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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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DOE OSTI2022

Generator Interconnection Cost Analysis in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) territory

Electric transmission system operators (ISOs, RTOs, or utilities) require new large generators seeking to connect to the grid to undergo a series of impact studies before they can be built. This process establishes what new transmission equipment or upgrades may be needed before a project can connect to the system and assigns the costs of that equipment. Berkeley Lab has collected interconnection cost data from interconnection studies for the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), representing nearly 50% of all projects requesting interconnection from 2010 to 2020. Project-level cost summary data are available for download on this page. We find: -Average interconnection costs have grown as the number of interconnection requests have escalated -Projects that have completed all required interconnection studies have the lowest cost compared to applicants still actively working through the interconnection process or those that have withdrawn. -Broader network upgrade costs are the primary driver of recent cost increase. -Potential interconnection costs for wind, storage, and solar are larger than for natural gas -Larger generators have greater interconnection costs in absolute terms, but economies of scale exist on a per kW basis. -Interconnection costs vary by location Berkeley Lab will publish a series of short analytical papers of generator interconnection costs to the transmission system for MISO, PJM, SPP, ISO-NE and NYISO, which you can find at https://emp.lbl.gov/interconnection_costs.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2022

OpenPATH and Itinerum Integration: A Case Study of Merging Open-Source Projects: Preprint

Throughout the transportation sector, multiple mobility tracking platforms have been developed independently, in parallel, with similar use cases and infrastructure. Maintaining such platforms on an individual level can result in duplicated effort. Innovation within the field could be slowed by the limited resource of people working on extremely similar projects. We provide a case study in how such platforms can be combined with low effort and provide an example in the mobility domain of what the resulting integration points, modules and ownership may look like. OpenPATH (formerly e-mission) and Itinerum are two examples of similar independently developed human mobility tracking platforms that extend beyond standard traffic data collection. Due to the open source nature of the projects, members from both teams decided to merge the functionality, thereby only hosting a single data collection process and limiting maintenance of separate intake platforms. On the front-end, specific questionnaire functionality from Itinerum, mainly the ability to display and return questions and results focused on sociodemographic attributes, was integrated into the OpenPATH user interface. On the back-end, an export pipeline stage was created to transport collected data back to the Itinerum database. Upon completion, the OpenPATH application retained its original functionality while adding the ability to export data for future data sharing and creating an avenue to incorporate Itinerum hosted questions and answers. Itinerum benefits from the rich feature set and infrastructure of OpenPATH without losing needed elements such as the questionnaire component. This case study, within the transportation sector, illustrates the various configurations in which open source software can be developed, maintained and deployed.

ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Extreme Fast Charging Lithium-Ion Batteries (Final Technical Report)

The objective of this research project is to develop, design, fabricate, and demonstrate lithium ion battery cells that optimize energy density, reduce cost, and demonstrate eXtreme Fast Charging (XFC) capabilities. The XFC capability of the cell will be determined by the final specific energy of the cell after completing 500 6C charge /1C discharge cycles. Over the first 18 months of the project, over 800 cells were produced in groups of 20 cells to determine the optimum configuration of following parameters to optimized XFC performance: (1) Graphite anode material optimization (2) Electrolyte and additive optimization (3) Electrode and cell design optimization. In the final 6 months of the project, over 200 optimized cells were produced that featured optimized parameters from each of the independent studies. The final optimized cells exhibited a final specific energy of 150 Wh/kg, meeting the DOE project goal, but failing to meet the initial specific energy requirement of 180 Wh/kg.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2022

SULI Technical Report: WIRE (Draft)

