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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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9 records
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DOE OSTI2025

Techno-economic design of a linear Fresnel reflector for industrial process heat

A techno-economic model of a Concentrating Solar Thermal (CST) system using a Linear Fresnel Reflector (LFR) has been developed. LFRs can deliver process heat suitable for a range of industries, including food and beverage production. This model uses an adaptive algorithm to calculate the optimal secondary reflector shape given the geometry and optical properties of the rest of the system. A ray-tracing program is used to calculate optical efficiency over a wide range of longitudinal and transversal incidence angles and subsequently evaluate the annual efficiency at a given geographical location. A specific LFR design developed by Hyperlight Energy was modelled, and this industrial partner provided a detailed cost breakdown which was used as the basis of an economic model. Combining the technical and economic data facilitates the calculation of the Levelized Cost of Heat (LCOH). The influence of a number of parameters on the annual efficiency and LCOH is explored; notable parameters include the absorber height, the number, width, and spacing of the primary mirrors, the aim point, and the secondary reflector shape and width. By identifying an optimal combination of these parameters, we reduce the LCOH of the industry partner’s system design by 9.2%, from 14.4 $\$/MWh_{th}$ to 13.0 $\$/MWh_{th}$. In comparison, the LCOH of a natural gas boiler delivering the same annual quantity of heat is 29 $\$/MWh_{th}$, which indicates that LFRs can be a competitive heat source for industrial processes.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

SAM Linear Fresnel Model, Project B (CRADA Final Report)

Objective performance and economic modeling of solar thermal plants is of keen interest to many EPRI funders. One solar thermal technology that is not currently available to model in any non-vendor, non-proprietary tool is linear Fresnel. This technology has garnered enough interest from EPRI funders to merit investing in a tool to objectively model its performance. Early in 2010, EPRI performed a comparison of modeling solar thermal power plants using the IPSEPRO, CNRS and Solar Advisor (SAM) tools. After completing this effort, EPRI decided to adopt NREL’s Solar Advisor Model as its default modeling tool based in part on user friendliness, flexibility, number of technologies covered, integrated financial model and ease of running sensitivities. Furthermore, it was recognized that NREL continues to invest considerable time and resources into improving capabilities and functionality of the model.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Chapter 4: Solar Collectors for CSP

The following sections are included in the chapter: Parabolic Trough Concentrating Collectors; Heliostats; Dish; Linear Fresnel; Advanced Concepts - Metasurfaces; Acknowledgment; References.

heliostats↗
DOE OSTI2026

First Solar Thermal Energy Planner (STEP 1) and Nationwide Industrial Heat and Power Analysis

The First Solar Thermal Energy Planner (STEP 1) and Nationwide Industrial Heat and Power Analysis (aka the STEP 1 Project or the Project) aimed to (1) developed a brand-new web tool that could provide decision support through free, rapid techno-economic analysis of behind-the-meter solar+storage systems for industrial process heat and (2) conduct high-level analyses of the cost-competitiveness of the same systems across the US in key sectors. The STEP 1 web tool collects key location, land availability, thermal load profile, proccess heat temperature and media, and other key parameters through an easy-to-use user interface (UI). The UI was designed to meet the user at their level of understanding by minimizing the number of required inputs as much as possible while including options for more nuanced inputs if the user desires. STEP 1 advises users on which solar thermal tehcnologies that could fit their needs based on the inputs provided (namely process media and temperature). The tool can model a wide range of solar thermal technologies including flat plate collectors, evacuated tubes, parabolic troughs, linear Fresnel, and molten salt towers all with corresponding thermal energy storage (TES) - solar PV with resistive heating and TES is also included. Once the parameters are collected, a nominal thermal energy production profile for the facility's location is generated using NREL's System Advisory Model (SAM) and then passed to a modified version of NREL's REopt platform to optimize the size (capacity) and dispatch of the solar+storage system to minimize lifecycle costs subject to energy balance, fuel and electricity rates, emission reductions goals, and other constraints. This entire process takes less than 20 minutes, is completely free, requires zero coding skills, and provides the user with a high-level assessment on the techno-economic feasability of deploying solar+storage systems for their energy needs. In addition to the development of the STEP 1 web tool, the project completed two complementary analyses focused on leveraging the backend code of STEP 1, public industrial facility locations and fuel consumption data, and key sector information to assess the economic opportunity of reducing fuel costs at various levels of capacity factor around the US. Both analyses found that there are key markets, locations, industrial sectors (namely food and beverage), and degrees of offset where solar thermal technologies could be cost-effectively deployed, highlighting a key market entry point for these technologies, and assessing deployment potential. In summary, the STEP 1 project improved the opportunities for solar+storage systems to expand into the industrial process heat market through breaking down barriers to assessing these technologies.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Advancing Concentrating Solar Thermal Modeling Using System Advisor Model (SAM)

