The Big Sky Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership is building on the work conducted in the Characterization Phase (2003-2005) with a focus on geologic and terrestrial field validation tests that assess the relative efficiency of alternative sequestration options, prove the environmental efficacy and sustainability of sequestration, verify regional carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration capacities and satisfy field test permitting and regulatory requirements. Data from validation tests will be integrated into a geographical information system (GIS) tool that will assist industry and regional planners to optimizing energy development strategies. The highlight of the Phase II effort is a pilot-scale test to inject approximately 1,000 tons of supercritical CO2 into a deep basalt formation (Grande Ronde Basalt) in western Walla Walla County, in eastern Washington State. The highlight of the Phase III effort involves the extraction of ~1 million tonnes of naturally-occurring CO2 from the top of Kevin Dome, a prominent geologic structural trap in northwest Montana, and re-injection of the CO2 into saline aquifers that occupy the stratigraphically-lower portions of the dome.

The Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium (MGSC) is performing small scale CO2 injection tests in Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky as part of their Phase II effort to test injection into coals and mature oil reservoirs. For Phase III MGSC will inject 1 million metric tons of CO2 from ADM's corn processing facility in Decatur, Illinois into the Mount Simon Sandstone. For the past 2 years MGSC has been characterizing the injection site in preparation for injection operations. The CO2 will be injected over 3 years starting in 2011, followed by fate monitoring for the next 3 An array of monitoring technologies will be used to baseline and monitor the CO2 in the reservoir and at the surface.

The Midwest Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (MRCSP) has been established to assess the technical potential, economic viability, and public acceptability of carbon sequestration within a region consisting of nine contiguous states: Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New Jersey and New York. A group of leading universities, state geological surveys, non-governmental organizations and private companies, led by Battelle Memorial Institute, has been assembled to carry out this research. The MRCSP's Validation Phase II research program will center on taking the large theoretical sequestration potential identified in the MRCSP's Characterization Phase I (2003-2005) research program and, through a series of validation tests, show how the region's large, well-distributed sequestration potential can be used to simultaneously advance economic growth and environmental protection. In Phase III, the Development Phase, this partnership, led by the Battelle Columbus Laboratories, has proposed a primary and an optional large scale injection site. Evaluation of the primary site, Michigan Basin is expected to be initiated in late 2010 and ready for injection in 2012 (early FY 2013).

SECARB investigates a stacked sequence of hydrocarbon and brine reservoir intervals in the Gulf Coast, where EOR with carbon dioxide (CO2) can serve as an economic driver in establishing the CO2 infrastructure. (2) A Coal Seam Project will be conducted for validation of sequestration opportunities in the Central Appalachian Basin and the Black Warrior Basin, where CO2 enhanced coal bed methane (ECBM) recovery operations can add economic value, and where unmineable coals can provide sequestration opportunities. (3) A Saline Aquifer Test Center Project will be conducted that focuses on validating geologic storage in a saline aquifer in the Mississippi Salt Basin in close proximity to a Southern Company coal-fired power plant in The Electric Power Research Institute's Test Center program.

PCOR Partnership is one of seven Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships competitively awarded as part of a national plan to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Phase II PCOR sites included: Terrestrial work in the Prairie Pothole Region; EOR work at Zama in Alberta, Canada; a huff 'n' puff test in North Dakota; and a lignite test in North Dakota. Phase III PCOR sites include: saline formation storage at Fort Nelson, British Columbia, Canada; and EOR at the Bell Creek site in Montana.

The objective of this project is to demonstrate an integrated system of industrial CO₂ capture and geological storage in a deep sandstone formation. The project uses CO₂ produced by ADM as a by-product of the production of fuel-grade ethanol. ADM has been capturing CO₂ using dehydration and compression and sequestering it in the Mt. Simon Sandstone formation (saline reservoir). The ethanol plant and the sequestration site are both located in Decatur, Illinois. The project team members include ADM, Illinois State Geological Survey, Schlumberger Carbon Services, and Richland Community College.

This is the first geologic storage project to operate with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Class VI injection well permit. This project is demonstrating cutting-edge technologies for intelligent monitoring in the deep verification well (i.e., Schlumberger's IntelliZone compact modular multi-zonal management system-first installation in North America), a downhole seismic monitoring system (i.e., Sercel SlimWave acquisition unit with WAVELAB surface control) in the geophysical well, and Schlumberger's WellWatcher monitoring system that integrates advanced downhole measurement technology with surface acquisition and data communication systems.

The second Cooperative Agreement (DE-FE0003466) supporting the National Center for Hydrogen Technology (NCHT) Program will continue to build on the proven approach and accomplishments obtained during the first five years of the program. The Center will continue to focus on the research and development activities that are required to develop advanced hydrogen production and delivery technologies from fossil fuels. The result of these activities will improve current technology and make available new, innovative technology that can produce and deliver affordable hydrogen from coal, the most abundant fuel resource of the U.S., as well as from other fuels, with significantly reduced or near-zero emissions.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute will demonstrate hydrogen separation from coal-derived syngas using palladium (Pd) and Pd alloy membranes on porous metal supports. The goal of the project is to carry out a comprehensive engineering design for advanced hydrogen-carbon dioxide (H2-CO2) Pd and Pd-alloy composite membrane separations with process intensification technologies that reduce the number of unit operations required for H2 production from a coal (coal-biomass)-based syngas.

The scope of this Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Program Phase III project includes the design, analysis, fabrication, assembly, installation, and testing of prototype spar-shell turbine airfoils and associated hardware, culminating in the validation of performance and functionality in a commercial gas turbine.

Linde LLC (Linde), along with BASF and the Electric Power Research Institute, will design, build, and operate a 1 megawatt electrical (MWe) equivalent slipstream pilot plant at the National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC) to further refine a post-combustion capture solvent technology developed by Linde and BASF. The technology incorporates BASF novel amine-based solvent, OASE® blue, along with Linde process and engineering innovations. The post-combustion capture technology offers significant benefits compared to other solvent-based processes with the capability to reduce regeneration energy requirements by using novel solvents that are stable under the coal-fired power plant feed gas conditions. The project objectives are to design and build the 1 MWe pilot plant; conduct parametric testing to confirm that the pilot plant meets the performance targets and to obtain appropriate design information; perform a detailed data analysis to assess and develop the design basis for scale-up; and operate the pilot plant continuously under stable conditions to confirm the solvent stability and key material compatibility. The long-term test results will be used to update a techno-economic analysis for a 550 MWe coal-fired power plant incorporating the novel amine-based post-combustion CO2 capture technology and confirm that it can meet the Department of Energy carbon capture performance goals.

The project will test, with a continuous bench-scale system, an aminosilicone CO2 capture solvent developed as part of a previous DOE-funded program. A manufacturing plan for the aminosilicone solvent and price model will be used for optimization, and combined with a rigorous process model and thorough manufacturability analysis for the solvent, will enable a practical technology path to later development at larger scales and commercialization.

Gasification technologies convert coal and biomass into synthesis gas feed streams that can be used for power generation cycles or converted into value-added chemicals and transportation fuels. However, coal-derived synthesis gas contains many trace contaminants that should be removed prior to downstream processes. TDA Research, Inc. (TDA) is developing a low-cost, high capacity sorbent that can remove ammonia (NH3) and hydrogen cyanide (HCN) and trace metal contaminants (such as mercury, arsenic, and selenium) from coal- and coal/biomass-derived synthesis gas in a single process step. TDA will determine the effect of operating parameters, conduct multiple-cycle experiments, and test sorbent life. Unlike the commercially available gas clean-up technologies, the TDA multi-contaminant control system operates above the dew point of the synthesis gas (500 degrees Fahrenheit). With this technology, the synthesis gas would not have to be cooled in order to remove the contaminants, thus improving the thermal efficiency of the process. This technology has the potential to improve the energy efficiency and process economics for producing electric power from coal gasification.

TDA Research, Inc. (TDA) has teamed with CDM Smith, Inc., Gas Technology Institute, the University of Alberta, the University of California Irvine, and Sinopec to advance their novel sorbent-based pre-combustion carbon capture technology through pilot-scale testing using a slipstream of synthesis gas (syngas) from an operating gasifier. TDA's high-temperature pressure swing adsorption (PSA)-based process uses an advanced physical adsorbent consisting of a mesoporous carbon grafted with surface functional groups that selectively removes carbon dioxide (CO₂) from syngas via physical adsorption at temperatures above the dew point of the gas. This low-cost, high-capacity regenerable sorbent was evaluated previously by TDA through bench-scale and slipstream testing and achieved a high CO₂ removal rate of greater than 95 percent for more than 10,000 adsorption/desorption cycles. In this project, research will include scaled-up production of the sorbent; improvement of the PSA cycle sequence using adsorption modeling and optimization of the sorbent reactor design through computational fluid dynamics analysis; long-term sorbent life evaluation in a bench-scale setup of up to 60,000 cycles; design and fabrication of a 0.1-MWe pilot-scale testing unit that contains eight sorbent reactors; design of a CO₂ purification sub-system; and two separate field tests on the fabricated pilot-scale unit to measure the sorbent's performance and process efficiency. The first pilot test will be conducted at the Power Systems Demonstration Facility at the National Carbon Capture Center, and the second test will be conducted at Sinopec's integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plant in China. These facilities use different types of gasifiers (air-blown transport gasifier vs. oxygen-blown gasifier) and feedstocks (low-rank coals vs. petcoke), which will allow researchers to assess process efficacy in very different gas streams. Based on the field test results and process model simulations, a techno-economic evaluation will be completed to calculate the impact of the CO₂ capture system on plant efficiency and the cost of electricity (COE).

The real-time, accurate and reliable monitoring of temperatures at distributed locations can further revolutionize technologies such as the unique integrated gasification combined cycle configuration of turbines and the ultra-super critical steam cycle designs. The proposed sapphire fiber waveguide design will overcome the harsh environment challenges that severely limit the integration of mature optical fiber sensing technologies in new power plant control systems. A new modal reduction waveguide design will take advantage of the high temperature stability and corrosion resistance of sapphire and result in a paradigm shift in ultra-high temperature sensing. A novel and precise etching technique will significantly reduce ( >50%) the mode volume in a robust and truly unique sapphire fiber.

The Gas Technology Institute (GTI), along with Air Liquide Advanced Separations, will continue development of a novel nanoporous, super-hydrophobic contactor process for solvent-based post-combustion CO₂ capture from coal-fired power plants. The polyether ether ketone (PEEK) hollow fiber contactor (HFC) will be advanced from bench-scale to pilot-scale testing. The PEEK HFC process takes advantage of both the compact nature of an HFC process and the high selectivity of an absorption process. In the process, CO₂-containing flue gas passes through one side of the PEEK HFC, while an advanced CO₂-selective solvent flows on the other side. The CO₂ permeates through the hollow fiber contactor pores and is chemically absorbed into the solvent. The CO₂ rich solvent is regenerated in a second PEEK HFC module. Pilot-scale testing will be conducted with commercial size 8-inch diameter modules on 0.5 megawatt electrical (MWe) equivalent of coal-derived flue gas at the National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC). Continuous steady-state operation will be conducted for a minimum of two months to collect data necessary for further process scale-up. A techno-economic analysis and an environmental, health, and safety assessment will be completed to validate the potential of the PEEK HFC process to achieve DOE’s performance goals of a 90 percent CO₂ capture rate with 95 percent CO₂ purity at a cost of no more than $40 per tonne of CO₂ captured by 2020.

TDA Research, Inc. is advancing their sorbent-based post-combustion carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture process by designing and building a pilot-scale unit and testing it with a 0.5-MWe slipstream of flue gas at the National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC). TDA's process is based on an alkalized alumina adsorbent that uses low-pressure steam for desorption and operates at near atmospheric pressure, reducing the cost of CO₂ capture compared to commercially available amine-based and other solid sorbent-based systems. Previous bench-scale testing of the process using real coal-derived flue gas showed that TDA's sorbent can achieve greater than 90 percent CO₂ capture with stable CO₂ loading. In this project, TDA's sorbent-based process will be tested at NCCC under realistic conditions for continuous long-term operation to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of the technology for further scale up. Parametric testing will be conducted for 1.5 months to determine the optimum operating conditions and steady-state testing will be performed for a minimum of 2 months. Scale-up production of the sorbent will also be performed. A detailed techno-economic analysis based on integration with a nominal 550-MWe power plant will be completed based on pilot-scale test results.

TDA Research, Inc. (TDA), in collaboration with Membrane Technology Research Corporation and the University of California, Irvine proposes to develop a low cost, high capacity sorbent that will integrate into a membrane-sorbent hybrid post-combustion carbon capture system to remove CO2 from coal-fired power plant effluents.

Metna Co. is developing scalable, economical, and convenient methods of delivering carbon dioxide (CO₂) to concrete, and is tailoring the chemistry of concrete to make beneficial use of large CO₂ volumes toward achieving enhanced performance, economic sustainability, and energy-efficiency attributes. The main thrust of this project is to develop robust and commercially viable methods for chemical binding of large CO₂ volumes in concrete while realizing balanced gains in material properties. Concrete materials incorporating two different inorganic binders based on calcium silicate hydrate (Portland cement) and alkali aluminosilicate hydrate (geopolymer cement) are being investigated. In Phase I, engineering tests performed on concrete materials confirmed that sorption of CO₂ into reactive cementitious materials yields significant gains in the mechanical, barrier, and durability characteristics of concrete and can be accomplished by simple and low-cost modification of the existing milling step in the production of cementitious materials. Phase II work includes adapting the technology for use with broader selections of raw materials and additives; devising refined chemistries for selective sorption of CO₂ from flue gas; scale-up of the process in an industrial manufacturing plant where cement and slag processing is accompanied with flue gas emission; and conducting life-cycle analyses to further verify and quantify the benefits of the technology in terms of CO₂ storage and emission control, energy and cost savings, and enhancing the longevity, efficiency and life-cycle economy of the concrete-based infrastructure.

Case Western Reserve University will team with LG Fuel Cell Systems to develop an understanding of the microstructural basis of long-term performance loss in solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) lanthanum strontium manganite (LSM)-based cathodes and will form strategies for improving long-term performance and microstructural and chemical stability for commercial fuel cell systems. The team will carry out accelerated testing of SOFCs with LSM-based cathodes of selected compositions. After intervals of accelerated testing and control experiments using non-accelerated conditions, the cells will undergo extensive state-of-the-art microstructural and nanochemical characterization to determine the physical and chemical changes in the cells. This program of cell fabrication, accelerated testing, microstructural characterization, and comprehensive analysis will culminate in design rules for LSM-based cathodes, informed by mechanistic understanding of the relationships between microstructural changes during operation and the long-term durability of SOFCs.

GE Power & Water will develop cooled high-temperature ceramic matrix composite (CMC) nozzles (non-rotating airfoil hardware) as an innovative turbomachinery component contributing towards the DOE's goal for advanced gas turbine efficiencies that are greater than 65% in combined cycle applications, including coal based IGCC. This project, by leveraging existing design and analysis knowledge and techniques for CMC materials, will utilize extensive analytical evaluations to develop and refine designs for a CMC nozzle in an industrial gas turbine hot gas path. The Phase I project scope of work will consist of three elements: (1) design and analyze attachment configurations: a bayonet style and a more traditional airfoil with two end-walls, (2) investigate impingement and film cooling, and (3) define sealing approaches, design key sealing features, and analyze sealing effectiveness for the best designs. Limited bench flow testing will be performed to support these efforts. The design, or designs, will be the basis for development and testing in a potential future Phase II. Previous related work was performed under DOE contract FC26-05NT42643.

The team of Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), GE Global Research, American Air Liquide, Georgia Tech, University of Central Florida, and Spectral Energies will develop a high inlet temperature oxy-combustor suitable for integration into a direct-fired supercritical oxy-combustion power plant for fossil energy applications. Phase I efforts (which included another sub-award, Thar Energy) evaluated a direct-fired oxy-combustion system using system engineering design and thermodynamic analysis to assess plant efficiencies with ancillary loads, verify operating conditions for the supercritical oxy-combustor, and optimize the overall plant configuration. Phase I also included a technical gap analysis of the proposed plant to identify critical component and technology development needs and the initial design of a supercritical oxy-combustor suitable for direct-fired oxy-combustion using natural gas or syngas. The Phase II effort involves the design, hardware fabrication, process controls, and operations required for integrating the 1 MW_e SunShot sCO₂ Test Loop (developed under DE-EE0005804) with a ‘first-of-a-kind’ supercritical oxy-combustor along with consideration of thermal management, water separation, flue gas cleanup, materials, and corrosion. The 1 MWt sCO₂ oxy-combustor will provide a portion of the total SunShot test loop sCO₂ that is circulated.

TDA Research Inc. (TDA) will develop an integrated water-gas shift (WGS) pre-combustion CO2 capture technology to eliminate CO2 emissions from integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plants and coal-to-liquid plants. The project team includes the Gas Technology Institute (GTI); the University of California, Irvine (UCI); Indigo Power Systems LLC (Indigo); the National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC); Praxair; and CB&I Lummus Technology (CB&I). The team will design a gasification reactor using computational fluid dynamics and kinetic modeling to achieve optimum CO2 removal and hydrogen recovery. TDA will be the lead and perform the system design and sorbent production. TDA will work with GTI in the design and fabrication of a slipstream test unit. UCI and Indigo will conduct the process modeling and design and carry out the system and economic analyses. Praxair will support the field tests at the Praxair Facility in Tonawanda, NY.

Ceramatec intends to demonstrate the production of jet fuel from a coal and glycerol or other biomass. The project will integrate several unique technologies to produce a product that may be directly blended with jet fuel from petroleum based sources. The cost is anticipated to be competitive with jet fuel from petroleum, and generate approximately 30 percent less Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions compared to conventional petroleum-based jet fuel. Process modeling will be performed to determine the mix of coal and glycerol or other biomass to achieve the target emission reduction and cost. Successful completion of this project will provide the data required for design of a commercial facility capable of providing jet fuel meeting specification and establishing the ability to produce jet fuel from coal with reduced GHG emissions.

This project is to conduct a field-based hydraulic fracturing research program for horizontal shale wells with the objectives of reducing and minimizing potential environmental impacts, demonstrating safe and reliable operations, and improving the efficiency of hydraulic fracturing. The research will advance our understanding of the hydraulic fracturing process in shale reservoirs, and thus, enable the design and execution of effective fracture stages that significantly contribute to production. Improved design and execution of fracture stages will also reduce the number of future infill wells drilled, and reduce water volume and energy input. A smaller environment footprint associated with shale drilling will be the result of this work.

Phase 2: EOR was added to the project, where a series of cyclic gas injections will be performed to increase the oil recovery post initial hydraulic fracturing. The cyclic gas injection experiment will also be accompanied with state of the art diagnostics. Phase 2 will culminate with a core though well and production testing to quantify the production

increase of each gas injection.

Phase 3: Legacy Well Recompletion – Infill Stimulation was added to the project to determine the effectiveness of infill stimulation (fracturing in between existing perforations) for increasing production and recovery rates from existing horizontal wells. Activities will include provision of a field test site containing existing producing wells which will be candidates for in-fill recompletion; drilling of a slant observation well at the test site, including the collection of whole cores, open and cased hole logs, installation of permanent fiber optic cables and discrete pressure gages; monitoring pre-re-stimulation depletion patterns; re-completion of an existing horizontal well using an expandable liner to seal off existing perforations allowing in-fill stimulation, assessment of legacy and in-fill stimulation effectiveness, time-lapse interference testing, assessment of existing and newly created fracture geometry using microseismic and fiber optic data such as DTS, DAS, and DSS, time lapse oil fingerprinting, and public outreach including immediate data dissemination.

This project is to provide a long-term field site to develop and validate new knowledge and technology to improve recovery efficiency and minimize environmental implications of unconventional resource development.

The purpose of this project is to determine whether natural gas, which is available from surrounding well sites or from nearby gas processing plants, can be used as the primary fluid in hydraulic fracturing processes. The project work is focused on developing and demonstrating affordable non-water-based and non-CO2-based stimulation technologies. Such technologies can serve as alternatives to, or be combined with, water-based hydraulic fracturing fluids to reduce water consumption and the volume of flowback fluids. The process will utilize natural gas supplied at wellhead conditions to produce a fluid capable of meeting conditions necessary for injection.

General Electric (GE) Power & Water will lead the technical tasks for this project and GE-Global Research (as a sub-awardee) will provide consulting services for materials and cooling assessments. GE will develop their multi-tube mixer combustion technology as an innovative turbomachinery component that contributes towards the DOE goal for advanced gas turbine efficiencies that are greater than 65 percent in combined cycle applications. This project will develop and synthesize GE combustion system with goals of achieving low nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions up to turbine inlet temperatures of 3100 degrees Fahrenheit while also supporting the load-following needs of a modern grid. Phase I is structured to first push the temperature entitlement by creating an ultra-compact design that minimizes both NOx formation and the surface area that needs to be cooled, followed by a second push that gives the architecture the adjustability it needs to meet the engine load-following requirements. This initial phase will be focused on in-depth engineering analysis and design with a minimal amount of laboratory testing to enable a down-select of the top three combustion architectures. This project will build upon the advancements achieved on an earlier DOE contract, DE-FC26-05NT42643.