Local climate undoubtedly affects facility maintenance requirements; however, knowledge of the link between weather and facility condition over time is grounded in the 1990s and needs to be updated. WIRE aims to quantify the relationship between climate and infrastructure by calculating climate-based service life estimates to be used in BUILDER, a program the Department of Energy (DOE) uses for facility management. Phase One of this project is a case study on window-or-wall-mounted AC units. The independent variables influencing service life are load, maintenance quality, and effective age, with load calculated from three weather variables: temperature, humidity, and solar radiation. Given sufficient data, service life can be calculated as a function of these variables via regression. WIRE is currently collecting data. Preliminary estimated service life projections as a function of load derived from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) data support the need for updated analysis on the relationship between climate and facility condition. With the groundwork laid, WIRE can generate deliverables immediately upon arrival of data. The methods used for this case study constitute a framework for deriving the relationship between weather variables and service life for other components.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2016

Local unitary equivalence of quantum states and simultaneous orthogonal equivalence

The correspondence between local unitary equivalence of bipartite quantum states and simultaneous orthogonal equivalence is thoroughly investigated and strengthened. It is proved that local unitary equivalence can be studied through simultaneous similarity under projective orthogonal transformations, and four parametrization independent algorithms are proposed to judge when two density matrices on ℂ{sup d{sub 1}} ⊗ ℂ{sup d{sub 2}} are locally unitary equivalent in connection with trace identities, Kronecker pencils, Albert determinants and Smith normal forms.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2022

Performance Evaluation of Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems Using Software- and Hardware-in-the-Loop

Distributed energy resource management systems (DERMS) are an important emerging technology for coordinating distributed energy resources (DERs) integrated in power distribution networks. These solutions implement a software platform to monitor, control, and coordinate DERs in real time to provide aggregate grid services to the electric utility or distribution system operator. To move DERMS technology forward, research and performance validation in a laboratory environment are needed to ensure proper function of DERMS prior to field deployment. This presentation presents a generic hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) platform to evaluate performance of DERMS using software-in-the-loop (SIL) and power HIL. The platform provides realistic testing in a laboratory environment, including accurate modeling of full-scale distribution systems, DERMS software controllers, and at-power distributed energy resources (DERs), such as solar and battery inverters. Two case studies are presented to demonstrate how the platform can be used independently as an integrated development and validation approach for different projects. Laboratory testing results are included to showcase the voltage regulation performance of each study and the benefits of implementing such a platform for DERMS evaluation.

DERMS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Big Data Health Physics

This project, in completion of the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Professional Masters of Health Physics program, represents a two part independent study wherein (1) a Statistical Analysis is performed on a new data process implemented at a Los Alamos National Laboratory facility and (2) a Project Management Plan is designed for the successful implementation of this new radiation protection management process.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

DOE OSTI2021

A Platform-Independent X-ray Diffraction Diagnostic for Phase Transition Kinetics in Traditional and Synthetic Microstructure Materials (LDRD Project 213088 Final Report)

Pulsed-power generators using the magnetic loading technique are able to produce well-controlled continuous ramp compression of condensed matter for high-pressure equation-of-state studies. X-ray diffraction (XRD) data from dynamically compressed samples provide direct measurements of the elastic compression of the crystal lattice, onset of plastic flow, strength-strain rate dependence, structural phase transitions, and density of crystal defects such as dislocations. Here, we present a cost effective, compact X-ray source for XRD measurements on pulsed-power-driven ramp-loaded samples. This combination of magnetically-driven ramp compression of materials with single, short-pulse XRD diagnostic will be a powerful capability for the dynamic materials community. The success in fielding this new XRD diagnostic dramatically improves our predictive capability and understanding of rate-dependent behavior at or near phase transition. As Sandia plans the next-generation pulse-power driver platform, a key element needed to deliver new state-of-the-art experiments will be having the necessary diagnostic tools to probe new regimes and phenomena. These diagnostics need to be as versatile, compact, and portable as they are powerful. The development of a platform-independent XRD diagnostic gives Sandia researchers a new window to study the microstructure and phase dynamics of materials under load. This project has paved the way for phase transition research in a variety of materials with mission interest.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2017

A Study Of Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) Ageing Phenomena In Bentonite - 17605

