precipitation gradient (1470-2819 mm year -1 ). Among these sites, we evaluated the PlanetScope-derived deciduousness with corresponding measures derived from WorldView-2 (n=9 sites) and local phenocams (n=9 sites). Our results show that PlanetScope-derived deciduousness agrees: 1) with that derived from WorldView-2 at the patch level (90m×90m) with r 2 =0.89 across all sites; and 2) with that derived from phenocams to quantify ecosystem-scale seasonality with r 2 ranging from 0.62-0.96. These results demonstrate the effectiveness and scalability of IG-ECAE in characterizing the wide variability in deciduousness across scales from pixels to forest ecosystems, and from a single date to the full annual cycle, indicating the potential for using high-resolution satellites to track the large-scale phenological patterns and response of tropical forests to climate change.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

The NPF Effect on CCN Number Concentrations: A Review and Re-Evaluation of Observations From 35 Sites Worldwide

The new particle formation (NPF) effect on cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) differs from region to region and remains highly uncertain. In this work, we re-evaluate the NPF-initiated enhancements in CCN number concentrations (E_N CCN ) by compiling results from 35 field sites worldwide and five global models. We show the E_N CCN at sites close to the anthropogenic sources are more than 2-fold as large as that at remote sites with supersaturations of 0.1%–1.0%. The enhancements anti-correlate with the time scales for the new particles to grow to CCN size, which are 5–10 and 20–30 hr at polluted and remote sites, respectively. We further reveal that under polluted environments the condensational growth of new particles may be accelerated, leading to larger E_N CCN . The models fail to simulate the E_NCCN in polluted regions. Our study highlights the importance of parameterizing the time scale of NPF to affect CCN differently for remote and polluted regions in models.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1989

An evaluation of imaging spectrometry for estimating forest canopy chemistry

High spectral resolution Airborne Imaging Spectrometer (AIS) data were acquired over 20 well-studied Wisconsin forest sites to evaluate the potential of remote sensing for estimating forest canopy chemistry. Intensive nutrient cycling research in these forests demonstrates that canopy lignin content is strongly related to measured annual nitrogen mineralization at the undisturbed sites and may serve as an accurate index for nitrogen cycling rates. Ground measurements were made of foliar biomass and canopy nitrogen and lignin content, the latter within two weeks of the AIS overflight. The spectral data were transformed using derivative techniques modified from laboratroy spectroscopy. Stepwise regression assisted in determining combinations of wavelengths most highly correlated with canopy chemistry and biomass. Strong correlations between AIS data and total canopy lignin content in deciduous forests and canopy lignin concentration (total lignin/biomass) in both deciduous and coniferous stands indicate that imaging spectrometry can be used to estimate canopy lignin content and, from that, the spatial distribution of annual nitrogen mineralization rates.

Wessman, Carol A.↗
DOE OSTI2026

OB200-DV-1 Treatability Testing: Final Results

The Hanford Site in Washington state previously generated plutonium for nuclear weapons. During operations, radionuclide byproducts and chemical process fluids were intentionally and/or unintentionally released to the subsurface, resulting in more than 800 contaminated waste sites across the Central Plateau, where historical chemical separations and waste management activities took place. As the Hanford Site mission transitioned from operations to site cleanup, remediation of the vadose zone and groundwater became a priority. However, given the depth of the unsaturated zone contamination above the groundwater, the unique nature of the waste, and the continuing impacts on groundwater quality, technologies needed to be identified and evaluated for in situ remediation in the deep vadose zone (DVZ). A laboratory treatability study has been completed to evaluate site-relevant effectiveness for nine in situ technologies that may be used to treat continuing sources of contaminants in specific areas of the Central Plateau waste sites that are grouped into the 200-DV-1 Operable Unit (OU). The 200-DV-1 OU was established in 2010 to address 43 Central Plateau waste sites with complex DVZ remediation challenges. Eight of these technologies were identified through a prescreening effort that evaluated remedial technologies potentially applicable to DVZ contamination in the Central Plateau . These eight technologies were selected for further study based on site specific knowledge gaps about their effectiveness. A ninth technology was added to the treatability study based on new information from separate laboratory investigations (conducted following the prescreening effort) demonstrating the technology’s potential effectiveness (see Section 1.2 for more information) and value for inclusion in the treatability study.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2020