This project will perform a detailed geologic characterization and produce a new reservoir model of the largest producing residual oil zone (ROZ) in the Permian Basin, Hess Seminole San Andres Unit, based on core logging, petrography, and stratigraphic correlation of facies using core and wireline logging results. The new ROZ model will be used to design sophisticated multiphase fluid flow simulations to test different injection strategies. The team will compare the cost effectiveness of using a range of different strategies (such as use of horizontal injector wells, strategies to modify the viscosity of CO2 such as foam, and various strategies to alternate CO2 and water during injection) to optimize both oil production and incidental CO2 storage. Recommendations to optimize the sweep of CO2 in the reservoir will be presented to the operator of the reservoir for potential future implementation and testing.

The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) will develop the fundamental knowledge and understanding required for low nitrogen oxides (NOx) combustion concepts that could be applied at very high firing temperatures well above the thresholds where current low NOx combustion approaches are effective, and without compromising operability or carbon monoxide emissions at partial load. This goal will be accomplished through the combined application of detailed kinetic calculations and optimization studies to determine optimum axial injection profiles that enable low NOx operation at elevated temperatures. This work will be followed by experimental work on the emission and operability characteristics of candidate combustor concepts. Computations and laser diagnostics will be used to determine local mixing and heat release characteristics.

This research project will demonstrate a wireless, high-temperature sensor system for monitoring the temperature and health of energy-system components. The active sensor and electronics for passive wireless communication will be composed entirely of electroceramic materials (conductive ceramics), which can withstand the harsh environments of fossil-energy-based technologies. This work will focus primarily on the direct-writing and testing of temperature (thermocouples and thermistors) and health (strain/stress and crack propagation sensors) that function between 500 and 1,700 degrees Celsius. A peel-and-stick-like transfer process to deposit the entire sensor circuit to various energy-system components will be developed. NexTech Materials, Ltd., and General Electric Global Research will collaborate and consult on the proposed demonstrations of the technology. These sensor systems may be applied to many systems, such as solid oxide fuel cells, chemical reactors, furnaces, engines, boilers, and gas turbines (for both energy and aerospace applications).

The University of Central Florida (UCF), with support from Stanford University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, will develop and validate a combustion chemical kinetic mechanism for supercritical carbon dioxide (SCO2) oxy-combustion that can be used for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations in oxy-combustion development. This model will be validated via experiments conducted in CO2diluted methane/syngas mixtures and at pressures up to 300 bar. Researchers will use shock tube and laser diagnostics to make detailed measurements of ignition times and species concentrations in non-reacting and reacting methane/syngas mixtures in CO2 dilutions covering a wide range of pressures up to 300 bar. The model will then be implemented in an open source CFD code and disseminated to industry.

The University of Michigan will research the physics of non-ideal effects in practical rotating detonation engines (RDEs) that impede the realization of theoretical detonation cycle efficiencies and operability. RDEs that use detonation-based compression are considered superior to the external compressor-based Brayton cycle engines because of their ability to use shock-based compression to increase pressure of the fluid in the combustor, which leads to a gain in thermal efficiency (pressure gain). Combined with conventional compressors, such devices promise significantly higher overall efficiencies compared to traditional cycles. RDEs and other similar variants for turbine engine applications have been studied for many decades, and several lab- and medium-scale devices have been built. The main issues that prevent large-scale and practical use of RDEs arise from the non-idealities associated with imperfect mixing and detonation structure. Currently, there are no design guidelines on how to overcome or account for these non-idealities. In this work, the project team will use detailed experimental measurements and computational tools to research the source or cause of such non-idealities from a fundamental physics point of view and link them to RDE performance. The goal of this work is to take a fundamental point of view and use detailed experiments and simulations to understand non-ideal effects and their contribution to loss in pressure gain.

This project will improve performance of the MFIX-DEM code to enable a transformative shift for industrial use. The current simulations fall short of the O(108) particle simulations that must be completed on a timescale of days to enable simulations with physically-relevant domain sizes to be incorporated into industrial design cycles within five years. The team will accomplish this by tailoring best-in-class practices to bear on the challenges posed by the MFIX-DEM algorithm and code base. The MFIX-DEM code will be refactored to minimize data movement and synchronization between the Eulerian and Lagrangian updates. This will facilitate optimization of the particle update to expose multiple levels of parallelism, allowing the algorithm to map onto highly-parallel accelerators such as many-core architectures and GPU's, thus the code will run efficiently from the workstation to supercomputer. The proposed approach will enhance MFIX DEM by using a profiling methodology to identify numerical and algorithmic bottlenecks. Both serial and parallelization bottlenecks will be overcome via vectorization, cache utilization, algorithmic improvements, and implementation of hybrid MPI/OpenMP parallelization methods that synergize with current heterogeneous high performance computing (HPC) architectures and accelerators. Optimizing MFIX-DEM and implementing parallelization for accelerated HPC systems will enable simulations of industrially relevant problems and on machines that industry are likely to have in the coming years. The ultimate goal is to achieve a speedup of two orders of magnitude; a refined estimate will emanate from the profiling effort. Based on our preliminary findings and recent work, a realistic goal for Phase 1 is a performance improvement and demonstration on an industrially-relevant simulation involving 108 particles. Regarding the latter, the team will survey over 30 PSRI member companies during the beginning of the project to identify industrial needs. New experiments will be performed involving ~108 particles in a system of industrial relevance, and this experiment will be used to demonstrate the enhanced MFIX code. Uncertainty quantification (UQ) will also be performed by coupling the available UQ toolkit PSUADE with enhanced version of MFIX. UQ using the enhanced MFIX code on larger and industrially relevant systems will be demonstrated.

The University of Texas at Austin is utilizing existing data (well logs, records and sample descriptions from existing or plugged/abandoned wells, available seismic surveys, existing core samples, and other available geologic and laboratory data) from historical hydrocarbon industry activities in the heavily explored areas of the inner continental shelf portions of the Texas and Louisiana Gulf of Mexico coast (Figure 1) in order to assess the storage capacity of depleted oil and natural gas reservoirs. Additionally, they are assessing the ability of saline formations in the region to safely and permanently store nationally-significant amounts of anthropogenic CO2. The project is identifying at least one specific site that could be considered for a future commercial or integrated demonstration project with the ability to store at least 30 million tons of CO2. The study is undertaking a regional geologic characterization of the stratigraphy of the Texas and western Lousinana offshore regions to provide a detailed assessment of CO2 storage opportunities.

Boston University (BU) will design solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) anodes that are functional at intermediate temperatures and maintain high power densities at high fuel utilization, which is accompanied by high water vapor concentrations at the anode. BU will demonstrate the ability to deposit fine nano-sized connected nickel (Ni) catalyst particles by infiltration into porous yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) and YSZ/Ni scaffolds to increase triple phase boundary length. Project personnel will optimize the anode microstructure based on quantitative microstructural characterization, polarization measurements, and modeling. The result will be the production of SOFC cells that demonstrate a substantial improvement in cell performance at intermediate temperatures and high fuel utilization rates compared to cells with conventionally processed anodes. The challenge is to deposit them in a fine, but connected microstructure, with substantial neck formation during sintering without significant coarsening. This project leverages previous related work under DOE contracts NT0004104 and FE0009656.

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (Air Products) researchers will conduct research and a feasibility investigation into using a two-phase dense fluid expander (DFE) to improve the overall efficiency of cryogenic air separation. The first objective of this work is to better understand the limitations associated with two-phase dense fluid expansion from aerodynamic, thermodynamic, and mechanical perspectives. The second objective is to apply this knowledge to construct a prototype device to further explore the basic properties of two-phase dense fluid expansion while collecting primary data for techno-economic analyses. This project will be executed in two phases: Phase 1 will comprise a feasibility investigation of three different applications of two-phase DFEs and, in Phase 2, a prototype device will be designed, fabricated, and tested to further prove the feasibility of commercial applications of DFEs operating in two-phase service.

West Virginia University (WVU) will use Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) coating and pre-operation thermal treatment on commercial solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) to tailor the nanostructure on anode surfaces. ALD techniques and engineered anode surface architecture will be applied to the inherently functional fuel cells using the commercial available ALD systems. Researchers will identify the key nanostructure engineering processes necessary to improve the performance of state-of-the-art commercial SOFCs. The specific project objectives are to enhance the electro-catalytic activity and cell durability of commercial cells through: (1) the formation of single-phase discrete nano-crystals of a protonic conductor, on the internal surface of Ni/YSZ anodes, (2) the deposition of single phase electro-catalysts, on the internal surface of Ni/YSZ anodes, and (3) the formation of a dual-phase nano-composite scaffold consisting of a nano protonic conductor network and nano-catalyst, on the internal surface of Ni/YSZ anodes.

As advanced fossil energy systems progress towards higher efficiencies and ultra-low emissions, the conditions under which fuel is converted to power are becoming increasingly harsh (i.e., pressure, temperature, and corrosivity increases), leading to accelerated rates of degradation and failure of materials and components. A reliable and long-term monitoring capability will contribute to the overall reliability of the combustion turbine; however, real-time component condition monitoring in an industrial gas turbine presents significant technical challenges in several key technology development areas. To meet the need for continuous monitoring, Siemens and its key partner Arkansas Power Electronics will develop an innovative, real-time sensor integrated component monitoring concept in the combustion turbine for long-term engine operation.

The objective of the program is to integrate durable, non-intrusive, ultra-high-temperature thermocouples (greater than 1200 °C) with high-temperature wireless telemetry to enable materials prognostics and active condition monitoring in the hot gas path of industrial gas turbines. The specific objectives are (1) to fabricate and install smart turbine blades with thermally sprayed sensors and high-temperature wireless telemetry systems in an H-Class engine, and (2) to integrate the component engine test data with remaining useful life (RUL) models and develop an approach for networking the component RUL data with Siemens’ Power Diagnostics engine monitoring system. Phase 1 involves scaling up the thermal spray process to develop high-temperature ceramic thermocouples with development of wireless telemetry system components, and demonstration of integrated sensor/wireless telemetry approach on stationary lab test rig.

American Air Liquide Inc. (AL), in partnership with Parsons Corporation, will continue the development and advanced testing of a novel polyimide-based membrane material (PI-2) for application in AL’s hybrid process for carbon dioxide (CO2) capture from coal-fired flue gas. The process combines cold membrane operation with an integrated CO2 compression and purification unit to significantly reduce the overall cost of capture. This project builds on preceding bench-scale work (DE-FE0004278) in which commercial AL hollow-fiber membranes (PI-1), operated at temperatures below -20°C, were shown to have 2-4 times higher CO2/(nitrogen) N2 selectivity with comparable CO2 permeance as ambient temperature performance. In a follow-on project (DE-FE0013163) bench-scale testing on actual flue gas gave promising results for the hybrid process using the existing commercial AL membrane bundles (PI-1 material), and initial laboratory testing of the novel membrane material (PI-2) showed the potential for a step-change in performance (greater than 5 times the fiber permeance of PI-1). The main focus of the current project is to advance the novel high CO2 permeance PI-2 membrane material to commercial-scale 6” bundles for testing with actual flue gas in a 0.3 MWe test unit at the National Carbon Capture Center. A comprehensive evaluation of the overall hybrid process and costs will be completed to ensure optimal use of the improved material and to benchmark against other CO2 capture technologies.

The University of South Carolina will develop accelerated test protocols based on recent preliminary results and theoretical analyses to establish common approaches for determining and projecting the durability of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) cathodes under simulated operation conditions. In addition, researchers will tune the microstructures of lanthanum strontium cobalt iron oxide (LSCF) and nickelates to simultaneously obtain high-power density and high-performance stability. Developing accelerated test protocols remains a challenge because operating SOFCs under normal conditions for tens of thousands hours is often costly and impractical. Therefore, accelerated tests are needed to facilitate rapid understanding of key durability and reliability issues. This project leverages research from a previous DOE contract, DE-FE0023475.

TDA Research, Inc. (TDA), in collaboration with the University of California – Irvine, the University of Alberta, and the Gas Technology Institute, will develop a new chemical absorbent-based air separation process that can deliver low-cost oxygen to integrated gasification combined cycle power plants. The specific objectives of the work are to increase the technical maturity and commercial viability of the new absorbent-based air separation technology by (1) demonstrating continuous oxygen generation in a prototype test system and (2) carrying out a high fidelity process design and economic analysis. The TDA prototype unit will consist of three fixed-bed reactors, which can generate a minimum of 1 kg/hour of oxygen on a continuous basis. The system will be capable of stand-alone operation, treating up to 12 normal cubic meter per hour air at different inlet pressures. In a series of tests, the research team will validate the results from the absorption model and computational fluid dynamics simulations and conduct multiple-cycle tests under optimum operating conditions, delivering a high purity oxygen product. This project leverages research from previous DOE contracts DE-FG02-05ER84216, DE-FG02-07ER84677, and DE-FE0024060.

The project aims to develop and demonstrate a data integration, assimilation, and learning framework for geologic carbon sequestration projects (DIAL-GCS). DIAL-GCS is an intelligent monitoring system (IMS) for automating GCS closed-loop management. It leverages recent advances in computer programming. Specifically, the project is developing an ontology-driven GCS data management module for storing, querying, and exchanging GCS data (both historic and live sensor data) from multiple heterogeneous formatted sources. It incorporates a complex-event processing engine for detecting abnormal situations. This engine is being developed by combining expert knowledge, rule based reasoning, and machine learning. The IMS is being designed to enable uncertainty quantification and predictive analytics using reduced-order modeling. The IMS capabilities are being integrated and developed with both real and simulated data from the Cranfield, Mississippi carbon storage test site.

FuelCell Energy, Inc. (FCE) and its wholly owned subsidiary, Versa Power Systems, will collaborate with University of Connecticut and Sonata, LLC to develop a breakthrough portfolio of technologies to produce solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stacks and systems at costs below DOE targets and provide a cost competitive edge over existing technologies. The FCE team will develop a low-cost method of manufacturing the anode support layer by reducing the sintering temperature to less than 1300°C. The team will also investigate advanced manufacturing of the cell components and explore a technique to reduce the thickness of the barrier layer and decrease imperfections. The team will develop an innovative stack technology with two-pass flow geometry for better thermal management, material reduction, better packaging within stack modules, and ease of installation. The FCE team will design and fabricate a nominal 5 kilowatt-scale stack using full-size cells for testing for at least 1000 hours at normal operating conditions and prepare cost estimates for SOFC cell and stack technologies developed during this project based on high volume manufacturing techniques. The project will build on previous DOE funded work, most recently DE-FE0023186.

FuelCell Energy, Inc. (FCE) and its subsidiary, Versa Power Systems, will design, fabricate, and test a state-of-the-art 400 kilowatt (kW) prototype system comprised of two thermally self-sustaining atmospheric-pressure 200 kW Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) power generators to be installed and operated at a prominent site. This work will demonstrate SOFC stack reliability and endurance and utilize FCE’s SOFC system design philosophy based on factory-assembled stack building blocks, which may be used to fabricate larger multi-stack modules for both sub-megawatt (MW) and multi-MW systems applications. Ultimately, thirty-two baseline 120-cell SOFC stack blocks will be fabricated and integrated into four 100 kW modular power blocks (MPBs) for the 400 kW prototype system. The system design will include novel balance of plant (BOP) components and operational/control strategies to improve SOFC stack endurance and reliability. The system testing will serve to validate key design features of the MPB (e.g., SOFC stack arrays and towers, and integration of hot BOP components), which are enabling technologies for larger-scale MW-class stack modules.

Acumentrics SOFC Corp. (Acumentrics) and Boston University (BU) are working to support an industry goal to rate fuel cells at constant performance for more than 40,000 hours (the target duration required for widespread acceptance of fuel cells in the power generation market). A problem facing developers is the lack of an accepted method to accelerate solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) degradation in the laboratory in order to accurately predict long-term degradation in the field. The objective of this work is to perform an in-depth analysis of stack degradation in SOFCs that have been in actual service (aged) from 1,000 to 25,000 or more hours. The work will focus on tubular stacks commercialized by Acumentrics. Project personnel will conduct a detailed spatial electrochemical characterization of aged SOFCs and a detailed spatial material characterization of tubular SOFCs using modern diagnostic tools. These data will be organized along with stack metadata (operating parameters, time, and geometrical position) into a database to correlate degradation data with the metadata in order to isolate patterns of degradation.

Oregon State University (OSU) will develop and evaluate a pulse detonation combustion system for direct power extraction. The system will work on either gaseous (e.g., natural gas) or solid (e.g., coal) fuels. OSU will computationally investigate coupling the pulse detonation combustor with a magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) system. Such a system can be used as a topping cycle to improve the efficiencies of industrial power plants. Specific objectives of this effort include (1) design, build, and operate a pulse detonation engine that operates on gaseous or solid fuels with air and oxygen as the oxidizer; (2) evaluate the operational envelope and performance of the pulse detonation engine; and (3) develop and validate a numerical design tool to calculate the performance of both pulse detonation and coupled detonation-MHD systems. Methane with other gaseous fuels will be considered initially to provide validation data for the detonation model, gain confidence in the combustor, and avoid the complexities associated with seeding the flow with coal. Once confidence has been gained in the methane/oxygen combustor, the system will be expanded to operation with coal. A baseline design for a functioning pulse detonation engine will be provided by Innovative Scientific Solutions Inc. at no cost.

NETL is partnering with Energy Industries of Ohio Inc. to bring advanced ultrasupercritical (AUSC) technology to the commercial-scale demonstration level of technology readiness by designing a test facility that consists of prototype-scale (approximately 120,000 lbs/hr steam flowrate) equipment components that would operate at AUSC steam temperature up to 760 degrees Celsius (°C) (400 degrees Fahrenheit [°F]) and pressure of 70 bar (1000 pounds per square inch absolute [psia]) or higher; and completing the manufacturing research and development of AUSC components by fabricating commercial-scale nickel superalloy components and sub-assemblies that would be needed in a coal-fired power plant of approximately 800 megawatts generation capacity (MWe) operating at a steam temperature of 760 °C (1400 °F) and steam pressure of at least 238 bar (3500 psia).

Thar Energy LLC (Thar) will lead a technology development program with partner Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and subcontractors Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Georgia Institute of Technology (material characterization and corrosion expertise) to advance high-temperature, high-differential-pressure recuperator technologies suitable for use in the supercritical carbon dioxide (SCO2) recompression Brayton cycle (RCBC). The focus of the development program is to evaluate, advance, and demonstrate recuperator concepts, materials, and fabrication methods that facilitate the commercial availability of compact, low cost recuperators for use under RCBC conditions greater than 700°C and differential pressures of approximately 200 bar. Researchers will consider variations of the microtubular design to address operability, inspection, maintenance, scalability, manufacturability, and cost. The technology development program is structured to (1) evaluate the novel recuperator concepts using engineering analysis for comparison with the current state of the art; (2) advance promising concepts through initial design and down selection; (3) complete the detailed design of the selected concept; and (4) fabricate a 46.6 MW (thermal) recuperator to accommodate the 10 MW (electric) SCO2 Supercritical Transformational Electric Power (STEP) demonstration. This work builds on previous DOE contracts DE-EE0005804 and DE-FE0024012.

Archer Daniels Midland Corporation (ADM) is developing an integrated intelligent monitoring system (IMS) architecture that utilizes a permanent, continuously active surface seismic monitoring network for process surveillance and optimization. Specifically, this project aims to use a continuously active seismic source monitoring system, in addition to downhole temperature and pressure data, and modeling to monitor, track, and optimize the injection of carbon dioxide (CO₂) into the Mt. Simon saline reservoir. The project is being carried out at ADM's Decatur, Illinois site in conjunction with the Illinois Industrial Carbon Capture and Storage Project (Figure 1).

C-Crete Technologies is developing a new protocol integrating a collection of advanced synthesis and characterization techniques, a thorough combination of lab-simulation and field tests, as well as cost-benefit and socioeconomics analysis to achieve the most beneficial and cost effective CO2 barrier technology. The core synthesis strategy is a bottom-up approach to further develop the knowledge base related to nanoparticles and nanocomposites and apply it to a new cement-based porous nanoparticles (CPNP)-sealant product (Figure 1). The technical results are being coupled to a cost-benefit/ socioeconomic analysis that incorporates materials/method cost structures and risk and environmental priorities to quantitatively evaluate the impact and benefits of the new product and technology.