Since the 1950's, the UK's nuclear activity in energy, defence and medicine has led to the accumulation of a large amount of higher activity radioactive waste (HAW). Most of nuclear waste arises in a wide variety of physical and chemical forms with different radioisotopes and loadings. Due to complexity in HAW, it is imperative that there be a rigorous management system that ensures population and environmental safety over extended periods. The concept of Deep Geological Disposal of waste in a stable geological formation is, nowadays, an internationally accepted solution as the surest and the most viable long term method for management. Any future Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) will comprise, among other artificial and natural engineered barriers, a barrier immediately around the waste containers compounded by a sealing material. The long-term stability of a GDF will be determined by the design and construction of the engineered barriers, and the mechanical, hydraulic and geochemical interactions that may happen between the different engineered components as a result of combined processes such as the heat produced by radioactive decay and the ion water composition of the surrounding host rock. Bentonite clay has been selected as the most promising buffer and backfill material in many disposal programmes because of its swelling capacity, low permeability, plasticity and cation exchange capacity. In the nuclear scope, bentonite testing at different scale-lengths (laboratory and field scale) has been performed and implemented in order to examine the thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) and thermo-hydro-geochemical (THG) processes that may happen in the engineered barriers and geological settings associated with a GDF. Two major European field scale tests have been performed to better understand bentonite performance and behaviour immediately after HAW emplacements. The Full-Scale Engineered Barriers Experiment (FEBEX) at the Grimsel Test Sit (Switzerland) and the Alternative Buffer Material (ABM) Project at the Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory (Sweden). The Febex Experiment was a pilot project designed for 'field research' of HAW repository hosted in crystalline rock where surrogate HAW canisters were placed horizontally in drifts, surrounded by compacted blocks of bentonite, sealed by a concrete plug and maintaining a constant canister surface temperature of 100 deg. C. After five years of operation, a partial dismantling was carried out in 2002. Heater processes occurring in the surrounding bentonite. The dismantling of the heater no. 2 (after 18 years of operation) started in late 2014 and is planned to be finished at the end of 2016 (termed FEBEX-DP). The FEBEX Project utilised bentonite from the Cortijo de Archidona deposit (Almeria, Spain). This 'Febex' bentonite is sourced from calcium-magnesium montmorillonite with good properties in relation to swelling capacity, permeability, adsorption capacity, and thermal conductivity. The ABM Project is a large-scale programme that has been running since 2006. The programme is designed to study a suite of possible buffer materials and correlate the physical and chemical properties of eleven different types of bentonites to their fundamental mineralogical properties. The ABM test consists in three 'packages' containing a central heater tube surrounded by different pre-compacted bentonite blocks and instrumentation. Each 'package' was installed in separate boreholes. The target temperature for the surface of the heated tubes in contact with the bentonite was 130 deg. C. Both FEBEX and ABM test the bentonite was saturated with water percolating from surrounding host rock (FEBEX and ABM) and also via artificial supply systems (ABM), being the water itself acting as a long term corrosion agent. For both experiments and emerging interest is in the interaction of bentonite with metallic components, under geological disposal conditions are not considered to be thermodynamically stable and hence arising corrosion products could interact with the buffer. These interactions depend on various factors such as the redox potential, temperature, pH, solute concentration and buffer material characteristics. During the operational phases of the FEBEX and ABM and after its 'closure' a significant volume of air was found to be retained in the bentonite. Under these conditions a period of initial aerobic corrosion by the air in the bentonite barrier would have occurred followed by establishment of anaerobic corrosion would be the dominant process ongoing. The anaerobic corrosion began when the bentonite became water saturated. Under these conditions, the water acted as the major oxidant. The present project focuses on the characterization of samples arising from the FEBEX and ABM Projects as well as performing additional independent experiments designed to complement these prior studies. Characterization will focus mainly on corrosion related alteration combined with thermal effects. Through detailed sample characterization, the intention is to achieve a greater knowledge regarding the changes to the bentonite under the experimental conditions to which it was exposed, and plausible alterations in its THM and THG properties occurring during the experiment due to blended effects of temperature,water content, engineering structural components and solutes are also to be measured. The fulfilment of a large-scale 'in-situ' test is intricate, time-consuming and with an abundance of external variables that are not always well controlled. For this reason, the University of Bristol is performing a series of well constrained time-resolved laboratory tests which bentonite is being subjected to different possible scenarios that may happen whilst in a HAW repository. In virtue of this experiment, the UoB aims to understand the illitisation and cementation process and their effects on bentonite safety properties. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2023

