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DOE OSTI2021

The effect of price-based demand response on carbon emissions in European electricity markets: The importance of adequate carbon prices

Price-based demand response (PBDR) has recently been attributed great economic but also environmental potential. However, the determination of its short-term effects on carbon emissions requires the knowledge of marginal emission factors (MEFs), which compared to grid mix emission factors (XEFs), are cumbersome to calculate due to the complex characteristics of national electricity markets. This study, therefore, proposes two merit order-based methods to approximate hourly MEFs and applies them to readily available datasets from 20 European countries for the years 2017–2019. Based on the calculated electricity prices, standardized daily load shifts were simulated which indicated that carbon emissions increased for 8 of the 20 countries and by 2.1% on average. Thus, under specific circumstances, PBDR leads to carbon emissions increases, mainly due to the economic advantage fuel sources such as lignite and coal have in the merit order. MEF-based load shifts reduced the mean resulting carbon emissions by 35%, albeit with 56% lower monetary cost savings compared to price-based load shifts. Finally, by repeating the load shift simulations for different carbon price levels, the impact of the carbon price on the resulting carbon emissions was analyzed. The Spearman correlation coefficient between carbon intensity and marginal cost along the German merit order substantially increased with increasing carbon price. The coefficients were -0.13 for the 2019 carbon price of 24.9 €/t, 0 for 42.6 €/t, and 0.4 for 100.0 €/t. Therefore, with adequate carbon prices, PBDR can be an effective tool for both economical and environmental improvement.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2021

Opportunities and challenges for flow-through hydrothermal pretreatment in advanced biorefineries

Hydrothermal pretreatment (HTP) using only water offers great potential to reduce the overall cost of the bioconversion process. However, traditional HTP performed in a batch has limitations in removing lignin and often needs to be performed under severe conditions to achieve reasonable pretreatment effects. Additionally, lignin left in the pretreated residue at these conditions is also highly condensed, thus possessing an even more adverse impact on the hydrolysis process, which requires high enzyme loadings. To address these technical challenges, HTP performed in a flow-through configuration was developed to simultaneously achieve near-complete hemicellulose recovery, high lignin removal and high sugar release. Despite facing challenges such as potentially large water usage, flow-through HTP still represents one of the most cost-effective and eco-friendly pretreatment methods. This review mainly covers the latest cutting-edge innovations of flow-through HTP along with structural and compositional changes of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin before and after pretreatment.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Long-term effects of cycle time and volume exchange ratio on poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) production from food waste digestate by Haloferax mediterranei cultivated in sequencing batch reactors for 450 days

Food waste digestate was fed into a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) for Haloferax mediterranei (HM) to produce poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV). This SBR was operated uninterruptedly for 450 days to test its stability, during which the cycle time and volume exchange ratio were varied to understand their impacts on the PHBV fermentation performance under ranged organic loading rates (OLR). Results showed that 1) PHBV productivity was proportional to OLR of food waste digestate; 2) substrate and product inhibitions were two limiting factors constraining substrate utilization and PHBV yields; 3) PHBV titer was dependent on the hydraulic retention time of the SBR while a volume exchange ratio lower than 0.5 is unfavorable due to the product inhibitor accumulation. Furthermore, this study for the first time demonstrated that the long-term stability of food waste-fed PHBV production by HM and revealed that inhibition effects could be barriers in SBR limiting the full-scale application of the technology.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Direct ink writing of aqueous-based Gadolinium (III) oxide slurries

Gadolinium (III) oxide (gadolinia, Gd 2 O 3 ) has recently been identified as an intriguing material for applications in the medical, solid oxide fuel cell, and nuclear industries. This interest drives the need for developing and understanding manufacturing techniques that can produce dense Gd 2 O 3 structures. Direct ink writing (DIW), an extrusion-based additive manufacturing method, has also garnered interest because of its capability to produce dense ceramic parts with increased complexity in an economical manner. In this study, DIW was explored as a manufacturing technique for Gd 2 O 3 . Experiments were performed to develop Gd 2 O 3 bearing inks capable of being processed via DIW. Ink solids loading and sintering temperatures were varied to assess their impact on the final density and microstructure. Optimum sintering conditions are proposed and were experimentally verified at a dwell temperature of 1500°C. Gd 2 O 3 samples were successfully manufactured using DIW, achieving densities greater than 96 % of the theoretical density.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2022