Montana State University is developing new mineralization precipitation technologies capable of sealing near-wellbore leakage pathways under a variety of pressure and temperature conditions in the presence of carbon dioxide (CO2) and brine to help ensure CO2 permanence within the storage formation. The minerals are promoted by enzymatic and thermal degradation of urea, which results in mineral precipitation. The minerals can withstand significantly greater temperature than certain microbe precipitation techniques explored during previous development efforts. The project is combining the use of laboratory testing at elevated temperatures and simulation modeling to determine the most applicable mineral sealing strategy. The selected strategy will be deployed in a field experiment at the Gorgas Power Station in Walker County, AL, where an attempt will be made to seal a previously-identified fracture zone in a well at the plant site (Figure 1). The longevity of the mineral seal is being assessed with laboratory, modeling, and well logging and characterization techniques. The project team is building on its previous successes with biomineralization technology development by targeting the use of the identified active catalyst enzyme (instead of the entire cell) and direct thermal hydrolysis of urea to drive mineral precipitation. This will facilitate engineered mineralization sealing at greater depths and higher temperatures than is currently possible with biomineralization technology.

Altex has identified an innovative technology that leverages the current heat exchanger bonding process to also improve the heat exchanger surface characteristics to address corrosion and erosion as a result of operation with supercritical carbon dioxide. By going to this one step process, heat exchanger corrosion and erosion resistance can be improved, at low cost. Furthermore, the base structural strength of the heat exchanger will remain unchanged.

In this Phase 2 project, the team of Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI), University of Kentucky/Center for Applied Energy Research, and Winner Water Services will develop and demonstrate a pilot scale plant to economically produce salable REE-rich concentrates including yttrium and scandium (REYSc) and commercially viable co-products from coal ash feedstock using environmentally safe and high-yield physical and chemical enrichment/recovery processes. The pilot plant will operate at the scale of approximately 0.4-1 tons per day (tpd) ash throughput for physical processing and about 0.5 tpd for chemical processing, producing at least 50 g of dry REYSc nitrates concentrate containing more than 10 percent by weight of REYSc, and targeting 500 g of dry REYSc nitrates concentrate containing more than 20 percent REYSc by weight. The ash feedstock will come from the Dale power plant in Ford, KY, with at least 300 ppm of REYSc content, though more than 500 ppm is anticipated. The data obtained from the pilot plant operations will be used to enhance and validate the techno-economic analysis that was completed for both the physical and chemical processing plants at a scale of 600 tpd in Phase 1, and use it to design a commercial scale plant (hundreds of tpd throughput) with return on investment in less than seven years.

In Phase 1 of this project, the University of Kentucky (UK) identified two bituminous coal-related feedstocks qualified as having ample supply with high rare earth element (REE) content (above 300 parts per million) and developed a preliminary design for a mobile pilot plant to recover REEs from those feedstocks. In laboratory experiments, UK achieved greater than 80 percent concentration of rare earths in the mixed rare earth concentrate while recovering greater than 75 percent of the rare earths from the incoming feedstock. In Phase 2, the University will develop and test a one-fourth ton/hour pilot-scale plant for the extraction of REEs from Central Appalachian and Illinois Basin bituminous coal preparation plant refuse materials. The system integrates both physical and chemical (ion exchange and solvent extraction) separation processes that are commercially available and environmentally acceptable. The innovative enabling technology utilized in the proposed system includes an advanced froth flotation process and a novel hydrophobic-hydrophilic separation process.

In Phase 1 of this project, the University of North Dakota (UND) project team identified locations in North Dakota with coal-related feed stocks having exceptionally high rare earth elements (REE) content and developed a simple, highly effective, and low-cost method to concentrate the REEs in the lignite feed stocks using a novel technology that takes advantage of the unique properties of lignite. In laboratory experiments, UND achieved greater than 2% concentration of rare earths in the mixed rare earth concentrate while recovering up to 35% of the rare earths from the incoming feedstock. In Phase 2, the University is partnering with Microbeam Technologies, Barr Engineering, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and MLJ Consulting to investigate the feasibility of recovering REEs from North Dakota lignite and lignite-related feedstocks. The team will scale-up the technology and demonstrate it at a scale of 10-20 kilograms per hour feed stock throughput and evaluate the economics for a commercial-scale, rare-earths-concentrating facility in North Dakota. The project also includes development of a commercialization plan and market assessment. The Lignite Research Program of the North Dakota Industrial Commission, North American Coal Corporation, Great River Energy, Minnkota Power Cooperative, Great Northern Properties, the University of North Dakota, and the North Dakota University System are cost-sharing this project.

In Phase 2 of the project, West Virginia University (WVU) and its partners will develop a cost-effective and environmentally benign process to recover rare earth elements (REEs) from solid residues (sludge) generated during treatment of acid coal mine drainage (AMD). This project will take advantage of autogenous processes that occur in coal mines and associated tailings which liberate, then concentrate, REEs. Phase 1 findings showed elevated concentrations of REEs, particularly in low-pH AMD, and nearly all precipitating with more plentiful transition metals in the AMD sludge. REE extraction using hydrometallurgical methods produced a concentrate with 4.6 percent total REE content. A techno-economic analysis also found that REE extraction from AMD sludge is economically attractive with a refining facility projected to generate positive cash flow within five years. During Phase 2, a continuously operating bench-scale unit will be constructed and operated, yielding 3 g/hr of REE concentrate.

The University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in conjunction with FuelCell Energy, Inc. (FCE) will conduct a three-year project to evaluate and demonstrate an innovative, versatile, and cost-competitive SOFC stack concept suitable for a broad range of power generation applications. This stack concept, based on a novel prime-surface interconnect design, has several attractive features including reduced stack weight and volume, decreased performance losses in stacking, improved sealing, versatility in incorporation of different types of cell construction (for example, conventional sintered cells or thin-film metal-supported cells) and flexibility in gas flow configuration. These features lead to lower cost, better performance, and enhanced reliability for the stack. Researchers will select and investigate appropriate materials, designs, and fabrication processes to produce metal-supported cells and prime-surface interconnects with the desired properties and operating characteristics. Stack assembly specifications will be developed and the operation evaluated both for stacks incorporating prime-surface interconnects and sintered cells and stacks incorporating prime-surface interconnects and metal-supported cells. The research team will assemble and test a demonstration unit and assess test results to demonstrate stack operation and estimate stack manufacturing costs to confirm the cost-effectiveness of the stack concept.

The design of compressors for SCO2 power cycles presents many challenges since they operate with fluid inlet conditions very close to the critical point. Combustion Research and Flow Technology, Inc. (CRAFT Tech) and subcontractor Rutgers University will develop an advanced real-fluid numerical framework for trans-critical CO2 spanning both the supercritical and sub-critical regime near the critical point. Local phase change models for condensation and vaporization within a real fluid framework will be demonstrated to allow for a wide range of inflow conditions. This framework will be implemented within CRAFT Tech's CRUNCH CFD code that has been extensively validated for turbomachinery operating with cryogenic fluids (e.g. liquid hydrogen, methane, and oxygen) in related liquid rocket applications.

This project will investigate the fundamental creep cracking mechanism of the Gr.91 alloy at advanced power generation operating conditions to establish a link between composition, processing parameters, phase stability, microstructure, and creep resistance using the ICME approach. The project will predict the phase stability and microstructure of Gr.91 base alloy and weldment with the computational thermodynamics and kinetics - CALculation of PHAse Diagrams (CALPHAD) approach, perform welding, heat treatment, and creep test for the Gr.91 alloy, develop a model which will have excellent match with experimental data from current and previous work on Gr.91. alloy, and predict how to improve the long-term creep resistance for the Gr.91family of alloys. utilize the integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) approach to investigate the fundamental creep cracking mechanism of Gr.91 alloys under advanced fossil fuel–fired power plants operating conditions and establish the link between composition, processing parameters, phase stability, microstructure, and creep resistance. At the end of this project, a model based on computational thermodynamics and kinetics will be developed.

The project will develop a physically based creep model for Nimonic 263 that synthesizes known creep behavior based on gamma prime strengthening with a new understanding of the effects of eta phase on creep performance at long service times in fossil energy power plants. The project will (1) develop heat treatments for commercial Nimonic 263 to obtain a mixture of both eta and y' phases prior to creep testing, with the y' distribution being as close to commercial Nimonic 263 as possible, (2) conduct creep tests on these materials at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) (3) fully characterize microstructures and deformation mechanisms during creep for all three alloys (standard Nimonic 263, Nimonic 263 heat-treated to contain eta plus?y', and the Michigan Tech modified Nimonic 263 alloy that contains only eta.), and use the knowledge gained in (2) and (3) to develop and validate a physically-based creep model that synthesizes known gamma prime creep behavior with a new understanding of the effects of eta phase on creep performance.

This project will develop a sensor for on-line analysis of the oxidation state of oxygen carrier particles such as iron oxides, copper oxides, and calcium sulfates and demonstrate its feasibility, set up and test a time-gated Raman spectroscopy system in combination with a pressurized high-temperature sample chamber, and optimize operating parameters of the Raman spectroscopy system and measure the high-temperature spectra of oxygen carriers, and develop an analysis procedure, including statistical modeling and multivariate calibration, for the interpretation of the Raman spectra.

This project will design, fabricate, and evaluate an energy harvesting material system capable of operating at up to 1200^o C to harvest both vibrational and thermal energy for powering high-temperature wireless MEMS sensors. This project will establish theoretical models to predict the effective material property, fabricate ceramic-graphene composites using the binder jetting 3D printing technique, and determine mechanical, thermal, and simultaneous energy harvesting properties at high temperatures.

This project will develop an integrated water-sensor package capable of measuring multiple contaminants and common water quality indicators, such as pH, ORP, and temperature. A proof-of-concept prototype will be integrated with a commercial, off-the-shelf trace-metal-concentration measurement device to accurately detect trace metal concentrations on a real-time, continuous basis. The project will perform concentration measurements of multiple contaminants and accurate trace metal detection (Se, As, Hg), perform measurements and integration of commercial off the shelf water quality indicators (i.e. pH, TDS, etc.), and use demonstration unit for extended in-field testing of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) wastewaters at a coal fired power plant at the Water Research Center in Cartersville, GA and validate results for accuracy and reliability through comparison with the gold-standard analysis method provided by the onsite ICP-MS.

This project will investigate and determine a technically feasible and cost-effective process for designing photosynthetic organisms capable of sequestering selenium (Se) and nitrates from flue gas desulfurization (FGD) wastewater. The project will investigate changes in transcripts and metabolism in algae and plants in response to FGD wastewater and explore biotechnological strategies to increase sequestration of Se and nitrates in biomass to improve agricultural productivity.

Cummins Power Generation is the project lead and will be responsible for developing the system requirements. Ceres Power is the SOFC technology provider and is responsible for the technical development of the SOFC stack and system. They will build the 5kW demonstration system and help with installation and commissioning. The University of Connecticut (UConn) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (under a support FWP) will contribute to the R&D phase of the project in the areas of cathode getter design and contamination testing and anode contamination testing. UConn will also provide the host site for the demonstration test and will be responsible for operating the unit and reporting on results of the 1000 hour demonstration. This project will advance the development of a metal-supported cell technology with complete internal fuel reforming that operates from ~600 to 630 degrees Celsius. It leverages Ceres Power's novel and highly differentiated technology based upon the use of thick-film ceramics deposited on a ferritic stainless steel substrate, using doped ceria as the predominant oxygen ion conducting ceramic within the cell. Ceres' technology has been demonstrated to perform high levels of internal methane reforming, with a path to complete internal reforming through further development. The scope of this project includes advancing the internal reforming capability of the cell, including improving robustness, to anode and cathode contaminants through testing to understand poisoning mechanisms and rates and implementation of system mitigations. The scope also includes scaling up the cell active area five-fold from the current 1 kilowatt (kW) format to enable an integrated stack module with power output of 5kW, which is in turn scalable to higher power levels through replication of the 5kW modular stack platform.

The proposed research remains significant to the commercialization of SOFC systems by improving the TRL. The development of the proposed technology under this program will be versatile as it can be applied in wide range of SOFC systems configurations (small to large kWe systems with potential for integration in MWe class). The proposed research offers flexibility of getter integration for exposure to 600-900oC temperature range and air flow (3-6 stoichs).
The research outcome has the potential for application in a number of solid state electrochemical devices such as electrolysis systems, oxygen separation units, and electrochemical reactors. Large scale commercialization of SOFC will improve energy independence and create high technology jobs. Broader impact of the proposed research program is also related and intended to train students, teachers and research scholars in the field of advanced materials synthesis and characterization, design and simulation and high temperature electrochemistry to support the creation of skilled work force.

The goal of this project is to develop a modular oil-free and high-temperature anode off-gas recycle blower (A-RCB) for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) power plants to enhance overall performance and efficiency. Mohawk Innovative Technology, Inc. (MiTi) will review requirements and develop a balance of plant A-RCB to meet the needs of a 100 kilowatt SOFC power plant. Specific objectives of this effort include: (1) the design of a modular and scalable oil-free blower to efficiently recover and recycle high temperature anode off gas from a SOFC system, (2) verification that the technology is suitable for use with SOFC systems and their off-gas products through proof of concept testing, and (3) validation through cost benefit analysis that the technology is economically viable. The overall scope of work includes a definition of requirements for an A-RCB for a selected SOFC system, followed by design, fabrication, and testing of an oil-free and high-temperature capable A-RCB. The design will be implemented in prototype hardware for proof of concept testing followed by benefits assessments of the A-RCB based on research findings.

The goal of this cooperative agreement is to research and develop AFAs that have the potential to reduce balance of plant (BOP) component costs over the current state of the art (ex-situ coated stainless steels). Cathode side balance of plant components such as air blowers, heat exchanges, and other piping are required to duct hot air, often containing some moisture, which leads to the volatilization of chrome from conventional stainless steels. One option is to coat BOP components, but this can be difficult depending on the geometry of the piece. Coatings can also inhibit fabrications processes such as welding. An alternative is the development of AFAs, which produce a thin layer of alumina after being exposed to air at high temperatures. The use of AFAs for BOP components will be investigated under this work.

Redox Power Systems, LLC (Redox) together with the University of Maryland Energy Research Center (UMERC) and the Center for Advanced Life Cycle Engineering (CALCE) will develop a high power density solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stack that is reduction-oxidation (red-ox) stable for robust, reliable, and lower cost distributed generation. The stacks will be built using an intermediate-temperature SOFC operating at 550-650 degrees Celsius based on an advanced, electrically conductive all-ceramic anode support. The objective of the overall project is to improve the red-ox stability of Redox stacks while reducing costs through the: (1) Scale-up and optimization of all-ceramic anode material processing and cell fabrication for lower cost manufacturing; (2) Determination of all-ceramic anode degradation mechanisms with an optimization of anode compositions and geometries for enhanced red-ox stability of the optimized, robust cells; (3) Demonstration of a 1-2 kW stack that is more robust for red-ox cycling with the use of accelerated, lifecycle, and failure testing; and (4) Demonstration of a 10 percent reduction in system cost and a 30 percent reduction in operation and maintenance (O&M) costs compared to a system without a red-ox stable stack.

NARUC will enhance the Office of Fossil Energy (FE)'s ability to educate and inform state and local personnel on important issues surrounding the use of clean coal and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies. This project will include analysis on clean coal and carbon management, leading to educational briefs, workshops, and informational forums aimed at state membership of NARUC. The primary objective of this project is to educate the state public utility regulatory agencies about the use of lower emission coal plants, supporting the end goal of a new generation of environmentally sound clean coal technologies.

Reaction Engineering International (REI) will team with experts from the University of Utah, Praxair, South East University, Nanjing, China, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), and Corrosion Management, Ltd, UK to design and construct a dry pulverized coal feeding and firing system for an existing 32 bar (rated) 300kW entrained flow pressurized reactor. This project will determine how dry feed pressurized oxy-coal combustion will impact design of the burner and firing system, radiative heat transfer in the burner zone, slagging and fouling propensity of the ash and its deposition rates, and high temperature corrosion. Experiments will be tailored to provide a comprehensive data set including; measurements of heat flux profiles, investigation of flame shapes, sampling and analysis of ash aerosol, measurement of surface deposition rates, and sampling and analysis of slagging deposits. Resulting test data will be used to validate mechanisms describing heat transfer, ash deposition, and corrosion. An economic analysis will be performed showing the differences between dry fed and slurry fed systems. This project builds upon an existing DOE Cooperative Agreement DE-FE0025168.

Brigham Young University with modeling support from Reaction Engineering International will design, build and test a 20-atm, 100 kW oxy-coal reactor with a dry coal feed system. Project objectives are to develop key scalable technologies and combustion data that will enable the design, development, and testing of future commercial-scale pressurized oxy-coal systems. Key tasks include demonstration and characterization of a continuous dry coal feed system and diffusion flame and flameless combustion burners at high pressure and temperature. In addition, a validated process model will be developed to predict combustion and heat transfer in multi-scale pressurized oxy-coal reactors.

Chemical Looping with Oxygen Uncoupling (CLOU) is a variant of Chemical Looping Combustion (CLC) in which the oxidized oxygen carrier spontaneously releases gaseous oxygen (O2) in the fuel reactor, allowing efficient combustion of solid fuels such as coal that are challenging to convert in conventional CLC systems. Under this project the University of Utah, in partnership with Reaction Engineering International and CPFD Software, will develop technologies to improve system performance and reduce costs of CLC and CLOU. The project focuses on oxygen carrier management and reactor design and operation. Project objectives include (1) developing “zero loss” technology to recover and regenerate oxygen carrier materials that exit the system due to attrition; (2) achieving more controllable management of solids in loop seals and gas-solid separators; (3) better incorporating chemical reactions into computational simulations; (4) improving heat recovery and management; and (5) investigating a novel dual oxygen carrier reactor design.

This project will develop an integrated sensor solution to perform direct and simultaneous measurements of chemical reaction and temperature in SOFC with 5-mm spatial resolution. The project will measure the internal hydrogen consumption rate with 5-mm spatial resolution at very high temperature from 600 to 800⁰C, test hydrogen sensors in solid oxide fuel cell in the high-temperature fuel cell testing facility in Morgantown WV, and determine the range and continuity of the refractive index tenability with Pluronic F-127.

The goal of this cooperative agreement is to research and develop SOFC stack technology that has the potential to significantly undercut current DOE cost targets. The pathways in reaching the project’s objective consist of novel materials development, transformational manufacturing processes, high performance cell components, and innovative, robust, and reliable stack designs leveraging advancements that have occurred in the DOE SOFC Program. To verify the advances in developing the proposed innovations, the project will culminate in a 1 kW-scale stack test for at least 1000 hours, operating on natural gas at the Normal Operating Conditions (NOC) that would be envisioned in a commercial system.

Broadband, high-resolution strain is a new signal that has seen limited use in carbon dioxide (CO₂) storage or geothermal exploration, largely because of limitations in instrumentation and data analyses. This project is demonstrating a method for improving the ability to track pressure and strain changes in order to identify possible CO₂ release pathways. They will be evaluating multiple types of point and multi-component instruments using innovative optical fiber sensor fabrication techniques to measure multiple components of strain. Theoretical analyses using analytical and numerical solutions to fully coupled poroelastic models are also being integrated with an innovative hybrid inverse model to interpret strain measurement signals. The instrumentation and interpretation methods will be demonstrated at a CO₂ storage analog site in Oklahoma.

TDA researchers will develop a new chemical absorbent-based, high-pressure, carbon dioxide (CO₂) purification system to remove residual oxygen in recovered CO₂ and, in collaboration with the Advanced Power & Energy Program of the University of California – Irvine (UCI), will optimize the Pressurized Oxy-Combustion (POxC) process. TDA will use a mixed metal oxide sorbent to remove oxygen from the CO₂ via an oxidation/reduction process. The new sorbent formulation will be optimized, undergo parametric testing to identify optimum operating conditions, and undergo a minimum of 10,000 absorption/ regeneration cycles to demonstrate the sorbent’s life and mechanical integrity. TDA and UCI will develop a POxC system simulation model that incorporates advanced technology options and innovative preliminary design concepts. The model will be used to improve overall plant integration by contrasting a variety of air separation processes and CO₂ purification systems, including the TDA sorbent-based oxygen removal system. TDA will work with UCI to complete the process design for the POxC CO₂ purification system and estimate both the cost of electricity (COE) and cost of CO₂ capture and compare them to a baseline POxC system that uses existing commercial sub-systems.

NASA Center for Space Exploration and Technology Research at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and the Air Liquide Combustion Group are collaborating to demonstrate a 1 MWth Down-fired Swirl Oxy-Coal Combustor and investigate the relationships between combustor operating conditions (pressure, flame stability, and flue gas recirculation ratio) and conversion efficiencies to minimize oxygen requirements. The project objectives are to (1) perform a systems configuration analysis of a 1 MWth Pressurized Oxy-Coal Combustor, (2) design and construct a 1 MWth Pressurized Oxy-Coal Swirl Combustor, and (3) test the combustor performance and operability. Advanced additive manufacturing (Direct Metal Laser Sintering and Electron Beam Melting) processes will be utilized to fabricate the burner modules. The use of additive manufacturing will help realize complex burner geometry and a shorter manufacturing lead time.