Observational constraints of an anisotropic boost due to the projection effects using redMaPPer clusters

Optical clusters identified from red-sequence galaxies suffer from projection effects, where interloper galaxies along the line of sight to a cluster are mistaken as genuine members of the cluster. In the previous study, we found that the projection effects cause the boost on the amplitudes of clustering and lensing on large scale compared to the expected amplitudes in the absence of any projection effects. These boosts are caused by preferential selections of filamentary structure aligned to the line of sight due to distance uncertainties in photometric surveys. We model the projection effects with two simple assumptions and develop a novel method to quantify the size of the boost using cluster-galaxy cross-correlation functions. We validate our method using mock cluster catalogues built from cosmological N-body simulations and find that we can obtain unbiased constraints on the boost parameter with our model. We then apply our analysis on the SDSS redMaPPer clusters and find that the size of the boost is roughly 20 per cent for all the richness bins except the cluster sample with the richness bin λ ∈ [30, 40]. This is the first study to constrain the boost parameter independent from cluster cosmology studies and provides a self-consistency test for the projection effects.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2026

Quantifying Operational Drivers of Multimodal Biometric Verification in Aerial Surveillance

Multimodal biometric verification is increasingly applied across operational contexts ranging from close-range security cameras and building-mounted surveillance to long-range ground sensors and unmanned aerial system (UAS) imagery. Variations in acquisition conditions—such as image resolution, viewing geometry, and motion artifacts—pose significant challenges for cross-domain algorithmic generalization. This study evaluates two independent multimodal biometric verification systems developed under the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) Biometric Recognition and Identification at Altitude and Range (BRIAR) program, comparing performance on close-range and aerial datasets. Close-range video served as a baseline to quantify the decline in verification performance on aerial footage. The dataset included six UAS platforms, spanning small quadcopters at 10m altitude to medium-sized fixed-wing aircraft at 360m. Mixed-effects logistic regression identified image resolution (head and body pixel counts), head height, sensor characteristics, and algorithm selection as primary determinants of verification success, whereas demographic attributes and mission gait were not significant predictors. Activity type and collection site influenced performance in close-range data but had negligible impact on UAS imagery. These results clarify modality-specific strengths and limitations and highlight opportunities to enhance cross-domain biometric verification.

Peluso, Alina [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000328950406)↗

DOE OSTI2020

Reduced Complexity Model Intercomparison Project Phase 1: introduction and evaluation of global-mean temperature response