Charged Wellbore Casing Controlled Source Electromagnetics (CWC-CSEM) for Reservoir Imaging and Monitoring (Final report)

This project addresses the needs of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop advanced monitoring technologies and protocols to track the fate of subsurface carbon dioxide (CO2) plumes for carbon storage. Specifically, the project seeks to develop and test a unique and novel system of technologies consisting of electromagnetic data acquisition, coupled multiphysics imaging, and reservoir model enhancement to understand the migration and long-term distribution of CO2 in the subsurface. The overarching objective is to develop an integrated approach for long term monitoring of carbon storage. The two main components of the project include the methodology development and the test of the method at a field site. The methodology component consists of 1) developing the field procedure and protocol for collecting time-lapse controlled-source electromagnetic (CSEM) data with source electric current injected into the subsurface through wellbore casings; 2) building of background 3D electrical conductivity utilizing multiple sources of data such as supplemental surface transient EM (TEM) surveys, well-logs, and seismic structural information, for enhancing CSEM signal from reservoir depths; and 3) coupled multiphysics simulations and inversion of CSEM data constrained by production data and by structural information from seismic imaging of the reservoir and overlying formations. The testing component used the field site of Bell Creek Oil Field, which served both as a field laboratory for the method development as well as a test site to evaluate the CSEM signal strengths and the methodology developed in this research project. We have accomplished all the proposed tasks and developed the methodology as planned. These include the procedure for time-lapse CSEM data acquisition, data processing techniques, integration with 3D conductivity model building, fast reservoir simulation for history matching using machine learning, and interpreting CSEM data with coupling to the reservoir modeling. Collectively, the outcome of these tasks form a coherent workflow that can be applied to monitor dedicated carbon storage in saline reservoirs. The testing component evaluated the applicability and limitations of the method, and concluded that the method would be ideal for monitoring dedicated carbon storage sites utilizing saline reservoirs.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Global patterns of terrestrial nitrogen and phosphorus limitation

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) limitation constrains the magnitude of terrestrial carbon uptake in response to elevated carbon dioxide and climate change. However, global maps of nutrient limitation are still lacking. Here we examined global N and P limitation using the ratio of site-averaged leaf N and P resorption efficiencies of the dominant species across 171 sites. We evaluated our predictions using a global database of N- and P-limitation experiments based on nutrient additions at 106 and 53 sites, respectively. Globally, we found a shift from relative P to N limitation for both higher latitudes and precipitation seasonality and lower mean annual temperature, temperature seasonality, mean annual precipitation and soil clay fraction. Excluding cropland, urban and glacial areas, we estimate that 18% of the natural terrestrial land area is significantly limited by N, whereas 43% is relatively P limited. The remaining 39% of the natural terrestrial land area could be co-limited by N and P or weakly limited by either nutrient alone. This work provides both a new framework for testing nutrient limitation and a benchmark of N and P limitation for models to constrain predictions of the terrestrial carbon sink.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2023

Observational Constraints Reduce Model Spread but Not Uncertainty in Global Wetland Methane Emission Estimates

The recent rise in atmospheric methane (CH 4 ) concentrations accelerates climate change and offsets mitigation efforts. Although wetlands are the largest natural CH 4 source, estimates of global wetland CH 4 emissions vary widely among approaches taken by bottom-up (BU) process-based biogeochemical models and top-down (TD) atmospheric inversion methods. Here, we integrate in situ measurements, multi-model ensembles, and a machine learning upscaling product into the International Land Model Benchmarking system to examine the relationship between wetland CH 4 emission estimates and model performance. We find that using better-performing models identified by observational constraints reduces the spread of wetland CH 4 emission estimates by 62% and 39% for BU- and TD-based approaches, respectively. However, global BU and TD CH 4 emission estimate discrepancies increased by about 15% (from 31 to 36 TgCH 4 year −1 ) when the top 20% models were used, although we consider this result moderately uncertain given the unevenly distributed global observations. Our analyses demonstrate that model performance ranking is subject to benchmark selection due to large inter-site variability, highlighting the importance of expanding coverage of benchmark sites to diverse environmental conditions. We encourage future development of wetland CH 4 models to move beyond static benchmarking and focus on evaluating site-specific and ecosystem-specific variabilities inferred from observations.