Researchers at the Illinois State Geological Survey at the University of Illinois at Urbana – Champaign will develop and validate advanced catalytic materials and bench-scale systems for purifying flue gas generated from pressurized oxy-combustors to meet CO₂ purity specifications for EOR. Two bench-scale systems will be fabricated: one for oxygen reduction and the other for NOx/SOx/Hg removal. Flue gas slipstream testing of the bench-scale catalytic reactors with the catalytic materials developed will be performed at the Staged Pressurized Oxy-Combustion pilot-testing facility at Washington University in St. Louis; testing will also include characterization of the fate and transformation of Hg, heavy metals, and gas contaminants in flue gas. AECOM will prepare a preliminary techno-economic analysis for the proposed flue gas purification technology.

The scope of work of the proposed research involves developing DragX™ for long-term protection of aging, in-place natural gas pipelines to prevent corrosion and deposits that would require pipeline refurbishment repair, and furthermore require methane to be emitted to the atmosphere. To this effect, Phase I will involve verification of the applicability of DragX™ using an in-situ method for minimal disruption of the pipeline. In Phase II, a customized and optimized application system will be developed for DragX™, and long-term effects and application guidelines will be developed in order to facilitate a full-field trial with Oceanit’s industry partner.

The proposed effort seeks to develop three technology platforms which will be combined as a system to provide remote monitoring of natural gas pipeline conditions, and early detection of factors leading to a potential for unintended methane release. The system components consist of an organic coating formulation intended for interior pipeline application, embedded RF sensors with resonant frequencies correlated to changes in the sensor environment, and in-line robotic interrogation equipment capable of coupling with the sensors and communicating relevant information.

Phase 1 focuses on understanding coating design principles and correlating resonant frequency shifts to specific environmental conditions.

Phase 2 optimizes the sensor design, ensures required interior pipeline coating properties and provides for fabrication of the robotic interrogation equipment. In the final Phase a proof of concept pipe section is coated with the sensor enabled coating, exposed to a corrosive environment, and interrogation/communication regimes are demonstrated.

The project goal is to develop natural gas leak mitigation technologies that will enable companies to effectively mitigate leaks from midstream equipment and/or facilities (including pneumatic valves, controllers, and field gathering lines) and capture additional natural gas while removing their individual contribution to overall methane emissions. The project will develop and test an integrated thermo-electric generator (TEG)/burner system as well as complete the design for a field pilot for oil and gas field operations.

This project will use demonstrated advanced thermoelectrics to provide significantly higher system efficiency over commercially available TEG materials, coupled with an integrated burner-heat exchanger to achieve a low-cost system. The integration will utilize experience gained from another DOE program which developed a 1kW-class TEG for high-grade waste heat from automotive exhaust. The automotive TEG program is being completed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, who are the TEG developers for this program. This integration includes hot-side and cold-side heat exchangers, electrical circuitry and control electronics.

The tasks proposed under this award will focus on improvements to the Risk Based Data Management Systems (RBDMS) in progressive budget periods. RBDM is a suite of tools for all aspects of managing regulatory data. The major objectives of this project include the upgrade the RBDMS to a web based application, making the RBDMS user interface more intuitive and easier to use in progressive budget periods; provide outreach to states and agencies through training programs, special meetings, and state by state outreach for all RBDMS products; update and install RBDMS modules in additional state programs; address information gaps for states on produced water and gas storage, and the creation of additional water management tools. The RBDMS website can be found at https://www.rbdms.org/

Additionally, the project maintains FracFocus which is a growing database of chemical disclosures providing the general public with access to information about chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing. FracFocus was created in 2011 to provide the general public with access to information about chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing and to provide factual information about hydraulic fracturing chemical use. The system allows state regulatory agencies to receive disclosure of chemicals and fluids used in the process of hydraulic fracturing from operators. Reports from more than 1,100 companies reporting chemicals for more than 138,000 hydraulic fracturing operations nationwide have been received. The FracFocus Website can be found at https://www.fracfocus.org/

The goal of this project is to develop an autonomous, real-time methane leak detection technology, the Smart Methane Emission Detection System (SLED/M), which applies machine learning techniques to passive optical sensing modalities to mitigate emissions through early detection. Phase 1 is leveraging previous SwRI research and experience to develop the prototype methane detection system with integrated optical sensors and the embedded processing unit. Phase 2 will focus on integration and field-testing of the prototype system along with demonstration to the DOE within a representative controlled environment. Phase 3 will focus on porting the developed algorithm to an aerial drone platform.

The goal for this project is to develop a liquid seal that demonstrates the potential for methane emissions reduction of at least 95% of 1% of the total compressor mass flow compared to the typical leakage rate of state-of-the-art dry seal packing systems. Current seal technology must provide small gaps in the design to allow mechanical components, such as piston rods, to operate and reduce friction. These gaps provide a potential pathway for methane to escape the system. This project will exploit the concept of liquid sealing to combine it with a novel, patented design that will balance pressures across a seal arrangement for a successful implementation in a dynamic environment. Bench scale testing of this approach has been conducted and has been successful. The seal will be designed, modeled, and fabricated for full-scale operation and tested in a reciprocating compressor system for various scenarios in a step-wise iterative method.

The goal of the project is to develop, test, and field demonstrate a remote sensing methane (CH4) detector for use on aircraft and vehicles to detect leaks along midstream infrastructure of the natural gas supply chain. The key innovation is HE-CM-CLaDS, an approach that uses optical dispersion rather than absorption to detect atmospheric CH4. Instead of detecting changes in light intensity as in an absorption-based measurement like all existing optical sensors, HE-CM-CLaDS detects the phase shift of laser light resulting from optical dispersion. This detector will be capable of deployment on a vehicle or aircraft for large area scanning such as an overflight of a pipeline corridor or around gathering or compressor stations.

Helios-NRG, LLC, in partnership with The State University of New York at Buffalo, is advancing an algae-based process for the efficient capture of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal-fired power plant flue gas and production of biofuels and other valuable products to mitigate the cost of carbon capture. The process begins with a multi-stage, continuous flow (MSC) photo-bioreactor system for high growth rate microalgae to metabolize the CO₂ from flue gas. The algae is then concentrated in a novel de-watering system (developed in a prior U.S. Department of Energy-funded project), a fraction of the algae is extracted after de-watering for production of high-value chemicals and nutraceuticals, and the remainder of the algae is converted, using hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL), into liquid biofuel. In Phase I, algae species that are capable of handling flue gas contaminants (e.g., arsenic, mercury, and selenium) and achieve high CO₂ capture will be identified, the performance of the algae de-watering technology will be advanced, high-value co-product synthesis by the algae will be validated, and a preliminary techno-economic analysis will be prepared.

Mainstream Engineering Corporation (Mainstream) is developing an innovative electrosynthesis process that incorporates their innovative gas diffusion layer (GDL) based electrode technology and utilizes carbon dioxide (CO₂), captured from coal-fired power plant flue gas, to produce chemical precursors, including carboxylic acids. Carboxylic acids are valuable and important precursors used in polymers, pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and cosmetics. In Phase I, Mainstream developed a scalable electrode and cell design based on their GDL technology. The structure of the electrode was optimized to maximize the rate of reaction, electrode durability, and product yield. Mainstream successfully achieved low temperature bench-scale synthesis of a range of carboxylic acid intermediates with high yields and current efficiencies. In Phase II, Mainstream will further optimize the gas diffusion electrode, electrochemical cell design, and overall reaction chemistry to maximize the yield, reaction rate, and overall energy efficiency. In addition, Mainstream will scale up the process from a bench-scale batch reactor to a prototype small-scale pilot reactor to evaluate continuous operation.

This project will develop a multidisciplinary team of stakeholders to analyze the feasibility of an integrated CCS site and conduct a detailed sub-basinal evaluation of the potential for CO₂ storage in both depleted oil and gas fields and saline reservoirs in South Louisiana. The team will conduct geological modeling to evaluate storage potential and screen for potential issues with induced seismicity. Logistical systems that utilize existing natural gas lines will be analyzed to determine the feasibility of converting them to CO₂ service.

As part of the Carbon Storage Assurance Facility Enterprise (CarbonSAFE) Initiative, the Establishing An Early Carbon Dioxide Storage (ECO₂S) Complex in Kemper County, Mississippi project team will demonstrate that the subsurface adjacent to the Kemper County energy facility has the potential to store commercial volumes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) safely, permanently, and economically within a regionally significant saline reservoir system. To meet this CarbonSAFE storage complex feasibility objective, the team will characterize and refine its understanding of the site's subsurface geology through the drilling, coring, and logging of three new wells. Reservoir properties established from existing and the newly acquired core and log data will be used to construct a geologic model. The model will be used to track the CO₂ plume and identify key risk parameters. Finally, the team will develop robust monitoring plans specific to the site and identify the contractual and regulatory pathways necessary to develop this significant storage site and to assess project risks.

As part of the Integrated Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Pre-Feasibility phase of the Carbon Storage Assurance Facility Enterprise (CarbonSAFE) Initiative, the University of Illinois and Illinois State Geological Survey will conduct a pre-feasibility assessment for commercial-scale carbon dioxide (CO₂) geological storage complexes in the East Sub-Basin of the Illinois Basin, with a view toward identifying sites capable of storing more than 50 million metric tons of CO₂ from one or more industrial sources. A CCS coordination team will develop a plan and strategy to address the technical and non-technical challenges to enable an economically feasible and publicly acceptable integrated CCS project. A significant output will be a high-level technical evaluation of the East Sub-Basin that will include detailed subsurface characterization and risk identification, along with evaluation of potential industrial CO₂ sources for sequestration, to identify suitable storage sites within the complexes.

The objective with this proposal is to design a Distributed Optical Sensor (DOS) array for improved subsurface characterization and monitoring. More generally, it is to design a cost effective distributed sensor array that can be deployed for subsurface monitoring and characterization.

Precision Combustion, Inc. (PCI), along with its partners University of Florida and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) Australia, is developing a compact, modular post-combustion carbon capture system utilizing high-capacity metal organic framework (MOF) nanosorbents in a unique low-pressure drop system design. The MOF materials retain carbon dioxide (CO₂­) at up to six times the capacity of amine solutions under low pressure and high humidity conditions, and also require significantly less energy for regeneration and exhibit a lower rate of degradation due to the capture of CO₂ via physical adsorption rather than through chemical reaction. The MOF material is coated on PCI’s patented mesh sorbent substrate (Microlith®) that has higher surface area per unit volume and much higher mass and heat transfer coefficients compared to other substrates such as monoliths and pellets, allowing for increased CO₂ capture rate and reduced regeneration energy. The combination of improved sorbent geometry with a cutting-edge nanomaterial with unsurpassed properties for CO₂ removal that can be produced at large scale allows for a high-efficiency CO₂ capture unit that can be easily retrofitted to existing power plants. In Phase I, a proof-of-concept of the Microlith substrate coated with MOF sorbent was tested at laboratory scale under relevant conditions. Modeling of a scaled-up Microlith unit with thermal integration was also initiated using the Carbon Capture Simulation Initiative software, in collaboration with the University of Florida, that is being further validated in Phase II to show cost advantages over existing solvent-based systems. Phase II work focuses on optimizing the sorbent and substrate properties, evaluating performance through durability testing with coal-derived flue gas, and producing a refined techno-economic analysis (TEA) model based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations and process modeling. Phase IIA work will build on the Phase II success to further develop and optimize the sorbent and substrate properties, demonstrate performance and durability testing with coal-derived flue gas, and produce a refined TEA model based on CFD and process modeling and a fully integrated economic analysis including balance of plant components.

The Illinois State Geological Survey at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, along with partners including Schlumberger Carbon Services, Indiana Geological Survey, Brigham Young University, and Richland Community College, will work to establish the feasibility of a commercial-scale carbon dioxide (CO₂) geologic storage complex within the Mt. Simon sandstone formation located in Macon County, Illinois. The project is part of the Storage Complex Feasibility Phase of the Carbon Storage Assurance Facility Enterprise (CarbonSAFE) Initiative, which aims to perform initial characterization of carbon capture and storage (CCS) complexes with potential for 50 million metric tons or more of industrial-sourced CO₂, and to establish feasibility of the complexes for commercial storage (Figure 1). The project team will conduct a commercial-scale initial characterization of a site within the Mt. Simon storage complex and develop datasets of formation parameters in order to evaluate the suitability of the site for CCS. A stratigraphic test well will be drilled in the Forsyth Oil Field to establish the potential capacity for this complex. Static and dynamic modeling will be used to examine the performance of the site and evaluate it for long-term security. The models will be used to identify improvements in storage capacity estimations. A detailed plan will be prepared for further characterization requirements to reduce subsurface uncertainty at this site and for continued work toward commercialization of storage complexes. Public outreach components and permitting requirements, legal issues, and contractual issues will be considered for the project. The project will work towards the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) objective of producing a feasible CCS stacked storage complex in the Illinois Basin region.

E3Tec Service, LLC, in partnership with Michigan State University (MSU), is advancing an innovative approach for converting captured carbon dioxide (CO₂) into high-value industrial chemicals, specifically dimethyl carbonate (DMC) and monoethylene glycol (MEG), using their patented heat-integrated reactive distillation (HIRD) process. The process uses captured CO₂ as a primary feedstock and methanol and ethylene oxide as secondary feedstocks for the co-production of DMC and MEG. The HIRD-based process, integrating a distillation column with a series of side reactors and pervaporation membranes, is a transformative technology that has enhanced energy efficiency and reduced capital costs compared to current commercial processes for manufacturing alkyl carbonates and glycols. Researchers at MSU are using lab-scale plug-flow reactors to test kinetic parameters of the conversion process and measure catalyst stability. The kinetic parameters will be incorporated into E3Tec's process model and used to predict the performance of the pilot-scale side reactors. A pilot-scale integrated unit will be designed, assembled, and tested to validate the process model. Several process configurations for a full-scale DMC/MEG plant will be analyzed once the model is validated. The team will verify the concept of integrating this process with a coal-fired power plant, evaluating the CO₂ purity and potential for CO₂ utilization from three primary sources of CO₂. An implementation plan for an 8,000 tons/year pre-commercial plant will also be completed.

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, in partnership with Arizona State University and Headwaters Resources Inc., will develop a process that utilizes coal combustion and iron and steel processing wastes as reactants for scalable carbon dioxide (CO2) mineralization. The process will produce a CO2-negative construction material with mechanical and functional properties that are equivalent, if not superior, to traditional ordinary Portland cement-based concrete. The process design includes an integrated process solution for existing coal-fired power plants to produce "upcycled concrete." The process coordinates aspects of calcium leaching, calcium hydroxide precipitation, slurry formulation, structural shape-stabilization, and CO2 mineralization, while maximizing CO2 uptake. The production process design will minimize the need for extrinsic energy by utilizing flue gas from existing coal-fired power plants in two ways: as a heat transfer fluid and as a source of CO2. The heat from the flue gas will facilitate temperature-swing-based calcium hydroxide precipitation and accelerate the carbonation kinetics. The CO2 present in the flue gas will be systematically consumed by mineralization. The entire process is designed for scalable operations, in high-throughput mode using "off-the-shelf" components, thereby facilitating and accelerating commercial trials and deployment.

Researchers at the Gas Technology Institute, in partnership with Ion Beam Applications (IBA) Industrial Inc. and the State University of New York (SUNY), will develop a direct electron beam (E-beam) synthesis (DEBS) process to produce valuable chemicals such as acetic acid, methanol, and carbon monoxide using carbon dioxide (CO₂) captured from a coal-fired power plant and methane (natural gas). Current technology for the commercial production of acetic acid, methanol, and carbon monoxide requires high temperatures and pressures, and expensive catalysts in multiple process steps that lead to high capital and operating costs. The DEBS process uses high-energy electron beams to break chemical bonds, allowing production of the desired chemicals at near-ambient pressure and temperatures and has been demonstrated by other research groups at bench-scale. This project will expand on the concept of DEBS to develop a commercially viable process that will minimize E-beam energy requirements and selectively control the yield of more valuable products while maximizing CO₂ conversion. The team will construct a reactor and skid and run parametric tests using IBA's E-beam accelerator. A kinetic model will be developed by SUNY based on the collected data and will be used to predict the chemical performance of the DEBS process. Selective catalysts will also be tested to identify those that when combined with the DEBS process are effective in achieving specific selectivity to desired products and in reducing the overall energy requirements. Additionally, a conceptual design for coupling the DEBS process to a coal-fired power plant will be developed.

University of Delaware researchers will develop a novel integrated electrolysis system to produce C2-C3 alcohols, such as ethanol and propanol, using carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal-fired power plant flue gas. The conversion technology will produce these valuable chemicals through a two-stage electrolysis process. In the first stage, flue gas will be pretreated to remove contaminants and will then be converted into carbon monoxide (CO) by CO₂ electrolysis, followed by the second stage electrolysis process where the produced CO will be further converted into liquid C2-C3 alcohols with a high selectivity and energy efficiency. The objectives of this research are to show that the approach is feasible for the reduction of CO₂ emissions, to design and evaluate two electrolyzer subsystems (i.e., CO₂ and CO), and to establish economic and life-cycle models assessed by experimental data.

TDA Research, along with their partners Gas Technology Institute and University of California Irvine, are developing a novel sorbent-based, thermo-catalytic process to convert carbon dioxide (CO₂) captured from coal-fired power plants into syngas (carbon monoxide [CO] and hydrogen), which can be used to synthesize synthetic fuels and value-added chemicals. The project will focus on the development and optimization of a mixed metal oxide sorbent to directly reduce CO₂ to CO. Initial work will synthesize and screen sorbent formulations for the best CO₂-reduction capability and test sorbent activity over multiple absorption/desorption cycles. The team will design and fabricate a prototype sorbent reactor and complete proof-of-concept testing, evaluating CO₂ conversion to CO through varying conditions. Additional work includes development of a computational fluid dynamic model of the sorbent reactor system and validation of the model with bench-scale testing. The team will establish the basis for process design and develop Apsen Plus^TM models that use the CO₂ utilization system integrated with two chemical conversion processes; to diesel fuel via Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, and to gasoline via a methanol-to-gasoline process. A detailed design techno-economic analysis of the process, and life cycle analysis, will also be completed.

Gas Technology Institute (GTI) has teamed with Missouri University of Science and Technology to develop a novel catalytic reactor that utilizes carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal-fired power plants in the dry reforming of methane (CO₂ + CH₄ to 2 H₂ + 2 CO) to produce synthesis gas, the building block for a large market of valuable products and chemicals. The catalytic reactor will contain nano-engineered catalyst, deposited on high packing-density hollow fibers. This work builds on the team's promising nano-engineered catalyst that shows much higher catalytic activity and better stability than conventional catalysts in dry reforming for production of syngas. Researchers will develop and optimize the catalyst, deposit it on hollow fibers, and design and construct a catalytic reactor. Performance testing will be done for two reactor configurations, (packed bed mode and pressure-driven transport mode). Additionally, a technical and economic feasibility study and a life cycle analysis will be completed.

The objective of the proposed research is to develop a computer model of both the unit processes and overall treatment system. Model development will be supported by laboratory research addressing (1) the ability to concentrate divalent ions from high salinity flue gas desulfurization (FGD) wastewater of varying chemistry, and (2) the ability to precipitate gypsum and magnesium hydroxide from concentrated ion-exchange brines. The model will calculate process performance, mass and liquid flow rates, and heat requirements; it will be used to evaluate the technical feasibility of a full-scale treatment process. The technology developed in this study will be relevant to utilities considering zero liquid discharge of FGD wastewaters. The project objectives will be achieved through a combined laboratory and modeling effort to develop a novel treatment process for FGD wastewater. Lab studies will be conducted to investigate divalent ion removal and precipitation of gypsum and magnesium hydroxide from brine solutions. The process model will enable performance to be predicted and optimized by calculating flow, mass, and energy balances.

The project team will develop an ab initio approach to quickly design new high-performance structural alloys for use in fossil energy power plants. The specific project objectives are to (1) conduct density functional theory (DFT) simulations for the selected Fe-Co-Cr-Ni quaternary system; (2) develop a thermodynamic database specifically for the face centered cubic (FCC) phase of the selected system; (3) predict the compositions of new alloys in the selected system and compare them to experimental observations; (4) develop the hybrid high-throughput-DFT/CALPHAD model, which is capable of efficiently predicting the compositions of new alloys for multicomponent systems; and (5) apply the approach to make predictions on high entropy alloys (HEA) in an Al-Cr-Cu-Fe-Mn-Ni-Co multicomponent system.