Reduced-complexity climate models (RCMs) are critical in the policy and decision making space, and are directly used within multiple Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports to complement the results of more comprehensive Earth system models. To date, evaluation of RCMs has been limited to a few independent studies. Here we introduce a systematic evaluation of RCMs in the form of the Reduced Complexity Model Intercomparison Project (RCMIP). We expect RCMIP will extend over multiple phases, with Phase 1 being the first. In Phase 1, we focus on the RCMs' global-mean temperature responses, comparing them to observations, exploring the extent to which they emulate more complex models and considering how the relationship between temperature and cumulative emissions of CO2 varies across the RCMs. Our work uses experiments which mirror those found in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP), which focuses on complex Earth system and atmosphere–ocean general circulation models. Using both scenario-based and idealised experiments, we examine RCMs' global-mean temperature response under a range of forcings. We find that the RCMs can all reproduce the approximately 1°C of warming since pre-industrial times, with varying representations of natural variability, volcanic eruptions and aerosols. We also find that RCMs can emulate the global-mean temperature response of CMIP models to within a root-mean-square error of 0.2°C over a range of experiments. Furthermore, we find that, for the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) and Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP)-based scenario pairs that share the same IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5)-consistent stratospheric-adjusted radiative forcing, the RCMs indicate higher effective radiative forcings for the SSP-based scenarios and correspondingly higher temperatures when run with the same climate settings. In our idealised setup of RCMs with a climate sensitivity of 3°C, the difference for the ssp585–rcp85 pair by 2100 is around 0.23°C(±0.12°C) due to a difference in effective radiative forcings between the two scenarios. Phase 1 demonstrates the utility of RCMIP's open-source infrastructure, paving the way for further phases of RCMIP to build on the research presented here and deepen our understanding of RCMs.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2020

GeoRePORT Case Study Examples: Reporting Using the Geothermal Resource Portfolio Optimization and Reporting Technique (GeoRePORT)

The Geothermal Research Portfolio Optimization & Reporting Technique (GeoRePORT) was developed with funding from the United States Department of Energy's Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) to assist in identifying and pursuing long-term investment strategies through the development of a resource reporting protocol. GeoRePORT provides scientists and non-scientists a comprehensive and quantitative means of reporting: (1) features intrinsic to geothermal sites (project grade) and, (2) maturity of the development (project readiness). Because geothermal feasibility is not determined by any single factor (e.g. temperature, permeability, permitting), a site's project grade and readiness are evaluated on twelve independent attributes pertaining to geological, technical, or socio-economic feasibility. In this paper, we present case studies illustrating how GeoRePORT can be used to compare geological, technical, and socio-economic attributes between geothermal systems. The consistent and objective assessment protocols used in GeoRePORT allow for comparison of project attributes across unique locations and geological settings. GeoRePORT case studies outline the geological, socio-economic and technical features of four individual geothermal sites: Coso, Chena, Dixie Valley, and White Sands Missile Range. The case studies presented herein illustrate the usefulness of GeoRePORT in evaluating project risk/return, identifying gaps in reported data, evaluating R&D impact, and gathering insights on successes/failures as applicable to future projects.

40 EE - Geothermal Technologies Office (EE-4G)↗

DOE OSTI2019

GeoRePORT Case Study Examples: Reporting Using the Geothermal Resource Portfolio Optimization and Reporting Technique (GeoRePORT): Preprint

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2016

PROBING THE EXPANSION HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE BY MODEL-INDEPENDENT RECONSTRUCTION FROM SUPERNOVAE AND GAMMA-RAY BURST MEASUREMENTS

To probe the late evolution history of the universe, we adopt two kinds of optimal basis systems. One of them is constructed by performing the principle component analysis, and the other is built by taking the multidimensional scaling approach. Cosmological observables such as the luminosity distance can be decomposed into these basis systems. These basis systems are optimized for different kinds of cosmological models that are based on different physical assumptions, even for a mixture model of them. Therefore, the so-called feature space that is projected from the basis systems is cosmological model independent, and it provides a parameterization for studying and reconstructing the Hubble expansion rate from the supernova luminosity distance and even gamma-ray burst (GRB) data with self-calibration. The circular problem when using GRBs as cosmological candles is naturally eliminated in this procedure. By using the Levenberg–Marquardt technique and the Markov Chain Monte Carlo method, we perform an observational constraint on this kind of parameterization. The data we used include the “joint light-curve analysis” data set that consists of 740 Type Ia supernovae and 109 long GRBs with the well-known Amati relation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Comparative Analysis of Natural Gas Cogeneration Incentives on Electricity Production in Latin America