Concentrating solar thermal (CST) technologies play a critical role in enabling dispatchable power and high-temperature industrial heat applications. Accurate and flexible modeling tools are essential for evaluating system performance, guiding technology research and development, and informing investment decisions. The National Laboratory of the Rockies's System Advisor Model (SAM) is a widely used techno-economic simulation platform for CST systems, providing detailed performance and financial modeling capabilities for multiple CST system configurations. SAM integrates physics-based performance models with financial analysis to simulate the behavior of complex energy systems under realistic operating conditions. For CST technologies (including tower, parabolic trough, and linear Fresnel), SAM enables hourly simulations using site-specific weather data that ensure feasible operating conditions and convergence of mass and energy between core system components (i.e., solar field, receiver, thermal energy storage, and power cycle). These capabilities allow researchers and developers to evaluate annual energy production, capacity factors, levelized cost of energy (LCOE), and system dispatch strategies. A key advantage of SAM lies in its flexibility for parametric analysis and large-scale computational studies. Users can vary system design parameters such as heliostat field layout, receiver dimensions, thermal energy storage capacity, power block sizing, and installation cost assumptions to investigate their impact on system performance and financial metrics. When combined with automated scripting through LK, SDKTool, or Python interfaces, SAM enables high-throughput simulation workflows that support sensitivity analysis, technology benchmarking, and optimization studies. These approaches are particularly valuable for next-generation CST concepts, where design spaces are large and system interactions are complex. Another important capability of SAM is its support for dispatch optimization and thermal energy storage modeling, which are central to the value proposition of CST technologies. The ability to simulate integrated storage and flexible power generation allows researchers to explore strategies that maximize grid value, improve capacity utilization, and enhance integration with variable resources such as photovoltaic and wind generation. This poster will present an overview of SAM's thermal system modeling capabilities including concentrating solar. Additionally, we will highlight new feature developments including: 1) implementing Google's OR-Tools optimization platform for faster and more robust dispatch optimization, 2) developing a new power load following controller for modeling behind-the-meter applications, 3) enabling direct modeling of CSP-PV hybrid systems with the inclusion of battery storage, and 4) developing a multi-receiver falling particle Gen3 system model.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Project 1: COLLECTS Project and Project 2: M&V for Saputo Cheese Project: Cooperative Research and Development (Final Report)

Project 1: Combined Power's Hyperlight Energy and NLR will collaborate on the DOE Concentrating Optics for Lower Levelized Energy CosTS (COLLECTS) project, DE-FOA-0001268. COLLECTS funding opportunity announcement (FOA) seeks to further concentrated solar power (CSP) system technologies by soliciting disruptive, transformative projects for the concentrating solar collectors in the CSP plant. These innovative projects will seek to surpass the targets set out in the SunShot Vision Study, enabling CSP to be cost-competitive with conventional forms of electric power generation. Projects will target the design and manufacturing of novel solar collectors with the ability to significantly reduce the solar field contribution to the overall levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of the CSP plant, and which have not been previously specifically targeted by CSP FOAs. Project 2: Hyperlight will perform measurement and verification (M&V) of Green House Gases and NLR will evaluate energy consumption reduction.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Modeling Wavelength Dependent Mid-infrared (5.5–25 μm) Optical Constants of Silicate Glasses: A Genetic Algorithm Approach

Wavelength-dependent mid-infrared (400–1,800 cm -1 ; 5.56–25 μm) optical constants (real and imaginary indices of refraction; n and k) are determined using reflectance spectra at a spectral sampling of 4 cm -1 for several silicate glasses of varying SiO 2 wt% which include (a) basaltic volcanic glass from Kilauea, Hawaii, (b) synthetic andesite, (c) two synthetic dacites, (d) obsidian volcanic glass from Mount Lassen, California, (e) synthetic rhyodacite, and (f) rhyolitic volcanic glass from Mexico. Because glasses are optically isotropic, no specific orientation was required for spectral measurements, and polished glass samples were measured at random orientations using micro-FTIR spectrometer. Lorentz-Lorenz dispersion theory and Fresnel reflectance model for high symmetry materials were used to model the optical constants by optimizing oscillator parameters in modeled spectra to match laboratory spectra. A genetic algorithm (GA) approach automatically finds the natural oscillators and their parameters for each spectrum, and then uses these parameters in a non-linear least squares optimization routine. The study compared spectral parameters such as Christiansen feature, reststrahlen bands (RBs), and the peaks centered around 860–1,100 (peak 1) and 400–480 cm -1 (peak 2) of n and k to their respective SiO 2 wt% of the glasses. CF, RBs, peak 1 of n and k, and peak 2 of n shift to higher wavenumbers with increased SiO 2 wt%, whereas peak 2 of k shifts to lower wavenumbers with increased SiO 2 wt%. Derived optical constants of these glasses will improve quantitative abundance mapping of volcanic materials on the surfaces of silicate targets in the Solar System.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

An experimental and computational study of thin-layer Rayleigh–Taylor instability development during deceleration with and without an externally applied magnetic field

The importance of mitigating the Rayleigh–Taylor instability (RTI) in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) is critical to successfully achieve high gain fusion yield. Consequently, understanding the seed mechanisms of RTI and the potential evolution of RTI in ICF relevant conditions is crucial. Single feature perturbations consistently demonstrate non-linear RTI evolution, for which an experimental platform on OMEGA-EP is developed. Manufacturing defects introduced into the target design require exploration of unanticipated changes to RTI development and an identification of targets that will still render quantifiable physics results. Consequently, it is presented that the inherent 3D nature of experimental targets necessitates 3D modeling for accurate design work and predictive modeling of experimental targets, especially when high resolution imaging diagnostics, like Fresnel Zone Plates, are utilized. A study of the morphology of the RTI evolution due to changing initial conditions and the presence of an externally applied magnetic field are also explored. Experimental data show thin-layer RTI morphology comparable to resistive magneto hydrodynamic 3D results. A discussion on the impacts of an externally applied magnetic field makes the case for continued efforts to observe a magnetic field's impact on RTI morphology.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