Multi-pass flow-through reductive catalytic fractionation

Reductive catalytic fractionation (RCF) is a promising lignin-first biorefining strategy that selectively extracts and depolymerizes lignin from whole biomass. Flow-through (FT)-RCF enables physical separation of the biomass and catalyst, but this process configuration typically operates at high solvent-to-biomass ratios. Here, we demonstrate multi-pass FT-RCF, wherein the lignin-enriched solvent obtained after an initial FT-RCF step is recycled and used in subsequent FT-RCF without intermediate lignin recovery. Multi-pass FT-RCF reduces the solvent-to-biomass ratio from 48 to 1.9 L/kg, which is a lower solvent loading than is accessible in batch reactors, without negative impacts on delignification and monomer yield with up to 12 wt % lignin in the solvent. Overall, this work demonstrates that solvent demand in RCF processes, which is a key cost and energy driver to enable this process at scale, can be reduced by recycling lignin oil between RCF reactions.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Invigoration or Enervation of Convective Clouds by Aerosols?

Are convective clouds strengthened by the addition of aerosol particles? We present new theoretical calculations which starkly contrast previous results. Prior foundational work suggested that aerosols strongly invigorate convective cloud updrafts via changes to cold-phase processes. We show that the peak magnitude of invigoration by this mechanism is substantially reduced for cold-based storms. For warm-based storms, the updrafts are weakened, not strengthened, by aerosol-induced changes to cold-phase processes. Our calculations show that if invigoration occurs, it is driven primarily by changes to warm-phase processes and may be largest well before the storm reaches maturity. The calculations are based on a new formulation of the moist adiabatic lapse rate that accounts for freezing, supersaturation, and condensate loading. The results significantly reshape our understanding of the impact of aerosols on convective updrafts.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2015

High-yield hydrogen production from biomass by in vitro metabolic engineering: Mixed sugars coutilization and kinetic modeling

The use of hydrogen (H 2 ) as a fuel offers enhanced energy conversion efficiency and tremendous potential to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, but producing it in a distributed, carbon-neutral, low-cost manner requires new technologies. Herein we demonstrate the complete conversion of glucose and xylose from plant biomass to H 2 and CO 2 based on an in vitro synthetic enzymatic pathway. Glucose and xylose were simultaneously converted to H 2 with a yield of two H 2 per carbon, the maximum possible yield. Parameters of a nonlinear kinetic model were fitted with experimental data using a genetic algorithm, and a global sensitivity analysis was used to identify the enzymes that have the greatest impact on reaction rate and yield. After optimizing enzyme loadings using this model, volumetric H 2 productivity was increased 3-fold to 32 mmol H 2 ∙L ₋1 ∙h ₋1 . The productivity was further enhanced to 54 mmol H 2 ∙L ₋1 ∙h ₋1 by increasing reaction temperature, substrate, and enzyme concentrations—an increase of 67-fold compared with the initial studies using this method. The production of hydrogen from locally produced biomass is a promising means to achieve global green energy production.

08 HYDROGEN↗

DOE OSTI2024

Viral afterlife: SARS-CoV-2 as a reservoir of immunomimetic peptides that reassemble into proinflammatory supramolecular complexes

