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DOE OSTI2020

Scaling arguments for a plasma experiment relevant to an interplanetary coronal mass ejection

We present the design of a plasma experiment scaled to be relevant to an interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) traveling from the Sun to the Earth. The experiment would launch a compact torus of plasma (the scaled analog of the coronal mass ejected by the Sun) into a magnetized background plasma (the scaled analog of the interplanetary medium, the diffuse magnetized plasma that fills the Solar System). We present the complete process of scaling the ICME system to a laboratory experiment: beginning with the ICME features that we aim to replicate with a laboratory experiment, explaining how these desired features are translated into specific design constraints, and presenting a set of experimental parameters that meet those constraints. We find that the experiment would be possible with plasma conditions typically achieved in large-scale facilities such as the Big Red Ball at the University of Wisconsin or the LArge Plasma Device at the University of California, Los Angeles.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2018

Mechanisms of Rotational Dynamics of Chiral Liquid Crystal Droplets in an Electric Field

The dynamics of the orientational structure of chiral nematic (CN) droplets in an isotropic medium in dc and ac electric fields is investigated by the polarized light microscopy technique. It is shown theoretically that the dynamics of rotational processes in these kinds of systems is determined by electroconvective processes developing due to the flexoelectric polarization associated with the initial configuration of the director field in droplets. It is established experimentally that the linear and quadratic regions of dependence of the rotational velocity of droplets on the electric field strength are explained by the above-mentioned mechanisms. Numerical simulation on the basis of the approach developed gives good agreement with experimental data.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2018

Tracking the Sun: Installed Price Trends for Distributed Photovoltaic Systems in the United States - 2018 Edition

Berkeley Lab’s Tracking the Sun report series is dedicated to summarizing installed prices and other trends among grid-connected, distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in the United States. The present report, the 11th edition in the series, focuses on systems installed through year-end 2017, with preliminary trends for the first half of 2018. As in years past, the primary emphasis is on describing changes in installed prices over time and variation in pricing across projects based on location, project ownership, system design, and other attributes. New to this year, however, is an expanded discussion of other project characteristics in the large underlying data sample. Future editions will include more of such material, beyond the report’s traditional focus on installed pricing. The trends described in this report derive primarily from project-level data reported to state agencies and utilities that administer PV incentive programs, solar renewable energy credit (SREC) registration systems, or interconnection processes. In total, data were collected and cleaned for more than 1.3 million individual PV systems, representing 81% of U.S. residential and non-residential PV systems installed through 2017. The analysis of installed pricing trends is based on a subset of roughly 770,000 systems with available installed price data. Key findings from this year’s report include the following: -Installed Prices Continued to Fall through 2017 and into 2018. National median installed prices in 2017 were $3.7 per watt (W) for residential systems (a $0.2/W or 6% decline from the prior year), $3.1/W for small non-residential systems (a $0.4/W or 11% decline), and $2.2/W (a $0.1/W or 5% decline) for large non-residential systems. Data for the first half of 2018 show an additional drop of $0.1/W for residential and small non-residential systems, and effectively no change for large non-residential systems. These recent trends are generally consistent with the pace of price declines since 2014, and mark a slowing from the years immediately preceding (2009-2013) when prices fell by roughly $1/W per year. -Installed Prices Vary Widely Across Individual Projects. Among residential systems installed in 2017, 20% were priced below $3.0/W (the 20th percentile value) while another 20% were above the 80th percentile at $4.5/W. Non-residential systems also exhibit wide spreads, albeit shifted downward, from $2.4/W to $4.1/W for small non-residential and from $1.8/W to $2.8/W for large non-residential projects. These pricing spreads have persisted over time and are both reflective of the heterogeneity in PV systems and markets, as well as suggestive of the potential for further price declines. -Pronounced Pricing Disparities Exist Across States. State-level median installed prices in 2017 ranged from $2.6/W to $4.5/W for residential systems, from $2.2/W to $4.0/W for small non-residential systems, and from $2.1/W to $2.4/W for large non-residential systems. Three of the largest state markets (California, Massachusetts, and New York) are relatively high-priced, pulling overall U.S. median prices upward. These cross-state pricing differences reflect both idiosyncratic features of particular states as well as more-fundamental differences related to market and policy conditions. -Installed Pricing Variation Also Reflects Differences in System Design, Installer, and Customer Characteristics (among other factors). Significant pricing differences were also observed across system sizes within each customer segment (with median prices ranging from $3.2/W to $4.5/W across residential systems of varying size, and from $2.1/W to $3.7/W across non-residential systems), between third-party owned (TPO) and host-owned residential systems ($3.3/W vs. $3.8/W), across residential installers ($2.1/W to $9.6/W for host-owned systems and $1.1/W to $5.1/W for TPO systems), between residential new construction and retrofit systems in California ($2.3/W vs. $3.9/W), between large non-residential systems at commercial sites and tax-exempt customer sites ($2.1/W vs. $2.6/W), and between systems with standard vs. premium efficiency modules ($3.6/W vs. $4.2/W among residential systems). A public version of the underlying dataset can be downloaded at https://emp.lbl.gov/tracking-the-sun.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Oscilloscope Data Push Program