The primary objective of the proposed project is to provide the National Energy Technology Laboratory's Hybrid Performance (HYPER) Facility the needed numerical methods algorithm(s), software development and implementation support to enact real time cyber-physical systems that simulate process dynamics on the order of five milliseconds or smaller. The proposed paths forward comprise three distinct approaches to faster transient simulations. They fall under the numerical methods categories of: 1) optimizing key parameters within the facility's present real time processing scheme; 2) introducing an "informed" processing approach wherein a priori computations expedite real time attempts; and 3) implementing alternatives to the presently employed explicit-implicit blended finite difference (spatio-temporal) approach. Each of these three classes will be attempted independently as options for improvement, yet in some cases one may complement another.

This project seeks to address the challenge of rapid experimental screening of long-term creep behavior of candidate materials by developing an accelerated creep testing (ACT) program for metallic materials using two new ACTs: the stepped isothermal method (SIM) and the stepped isostress method (SSM). These ACTs are capable of recording over a short period of real time, the long-term multistage creep deformation to rupture of materials. Recent experiments on polymers show the remarkable capacity to accelerate creep testing from an equivalent 20 hr to an equivalent 10⁷ hr over the same timeframe.

This project's objective is to develop a lab-on-a-chip (LOC) electrochemical sensor capable of accurately measuring heavy metal concentrations, including lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and arsenic (As), in complex aqueous streams such as wastewater. The sensor technology relies on anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV), which has been demonstrated to detect extremely low (sub ppm) concentrations of these metals. The technology will be capable of autonomously conducting metal measurements and report the findings remotely via cellular technology. Furthermore, using open-source hardware and software tools, the project team will construct sensor technology that operates with minimal human intervention and be capable of autonomously performing all of the pre-treatment steps needed to perform metal measurement activities. To accomplish this objective, the project team will concentrate on characterizing metal speciation in wastewater, develop appropriate pre-treatment methods that will allow analysis of this complex matrix on an LOC device, fabricate a range of electrodes specifically tailored to enhance the detection of the target metals, and finally, construct and test an autonomous LOC device that incorporates the pre-treatment steps and specialized electrodes for the detection of heavy metals in wastewater.

The objectives of this research are to (1) develop and implement a general framework to support the integration of modern gas radiation models for gas-solid reacting flows; (2) implement a methodology for developing new multiphase radiation models with accuracy and efficiency commensurate to the importance of radiative heat transfer in a variety of energy related applications; (3) reduce the computational cost of existing high-fidelity models via systematic optimization; and (4) demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the radiation models under typical gas-solids reacting flow conditions.

The objectives of this project are to develop, analyze, and introduce (1) accurate intermolecular potentials and (2) graphics processing unit enhancements to the density functional tight binding (DFTB) approach for high-throughput ab initio molecular dynamics calculations of multi-component alloys at elevated temperatures. Specifically, this transformative approach utilizes two complementary pathways that will employ a high degree of coordination and communication between them to realize a final rigorously sound and validated computational capability upon completion.

The objective of this project is to collect fundamental information that can be used to develop disruptive physical and chemical separation technologies that are capable of extracting Rare Earth Elements (REEs) from coal-based feedstocks in a highly efficient, cost effective and environmentally benign manner. To meet the stated objective, a set of interrelated fundamental studies will be conducted, subdivided into three broad groups of work that encompass:

1. measurement of surface forces affecting the motions of ultrafine REE particles in confined fluids,
2. identification of mechanisms by which REE ions adsorb and desorb on clay minerals, and
3. determination of the dissolution kinetics of REEs in different leach solutions.

The results obtained from these fundamental studies are expected to help accelerate the deployment of emerging separation technologies for the recovery of REEs from coal and coal byproducts.

This Phase 1 project will identify and characterize coal-related materials, and design and perform a techno-economic analysis for a self-contained, modular, and portable continuous ion exchange/continuous ion chromatography (CIX/CIC) pilot plant capable of processing and purifying rare earth elements (REEs). The process will combine chemical processing with physical beneficiation processes for providing a concentrated REEs leach liquor stream derived from clay-rich, co-produced coal materials such as those associated with overburden, and clay layers under or within a coal stream and cleaning plant refuse. After concentration, the REEs will be separated and purified into their individual elements using CIX/CIC techniques. This project will also determine the economic viability of mining and processing REEs associated with Appalachian coal deposits. If successful, this Phase 1 project may continue into the next stage of development which includes installation, field-testing, and evaluation of the REE recovery technology.

This Phase 1 project will identify and characterize coal-related materials, and design and perform a techno-economic analysis for a commercially viable technology for producing salable quantities and purities of rare earth elements (REEs) from coal-based feedstocks. The facility, which will be physically located at an active coal mine in West Virginia, will utilize interchangeable modules that can be easily reconfigured to accommodate changing feedstocks and technology upgrades. The process includes both physical and chemical extraction processes and is expected to produce at least 10 lbs/day of rare earth oxides at purities of 90-99 percent. As part of the feasibility analysis, laboratory testing will be performed, including crushing/grinding, magnetic concentration, flotation release analysis, selective agglomeration, leachability/ion exchangeability, solvent extraction, mechanical dewatering, and solids thickening. Data obtained from the laboratory testing will be used to design a pilot facility and optimize REE recovery and process costs. Overall, this feasibility study will provide critical insight on the economic parameters and commercial viability of the integrated process system. In addition to the REE products, the facility will also co-produce a salable ultraclean coal by-product that can help to offset the cost of the facility and enhance long-term economic viability If successful, this Phase 1 project may continue into the next stage of development which includes installation, field-testing, and evaluation of the REE recovery technology.

During SBIR Phase I effort, Evolution7 Labs will build an innovative, proof-of-concept software platform called E-Blockchain' which is built upon an enhanced blockchain layer to enable secure transaction and control applications within the SmartGrid or "Grid of Things" domain. The focus will be on applications that involve the integration of centralized and decentralized powerplant control systems with Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) networks. The E-Blockchain software platform provides critical capabilities to (1) reduce the risk of Cybersecurity threats for power system-based IIoT networks, (2) increase SmartGrid reliability, (3) reduce power plant emissions, and (4) increase plant efficiencies. The E-Blockchain' platform is designed to be scalable, resilient, secure, and resistant to quantum computer attacks which is well suited for power system-based IIoT networks. The product will be ready for commercial beta testing in Phase II of this SBIR project.

This SBIR award will focus on the specification, design, prototype and components of the Low Noise Multichannel Optical Interrogator for Interometric Sensing Technologies. Additionally, based on the system design, the Recipient will manufacture & test the prototype multichannel interrogator. Including interfacing all the developed components and testing both in lab / field equivalent environments.

Saint-Gobain Research & Development Center (SG) will develop and evaluate novel forming methods for producing ceramic balance of plant (BOP) components for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) that enable agile and cost-effective manufacturing. The objectives include: developing 3D printing and gelcasting methods for the short lead-time production of ceramic stack and BOP components with the MMA material; mapping and analyzing the capabilities and limitations of these methods to relevant SOFC design dimensions and features to establish their breadth of utility and specific cost advantages for SOFC manufacturers; and establishing the benefits of these manufacturing methods for producing SOFC manifolds and heat exchangers in commercial SOFC platforms through a validated techno-economic analysis. These techniques can potentially reduce ceramic material consumption and offer cost reductions. Furthermore, gelcasting and 3D printing could potentially reduce tooling costs and lead-time compared to injection molding.

The University of Pittsburgh will work to develop an integrated fiber-optic sensor technology to perform real-time and high-resolution measurements in both planar and tubular fuel cells and the fuel cell assembly to monitor operations and structural changes of SOFCs. This process includes fiber sensors that will perform distributed measurements within fuel cells at 5-mm spatial resolution and temperatures up to 850C in highly reactive fuel gas streams containing hydrogen, oxygen, and other fuel; a femtosecond ultrafast laser manufacturing technique to produce high-temperature stable distributed fiber sensors in hydrogen-resistant optical fibers; and hermetic fiber packaging technology and additive manufacturing techniques to develop robust fiber sensor prototypes. High spatial resolution information gathered by these fiber sensors can be used to verify simulation results; understand degradation mechanisms; optimize designs of fuel cell structures and materials; and improve SOFC control algorithms.

The Trustees of Boston University will evaluate two cathode self-cleaning and performance recovery processes: chemical cleaning and electrochemical cleaning. The project will test, validate, and optimize these processes as possible means of cleaning chromium oxide deposits formed in the cathode during cell testing. The project will also evaluate and model cathode performance under chromium poisoning conditions and after chemical and electrochemical cleaning. Cathode performance will be evaluated as a function of chromium and water vapor containing species, current density, and electrode variables, including thickness and distribution of electronic and ionic oxide phases in LSM, LSCF and LSF based cathodes. The results will be optimized on Boston University manufactured cells to meet performance recovery targets and validated on cells from industrial partners. The developed processes will potentially clean chromium oxide deposits formed in the cathode without modifying SOFC components, creating thermal shock or mechanical damage, or exposing the system to gas phases that it does not already see, which may result in industrial SOFC stack systems that can demonstrate stable performance, free from chromium poisoning, for more than five years.

Rotating detonation engines (RDEs) provide a promising route to substantially increasing cycle efficiency in stationary gas turbines. Much of this increase relies on the ability to achieve consistent pressure gain within the combustor. The University of Michigan will develop a comprehensive understanding of injector dynamics, evaluate the effects of multi-component fuels (syngas and hydrocarbon blends) on RDE operation, and develop advanced diagnostics coupled with predictive computational models for studying detonation propagation in RDEs. The codes and models developed for this project will use an open source framework increasing the likelihood of industry adoption. Additionally, experimental tools and databases resulting from this project pertaining to fundamental aspects of RDEs will be available to the design community.

Redox Power Systems, LLC (Redox) will develop high-throughput, in-line metrology techniques for evaluating protective coatings. The objectives for the effort include identifying key coating and substrate defects that lead to coating failure via detailed characterization methods (e.g., microscopy, XRD, EDS, electrochemistry); assessing capabilities of in-line metrology techniques, e.g., optical profilometry and thermography, to probe these defects; and demonstrating long-term performance of “defect-free” protective coatings, as identified by in-line metrology, in solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stack operation. Key outcomes will include identification of key coating and substrate defects leading to coating failure, the capability of in-line metrology techniques to detect these defects, or evidence of them, and demonstration of an optimized in-line metrology methodology that helps extend SOFC stack lifetime.

The Ohio State University will focus on the design and development of novel superalloys with improved creep strength under high operating temperatures. A new generation of Ni-base superalloys, with creep properties at 1200°F, that are comparable to conventional alloy 718 operating at 1000°F, will be developed by utilizing the strategy of co-precipitation of strengthening phases that inhibits the deleterious coarsening on these phases during conventional processing of large turbine disks. Building upon research in an earlier NETL effort (DE-FE0026299), validated modeling capabilities for predicting precipitation sequences, yield strength, and creep response will be produced.

Tennessee Technological University (TTU) will develop and validate low-cost, highly-durable, spinel-based materials synthesized with a multi-component alloy precursor for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) cathode-side contact applications. The precursor alloy composition will be optimized via composition screening in the (Ni,Fe,Co)₃O₄ spinel system, alloy design using physical metallurgy principles, and cost considerations. The specifically-designed alloy powder will be manufactured and characterized. The long-term area-specific resistance in-stack performance of the developed contact layer in relevant stack operating environments as well as its microstructural features, chemical compatibility, and Cr-retaining capability will be evaluated. The project will also explore novel approaches for further reducing the stack cost such as co-sintering of the contact layer and interconnect coating with the new alloy precursors. In addition, TTU will conduct a cost analysis and assess the feasibility of scale-up for implementation of the new process in FCE’s stack manufacturing facilities to support prototype validation and potential integration into FCE’s 50-kW SOFC system.

Case Western Reserve University aims to understand how selected operational parameters affect the performance of solid oxide fuel cells, with a focus on parameters affecting cathodes (air electrodes) of lanthanum strontium manganite and yttria-stabilized zirconia. Additionally, they will relate the observed relationships between operational parameters and cell performance to the microstructural changes that can be observed in the cells after operation.

The work will explore the effects of current density, operating temperature, and ambient oxygen pressure on SOFC performance and cathode microstructure. Durability tests will be conducted using two combinations of operational parameters: conventional with low oxygen and all aggressive. The project will also conduct detailed microstructural characterization on tested cells focusing on changes in phase fraction and their distribution across the cathode, particularly densification/loss of porosity near the interfaces of the cathode with the electrolyte and the cathode current collector; changes in total and active three-phase boundary density; and formation and distribution of manganese oxides. Monitoring the cells' electrochemical performance during testing, and analyzing their microstructures post-test, will improve understanding of performance loss and degradation mechanisms of SOFCs.

Research into axial staging has become increasingly important to enable power plant efficiency increase without increasing NOx emissions. Engine manufacturers have performed full-scale testing of axially staged combustor designs, but the costs and complexities limit the design space that can be evaluated through testing. The known small-scale tests to date have been performed at atmospheric conditions and not necessarily with geometry and operating conditions appropriate to real engines. Axial staging is an important topic that engine manufacturers need to understand better to meet future efficiency and emission requirements. This project will characterize flame extinction dynamics for fuel flexible low-emission combustion. The data obtained from this project will be correlated into a reacting jet in crossflow model to help in the design of engines. An improved understanding and prediction of flame extinction and dynamic flame stability will guide strategies to improve efficiency, reduce emissions, and improve performance of power generation combustion systems.

Regents of the University of Michigan will advance the technical understanding of carbon dioxide (CO2) incorporation into novel cementitious materials for the development of high-value precast concrete products that provide a net reduction in carbon emissions. The CO2 storage potential of engineered cementitious composite (ECC) used for the production of railroad ties will be evaluated in this project. ECC is a unique type of fiber-reinforced cement-based composite that is superior to traditional cementitious materials, exhibiting high-tensile ductility and excellent durability due to its innate ability to self-heal via mineral carbonation reactions. Researchers will ultimately develop a new carbonation process and a new ECC composition with stored CO2 that can be applied to other precast built infrastructure elements in addition to rail ties. The CO2 carbonation efficiency of ECC materials will be evaluated under varying system conditions. Industrial solid waste products, such as fly ash, steel slag, and mine tailings, will also be evaluated for CO2 carbonation efficiency and for use as potential additives to ECC to further reduce CO2 emissions of precast concrete products. Results of these studies, along with an evaluation of key mechanical properties of carbonated ECC materials, will be used to develop precast rail ties containing ECC with maximal carbonation efficiency and robust mechanical performance. Full-scale ECC rail ties will be field tested to evaluate their durability under typical loads. Net CO2 emission reductions attributable to CO2 storage in the novel ECC precast rail ties will be evaluated through completion of a full life-cycle analysis.

C-Crete Technologies, LLC has teamed with NRG Energy, Inc. to further develop a mineral carbonation technology to generate high-value concrete products that economically store carbon dioxide (CO₂) captured from coal-fired power plant flue gas. The two-step process begins with the in-situ preparation of porous low-density materials from industrial waste (such as asphalt), which serve as support for CO₂ mineralization in the pores. The resulting enriched porous carbons are then used as an additive in concrete production to impart unique properties, such as high mechanical strength, electrical and thermal conductivity, magnetic properties, and hydrophobicity. The team will optimize the conditions for synthesis of the activated carbon sorbent and characterize the material properties to maximize mineralization efficiency. The mineralization of CO₂ in activated asphalt waste will be evaluated to determine the best method for scale up. The team will design, construct, and test a small-scale pilot system to produce multifunctional concrete, in ton quantities, using CO₂ from the carbon capture facility at NRG’s Petra Nova coal-fired power plant. Test results will be analyzed to evaluate the commercial feasibility of the technology, and will include a Technology Gap Analysis to identify the required research to fully develop the technology to commercialization.

The Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) at the University of Illinois, in partnership with Helios-NRG, will further develop a novel algae-based technology for efficient cost-effective capture and utilization of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal-fired power plant flue gas to generate algal biomass products for which there is a large market (liquid transportation fuels and livestock animal feeds). The team will first produce selected algae strains in a cultivation environment infused with simulated flue gas and concentrated wastewater nutrient liquids at bench-scale and then transition to pilot-scale using a proprietary multi-stage bioreactor to achieve an average biomass productivity of 35 grams per square meter per day, and carbon capture above 70 percent. Nutrient input costs will be reduced by integrating algae cultivation with wastewater treatment operations, providing an extra revenue stream for wastewater nutrient removal, and potentially providing a low-cost method of transporting flue gas through the sewer system. Two novel membrane separation processes will be tested that can significantly reduce the cost and energy needed for dewatering algal biomass and concentrating the aqueous byproduct of hydrothermal conversion of algal biomass to biofuels. A techno-economic analysis and a life-cycle analysis will also be performed.

Researchers at Michigan State University, in partnership with PHYCO₂, are developing a system that combines biological and chemical processes to efficiently capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal-fired power plant flue gas and produce amino acid absorbents, polyurethanes, biodiesel, and methane. The system includes a high-rate photobioreactor for algae cultivation and a cascade biomass conversion process that sequentially converts algal biomass components into amino acid salt absorbents, biodiesel, polymers, and methane. The process uses residual heat from the power plant, creating a positive energy balance for algal cultivation and chemical production. By synergistically integrating algal cultivation and algae-based amino acid salt CO₂ absorption, the majority of CO₂ is completely captured from the power plant and the footprint of algal cultivation is reduced compared with using algal cultivation alone. Researchers will optimize the growth of a selected algal strain to maximize biomass accumulation and validate long-term stability of the algal culture without any contamination issues using two advanced pilot-scale photobioreactors located in the T.B. Simon Power Plant. Optimization of the cascade conversion process will be performed to achieve nearly 100 percent utilization of the algal biomass, and includes developing high-efficiency protein extraction, optimizing the mixed amino acid salt solution to achieve a CO₂ absorption capacity of at least 0.5 mole CO₂/mole amino acid solution, and evaluating the synthesis of biopolyol for polyurethane production. A techno-economic analysis and life-cycle assessment will be completed for a full-scale system based on a 160-MWe coal-fired power plant.

This project focuses on secondary phase materials added to traditional Ni-based cermet electrodes to enhance SOFC anode durability and performance. Small amounts of an inorganic oxide, aluminum titanate or ALT, mechanically mixed with a nickel-yttria stabilized zirconia (Ni-YSZ) ceramic metallic composite results in a material that is ~50% stronger than the native Ni-YSZ cermet. Furthermore, anodes fabricated from ALT-enhanced Ni-YSZ show significantly slower degradation in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) operating at 800°C with H2. Objectives for this project include, refining methods used to fabricate ALT enhanced anodes into bi-layer anode supports to achieve high power densities; comparing the effects of adding ALT mechanically to Ni-YSZ powders prior to anode fabrication with adding ALT through infiltration and co-infiltration of YSZ scaffolds; testing the resilience of these novel materials to electrochemical and environmental redox cycling and thermal stresses commonly encountered in functioning SOFCs; working closely with SOFC manufacturers to transfer laboratory knowledge to full-sized cell fabrication and testing.

A centerpiece of this effort is anode resilience studies related to sequential oxidation and reduction processes incorporating operando optical methods coupled with electrochemical measurements to identify (in real time) material changes that occur within functioning SOFC anodes under redox cycling stress, which simultaneously correlate to changes in electrochemical conversion efficiency, thermal stability, mechanical robustness and material composition. The effects of secondary phase formation on anode microstructure and strength will be optimized based on results from pre- and post-operation fracture testing of anode-supported membrane electrode assemblies. The distribution and heterogeneity of new material phases will be mapped ex situ using state-of-the-art surface analytical methods.

Michigan State University will demonstrate high performing, stable, intermediate-temperature SOFC cathodes via a multi-pronged approach aimed at using optimized atomic layer deposition (ALD) overcoats to stabilize the performance of lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrite-gadolinium-doped ceria (LSCF-GDC) cathodes containing average LSCF infiltrate particle sizes of ~22 nm; deconvoluting the degradation mechanisms in those cathodes; and evaluating the performance and stability of ALD-stabilized Co3O4-GDC cathodes containing average Co3O4 infiltrate particle sizes of 1 to 10 nm.

An ALD overcoat will be applied with optimized porosity and thickness to provide the necessary cathode stability, without compromising the oxygen surface exchange rate, and verify the result by conducting ALD-coated thin film oxygen exchange surface exchange coefficient (kchem) wafer curvature measurements as a function of time. The ALD-stabilized LSFC-GDC cathodes produced will be studied under both open-circuit conditions in symmetric button cells and SOFC operating conditions in industrial produced and tested SOFCs. In addition, long-term electrochemical tests will determine if the stability and performance of a new generation of ALD-stabilized Co3O4-GDC cathodes containing average Co3O4 infiltrate particle sizes of 1 to 10 nm are superior to LSCF-GDC cathodes containing average LSCF infiltrate particle sizes of ~22 nm.