It is unclear how severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection leads to the strong but ineffective inflammatory response that characterizes severe Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), with amplified immune activation in diverse cell types, including cells without angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptors necessary for infection. Proteolytic degradation of SARS-CoV-2 virions is a milestone in host viral clearance, but the impact of remnant viral peptide fragments from high viral loads is not known. Here, we examine the inflammatory capacity of fragmented viral components from the perspective of supramolecular self-organization in the infected host environment. Interestingly, a machine learning analysis to SARS-CoV-2 proteome reveals sequence motifs that mimic host antimicrobial peptides (xenoAMPs), especially highly cationic human cathelicidin LL-37 capable of augmenting inflammation. Such xenoAMPs are strongly enriched in SARS-CoV-2 relative to low-pathogenicity coronaviruses. Moreover, xenoAMPs from SARS-CoV-2 but not low-pathogenicity homologs assemble double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) into nanocrystalline complexes with lattice constants commensurate with the steric size of Toll-like receptor (TLR)-3 and therefore capable of multivalent binding. Such complexes amplify cytokine secretion in diverse uninfected cell types in culture (epithelial cells, endothelial cells, keratinocytes, monocytes, and macrophages), similar to cathelicidin’s role in rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. The induced transcriptome matches well with the global gene expression pattern in COVID-19, despite using <0.3% of the viral proteome. Delivery of these complexes to uninfected mice boosts plasma interleukin-6 and CXCL1 levels as observed in COVID-19 patients.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2026

Vanishing dynamic strength measured in a transient high-pressure phase of tin

This work reports two independent experimental estimations of the dynamic strength of the body-centered tetragonal (bct) 𝛾 phase of tin, which occurs at pressures above about 9 GPa and transforms promptly back to the ambient 𝛽 phase upon pressure release. Measuring strength in such a transient high-pressure phase is challenging. One measurement used free-surface Richtmyer-Meshkov instabilities generated with gas gun impact. Another set of measurements used ramp-release loading in a pulsed-power facility. Strength estimations came from comparison to simulations using a comprehensive multiphase modeling framework that includes equation of state, shear moduli, and strength separately for each phase, and treats mixed-phase regions. Both experimental methods found the 𝛾-phase strength to be very low, within experimental uncertainty of zero. The existing literature on other materials, by contrast, almost universally reports higher strength in transient high-pressure phases compared with ambient phases. Recent Molecular-Dynamics simulations on tin in the literature showed almost zero deviatoric strength during a deformation-induced bct → bct transformation in which one of the 𝛾-phase 𝑎 axes “flips” to the 𝑐 axis. This reorientation currently provides the most plausible explanation for the low observed strength in 𝛾-phase tin.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2024

Technical Impacts of Light-Duty and Heavy-Duty Transportation Electrification on a Coordinated Transmission and Distribution System

In this study, we propose a strategy to model the required spatiotemporal charging demand from light-duty (LD) and medium- and heavy-duty (MHD) electric vehicles (EVs) using actual transportation data by mapping the demand for the required EV charging to a realistic and coordinated distribution and transmission electric grid at the predicted times of the day to study their impact on the power system in a variety of load, weather, and EV penetration scenarios. This work is the first study that includes the actual weather data and transportation data with realistic and coordinated distribution and transmission grid data in a large industry-scale level study. The main goal of this study is to identify possible issues and required upgrades in the electric grid, caused by an increase in EV integration. The transmission case study is a large grid with 6717 buses over a Texas footprint, and the distribution grid is over Houston, a city in Texas, covering over three million customers. The resulting overloads and voltage violations experienced in the system are discussed, and required planning upgrades to avoid these issues are suggested.

AC optimal power flow (AC-OPF)↗

DOE OSTI2014

Toward Understanding the Effect of Low-Activity Waste Glass Composition on Sulfur Solubility