Data acquisition (DAQ) is a complex and costly process. Creating DAQ systems for analyzing a system requires expensive electronics and a dedicated team of engineers for support, posing a challenge for users who readily need data. This project is a proof of concept to create a temporary or one-off DAQ system using equipment commonly available to every team. We aim to automate the data acquisition process from the Rohde \& Schwarz RTO 1044 oscilloscope, convert the acquired binary data into floating point values, and store the results in a CSV file format. By developing a Python program to handle these tasks, we seek to reduce the manual effort involved in data collection, significantly increasing efficiency.

Osei-Tutu, Jason↗

DOE OSTI2017

A Generalized Precharging Strategy for Soft Startup Process of the Modular Multilevel Converter-Based HVDC Systems

The modular multilevel converter (MMC) has become one of the most promising converter technologies for medium/high-power applications, specifically for highvoltage direct current (HVDC) transmission systems. One of the technical challenges associated with the operation and control of the MMC-based system is to precharge the submodule (SM) capacitors to their nominal voltage during the startup process. In this paper, considering various SM circuits, a generalized precharging strategy is proposed for the MMC-based systems, which can implement soft stratup from dc or ac side. Furthermore, the proposed precharging strategy can be applicabe for various SM circuits and MMC configurations. The proposed startup strategy does not require extra measurements and/or auxiliary power supplies. The charging current is controlled by adjusting the changing rate of the number of blocked and bypassed SM capacitors. Based on the proposed startup strategy, the startup processes of MMC/MMC-HVDC systems based on various SM circuits are analyzed and a generalized startup procedure for various MMC-HVDC systems is proposed. In addition, the uncontrollable steady-state SM capacitor voltages of various MMC-based systems are analyzed and determined, potentially useful in SM design. Our performance of the proposed strategy for various MMC-HVDC systems is evaluated based on time-domain simulation studies in the PSCAD/EMTDC software environment and experimental results based on a scaled-down prototype.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗

DOE OSTI2024

Enhancement of vibrationally assisted energy transfer by proximity to exceptional points, probed by fluorescence-detected vibrational spectroscopy

Emulation of energy transfer processes in natural systems on quantum platforms can further our understanding of complex dynamics in nature. One notable example is the demonstration of vibrationally assisted energy transfer (VAET) on a trapped-ion quantum emulator, which offers insights for the energetics of light harvesting. In this work, we expand the study of VAET simulation with trapped ions to a non-Hermitian quantum system comprising a 𝒫⁢𝑇-symmetric chromophore dimer weakly coupled to a vibrational mode. We first characterize exceptional points (EPs) and non-Hermitian features of the excitation energy transfer processes in the absence of the vibration, finding a degenerate pair of second-order EPs. Exploring the non-Hermitian dynamics of the whole system including vibrations, we find that energy transfer accompanied by absorption of phonons from a vibrational mode can be significantly enhanced near such a degenerate EP. Our calculations reveal a unique spectral feature accompanying the coalescing of eigenstates and eigenenergies that provides a unique approach to probe the degenerate EP by fluorescence-detected vibrational spectroscopy. Enhancement of the VAET process near the EP is found to be due to maximal favorability of phonon absorption at the degenerate EP, enabling multiple simultaneous excitations. Our work on improving VAET processes in non-Hermitian quantum systems paves the way for leveraging non-Hermiticity in quantum dynamics related to excitation energy transfer.