The University of Connecticut will develop low-cost alloy anodes for distributed internal reforming of methane and other hydrocarbon fuels to potentially increase the fuel-flexibility, reliability, and endurance of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). The project will modify chemical compositions and microstructures of high-entropy alloy (HEA) anode materials via thermochemical calculations, process simulation, and modeling analysis to achieve distributed reforming over the entire anode and thus eliminate hot zones; model and predict carbon formation over the anode to achieve coke-free anodes using density function theory; fabricate cells and test the HEA anodes using a button cell configuration to demonstrate their advantages over traditional Ni-YSZ anodes for distributed reforming for long-term stability; and scale up the synthesis of HEA anode materials and cell fabrication for industry applications.

Clemson University will design an integrated, and graded, thermal barrier coating (TBC) system that can protect and be used in next generation gas turbines. This will be accomplished by tailoring the composition and the microstructure of a graded coating system to meet the multiple performance requirements on the coatings. A novel class of precursor derived ceramic matrix composites, with graded composition to manage thermal stresses, will be used for initial testing. The effect of stoichiometry and process parameters (e.g. temperature on the microstructure) on the thermal and environmental stability will then be investigated. The results of these experiments will then be used to create the graded coatings via cold spray followed by pyrolysis. The thermal and environmental stability of these new coatings will then be studied. After creating the suitable composition gradients, an industrial viable approach of atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) will be developed. The resulting novel APS coatings will then be evaluated by their thermal and environmental stability in a realistic turbine environment.

With engine temperatures exceeding the limits that metallic blades and vanes can endure, advanced monitoring techniques that ensure the integrity and durability of thermal barrier coatings are paramount to continuous and safe operation. The University of Central Florida will use key properties of optical radiation—including temporal, spectral and spectral intensity response modes, coupled with active sensing from coating properties—to gain diagnostic information on high temperature Thermal Barrier Coatings (TBCs). Materials design incorporating rare earth elements within TBCs to create the self-indicating property will be accompanied by research efforts to correlate optical measurements to TBC diagnostic parameters. The methods will be developed and demonstrated at the laboratory scale with the goal of future implementation for gas-turbine ready conditions.

The Georgia Tech Research Corporation will focus on experimentation and computational model development for large-diameter, multi-nozzle turbine combustors. The work includes a combination of detailed experiments with laser and optical diagnostics that provide high spatio-temporal resolution of the flow, flame heat release, and pressure in a turbine combustor; and reduced order modeling of the flame response coupling with the acoustic field. Reduced order modeling for the flame response using physics-based descriptions of the flame dynamics and a hydrodynamic stability analysis for acoustic-hydrodynamic coupling will enable model development for use in design tools, which will improve turbine operating performance when implemented.

Boston University will synthesize and deploy core-shell heterostructures as solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) cathodes which exhibit high oxygen reduction rates at lower operating temperatures resulting in high performance at lower operating temperature and simultaneously exhibit long-term resistance to Cr-impurity attack induced performance degradation. An ancillary objective is to eliminate cumbersome, multiple infiltration steps in the cathode to achieve high performance. The expected outcomes are (1) a novel, environmentally benign, and inexpensive synthesis tool for synthesizing complex cathode powders, scalable to high volumes; (2) decrease in energy expenditure during synthesis of cathode powders; (3) up to a factor of 1.5 improvement in maximum power density of single cells at 700oC; and (4) significant improvements in cell performance degradation rates down to 0.02%/1000 h.

West Virginia University Research Corporation will modify the internal surfaces of porous composite cathodes used in commercial SOFCs using atomic layer deposition (ALD). The project team aims to improve the power density and durability of commercial cells operating at temperatures from 650-800 °C by tailoring the nanostructure of the surface of lanthanum strontium cobaltite ferrite-doped ceria (LSCF/SDC) cathodes that possess complex three-dimensional topographies via a simple one-step ALD coating process.

The Georgia Tech Research Corporation will use two industry-class gas turbine component test rigs to generate first-of-its-kind data for critical gas turbine faults with varying severity levels. These gas turbine test facilities will be examined using instrumentation techniques to build an open data collection that will support predictive algorithm development for combustors and turbines. The test conditions in the two test facilities will include, common, critical events that occur in the operation of power plants. The data will be correlated with physics-based models and first-principle relationships to improve component life predictions. Additionally, a comprehensive Big Data analytics methodology will be developed guided by the generated experimental data, industrial data from collaborators, and physics-based models with engineering domain knowledge. The effort will leverage existing research facilities that will generate the first publicly available data with simulated combustor and turbine faults.

The principal objective of this project is to develop a novel process using low-temperature plasma treatment integrated with hydrometallurgical processes to recover rare earth elements (REEs), especially highly valued REEs (e.g., scandium and critical REEs), from coal and coal byproducts. The project will initially evaluate the mineralogy, leachability, and effect of plasma pretreatment for the various segments of selected feedstocks containing greater than 300 ppm of total REEs on a dry, whole mass basis. A laboratory low-temperature oxygen plasma unit with the ability to control test conditions will be used to optimize the operating parameters of the plasma treatment process (e.g., power, temperature, treatment time, etc.) with respect to feedstock characteristics, such as the exposed surface area, pore size, microstructure, degree of oxidation, etc. After optimizing the process, plasma treatment will be integrated with leaching, solvent extraction, and precipitation processes to produce REE concentrates at improved recovery levels and grades higher than 10 percent total REEs on a dry, whole mass basis. A techno-economic feasibility analysis of implementing plasma treatment into an overall REE recovery system will be conducted.

The objective of this project is to demonstrate and improve methods that can economically extract, recover, and upgrade the rare earth elements (REE) contents from coal-based resources using integrated modeling, coal preparation, biooxidation, solution conditioning, heap leaching, solvent extraction, and precipitation technologies to cleanly and cost-effectively produce rare earth-bearing products with more than 8 percent by weight REE. The project encompasses a range of technologies currently in industrial practice to produce REE products from coal-based sources. Advanced coal processing technology will deliver clean coal for the market as well as REE-bearing coarse refuse (non-coal rock) that is the correct size for heap leaching applications. In addition, the technology provides concentrated sulfide minerals (for mid-to-high-sulfur coals) for cleaner coal and enhanced biooxidation to accelerate leaching of REEs from the coarse refuse. The removal of the sulfide minerals cleans the coal, accelerates subsequent REE extraction, and eliminates the potential for most acid rock drainage. The processing method also utilizes biooxidation to increase ferric ion production to enhance leaching, while also consuming the sulfide mineral and its associated environmental liability. The solution-conditioning processing method removes iron and controls the pH of the leaching solution to mitigate undesirable extraction of thorium, which often occurs below pH 1.5; the heap leaching portion will be modeled and designed to maximize extraction of REEs while minimizing thorium extraction. The solvent extraction portion of the project involves optimizing extraction and stripping for REE recovery in solution that will be precipitated as a final product in the last stage of precipitation processing.

The project’s objective is to develop an economically viable and tailorable rare-earth element (REE) extraction and concentration method for low-rank coal (LRC) fly ash and bottom ash that produces a concentrate containing =2 percent by weight total REE. This project will focus on low-rank (lignite and subbituminous) coal combustion/gasification ashes. The ash samples will be collected from industry partner facilities as well as from the existing sample database for North Dakota lignites at the University of North Dakota. The characterization to be performed will fully elucidate the abundance, form, and association of the REEs, both in the feed coals that produced the ash, and in the ashes. Additionally, the chemical composition, mineralogy, and morphology of the ash will be determined. Based on the characterization results, two ash samples will be downselected for laboratory-scale REE extraction and concentration testing. The laboratory-scale testing will involve evaluation of ash pretreatment methods, dilute acid leaching, and subcritical liquid carbon dioxide (CO₂) extraction testing, which will be followed by REE concentration testing at downselected conditions and materials. The project will also evaluate a novel method of value-added beneficiation of the clean fly ash. Finally, based on the experimental testing, a preliminary technical and economic analysis will be completed to estimate capital and operating expenses and product revenues.

The project will investigate ion-exchange leaching and concentration technologies that can extract and enrich the rare earth elements (REEs) derived from coal resources, specifically clay and shale. Work conducted under this project will include field sample collection, thermodynamic assessments, routine laboratory testing, and engineering analyses. Initial efforts will focus on identifying, collecting, and characterizing at least three distinct feedstock samples that approach or exceed 300 ppm total REE on a whole sample basis. Next, experimental efforts will focus on two distinct process operations, including (1) ion-exchange leaching and (2) ion/precipitate flotation. A limited number of solvent extraction tests will be performed for comparative purposes only. These experimental efforts will be supported by ongoing thermodynamic assessments, which will provide a fundamental basis for selection and dosing requirements of lixiviant (liquid used for leaching a metal from the ore or mineral). During the final tasks, the results from the experimental program will be used to generate a preliminary system design, and cost/revenue modeling will be used to perform a rigorous techno-economic assessment.

The project objective is to develop a process to extract an enriched, mixed rare earth element (REE) product from acid mine drainage (AMD) at the site of production, upstream of conventional AMD treatment. Two AMD cases— net acid and net alkaline (Cases A and B, respectively)—will be explored. The products will be processed through an acid leaching/solvent extraction (ALSX) plant to compare performance with ongoing ALSX trials using conventional AMD sludge feedstock. The project team will evaluate the benefits of separating REEs from the AMD stream under reducing conditions such that iron and manganese will remain in their reduced (Fe2+, Mn2+) states. As reduced species, they will bypass the REE extraction process, improving overall process economics. In Case A, the pH is raised to just pH 4, which will precipitate REEs but not Al, Fe2+, or Mn2+, metals that would otherwise need to be separated to achieve high REE purities. In Case B, the team will explore the application of an electrochemically stimulated supported liquid membrane strategy to separate REEs from ferrous ion.

This project aims to develop a membrane-based, bench-scale system to extract strategic minerals such as rare earth elements (REEs), and other critical minerals, from acid mine drainage (AMD) sludge generated as part of coal mining activities in the United States. The proposed effort will use a staged, membrane-based treatment approach to separate, concentrate, and ultimately recover REEs from AMD. Initial work will take water samples from potential AMD site(s) and characterize them for REE concentration, dissolved metals concentration, and key water-quality characteristics. Each individual process component will be tested with water samples to optimize performance. The work will initially involve proof-of-concept experiments at the bench-scale with the aim of varying process parameters such as water chemistry, nanofiltration membrane performance in monovalent/multivalent separation, affinity media chemistry, and solvent recovery of REE. From these experiments, separation conditions that can be reasonably transitioned to flow-through systems and larger prototype scales for further techno-economic analysis will be selected so that the economic performance of a continuously fed AMD fluid process for REE recovery can be evaluated.

RTI will design, fabricate, and test a 10 to 20 kg/day modular O₂ production system. The effort will include optimization and scale-up of the oxygen binding adsorbent; process studies to form the adsorbent material into structured beds for rapid pressure swing adsorption (PSA) cycles with low pressure drop, fast mass transfer, and low attrition; cycle development studies to optimize the pressure swing adsorption process; and development of simulation tools for rapid cycle modeling and numerical evaluation/optimization. In addition, the unit will undergo parametric and long-term testing for at least 1,000 hours. Producing O₂ using the proposed binding materials should cost (depending on the O₂ capacity) 30-40 percent less than cryogenic distillation. The technology could reduce the cost of air separation and, therefore, the cost of products from all oxygen-intensive industries.

The purpose of this project is to develop a novel, cost-effective, radically engineered modular gasifier. This gasifier would have applications to 1-5-MW energy-conversion systems, such as combined heat and power (CHP). The pressurized oxygen-blown gasifier will use a simple, small-scale modular design and will produce negligible amounts of tar. The gasifier will also be highly flexible to optimize fuel throughput and thermal efficiency; manipulate coal conversion; and produce syngas of a desired composition. The project, if successful, may reduce the cost of coal conversion via an optimized, factory-built modular system to allow scale-up via modular expansion and deployment at remote sites.

The University of Kentucky Research Foundation will test a staged-OMB (opposed multi-burners) gasifier for a scaled-down version of a commercial gasification technology that utilizes coal slurry as a feed for high­ temperature gasification. This project has the potential for small-scale modularization with standardized burners. It would enhance a viable technology that may (1) better realize the full potential of abundant fossil energy resources, such as coal, in an environmentally sound and secure manner; (2) achieve modularized gasification in lieu of commercial experience at low risk; and (3) satisfy the interests of end users at low cost.

North Carolina State University will develop and demonstrate a radically engineered modular air separation unit (REM-ASU) for small-scale coal gasifiers. Compared to state-of­-the-art separation technologies, the REM-ASU will have reduced capital costs and energy consumption. A successful project may result in advanced oxygen sorbents with greater than 2 weight percent oxygen capacity and high activity; robust, steam-resistant oxygen sorbents with high-equilibrium oxygen partial pressure to allow effective oxygen generation without a vacuum desorption step; a tailored oxygen sorbent and modular ASU that can be readily integrated with 1-5 MW modular coal gasification system that reduces energy consumption by more than 30 percent compared to state-of-the-art ASUs; and demonstration of the sorbent and REM-ASU system to validate its robustness and performance.

The project research team will develop an integrated process that first uses stabilized flue gas desulfurization material (sFGD) to recover rare earth elements (REEs) from acid mine drainage (AMD) and a sequential extraction procedure to produce a rare earth feedstock with above 2 wt.% REE. The objectives are to (1) validate the effectiveness and feasibility of the integrated REE recovery/concentrating process, (2) determine mechanisms controlling the rare earth recovery process, (3) quantify the associated economic and environmental benefits, and (4) evaluate the full-scale application of the process. To achieve these objectives, the scope of work includes the following: First, the research team will collaborate with state agencies to carry out field investigations designed to screen and evaluate the seasonal changes of REEs from AMD discharges that have high recovery potential. Next, laboratory-scale tests will be carried out to study the recovery process under a range of percolation conditions using AMD and sFGDs from selected sources. The associated water quality changes will be monitored. Advanced analytical techniques, including synchrotron based X-ray methods, will be used to identify the mineral forms of retained REEs. Subsequently, a highly selective sequential extraction procedure will be used to concentrate the REEs. Finally, techno-economic analysis and life-cycle assessment will be carried out to evaluate the economic and environmental benefits.

This project aims to address key knowledge gaps (focused on low-sulfur coals, but ultimately applicable to all coals) to develop modular designs for the cleanup of warm syngas. These sorbent-based designs would enable 1-5-MW REMS-based plants to be cost competitive with large state-of-the-art commercial plants that use abundant domestic coal reserves. With the project’s successful completion, these small-scale modular desulfurization processes may have inherent cost benefits, reduce emissions, and improve thermal efficiencies.

West Virginia University Research Corporation will refine and validate the effectiveness of their previous electrochemical sensor for high temperature (HT) corrosion in coal-based power generation boilers; optimize the HT sensor; and develop a pathway toward commercialization. Sensors will be tested at two scales; 1) commercial-scale sensors will be optimized specifically for a net 700 MW Amec Foster Wheeler once-through, low-mass flux, vertical tube, Advanced Supercritical (A-USC) boiler and 2) bench-scale sensors will be tested under a range of operating conditions that would serve a variety of coal-fired combustion boilers. A software and a corrosion database will also be developed, enabling operators to interpret sensor data into actionable information.

The purpose of the project is to improve the performance and economics of coal-fired utilities and industrial scale boilers through the reduction of fouling and the promotion of dropwise condensation using advanced coating materials. HeatX is a composite coating material, developed by Oceanit Laboratories, Inc., that has demonstrated adhesion and abrasion resistance even at thin applied thicknesses, which may enable its use on heat conducting surfaces without impacting heat transfer. Additionally, HeatX can potentially be applied in-place to existing, in-service exchanger units that have been pre-fouled, allowing it to be deployed as part of a regular refurbishment and maintenance schedule. The HeatX material may also have potential for reducing biofouling on seawater-fed shell and tube heat exchangers, which could substantially increase their efficiency and reduce maintenance requirements.

The objective of this project is to establish a framework capable of efficiently predicting the properties of structural materials for service in harsh environments over a wide range of temperatures and over long periods of time. The approach will be to develop and integrate high-throughput first-principles calculations based on density functional theory in combination with machine learning methods, perform high throughput calculation of phase diagrams (CALPHAD) modeling, and carry out finite-element-method simulations. In regard to high-temperature service in fossil power systems, nickel-based superalloys Inconel 740 and Haynes 282 will be investigated.

This project will develop a new multi-modal approach to modeling of creep deformation in nickel-base superalloys. The approach is based on a two-pronged strategy combining a bottom-up, multi-scale, physically-based modeling approach and a data-mining driven top-down approach, backed by experimental database and correlation connectivity with strength augmented by data mining/machine learning protocols. The overarching goal is to integrate these two strategies to create quantitatively better predictive creep models that are not only sensitive to the microstructural evolution during various stages of creep, but also based on physically sound creep modeling that judiciously encompasses the strength of each modeling scale and provides a more comprehensive creep deformation analysis via finite element analysis.

The objective of this project is to develop a prototype multipoint ultrasound measurements of segmental temperature distribution (US-MSTD) method by refining the existing implementation and evolving its capabilities to include measurements at multiple locations across several zones and the characterization of soot and other deposits. The implementation of the US-MSTD method with metal waveguides is particularly appealing as a step towards the applications in measuring temperature distribution along steam tubes and other metal components of utility and industrial boilers. Refinements of the prototype US-MSTD system with its new features and capabilities will be validated through multiple tests in an iterative progression from laboratory experiments to testing at the pilot scale and large utility boilers at the Hunter Power Plant.

The purpose of this project is to explore coal-fired rotating detonation combustors (RDC) operability, dynamics, and performance over a range of conditions relevant to topping cycle integration using advanced experimental high-speed laser diagnostics and high-fidelity computational simulations. The primary objectives include developing an operability map for an established coal-fired RDC configuration; experimental and computational investigation and characterization of coal-fired combustor detonation wave dynamics; measurement and demonstration of pressure gain throughout the coal-fired RDC operational envelope; and measurement and demonstration of low NOx emissions throughout the coal-fired RDC operation. Understanding the physical mechanisms of rotating detonation combustion will lead to effectively exploiting the constant volume combustion technology for proliferation of efficient next-generation energy systems.

The project aims to improve thermoelectric power plant performance through engineered superhydrophobic/slippery liquid infused porous surfaces (SLIPS) for condenser tube designs fabricated by a patented two-step electrodeposition technique. The electrodeposition process is a widely-used industrial process that is applicable to a variety of shapes, materials, and sizes.The project will demonstrate and characterize a variety of SLIPS coatings based on copper, nickel, copper/nickel, zinc, tungstite, and other materials on commonly used condenser tube surfaces, namely, copper, copper/nickel, stainless steel, and titanium alloys through a facile and cost-effective electrodeposition process. The goal is to demonstrate overall condenser heat exchanger effectiveness that is at least 50 percent higher than that of current systems while reducing condenser pressure and improving power plant efficiency.

This project will evaluate a transformational low energy (less than 200 kilojoules/kilogram water) waste heat coupled forward osmosis (FO) based water treatment system (the Aquapod©), adapted to meet the complex and unique environment of a power plant, to manage effluents, meet cooling water demands and achieve water conservation. The target is to enable recovery of at least 50 percent of the water from highly degraded water sources without extensive pretreatment in a cost effective manner.

The purpose of this project is to improve the performance and economics of existing coal-fired power plants by extending boiler operation to lower loads. The objective is to develop and validate sensor hardware and analytical algorithms to lower plant operating expenses for the pulverized coal utility boiler fleet. The focus is on relatively inexpensive new “Internet of Things” technologies to minimize capital investment. Three technologies will be explored for demonstration and full-scale testing in a coal-fired power plant. The first focuses on gas and steam temperature control issues at low load. The second uses sensors and analytic algorithms for monitoring coal pulverizer operation at lower loads to reduce the minimum firing capability of coal burners. The third investigates new sensors and advanced controls to better balance air and fuel at each burner enabling reduction in the minimum firing capability of coal burners. Enabling lower load boiler and plant operation may help coal fired power plants more effectively compete for electric grid dispatch in a grid increasingly driven by intermittent renewable energy sources.

The Southwest Research Institute plans to advance flameless pressurized oxy-combustion (FPO) technology, making it more efficient and commercially viable by developing, building, and testing a flue gas particle separator for the FPO cycle, which is a component critical to the advancement of solid coal power generation technology. The separator will potentially remove harmful particulates from the process flue gas, preventing erosion of downstream machinery while maintaining a low pressure drop, thereby ensuring that the cycle operates at maximum efficiency. It will be demonstrated to operate at high temperatures to ensure the maximum amount of power can be extracted from the turbo-expander. Many candidate separator designs will be considered—from centrifugal or curvature to more novel concepts, such as indexed surface impact adhesion. The design will go through a final design evaluation and fabrication, after which it will be shipped to a test location facility.