Kuang-Yu Chang↗
DOE OSTI2024

SMART Task 6: Evaluation of the Costs of Geologic CO2 Storage for the Illinois Basin Decatur Project Site Using the NRAP/SMART Technoeconomic and Liability Evaluation for Storage (TALES) Model

This is a presentation featuring an analysis related to SMART Task 6 in which CO2 storage costs are presented. The National Energy Technology Laboratory has developed the NRAP/SMART Technoeconomic and Liability Evaluation for Storage (TALES) model to provide quantitative cost-based insights to support developers planning CO2 injection and storage projects. TALES calculates the revenues, costs, and financial performance of candidate CO2 saline storage project based on site-specific activity costs and financial parameters. TALES is being integrated as a module pertaining to storage cost as part of the broader SMART Visualization and Decision Support Platform (SVDSP). In this study, the TALES model was applied using real activity cost data associated with the development and operations at the Illinois Basin Decatur Project (IBDP) CO2 storage project site. Scenario analysis was implemented in which crucial operational and cost attributes were varied and the associated cost implications observed. Key results data and project cost summary metrics like first-year breakeven price of CO2 ($/tonne) and net present value (NPV) are presented in similar fashion to how they will appear in the SVDSP.

Vikara, Derek↗
DOE OSTI2021

Development of an integrated platform for hardware-in-the-loop evaluation of microgrids prior to site commissioning

This paper presents an integrated hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) platform for testing the operation and control of a real-world microgrid system prior to site commissioning. The proposed testing approach shows the value of setting up an integrated HIL platform to test multiple hardware devices (including the system-level controller, device controllers, and field devices). A test bed developed for the Borrego Springs community microgrid is used as an example to demonstrate the feasibility of the integrated platform. Comprehensive tests are carried out using the Borrego Springs test bed to validate the platform, meet the test objectives, and gain valuable insight prior to site commissioning. The selected test scenarios, initial conditions, events, test metrics, etc., are similar to those defined in IEEE P2030.8. The test objectives are to evaluate the microgrid controller and the operation of the microgrid. The HIL platform presented in this paper shows good value for microgrid testing in terms of its flexibility and scalability for testing various microgrids; its accuracy in its representation of the field; the comprehensiveness of the testing capability; and the efficiency of testing, which can reduce risks prior to field deployment.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
NASA NTRS1979

Assessment of economic factors affecting the satellite power system. Volume 2: The systems implications of rectenna siting issues

The feasibility was evaluated of finding potential sites for Solar Power Satellite (SPS) receiving antennas (rectennas) in the continental United States, in sufficient numbers to permit the SPS to make a major contribution to U.S. generating facilities, and to give statistical validity to an assessment of the characteristics of such sites and their implications for the design of the SPS system. It is found that the cost-optimum power output of the SPS does not depend on the particular value assigned to the cost per unit area of a rectenna and its site, as long as it is independent of rectenna area. Many characteristics of the sites chosen affect the optimum design of the rectenna itself.

Chapman, P. K.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Volcanic Field Sites for Artemis Testing and Training

The Artemis Program will reestablish human presence on the Moon and lead to a new era of scientific discovery and exploration. Led by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Artemis Program is a collaboration of space agencies and companies around the world. An integrated effort between various disciplines of science, engineering, and mission operations is currently developing methods, facilities, and analog field locations to train astronauts and test hardware and concepts of operations. These efforts aim to best prepare for the next steps of human exploration on the lunar surface and beyond. Numerous terrestrial volcanic field sites were evaluated and selected for their unique roles in helping to prepare for the lunar surface mission phases. This effort heavily leveraged the comprehensive academic research conducted at these field sites, as well as the tremendous Apollo heritage. The currently selected volcanic field sites include the San Francisco Volcanic Field in Northern Arizona, the Potrillo Volcanic Field in southern New Mexico, the highlands of Iceland, and the Southwestern Nevada Volcanic Field. Within each of these volcanic field sites numerous specific testing and training locations are being further developed utilizing the analogous terrain and unique features in these regions. Recent Artemis testing and training events have been conducted at a number of these volcanic field sites by both a dedicated Artemis Geology Training Team and a Joint Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) Testing Team. This presentation will highlight the selected sites as well as the objectives and accomplishments of some of the recent field-testing events and training courses. Additionally, we continually strive to pursue additional sites, locations, data sets, collaborations, and partnerships in this endeavor and welcome knowledge transfer and community input.

Trevor Graff↗