Non-Hermitian systems↗

DOE OSTI2018

Use of Robotics in Liquid Waste System - {sup 3}H Evaporator, Tank Closure and Defense Waste Processing Facility - 18525

The Savannah River Site (SRS) Liquid Waste System (LWS) safely stores and treats high-level radioactive waste. The LWS consists of 51 waste storage tanks (eight of which are operationally closed and filled with grout), waste evaporators, treatment facilities, and solidification facilities such as the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) and Salt-stone Production Facility (SPF). At Savannah River Remediation (SRR), the liquid waste contractor, robotic technologies are needed to enter areas and spaces that are otherwise inaccessible or prohibit direct access by workers due to unsafe, unstable, or unknown physical or structural conditions; or configurations that are hard to reach or beyond reach without taking extraordinary mechanical measures. As discussed below, SRR uses robotic technologies at various LWS facilities to reduce dose to the workers as well as provide access to unreachable locations due to the presence of radiological or chemical hazards. (author)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2017

Stereo-Optic High Definition Imaging: A New Technology to Understand Bird and Bat Avoidance of Wind Turbines

There is a critical need to develop monitoring tools to track aerofauna (birds and bats) in three dimensions around wind turbines. New monitoring systems will reduce permitting uncertainty by increasing the understanding of how birds and bats are interacting with wind turbines, which will improve the accuracy of impact predictions. Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI), The University of Maine Orono School of Computing and Information Science (UMaine SCIS), HiDef Aerial Surveying Limited (HiDef), and SunEdison, Inc. (formerly First Wind) responded to this need by using stereo-optic cameras with near-infrared (nIR) technology to investigate new methods for documenting aerofauna behavior around wind turbines. The stereo-optic camera system used two synchronized high-definition video cameras with fisheye lenses and processing software that detected moving objects, which could be identified in post-processing. The stereo- optic imaging system offered the ability to extract 3-D position information from pairs of images captured from different viewpoints. Fisheye lenses allowed for a greater field of view, but required more complex image rectification to contend with fisheye distortion. The ability to obtain 3-D positions provided crucial data on the trajectory (speed and direction) of a target, which, when the technology is fully developed, will provide data on how animals are responding to and interacting with wind turbines. This project was focused on testing the performance of the camera system, improving video review processing time, advancing the 3-D tracking technology, and moving the system from Technology Readiness Level 4 to 5. To achieve these objectives, we determined the size and distance at which aerofauna (particularly eagles) could be detected and identified, created efficient data management systems, improved the video post-processing viewer, and attempted refinement of 3-D modeling with respect to fisheye lenses. The 29-megapixel camera system successfully captured 16,173 five-minute video segments in the field. During nighttime field trials using nIR, we found that bat-sized objects could not be detected more than 60 m from the camera system. This led to a decision to focus research efforts exclusively on daytime monitoring and to redirect resources towards improving the video post- processing viewer. We redesigned the bird event post-processing viewer, which substantially decreased the review time necessary to detect and identify flying objects. During daytime field trials, we determine that eagles could be detected up to 500 m away using the fisheye wide-angle lenses, and eagle-sized targets could be identified to species within 350 m of the camera system. We used distance sampling survey methods to describe the probability of detecting and identifying eagles and other aerofauna as a function of distance from the system. The previously developed 3-D algorithm for object isolation and tracking was tested, but the image rectification (flattening) required to obtain accurate distance measurements with fish-eye lenses was determined to be insufficient for distant eagles. We used MATLAB and OpenCV to improve fisheye lens rectification towards the center of the image, but accurate measurements towards the image corners could not be achieved. We believe that changing the fisheye lens to rectilinear lens would greatly improve position estimation, but doing so would result in a decrease in viewing angle and depth of field. Finally, we generated simplified shape profiles of birds to look for similarities between unknown animals and known species. With further development, this method could provide a mechanism for filtering large numbers of shapes to reduce data storage and processing. These advancements further refined the camera system and brought this new technology closer to market. Once commercialized, the stereo-optic camera system technology could be used to: a) research how different species interact with wind turbines in order to refine collision risk models and inform mitigation solutions; and b) monitor aerofauna interactions with terrestrial and offshore wind farms replacing costly human observers and allowing for long-term monitoring in the offshore environment. The camera system will provide developers and regulators with data on the risk that wind turbines present to aerofauna, which will reduce uncertainty in the environmental permitting process.

