Representatives from alloy producers, original equipment manufacturers, end users and other industrial stakeholders will join NETL and other national laboratories to review research plans and progress during the virtual 2020 eXtremeMAT Industrial Stakeholder Meeting on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020. Fossil energy transformational power technologies like ultra-supercritical steam plants and supercritical carbon-dioxide power systems have the potential to increase efficiencies and bolster clean coal efforts because they operate at higher temperatures and pressures. However, these technologies are subject to “extreme” operating environments – harsher and more corrosive conditions compared to those found in traditional power plants. Furthermore, today’s current fleet of fossil power plants are increasingly being subjected to cycling conditions due to the penetration of renewable energy sources into the electricity grid. Accelerating the development of improved steels, superalloys and other advanced alloys is of paramount importance in deploying materials solutions to address materials challenges associated with both the existing fleet and future power systems.

In an effort that could lead to accelerated design and deployment of advanced energy systems, NETL researchers have added a valuable new capability to the Lab’s world-renowned Multiphase Flow with Interphase eXchanges (MFiX) modeling software suite. Rather than modeling particles as spheres, as is the case with most discrete element modeling (DEM) techniques, NETL researchers have developed and validated an algorithm to simulate non-spherical shapes that better approximates real-world particles, significantly increasing modeling accuracy. Real-life granular materials such as coal and biomass are non-spherical in nature. However, researchers have long used simple spheres in DEM simulations to represent various interacting particles found in multiphase flow systems like fluidized beds, gasifiers and chemical looping reactors. While this technique is computationally efficient and allows for the simulation of hundreds of millions of particles necessary to model industrial-scale systems, it fails to adequately account for the gas-solid interaction in the reactor. 

NETL Director Brian Anderson will join other experts in rare earth elements (REEs) and critical materials (CMs) at a congressional launch of the House Critical Materials Caucus, being held virtually Sept. 24 at 12 p.m. (ET).   Anderson will join representatives Guy Reschenthaler and Eric Swalwell, who co-chair the Caucus, along with Adam Schwartz, director of Ames Laboratory, and Brian Gabriel, industrial analyst with the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Policy. Representatives Reschenthaler and Swalwell announced formation of the new House Critical Materials Caucus on July 24, 2020, to help the United States develop the technical expertise and production capabilities to assure a long-term, secure and sustainable supply of energy critical elements. Anderson will introduce NETL’s scientific and technical solutions aimed at developing an economically competitive supply of REEs and CMs, which will assist in securing and maintaining the nation’s economic growth and national security.

A program supported by NETL will prepare a new generation of welders in the use of advanced alloys that will enable electric generating stations to run with greater efficiency, produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions and supply affordable electricity using the nation’s abundant fossil energy resources.   Today, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), the Lab’s partner in the Advanced Welding Workforce Initiative (AWWI), issued a request for proposals (RFP) inviting states, counties and cities, institutions of higher education, unions and other organizations to develop training programs to teach high-tech welding skills that can be used in the energy sector. These skills will also be broadly applicable for positions in the emerging aerospace, aviation, automotive and petrochemical industries, which will need welders and other employees with expertise in working with high-performance materials.

Photo Caption: Image courtesy of Gas Technology Institute. The new STEP facility, supported by NETL, will house a desk-sized sCO2 turbine that could power 10,000 homes. Key recommendations to guide the operation of a first-of-its-kind testing facility to develop next-generation power plants have been issued by NETL researchers. If successful, testing at this facility will provide a pathway to lower the cost of electricity, shrink the environmental and physical footprint of power generation systems and conserve water.

Researchers in NETL’s Fundamental Combustion Laboratory (FCL) have developed advanced diagnostic techniques that are providing accurate, real-world data to validate models of next-generation fossil fuel and combustible renewable (i.e., hydrogen) technologies like direct power extraction (DPE) systems and rotating detonation engines (RDE). As the models become more refined, these technologies can be efficiently designed and deployed to realize significant performance benefits, which will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide more affordable and reliable energy for the nation. “The diagnostic techniques we’ve developed are unique in that they are very application-specific,” Clint Bedick, Ph.D., who works in the FCL, said. “Whether it’s finding ways of measuring the intense heat and electrical conductivity of an oxy-combustion flame or recording an RDE shock wave that lasts only milliseconds, we tailor our approach for the specific environments in which we’ll be measuring.”

NETL Research Associate Kristyn Johnson took the top prize at the national Ignite Off! Competition this week for her dynamic Ignite Talk — a fast-paced presentation that uses 20 picture-centric slides that automatically advance every 15 seconds. She previously advanced from the local round at NETL and went on to compete against the other finalists from Argonne National Laboratory and Oakridge National Laboratory, winning for a presentation on her research investigating rotating detonation engines. Kristyn is part of the Professional Internship Program and her mentor is Don Ferguson. “I was very happy to represent NETL in the final round of the competition,” Johnson said. “The entire experience, both presenting my own work in such a unique format as well as learning about the work of other researchers, was very interesting and beyond rewarding. To win the competition is truly an honor that would not have been attainable without the support of our pressure gain combustion team.”

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Mark Menezes will serve as opening keynote speaker and NETL representatives will share program updates during the ESA Energy Storage Annual Virtual Conference & Expo to be held Monday, Aug. 24, through Thursday, Aug. 27. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) principal advisor on energy policy and existing and emerging energy technologies, Menezes will take part in The Road Ahead, a Keynote Session scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EDT on Monday, Aug. 24. Menezes’ address will focus on America’s leadership and innovation in energy storage and DOE’s recent launch of the Energy Storage Grand Challenge, a comprehensive program to accelerate the development, commercialization and utilization of energy storage and sustain American global leadership in the field. In addition, DOE will host a learning lab exploring the Energy Storage Grand Challenge at 2 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, Aug. 26.

Two U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Laboratories, the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), are working with the University of Kentucky and the Pennsylvania State University to further the research and development of coal-derived carbon fibers. This research, valued at $10 million, will investigate all aspects of coal-derived carbon fiber production—from computational chemistry and pitch processing to the final spinning and heat treatment process of the fibers. The aim is to produce fibers with superior properties at a lower cost than currently available. Through this effort, ORNL researchers will work to understand the chemistry and processing conditions required to produce different grades of coal-derived carbon fiber. NETL, ORNL, and the university teams will work closely to diversify U.S. coal use in domestic manufacturing, while making coal and coal-based products more attractive for export.

NETL researchers envision a future in which hospitals, universities and other institutions will use on-site combined heat and power (CHP) systems to produce their own electricity, as well as the energy to heat and cool their buildings, while burning less fuel and releasing fewer emissions into the atmosphere. To make that happen, NETL’s Thermal Sciences Team is designing advanced airfoils for natural gas turbines to enable CHP systems to operate with greater efficiency. “Higher efficiency increases power output using the same quantity of fuel, which translates into lower costs to run a CHP system and reduced carbon dioxide emissions,” said Doug Straub, Ph.D., who works at the Lab’s campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. The goal of the Advanced Turbine Airfoils for Efficient Combined Heat and Power Systems project is to evaluate how new airfoil cooling designs, new materials and additive manufacturing technologies can raise the efficiency of turbines used in CHP systems.