The concentration of sulfur in nuclear waste glass melter feed must be maintained below the point where salt accumulates on the melt surface. The allowable concentrations may range from 0.37 to over 2.05 weight percent (of SO3 on a calcined oxide basis). If the amount of sulfur exceeds its tolerance level a molten salt will accumulate and upset melter operations and potentially shorten melter useful life. Therefore relatively conservative limits have been placed on sulfur loading in melter feed which in-turn significantly impacts the amount of glass that will be produced, in particular at the Hanford site. Crucible-scale sulfur solubility data and scaled melter sulfur tolerance data have been collected on simulated Hanford waste glasses over the last 15 years. These data were compiled and analyzed. A model was developed to predict the solubility of SO3 in glass based on 312 individual glass compositions. This model was shown to well represent the data, accounting for over 80% of the variation in data and was well validated. The model was also found to accurately predict the tolerance for sulfur in melter feed based on 19 scaled melter tests. The model is appropriate for control of waste glass processing which includes uncertainty quantification. The model also gives quantitative estimates of component concentration effects on sulfur solubility. The components that most increase sulfur solubility are Li2O > V2O5 ≈ TiO2 < CaO < P2O5 ≈ ZnO. The components that most decrease sulfur solubility are Cl > Cr2O3 > SiO2 ≈ ZrO2 > Al2O3.

Borosilicate↗

DOE OSTI2024

Grid Modeling and Hosting Capacity Analysis

An interface with the OpenDSS distribution grid simulator, facilitating users in calibrating and validating models. Additionally, three distinct tools have been developed: PV Hosting Capacity: This tool allows users to determine the additional amount of photovoltaic (PV) generation that can be integrated into the system without breaching operational constraints. EV Hosting Capacity: This tool focuses on identifying the capacity for incorporating extra electric vehicle (EV) load into the system without surpassing operational limitations. Project Impact Analysis Tool: This tool is designed to assess and report all potential grid violations associated with a specific project, providing valuable insights into its impact on the distribution grid.

Poudel, Shiva↗

DOE OSTI2011

Field Measurements at River and Tidal Current Sites for Hydrokinetic Energy Development: Best Practices Manual

In this report, existing data collection techniques and protocols for characterizing open channel flows are reviewed and refined to further address the needs of the MHK industry. The report provides an overview of the hydrodynamics of river and tidal channels, and the working principles of modern acoustic instrumentation, including best practices in remote sensing methods that can be applied to hydrokinetic energy site characterization. Emphasis is placed upon acoustic Doppler velocimeter (ADV) and acoustic-Doppler current profiler (ADCP) instruments, as these represent the most practical and economical tools for use in the MHK industry. Incorporating the best practices as found in the literature, including the parameters to be measured, the instruments to be deployed, the instrument deployment strategy, and data post-processing techniques. The data collected from this procedure aims to inform the hydro-mechanical design of MHK systems with respect to energy generation and structural loading, as well as provide reference hydrodynamics for environmental impact studies. The standard metrics and protocols defined herein can be utilized to guide field experiments with MHK systems.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2012

2011 Annual Wastewater Reuse Report for the Idaho National Laboratory Site’s Central Facilities Area Sewage Treatment Plant

This report describes conditions, as required by the state of Idaho Wastewater Reuse Permit (LA-000141-03), for the wastewater land application site at Idaho National Laboratory Site's Central Facilities Area Sewage Treatment Plant from November 1, 2010, through October 31, 2011. The report contains the following information: (1) Site description; (2) Facility and system description; (3) Permit required monitoring data and loading rates; (4) Status of special compliance conditions and activities; and (5) Discussion of the facility's environmental impacts. During the 2011 permit year, approximately 1.22 million gallons of treated wastewater was land-applied to the irrigation area at Central Facilities Area Sewage Treatment plant.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

DOE OSTI2013

Improved flywheel materials :