Adams, Evan↗

DOE OSTI2015

Direct characterization of quantum dynamics with noisy ancilla

We present methods for the direct characterization of quantum dynamics (DCQD) in which both the principal and ancilla systems undergo noisy processes. Using a concatenated error detection code, we discriminate between located and unlocated errors on the principal system in what amounts to filtering of ancilla noise. The example of composite noise involving amplitude damping and depolarizing channels is used to demonstrate the method, while we find the rate of noise filtering is more generally dependent on code distance. Furthermore our results indicate the accuracy of quantum process characterization can be greatly improved while remaining within reach of current experimental capabilities.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2015

Investing in Their Future: Portland’s Purchase and Conversion of an LED Street Lighting System

During the ongoing process of converting its streetlights from high-pressure sodium to LED, the city of Portland, Oregon, purchased a large portion of its street lighting system and encountered a range of issues among the stakeholders. This report identifies some of the challenges involved and discusses how they were addressed, in order to help inform and facilitate future lighting transitions elsewhere.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2024

Characterizing Land-Atmosphere Interactions During the Afternoon-to-Evening Transition Using ARM SGP Observations

The land-atmosphere (LA) system consists of the soil, vegetation, and lowest layer of the atmosphere. The energy and water transport processes in this system contribute to the structure and the daily cycle of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL), which is the layer between the land surface and the free troposphere that controls the exchange of momentum, energy, and water. The state of the ABL is the result of complex two-way interactions between local processes such as surface fluxes and entrainment at the ABL top as well as large-scale and mesoscale processes such as advection and subsidence.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2019

Flowsheet Definition for the Tank Side Cesium Removal Unit and the Importance of Early Communication - 19142

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) tank operations contractor Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC (WRPS) is working toward the start of low-activity waste (LAW) treatment in direct feed mode as soon as 2022. WRPS is responsible for providing the pre-treated feed for this direct feed mode and had originally planned to use the Low Activity Waste Pretreatment System (LAWPS) to supply the initial feed in 2021. In September 2017, in response to a DOE-sponsored LAWPS program review, a new system was proposed to provide the initial feed during direct feed mode until a supplemental pretreatment capability is ready to begin processing feed. This system, known as the Tank Side Cesium Removal (TSCR) system, is based on the Savannah River Tank Closure Cesium Removal (TCCR) system and technology used to separate cesium out of reactor water at Fukushima. A preliminary flowsheet was needed to form the initial basis for future decisions and allow discussions between operations, project management, and the customer. The main goal of the TSCR flowsheet was to form a process flow diagram, process description, and much of the preliminary information to be used to help inform future decisions. When flowsheet development first began, little to no information was readily known and what was known needed to be compiled in one place and digestible by several audiences. The impacts of various parameters on the system also needed a vehicle for clear communication to varying audiences. While a more complicated model was being completed, a model of the process was created using Microsoft Excela which could have several parameters changed while maintaining basic logical requirements (such as treated waste volume cannot exceed the volume of the Interim LAW Storage Tank [ILST], must shutdown for so many days for column changeout, etc.). This program allowed the unit downtime, start dates, treatment rates, and several other variables to be modified and reflect the ILST storage volume as a function of mission progression. The model with several different parameters gathered from the various groups was combined into an early flowsheet of the TSCR process and created one of the first citable documents about TSCR implementation at Hanford. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2014

procmon

procmon performs large-scale monitoring, data collection, and analysis of user processes running on Linux systems. It is intended to be used to aid in performing an automated workload analysis of very large scale systems, but may also be useful for live monitoring of the running processes on large scale systems.

Jacobsen, Douglas↗

DOE OSTI2020

Life Cycle Analysis of Greenhouse Gas Emissions for the Niagaran Reef Complex CO 2 -EOR Operations

The Midwest Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (MRCSP) was founded in 2003 as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership initiative. Since its founding, MRCSP has made significant strides toward making CCUS a viable option for states in the region. The public/private consortium, funded through the DOE Regional Carbon Sequestration Initiative, brings together nearly 40 industry partners and 10 states. Battelle, as the project lead, oversees research, development and operations and coordinates activities among the partners. The incremental, phased approach has built a valuable knowledge base for the industry and paved the way for commercial-scale adoption of CCUS technologies. From 2008 to 2020, MRCSP Phase III focused on the development of large-scale injection projects. This report is part of a series of reports prepared under the Midwestern Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (MRCSP) Phase III (Development Phase). These reports summarize and detail the findings of the work conducted under the Phase III project. A greenhouse gas emissions life cycle analysis (LCA) was completed for 22 years of carbon dioxide-enhanced oil recovery (CO 2 -EOR) operations at the Niagaran reef complex in the northern Michigan Basin based on research by the MRCSP. The objective of the greenhouse gas LCA was to account for the total greenhouse gas emissions generated through the CO 2 -EOR process. Methane produced from the 300 to 500 meter-deep Antrim shale has CO 2 content ranging from 5 percent to 30 percent. Therefore, the produced gas stream is gathered outside of Gaylord, Michigan, at the Chester 10 central gas processing plant, and run through an amine-based CO 2 separation process to remove the CO 2 so the methane can be sold to the market. The CO 2 is periodically dehydrated, compressed, and transported via pipeline for CO 2 -EOR in nearby 5,000- to 6,500-foot (1500-2000 m) deep carbonate Niagaran reefs. The produced mixture of oil, water, and CO 2 is separated at the Dover 36 oil processing facility. The processed CO 2 is recycled to the reefs for CO 2 -EOR in a closed loop system. During this process, a portion of the CO2 remains permanently stored in the reefs.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗

DOE OSTI2020

Accessible Real-Time Surveillance Radar System for Object Detection

As unmanned ground and aerial vehicles become more accessible and their usage covers a wider area of application, including for threatening purposes which can cause connected catastrophe, a surveillance system for the public places is being considered more essential to respond to those possible threats. We propose an inexpensive, lighter, safer, and smaller radar system than military-grade radar systems while keeping reasonable capability for use in monitoring public places. The paper details the iterative process on the system design and improvements with experiments to realize the system used for surveillance. The experiments show the practical use of the system and configuration for a better understanding of using the system. Cyber-physical systems for outdoor environments can benefit from the system as a sensor for sensing objects as well as monitoring.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

DOE OSTI2014

procmon

Jacobsen, Douglas↗

DOE OSTI2013

Closed-looped in situ nano processing on a culturing cell using an inverted electron beam lithography system

Highlights: ► An electron beam lithography (EBL) was used as an in situ nano processing for a living cell. ► A synchronized optics was containing an inverted EBL and an optical microscope. ► This system visualized real-time images of the EB-induced nano processing. ► We demonstrated the nano processing for a culturing cell with 200–300 nm resolution. ► Our system would be able to provide high resolution display of virtual environments. -- Abstract: The beam profile of an electron beam (EB) can be focused onto less than a nanometer spot and scanned over a wide field with extremely high speed sweeping. Thus, EB is employed for nano scale lithography in applied physics research studies and in fabrication of semiconductors. We applied a scanning EB as a control system for a living cell membrane which is representative of large scale complex systems containing nanometer size components. First, we designed the opposed co-axial dual optics containing inverted electron beam lithography (I-EBL) system and a fluorescent optical microscope. This system could provide in situ nano processing for a culturing living cell on a 100-nm-thick SiN nanomembrane, which was placed between the I-EBL and the fluorescent optical microscope. Then we demonstrated the EB-induced chemical direct nano processing for a culturing cell with hundreds of nanometer resolution and visualized real-time images of the scanning spot of the EB-induced luminescent emission and chemical processing using a high sensitive camera mounted on the optical microscope. We concluded that our closed-loop in situ nano processing would be able to provide a nanometer resolution display of virtual molecule environments to study functional changes of bio-molecule systems.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2016

IS Process Hydrogen Production Test for Components and System Made of Industrial Structural Material (II) - H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} decomposition, HI Distillation, and HI Decomposition Section - 18629

Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has been conducting research and development on the thermochemical iodine sulfur (IS) process for nuclear-powered hydrogen production. The IS process is one of the promising candidates of heat application of High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors. The IS process consists of three chemical reactions: Bunsen reaction, hydriodic acid (HI) decomposition and sulfuric acid (H{sub 2}SO{sub 4}) decomposition. It is necessary for component materials to have high corrosion resistance because high-temperature strong acids such as HI and H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} are used in the IS process. JAEA, so far, achieved to produce hydrogen for one week continuously with a hydrogen production rate of approximately 30 NL/h by a test apparatus made of glass and fluoro-resin material. As a next step toward practical application, we test-fabricated main components, that is, Bunsen reactor, sulfuric acid decomposer, and HI decomposer, made of industrial materials and investigated their integrity in the practical corrosive environments of the IS process. Based on their results, we have constructed a 100 NL/h-H{sub 2}-scale test apparatus made of industrial materials. This test apparatus is divided by chemical reaction and unit operation into five sections: Bunsen section, H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} decomposition section, HI concentration section, HI distillation section, and HI decomposition section. First, we investigated performance of components in each section. This report discusses test results of the H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} decomposition section, HI distillation section, and HI decomposition section. (authors)

08 HYDROGEN↗