An analysis to assess the influence of country-dependent variables and incentives on the feasibility of natural gas cogeneration projects in Latin America is presented in this work. The analysis is performed using a hypothetical industrial plant, where the cogeneration solution consists in the recovery of waste heat from the power generation for steam production. The feasibility is evaluated by calculating the Return of Investment (ROI) and the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of the project. Eight Latin American countries are studied considering their specific natural gas markets, regulation, and macroeconomic variables. Two scenarios, electricity production for self-consumption and electricity production with power surplus sale, are independently analyzed considering the effects of available incentives. In the countries where the project is feasible, the application of incentives leads to a significant reduction in the ROI and, consequently, to an increment in the IRR. The effect of the interest rate and environmental impact were also analyzed. In general terms, along the region, the regulation for cogeneration is incipient while incentives are very standard and similar respect to lowering of import, Value-Added Tax (VAT), and income taxes, which seems to be designed purely to promote capital investment. Following the results from this study, it is of paramount importance to create new policy instruments in the future to advance the regulatory framework for cogeneration in Latin America.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2025

60 years of science in ICF: from conception to scientific breakeven on the National Ignition Facility

The recent achievements of a burning plasma, fusion ignition, and scientific energy gain with deuterium-tritium (DT) fuel at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) represents a major milestone in the development of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and all of fusion research. In these experiments, fuel pressures well in excess of hundreds of GBars were achieved in the compressed fuel, and robust alpha heating of the fuel, far in excess of the energy provided by the implosion, were demonstrated for the first time. These achievements occurred 60 years after the inception of ICF and the first laser demonstration, and were made possible by more than five decades of research at laser facilities around the world. Advances in laser technology both in wavelength and precision, motivated by improved understanding of laser-plasma interaction physics and the demands of targets; improvements in target fabrication inspired by the need to control and minimize hydrodynamic instabilities in the implosion; and multi-dimensional simulations and diagnostics have been critical to this achievement. This paper will summarize the scientific and technical advances, the surprises, and the challenges that had to be overcome to achieve these goals.

fusion↗

DOE OSTI2016

SU-F-T-153: Experimental Validation and Calculation Benchmark for a Commercial Monte Carlo Pencil Beam Scanning Proton Therapy Treatment Planning System in Water

Purpose: Eclipse proton Monte Carlo AcurosPT 13.7 was commissioned and experimentally validated for an IBA dedicated PBS nozzle in water. Topas 1.3 was used to isolate the cause of differences in output and penumbra between simulation and experiment. Methods: The spot profiles were measured in air at five locations using Lynx. PTW-34070 Bragg peak chamber (Freiburg, Germany) was used to collect the relative integral Bragg peak for 15 proton energies from 100 MeV to 225 MeV. The phase space parameters (σx, σθ, ρxθ) number of protons per MU, energy spread and calculated mean energy provided by AcurosPT were identically implemented into Topas. The absolute dose, profiles and field size factors measured using ionization chamber arrays were compared with both AcurosPT and Topas. Results: The beam spot size, σx, and the angular spread, σθ, in air were both energy-dependent: in particular, the spot size in air at isocentre ranged from 2.8 to 5.3 mm, and the angular spread ranged from 2.7 mrad to 6 mrad. The number of protons per MU increased from ∼9E7 at 100 MeV to ∼1.5E8 at 225 MeV. Both AcurosPT and TOPAS agree with experiment within 2 mm penumbra difference or 3% dose difference for scenarios including central axis depth dose and profiles at two depths in multi-spot square fields, from 40 to 200 mm, for all the investigated single-energy and multi-energy beams, indicating clinically acceptable source model and radiation transport algorithm in water. Conclusion: By comparing measured data and TOPAS simulation using the same source model, the AcurosPT 13.7 was validated in water within 2 mm penumbra difference or 3% dose difference. Benchmarks versus an independent Monte Carlo code are recommended to study the agreement in output, filed size factors and penumbra differences. This project is partially supported by the Varian grant under the master agreement between University of Pennsylvania and Varian.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