Microbeam Technologies Inc. (Microbeam) will demonstrate the ability to improve boiler performance and reliability through integrated use of condition-based monitoring (CBM) and predictions of the impacts of coal quality on boiler operations at an operating coal-fired power plant. Microbeam will develop a tool to train neural networks and create neural-network-augmented Combustion System Performance Indices (CSPI)-CoalTracker (CT) software to manage coal quality and boiler operations, and alert plant operators and engineers about poor boiler conditions. The goal is to integrate the operations of the CSPI-CT into plant control systems and plant operating parameters. To achieve this goal, Microbeam will install a beta version of CPSI-CT at an operating power plant, develop statistical correlations and neural networks to determine impact of fuel properties and plant parameters on plant performance, integrate the neural networks and statistical correlations in CSPI-CT software, conduct on-site field tests and perform advanced analysis on samples obtained, and validate performance improvements achieved by using closed-loop control of coal blending and boiler operations to optimize plant performance.

The University of Maine will develop, adapt, implement, test, and transition wireless harsh-environment surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor technology in coal-fired power plants. The technology offers several potential advantages for inline monitoring of coal-based power generation systems including accurate, battery-free, maintenance-free wireless operation. The small footprint will potentially allow flexible sensor placement and embedding of multiple sensor arrays into a variety of components that can be sampled with a near-by interrogating antenna and radio frequency signal processing unit. The temperature and/or strain measurements acquired from wireless SAW sensors represent critical data for actively monitoring the health condition and detecting failures in boiler tubes, headers, and piping at several key locations in coal-based power generation facilities. Expected outcomes include a matured technology; advancements in the packaging of SAW sensors and antennas to allow long-term robust operation; refined wireless communications protocols and signal processing; improved thin films and sensor packaging; and prototype static and dynamic strain SAW sensors. The University of Maine will install and test their resulting prototype wireless sensor systems at a solid-waste-to-energy plant and a coal-fired power plant.

The project goal is to demonstrate a transformational technology for chemical looping combustion (CLC) that overcomes two challenges to commercial CLC deployment: the high cost of oxygen carrier (OC) replacement/loss and incomplete fuel conversion. Specific technical objectives include demonstrating an OC composition and manufacturing platform at the cost of natural ore-derived OCs; fully elucidating the phase transformations, sulfur interactions, and coal ash interactions that may inhibit OC performance, cause agglomerations/sintering, or impact its recyclability; and testing a combination of CLC components from laboratory through to a 10 kWth scale in a fully integrated CLC system. A techno-economic analysis will be completed for the technology, based on these testing results, and will benchmark the technology to current state-of-the-art CLC processes.

ION Clean Energy, Inc. (ION) will design and fabricate optimized column internals for carbon dioxide (CO2) capture utilizing additive manufacturing in an effort to further lower the cost of CO2 capture by decreasing energy consumption, solvent degradation, and emissions typically produced during the capture process. The project is a continuation of a previously successful Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project, in which ION demonstrated the ability to design, produce, and characterize absorber column internals for gas-liquid contactor systems (DE-SC0012056). The use of 3-dimensional (3D) printing to fabricate packing internals enables total freedom of design of the gas-liquid interaction area, and results in the realization of novel column structures. ION’s working name for the new technology is Modular Adaptive Packing (MAP).

The overall objective of the project is to develop a 3D-printed MAP with internal heating or cooling capabilities. Once a finalized design is complete and modules produced, packing performance will be characterized in a modified packing characterization rig. The project will utilize advanced parametric design capabilities and result in a 3D-printed prototype of a gas-liquid contacting device. The device will be modular and adaptable for both small and large-scale applications.

The Electric Power Research Institute will examine the technical and economic feasibility of a series of steam cycle upgrades to the two most prevalent types of U.S. coal power plants: 2300-2600 psi (16.6-17.9 MPa) subcritical and 3400-3600 psi (23.4-24.8 MPa) supercritical pulverized coal units. The project will develop and evaluate nine separate retrofit options and examine the business case for raising steam temperatures of existing units within the U.S. coal fleet. The options will look at increasing main and reheat steam temperatures from 1000°F (538°C) to hotter temperatures ranging from ultra-supercritical (USC) (1100°F or 593°C) to advanced USC (AUSC) conditions (1350° or 732°C) while maintaining steam pressures at their original values. This will potentially minimize the modifications to the power plant while still providing an improvement in heat rate. The option of using a novel low pressure molten salt loop to transfer heat from the furnace to the steam will also be examined.

This project will develop a process that is able to treat for reuse, wastewater resulting from wet flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) scrubbing systems, leading to significant reductions in footprint and chemical consumption compared to the state-of-the-art water treatment technologies. To achieve this goal, the project will (1) evaluate the effectiveness of electrocoagulation with air-dissolved flotation on removing regulated species through design, construction, and testing of a one liter per hour sub-pilot unit, (2) examine a nanofiltration unit to achieve greater than 80 percent monovalent salt rejection, (3) conduct long-term operation of membrane-based filtration for FGD wastewater aimed at determining performance degradation, e.g., membrane fouling, (4) determine a practical salt concentration for solidification resulting in an acceptable leachate, and (5) apply continuous capacitive deionization as a polishing step to remove any remaining government-regulated species below the effluent limitation guidelines requirements for recycling or discharge.

This project is developing and validating an integrated package of joint seismic-pressure-petrophysics inversion of a continuous active-source seismic monitoring dataset capable of providing real-time monitoring of a carbon dioxide (CO₂) plume during geologic carbon storage. The resulting real-time map of CO₂ saturation obtained using this process will provide a deeper understanding of the complex, time-varying dynamics of the subsurface fluid flow migration path, as well as the rapid detection of potential CO₂ leakage.

The objective of this project is to provide a comprehensive database of mechanical properties, damage assessment/accumulation, and microstructural information from extreme environment material (EEM) components subjected to long-term service with the intent to develop, calibrate, refine, and/or validate the life assessment tools used for predicting remaining life under complex operating conditions. Working with U.S. and global utilities, sufficient quantities of EEM components from operating and decommissioned coal-fired power plants will be obtained, including creep strength enhanced ferritic steels, 300-series H grade stainless steels, advanced austenitic stainless steels, and dissimilar metal welds between these types of materials. The materials obtained will have been exposed to long-term service (greater than 100,000 hours) and will include all relevant background information for material type, fabrication data, and operational conditions. The acquired materials will be subjected to detailed damage analysis, in-depth microstructural characterization, and, where relevant, rigorous low- and/or high-temperature mechanical testing in an effort to establish a link between microstructural/damage evolution and long-term behavior as established by in-service performance, destructive evaluation, or predicted behavior through time-temperature-parameter relationships or continuum damage mechanics.

The objective of this project is to determine the condenser efficiency improvements as well as the reduction of continuous feed water treatment coal-fired plants could realize by utilizing Interphase’s heat transfer enhancement technology (HTE system). Previous lab-scale work has demonstrated that the HTE system can inhibit biofouling, microbiologically induced corrosion, and scale build up as well as improve baseline heat transfer efficiency of cooling systems in laboratory scale testing. By applying the HTE system first to field test rigs at the Longview site, and subsequently the condenser at the Longview plant, Interphase and Longview will collect field data on the HTE system’s potential to increase heat transfer efficiency in the condenser cooling systems of coal-fired power plants.

The objectives of this project are to (1) develop an accurate, robust, high temperature oxygen sensor based on refractory, reliable, catalytically inactive La1-XSrXCrO3 materials capable of monitoring combustion in a coal-fired plant in real time to improve combustion performance (2) investigate the feasibility and sensitivity of a new catalytic/non-catalytic sensor design to detect “oxidizable” target gases at high temperatures where other electrochemical sensors have failed; and (3) integrate and test the basic components of the proposed sensor in an operating commercial 700 megawatt power plant.

The Field Laboratory for Emerging Stacked Unconventional Plays (ESUP) in Central Appalachia project will investigate and characterize the resource potential for multi-play production of emerging unconventional reservoirs in Central Appalachia.

The overall objective of this project is to carry out multiple experiments to evaluate well completion design optimization and environmental impact quantification using a Hydraulic Fracture Test Site (HFTS2) experiment well in the Delaware Basin portion of the Permian Basin of western Texas, targeting the Wolfcamp formation. This project will be modeled in part on the successful HFTS1 experiment located in the Midland Basin. The team will recover core and directly measure formation properties, record and study environmental impacts (air emissions and water impacts), determine optimum well spacing based on fracturing efficiency, evaluate inter-well interference between horizontal wells in order to assess well spacing effectiveness, identify and evaluate the distribution and effectiveness of geological fracture barriers, evaluate pressure front barriers created in the stimulation sequence, test alternative hydraulic fracture designs in different wells in a relatively consistent geological setting, measure production performance by stage/perf cluster, collect data for detailed 3-D earth models for reservoir simulation and fracture evaluation, enhance microseismic data acquisition and analysis techniques, evaluate microbial impacts on biological corrosion and reservoir quality deterioration, and characterize any changes in shallow aquifers, flow-back and formation water.

The overall objectives of this research effort are to design, test, and validate robust pipeline coatings for commercial utilization that mitigate hydrate deposition in subsea pipelines. A novel coating developed during a previous DOE sponsored collaboration between CSM-Center for Hydrate Research (CHR) and Oceanit showed promise for hydrate deposition prevention in small-scale apparatuses. The technology and methods to be used in this research will advance and scale-up this concept with second generation hydrate-phobic coatings in larger multiphase flowing systems. Particularly, the CSM-CHR deposition flowloop will be employed to assess the effectiveness of these advanced coatings during steady-state and transient (shut-in/restart) operations. Additionally, the strategy for in-situ application of the coatings to existing pipelines will be developed. The project will include the multiphase transient simulation and design of a full-scale field trial. The research will also evaluate the long-term survivability of the coating under high pressure, variable temperature, chemical exposure, and abrasive conditions.

The goal of this project is to improve efficiency of oil and gas recovery from hydraulically fractured horizontal wells. This field-based research will be conducted in the Austin Chalk and Eagle Ford Shale Formations with the purpose of addressing fundamental questions such as the extent of the true stimulated reservoir volume and the complexity of the resulting fracture system. Utilizing newly-developed and comprehensive monitoring solutions, the team will deliver unprecedented and comprehensive high-quality field data to improve scientific knowledge of the hydraulic fracturing process when multiple wells are fractured from a single pad location. This knowledge will allow optimized production from less new wells with less material and energy use.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) is also a recipient under this award, and their work is captured through a separate support FWP (FWP-FP00006273). The total award value of this support FWP is $2,000,000 (all DOE Share), bringing the total value of this project and all recipients to $20,450,502 (DOE Share: $9,778835; Performer Share: $10,671,667).

The University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research (UKy-CAER), with its partners Carbon Clean Solutions, USA, Electric Power Research Institute, Huaneng Clean Energy Research Institute, Membrane Technology Research, and University of Texas at Austin, are designing a pilot-scale (10 MWe) post-combustion carbon capture system (CCS) at a pulverized coal-fired power plant using the UKy-CAER four-pronged CCS technology. The technical approach includes process intensification, two-stage solvent regeneration, heat integration, and an advanced solvent to improve plant efficiency. Combined, these elements reduce capital cost, energy consumption, and environmental impact, as well as address load change. In a previous DOE-funded project, UKy-CAER validated their heat-integrated solvent-based system by operating for more than 4,000 hours using a slipstream (0.7 MWe) of flue gas at the E.W. Brown Power Generating Station.

Projects to design, construct, and operate large-scale pilots of transformational coal technologies are being conducted in three phases, with a down-select between phases. Phase I project tasks included the selection of Wyoming Integrated Test Center (WITC) as the host site (with support from the Basin Electric Dry Fork Station in Gillette, Wyoming), finalization of team commitments, cost-share agreements, and the Host Site Agreement, creation of an Aspen Plus^® model of Carbon Clean Solutions’ solvent and verification of the model with experimental data from solvent testing in UKy-CAER’s 0.7 MWe facility, completion of an Environmental Information Volume (EIV), and updates to the cost and schedule estimates for Phases II and III. In Phase II (Design), the project will complete a front-end engineering design (FEED) study, secure construction/operation cost share funding, complete the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process and any required permitting processes at WITC, and complete an updated techno-economic analysis of the technology based on the most recent system design and cost information.

The primary objective of this project is to develop and demonstrate a continuous sulfur trioxide (SO₃) monitoring system for coal-fired power plants—validated in an operational environment—which will provide real-time, actionable information to enable control of additive injection and minimize catalyst deactivation. Currently, without a reliable SO₃ measurement, utilities over-inject alkali to ensure mitigation of a blue plume. The system will utilize the sensitivity, specificity, and real-time capabilities of mid-infrared laser-based sensor technology, along with a close-coupled cell mounted directly to the pollution control duct of a coal-fired power plant. The effort will consist of two rounds of prototype development and field testing at an operating coal-fired power plant. The project is a collaboration among team members for synergistic development and testing of sensor technologies.

Echogen Power Systems (DE), Inc. will design, construct, and operate a 10MWe coal-fired supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) large-scale pilot. This transformational technology uses sCO2 as a working fluid, instead of water, to achieve high thermodynamic efficiencies that can potentially exceed advanced steam- Rankine cycles. In Phase I, Echogen will complete and refine the pilot conceptual system and key component designs, perform a series of pilot site evaluations to decide primary and alternate host site locations, develop the Phase II team for a front-end engineering design (FEED) study, and identify potential sources of cost share for the Phase II and Phase III activities. If successful, the proposed 10 MWe coal-fired sCO2 pilot power plant will reduce the technical and economic risk of this transformational technology; therefore, increasing the potential for commercial deployment.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) partnered with Trimeric Corporation to advance the development of a transformational biphasic carbon dioxide (CO₂) absorption process (BiCAP) and validate its technical advantages by testing an integrated system at a 40-kilowatt-electric (kWe) bench scale with actual coal-derived flue gas. The BiCAP process utilizes biphasic solvents, which are water-lean solvent blends, that can form and develop dual liquid phases, with the absorbed CO₂ highly enriched in one of the phases. Key features of BiCAP include using only the CO₂-enriched liquid phase for CO₂ desorption, resulting in reduced mass of solvent required for regeneration, and directly feeding a portion of the CO₂-enriched solvent as a cold stream feed to the top of the stripper, which reduces the use of stripping heat and increases the energy efficiency for CO₂ stripping. In a previous U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded project, the BiCAP was tested at laboratory scale (10 kWe) and exhibited a 34% reduction in parasitic power requirements and twice the CO₂ working capacity for desorption when compared with a process using monoethanolamine (MEA) — the most widely used, commercially available amine-based solvent. After determining the optimal process configuration and operating conditions, the team designed and fabricated the 40-kWe integrated bench-scale capture unit. Parametric testing for two of the best performing biphasic solvents identified from previous research was conducted with simulated flue gas at UIUC’s Applied Research Laboratory and one selected solvent was evaluated with a slipstream of actual flue gas at the UIUC Abbott coal-fired power plant. The team used the test results to prepare a techno-economic analysis, as well as an analysis of the technology gaps and potential environmental, health, and safety risks, to advance the technology toward further scale up and commercialization.

The recipient (IFOS) will develop an innovative, embedded-sensor-enabled control approach for industrial gas turbines (GT). The IFOS concept leverages advanced existing fiber-optic sensing technology including ultra-thin, sub-50 mm diameter fibers. IFOS’ approach will enable measurement of turbine blade temperature and stress parameters that are closer to the harshest of turbine environments, and use this information to augment existing control schemes to decrease margins and thereby increase system efficiency. Conventional electronic sensors are relatively bulky and require multiple lead wires. Few sensors have been able to be deployed on production turbines. In IFOS’ approach, however, there are no ‘active’ components on the turbine blade or shaft – all optical signal processing and post-detection electronics are situated on stationary components in a relatively benign environment, removing the need for ultra-high-temperature electronics.

For the foreseeable future, the Nation’s energy demand will continue to come largely from indigenous fossil energy resources and hydrocarbon fuels. Specifically waste coal plus other opportunity fuels need to be utilized as a feedstock to eliminate a waste stream and optimized to maximize energy yield and cleanly minimize pollutant emissions. Modular equipment is needed for installation in coal preparation locations, military installations, and research park facilities. Thermal decomposition of coal, biomass, and mixed solid waste (MSW) have been shown to reduce a waste stream while providing liquid and gaseous fuel products with low pollutant emissions. However, thermal decomposition processes have several challenges associated with preprocessing biomass and MSW, feeding and conveying material into the reactor, and post processing of syngas to remove undesirable products while upgrading to increase yield of high value products. Entrained flow gasifiers produce very little methane and a wide range of H₂/CO ratios (0.5–2.0) but are limited in their ability to effectively feed large biomass particles into the reactor. A solution to the feeding problems associated with entrained flow gasifiers is to use a low-temperature pyrolysis reactor for torrefaction of the biomass mixture, creating a feedstock similar to coal and capable of grinding down, mixing with the coal feed, and feeding into the entrained flow gasifier In Phase II, Mainstream will design a pilot-scale torrefaction reactor using our prior experience with thermal conversion reactors and collaboration with Earth Care Products, Inc. The pilot-scale torrefier will be integrated with EERC’s pilot scale EFG to demonstrate a continuous pilot-scale PT-EFG conversion system with full characterization of yield and emissions. Mainstream will demonstrate a high-value syngas with a H2:CO ratio of 2:1 and show that the vitrified slag passes the EPA TCLP test for leaching. Mainstream and EERC will scale up the pilot-scale system and develop a complete design package of a 200 kW demonstrator-scale PT-EFG. A refined commercialization plan and TEA and will be developed to show the cost benefits of the commercial-scale PT- EFG and the benefits associated with mass production of modular units. In Phase III, Mainstream would fabricate and demonstrate a demonstrator-scale PT-EFG in the field. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: The proposed evaluation of thermochemical conversion pathways for waste coal, biomass, and mixed wastes process will address methods for improving energy yields and minimizing pollutant emissions. Increasing total energy output from power plants by utilizing biomass and mixed wastes ultimately lowers energy costs, harmful environmental impacts of emissions, and has significant impacts on the energy security and sustainability of the U.S. economy. This proposal outlines a plan to experimentally investigate three possible reaction pathways for the conversion of coal wastes and coal plus opportunity fuel mixtures that can be implemented in existing coal-fired power plants. Ultimately, a process model for coal waste plus municipal solids (CWPMS) processing will be developed for a range of power plants to demonstrate a reduction in capital, operational, and maintenance costs for co-firing biomass and mixed waste with coal.

Southwest Research Institute will provide detailed design, specification, cost, and schedule metrics for a large-scale coal-combustion pilot plant. This plant will demonstrate the flameless pressurized oxy-combustion (FPO) technology, which will potentially reduce risk in the path to commercialization of this transformative 2nd-generation coal technology that is capable of reducing the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) while capturing carbon dioxide, providing it ready for compression to pipe-line pressure, and meeting other emission requirements. The Phase I effort will address key systems, such as the flue gas turboexpander, that require additional development beyond what is commercially available to ensure the FPO technology will achieve maximum efficiency.

The overall objective of this project is to demonstrate the potential for small-scale, modular, coal gasification units to provide low-cost fuel for firing reciprocating engine generators with syngas and pyrolysis tars/oils. By coupling the gasifier with a reciprocating engine, the syngas/engine combination can be used in baseload and non-baseload applications and in distributed generation applications. Through modularization of the components of this system, the Recipient believes that manufacturing and construction costs could be lowered so that syngas/engine modular systems could become competitive with similarly sized power generating plants operating with conventional technology.

The University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research (UK-CAER) has teamed with Media and Process Technology Inc. and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) through support project FWP-FEW0242 to develop an intensified carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture process that will significantly reduce the capital and operating costs associated with CO₂ capture. In this project UK-CAER will make process improvements in energy efficiency and cost savings, through: (1) the use of 3D-printed, two-channel structured packing material to control the temperature profile and increase the CO₂ absorption rate and decrease the absorber size by up to 50 percent; (2) a zeolite membrane dewatering unit capable of more than 15 percent dewatering of the carbon-rich solvent to decouple solvent concentration needs for CO₂ absorption and desorption; and (3) a two-phase flow heat transfer prior to the stripper, providing a secondary point of vapor generation that will result in an energy savings of up to 30 percent. The team will design and fabricate the advanced packing material and the dewatering membrane module, and retrofit and test the intensified process on UK-CAER’s small and large (0.1 MWth) bench-scale post-combustion CO₂ capture facilities with simulated and coal-derived flue gas. The team will use the test results to prepare a techno-economic analysis; an environmental, health, and safety risk assessment; and a technology gap analysis to advance the technology toward further scale-up and commercialization.