As alternative energy generating devices (i.e., solar, wind, etc) are added onto the electrical energy grid (AC grid), irregularities in the available electricity due to natural occurrences (i.e., clouds reducing solar input or wind burst increasing wind powered turbines) will be dramatically increased. Due to their almost instantaneous response, modern flywheel-based energy storage devices can act a mechanical mechanism to regulate the AC grid; however, improved spin speeds will be required to meet the necessary energy levels to balance these green energy variances. Focusing on composite flywheels, we have investigated methods for improving the spin speeds based on materials needs. The so-called composite flywheels are composed of carbon fiber (C-fiber), glass fiber, and a glue (resin) to hold them together. For this effort, we have focused on the addition of fillers to the resin in order to improve its properties. Based on the high loads required for standard meso-sized fillers, this project investigated the utility of ceramic nanofillers since they can be added at very low load levels due to their high surface area. The impact that TiO2 nanowires had on the final strength of the flywheel material was determined by a three-point-bend test. The results of the introduction of nanomaterials demonstrated an increase in strength of the flywheel s C-fiber-resin moiety, with an upper limit of a 30% increase being reported. An analysis of the economic impact concerning the utilization of the nanowires was undertaken and after accounting for new-technology and additional production costs, return on improved-nanocomposite investment was approximated at 4-6% per year over the 20-year expected service life. Further, it was determined based on the 30% improvement in strength, this change may enable a 20-30% reduction in flywheel energy storage cost ($/kW-h).

Boyle, Timothy J.↗

DOE OSTI2014

AEP Ohio gridSMART Demonstration Project Real-Time Pricing Demonstration Analysis

This report contributes initial findings from an analysis of significant aspects of the gridSMART® Real-Time Pricing (RTP) – Double Auction demonstration project. Over the course of four years, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) worked with American Electric Power (AEP), Ohio and Battelle Memorial Institute to design, build, and operate an innovative system to engage residential consumers and their end-use resources in a participatory approach to electric system operations, an incentive-based approach that has the promise of providing greater efficiency under normal operating conditions and greater flexibility to react under situations of system stress. The material contained in this report supplements the findings documented by AEP Ohio in the main body of the gridSMART report. It delves into three main areas: impacts on system operations, impacts on households, and observations about the sensitivity of load to price changes.

Widergren, Steven E.↗

DOE OSTI2015

An Elastic Plastic Contact Model with Strain Hardening for the LAMMPS Granular Package

The following details the implementation of an analytical elastic plastic contact model with strain hardening for normal im pacts into the LAMMPS granular package. The model assumes that, upon impact, the co llision has a period of elastic loading followed by a period of mixed elastic plas tic loading, with contributions to each mechanism estimated by a hyperbolic seca nt weight function. This function is implemented in the LAMMPS source code as the pair style gran/ep/history. Preliminary tests, simulating the pouring of pure nickel spheres, showed the elastic/plastic model took 1.66x as long as similar runs using gran/hertz/history.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2018

Addressing Food Insecurity on the Navajo Reservation Through Sustainable Greenhouses

Navajo (Diné) tribal members experience alarming rates of diabetes and food insecurity on the reservation. Increasing involvement with food production through gardening is a crucial step to rebuilding Diné food systems and improving the health of Navajos. The main challenges are drought, lack of available land, limited food production knowledge, and large up-front costs. However, implementing community-based gardens would help alleviate land space issues, leverage community knowledge, and shift financial responsibility to local community level or chapter level. Greenhouses are advantageous because they reduce water consumption and allow for year-round production, but require energy intensive heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to compare a propane heating and evaporative cooling HVAC system to a ground source heat pump (GSHP). Using EnergyPlus to simulate annual energy loads, this paper compares the financial feasibility and environmental impact of each system. The operating cost of GSHPs was found to be 57% — 72% less than traditional HVAC systems based on location and fuel prices. Additionally, GSHPs required 72% — 90% less water and emitted 35% — 69% less carbon dioxide annually. Given the large up-front cost of GSHPs, conservative estimates showed payback periods from 5.2 — 10.8 years when using renewable energy grants. A life cycle cost analysis over 20 years showed greenhouses with GSHPs could cost $1,272 — $1,605 per year or 27% — 44% less than traditional HVAC systems. Tax revenue for chapters showed that funding is available to carry out such projects. Food produced using GSHP systems was found to cost $2.26 — $2.30 per daily serving of fruit and vegetables, which is competitive with grocery store prices. More importantly, greenhouses equipped with GSHPs present a compelling case because they cost less to operate and are more environmentally friendly than traditional HVAC systems. Future work should focus on adding a photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage system, which would completely eliminate HVAC water consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.

42 ENGINEERING↗