This project’s goal is to address gaps in our understanding of the clay-rich Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS) in order to make the development of this emerging oil-rich shale more cost-efficient and environmentally sound. Specific objectives for this project are to establish a virtual laboratory by utilizing core and log data from various industry partners and state agencies. The core data will use four or more wells as selected for best fit by ULL. The log data will include any available well log data from several industry partners as well as numerous, local state agencies. A catalog and a user-friendly website will be created for all project parties to have access to the available data and to request physical samples or digital data. Subsequently, the TMS virtual laboratory will conduct testing and analysis of various properties of rock and formation fluids from the TMS to determine sources of the wellbore instability issues, improve formation evaluation, the role of geologic discontinuities on fracture growth and shale creep. Additionally, ULL plans to investigate the application of stable CO₂ foam and super-hydrophobic proppants for improved reservoir stimulation, as well as to better understand the nature of water/hydrocarbon/CO₂ flow in a clay and organic-rich formation.

Linde, LLC, with partners University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL), and Affiliated Construction Services (ACS), will design, construct, and validate enabling technologies for pretreatment of coal-based flue gas for aerosol mitigation in solvent-based post-combustion carbon dioxide (CO2) capture (PCC) systems. Current aerosol mitigation strategies, such as baghouse installation upstream of the PCC plant, amine wash sections, and specific absorber operating conditions, can manage only a limited range of aerosol particle densities and are unfavorable due to significant cost and energy requirements. Two flue gas aerosol pretreatment technologies have been identified that can effectively reduce very high aerosol concentrations for particles in the range of 70 to 200 nm, which have been shown to contribute to amine losses through the treated gas stream exiting the absorber in a solvent-based PCC system. The first option is a novel, high-velocity, water injection spray concept that has been previously developed and tested by RWE Power at a lignite-fired power plant in Niederaussem, Germany, and has exhibited the ability to effectively reduce aerosol-driven amine losses in the treated gas. The second option is an innovative lab-scale electrostatic precipitator (ESP) designed by WUSTL and previously tested on flue gas entering the Linde-BASF PCC pilot at the National Carbon Capture Center, in which an aerosol particle removal efficiency of greater than 98.5 percent was obtained. The team will develop a mechanistic model characterizing aerosol formation and interaction with amine solvent in the absorber of a PCC plant and will complete a detailed design, engineering, and cost analysis for each pretreatment option. The technologies will be independently tested at Abbott Power Plant at UIUC using a slipstream of coal-fired flue gas containing high concentrations of aerosol particles (greater than 107 particles per cubic centimeter). The results will be used to benchmark the performance and cost of these technologies against existing options for pretreatment of coal-based flue gas for aerosol mitigation, and to determine the optimal aerosol pretreatment system for commercial deployment and integration with solvent-based PCC technology.

The primary goal of the project is to acquire scientific knowledge and gain polymer flood performance data, via the first ever advanced technology based field pilot to optimize the polymer flood design in the Milne Point Unit of the Schrader Bluff heavy oil pool on Alaska North Slope (ANS), with minimal disruption to ongoing field operations. Heavy oil is a vast energy resource that requires significant effort and expertise to produce economically. However, because conventional oil discoveries are not keeping up with overalloil demand, unconventional resources such as shale oil and heavy oil will be necessary to meet increasing world demand. Because American operators have never attempted polymer floods, this will be the first of its kind, unconventional resource application. The advanced technology will effectively integrate the advantages of polymer injection, low salinity water, conformance improvement and horizontal wells together to significantly enhance oil recovery for heavy oil reservoirs. The proposed research seeks answers to key unresolved questions, such as polymer injectivity for different viscosities/concentrations, timing of polymer breakthrough, polymer stability and retention in the formation, treatment of polymer water after breakthrough, and finally, incremental oil recovery as a function of polymer injected.

ION Engineering, LLC (ION), has teamed with Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD), Sargent & Lundy, LLC, and Koch Modular Process Systems to develop a detailed design and cost estimate for a commercial-scale (300 MWe) slipstream carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture facility for NPPD’s Gerald Gentleman Station (GGS). The team will produce a comprehensive overview of the costs associated with retrofitting the GSS coal-fired power generating Unit 2 to use ION’s solvent-based capture process for removing CO₂ from flue gas. ION’s water-lean solvent exhibits significant reductions in regeneration energy requirements and significantly higher CO₂ loading capacities when compared with the commercially available and most widely used amine-based solvent, monoethanolamine (MEA). The solvent’s properties result in reduced parasitic loads, liquid solvent flow rates, corrosion, maintenance, and equipment sizes when scaled-up for commercial systems, leading to reductions in both capital and operating expenses. During a recent U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded project, the advanced CO₂ capture solvent was tested at pilot scale (12 MWe) at the CO₂ Technology Centre in Mongstad, Norway. The campaign included 2,750 hours of testing with capture of more than 14,000 tonnes of CO₂ with greater than 98 percent purity, outperforming MEA with a greater than 30 percent energy savings. The team will include the following process improvements in the design for the GSS Unit 2: solvent split-stream integration, flue gas heat recovery, and water use minimization. In addition to the design of the capture system, a capital cost estimate, encompassing both engineering design and construction for the carbon capture process and balance of plant systems, and a techno-economic analysis will be prepared.

Membrane Technology and Research Inc. (MTR), in partnership with the State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY Buffalo) and University of Texas-Austin (UT-Austin), developed composite membranes with transformational performance to reduce the cost of post-combustion carbon capture. In previous work, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), MTR developed a membrane-based carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture technology that includes the high-performance MTR Polaris™ membrane, advanced low-pressure-drop modules, and a patented selective recycle membrane design. This project expanded upon the previous work and involved two parallel technology development efforts. The first effort focused on replacing the conventional porous supports used in composite membranes with novel isoporous supports that have higher surface porosity and many small pores, improving membrane permeance. The second effort aimed to increase the mixed-gas selectivity of MTR’s Polaris membrane by utilizing recent materials work conducted at SUNY Buffalo and UT-Austin. A large number of composite membrane samples were tested with pure-gases and with gas mixtures. A techno-economic analysis of MTR’s post-combustion CO₂ capture process was conducted to quantify the benefits of the improved Polaris membrane types.

The University of North Dakota Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC), in partnership with the North Dakota Industrial Commission, ALLETE Clean Energy, Minnkota Power Cooperative, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), and Burns & McDonnell, will perform a pre-front-end engineering and design (pre-FEED) analysis and cost estimate for retrofitting MHI’s Kansai Mitsubishi Carbon Dioxide Recovery (KM-CDR™) amine-based post-combustion carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture process with an existing coal-fired generating unit. The commercially available KM-CDR process uses an advanced amine solvent, KS-1™, that exhibits less solvent degradation, a lower solvent circulation rate, higher working capacity, and reduced steam consumption for regeneration compared to monoethanolamine (MEA). The solvent technology has shown reliable, cost-effective operation at bench and pilot scale (up to 25 MWe), routinely achieving 90 percent CO₂ removal, and also operates at commercial scale, capturing approximately 1.6 million tonnes of CO₂ per year from a 240-MWe sub-bituminous coal-derived flue gas stream at the W.A. Parish Plant in Thompsons, Texas, through a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded project with Petra Nova Parish Holdings, LLC. Through these development efforts, several improvements to the process have been implemented, including a novel flue gas quencher and absorber design for lower capital costs and ease of construction and an amine wash section for minimizing aerosol emissions from treated flue gas. This project will address challenges associated with a full-scale system, such as the use of lignite coal, effects from cold climate, treating higher quantities of flue gas, and application of heat integration. The team will design a fully integrated KM-CDR system for installation at Minnkota’s Milton R. Young Station Unit 2 (MRY2) near Center, North Dakota; perform testing with EERC’s slipstream baghouse installed at MRY2 to evaluate aerosol emissions; evaluate the KS-1 solvent on lignite coal-derived flue gas to refine critical design parameters; complete a techno-economic assessment in accordance with DOE’s bituminous baseline study; and complete a pre-FEED analysis and cost estimate of the system at MRY2.

In this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project, Bettergy Corporation, in collaboration with the University of Cincinnati and Dawnbreaker, Inc., is exploring the development of an integrated catalytic membrane reactor (CMR) system that combines in a one-stage process a high temperature water-gas-shift (WGS) reaction with a hydrogen (H₂) separation membrane to produce H₂ while simultaneously delivering carbon dioxide (CO₂) at high pressure, minimizing the cost of CO₂ compression. The core of the novel process is built upon a robust modularized membrane supported on catalytic substrates, which is based on Bettergy’s patented nanopore engineering membrane (NEM) platform technology. In Phase I, a lab-scale WGS-CMR system was successfully tested, achieving high WGS conversion, high purity H₂ through membrane separation, and enriched CO₂ in the retentate stream. In Phase II, Bettergy will optimize the process, develop and test a multi-channel prototype system, and generate a commercialization plan.

Siemens Energy, Inc. will develop a metallic additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D oxide-oxide ceramic matrix composites (3D Ox-Ox CMC)-based design for advanced vanes. The design will eliminate the need for film cooling and significantly reduce overall cooling requirements. The use of AM-3D Ox-Ox CMC components in all relevant hot turbine stages can reduce total cooling and leakage flow of turbine components by at least 50 percent. This reduction translates to an increase of approximately 1.5 percent in combined cycle efficiency. The elimination of film cooling and overall reduction in cooling air usage enabled by the AM-3D CMC advanced vane is potentially a significant step towards reaching a goal of 65 percent combined cycle efficiency.

Siemens Energy, Inc. will develop an optimized design for an advanced high-temperature combustor for gas turbine applications that builds upon prior proof-of-concept testing on a combination of advanced transition design and a distributed combustion system that showed substantial advantages in nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions compared to typical state-of-the-art gas turbine combustion systems. A Siemens advanced head end design will be coupled with both the distributed combustion system and advanced transition design while the system is optimized for higher temperature operation, including mitigating combustion dynamics and pressure losses. The objective is to maximize the firing temperature (exceeding 3100°F) while maintaining stable operation to ensure that future commercial power systems can realistically target combined cycle efficiencies of 65 percent or greater while simultaneously achieving low NOx emissions.

United Technologies Research Center will design, fabricate, and test high-pressure turbine vanes that use a novel combination of monolithic ceramics and ceramic matrix composites to increase component efficiencies within the turbine hot section and provide key building blocks for a 65 percent efficient system. The design will use an environmental barrier coating (EBC) to provide long term resistance to residues that make it past syngas filtration systems. By using low cooled ceramics to replace highly cooled superalloy vanes, a fraction of core flow typically utilized for cooling will be retained. The retained cooling air will then be used to increase efficiency by increasing temperatures that reach high-pressure turbine blades and increase turbine exhaust temperatures. This will further drive steam bottoming cycle efficiencies in combined cycle systems, regardless of fuel type.

General Electric (GE) Company will create a gas turbine technology development program that synergistically develops mechanically feasible, emerging, aerodynamic, and heat transfer technologies primarily for the front block, enabling optimization of the entire turbine system and improving overall gas turbine cycle efficiency. Concepts will be developed in blade tip and static shroud; high blockage trailing edge; secondary flows and hot gas migration; and unsteady aerodynamic interactions. The project leverages computational fluid dynamic assessments to capture fundamental flow physics, identify performance opportunities, and further develop and refine feasible advanced turbine front block design technologies. This technology is directly applicable to gas turbines utilizing coal gasification processes for hydrogen-rich, coal-derived synthesis gas as well as natural gas or other fuels for fuel-flexible benefits.

Southwest Research Institute and its partners will develop a conceptual design for a supercritical CO₂ (SCO₂), coal syngas or natural gas-fired oxy-fuel turbine in the 150-300 MWe size range capable of 1200ºC turbine inlet temperature at 30 MPa and exhaust temperatures in the 725-775ºC range. This project assesses the development of a thermodynamic cycle for a SCO₂ semiclosed recuperated Brayton cycle with natural gas as the fuel and a SCO₂ turbine, including the development of a nominal engine component, conceptual development of an oxy-fuel SCO₂ combustion turbine, thermal management options and concepts, and material selection for the hot sections of the cycle. Conceptual methods include cooled turbine blades to allow for materials to reach the 1200^oC turbine inlet; thermal barrier coatings for combustor and turbine inlet; and other forms of thermal management that will assist in meeting extreme pressure and temperature goals. Combining SCO₂ power cycles with oxy-fuel combustion will lead to much higher cycle efficiencies, smaller footprints, reduced cost, and more power output with the potential for use with various energy sources including fossil and alternative.

Sonalysts is creating an automated situation awareness tool that adapts its proven, patented cyber feature extraction and behavior analysis platform to provide comprehensive, simultaneous coverage of fossil power plant industrial control systems, information technology networks, and physics access control systems. The tool performs data fusion upon networked sensor outputs to characterize nominal operational modes, and then uses data analytics to detect deviations from those modes to determine which anomalous conditions correspond to malicious behavior and alert system operators to emerging cyber incidents. The team’s cyber feature extraction platform employs a temporal aggregation methodology that models dynamic, emergent threat behaviors and the behaviors of known threats. The methodology is threat-centric: the tool categorizes the behavior of network entities instead of being a standard alert- or alarm-centric approach that classifies individual network incidents without associating them to entities. Aggregated behavior analysis makes the proposed situation awareness tool uniquely adept at discovering malicious entities that attempt multiple vectors across attack surfaces and attacks that unfold over varied timescales.

University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) researchers will develop an integrated computational materials engineering modeling framework through a combination of materials and mechanical models for relevant advanced ultra-supercritical components and materials processed by wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM). Physics-based process-structure-property models will be developed to predict thermal history, melt pool geometry, phase stability, grain morphology/texture, high-temperature oxidation, tensile and creep strength, and residual stress. In addition to bulk properties for single materials, interfacial properties between two dissimilar alloys joined together will be modeled and employed to design the compositional profile in the interfacial zone using phase transformation modeling and topology optimization techniques. All the models developed will be validated by characterization experiments on both coupon and prototype samples, and their uncertainty will be quantified via sensitivity analysis. Pitt will be responsible for model development and simulation. United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) will perform sample preparation using WAAM, mechanical and tensile strength testing, high-temperature oxidation, and creep tests to support calibration of the structure-property modeling. Both Pitt and UTRC will work on model calibration and verification.

Echogen Power Systems will define a hybrid gas turbine SCO₂ power cycle design to achieve improved steady-state and transient performance relative to a baseline gas turbine/SCO₂ combined cycle plant. The cycle optimization code will be extended to include the gas turbine system. With this approach, an integrated optimization process can be used to obtain higher thermodynamic efficiency for the overall plant. Transient models of the gas turbine and SCO₂ system will be updated and converted into functional mockup units for co-simulation using the open-source Functional Mockup Interface standard. Representative load profiles will be developed for typical microgrid applications, which will be used to evaluate the transient performance of the hybrid power system. The individual transient models will be combined into an overall power system and grid model that will be used to create an integrated control system model and control strategy. It is expected that substantial gains in transient load-following performance will be obtained for microgrid and island-mode operation by optimizing equipment configuration and control strategies.

The University of Maryland will develop novel surface modification approaches to enhance the stability and performance of SOFC electrodes (cathode and anode) by controlling the surface stoichiometry of metal oxides. The electrode surfaces will be activated using facile and economically optimized surface modification techniques (vapor/liquid phase deposition techniques) to prevent phase segregation (such as strontium carbonate/strontium oxide) in common cathodes and advanced ceramic anodes. To fully understand the underlying mechanism of both surface reactions and degradation processes, a multi-faceted investigation on the functionalities of the modified electrodes utilizing sophisticated characterization techniques focused on material design, functionality characterization, and cell performance will be conducted. Specifically, the study of the surface species of SOFC electrodes will enable control of the surface chemistry and the ability of electrodes to successfully impede secondary phase formation to improve cell performance and durability. The degradation rates/performance will be quantified and the underlying mechanisms on tuned stoichiometric electrodes will be identified and then adapted to this newly developed surface modification process to full format SOFCs to validate improved durability on a commercial scale.

The University of South Carolina will develop and demonstrate an advanced solid-oxide fuel cell technology to cost-effectively and reliably generate electricity directly from hydrocarbon fuels (e.g., natural gas) for distributed and central generation applications. The transformational technology will be built on a planar, porous metal-supported SOFC (MS-SOFC) with its unique thin-film structures intimately supported on a metal substrate. An open channel porous metal support with hierarchically graded porosity will be fabricated using a low-cost, scalable phase-inversion tape casting method. The support will undergo systematic characterization tests to evaluate microstructure features, permeability, and mechanical strength. Cathode, thin-film electrolyte, and anode will be subsequently deposited on the porous metal substrate using an atmospheric plasma spray technique. Novel anode materials will be implemented for direct oxidation of hydrocarbon fuels. Cell fabrication protocols will be developed for manufacturing the proposed MS-SOFCs and then iteratively refined. Characterization tests assisted with SEM/XRD/line-scan to investigate phase formation and possible delamination for deposited bulk layers and the interfaces will be performed. Conceptual validation will be initially conducted on single cells to ensure cell material compositions and APS parameters. The development efforts will be transitioned to large footprint cell fabrication and evaluation once satisfactory results are achieved.

Membrane Technology and Research Inc. (MTR), with its partners Technology Centre Mongstad (TCM), and Trimeric Corporation, scaled up advanced Polaris^TM membranes and modules for commercial use and validated their potential for post-combustion carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture in an engineering-scale field test at TCM in Norway. This project expanded on work conducted with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop second-generation Polaris membrane materials (approximately 20 times more permeable than prior commercial membranes, doubling CO₂ removal capacity) and a patented selective recycle process design that increases the concentration of CO₂ in flue gas, reducing the energy and capital cost required for capture. Previous testing at the National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC) and integrated boiler testing at Babcock and Wilcox demonstrated the potential of the Polaris membrane system. In this project, an engineering-scale membrane capture system (approximately 10 tonne per day [TPD]) using advanced second-generation membranes arranged in a novel planar module design was tested at TCM. The Polaris membranes were packaged in compact, low-pressure-drop planar modules optimized for flue gas treatment, with multiple module stacks contained inside a standard shipping container. This “containerized” form allows for large numbers of this modular repeat unit to be arranged in future commercial systems at low cost. A six-month field test was conducted, including a parametric test plan developed with CCSI² to verify system performance at partial capture rates ranging from 50% to >90% and three months of steady-state operation. A techno-economic analysis of the MTR membrane process was performed assuming a 70% CO₂ capture rate.

The University of South Carolina will advance newly invented solid fuel (SF) bed SOFC technology for commercial applications in critical data center in-rack power systems. The new SOFC system combines an anode-supported tubular SOFC with an on-anode metal-bed. The in-situ reaction between the active metal bed and SOFC products (CO₂ and H₂O) produces a high concentration of local H₂ to instantaneously compensate for fast-changing overload, which would otherwise damage the anode. Compared to the baseline cell performance, the new SOFC is expected to produce 30 percent more power with greater than 100 percent overload tolerance for a continuous 30-minute operation (>±15Wcm-2 min-1 power ramping rate and <0.5%/kh degradation for 1,500 hours). The project objectives are to develop robust SF-bed compositions active to metal-steam reactions, but resistant to sintering for expended operation through a systematic and comprehensive laboratory study and validate the developed SF compositions in pilot-scale cells at industrial partner sites. The new SOFC system will also be able to operate on alternative fuels such as renewable hydrogen, digester gas, and landfill gas.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology will develop electrodes that are inherently more tolerant to Cr and Si impurities in the SOFC cathode operating environment. This work draws on the recent method to fully recover oxygen exchange kinetics following Si induced aging of ceria containing cathodes. These methods take advantage of elements, which over time during SOFC operation, are released by exsolution to actively trap (i.e., getter) Cr and Si impurities in a self-regulating chemical fashion. The objective is to evaluate impurity scavenging by added reactive elements that are intentionally exsolved from the SOFC cathode electrode during operation and by conductive second phases like LSM that help nucleate chromate species on their surfaces. Researchers will use these findings to develop optimized compositions and test them in lab-scale, long-term setups.

University of Louisiana at Lafayette will use conventional materials to develop SOFCs that have high performance and stability over the entire operational temperature range (550 to 900C). The concept originated from recent preliminary results showing that adding praseodymium (Pr) to the cathode/electrolyte interlayer resulted in a 48 percent increase in cathode performance and led to zero degradation over 500-hour measurements. Three types of cathodes will be examined: LSCF6428, doped (Pr 0.50Nd0.50) 2NiO4, and LSM20/YSZ to study the role of interlayer chemistry and microstructure on the improvement of performance stability and electrochemical activity; high-throughput setups for button cell measurements, focusing on investigating the role of Pr in and porosity of the interlayer on performance and performance stability will also be used. A low temperature sintering process at 1040C was developed to fabricate a dense screen-printed doped ceria interlayer.

The project objective is to develop technology framework for integrating current cyber physical security solutions with connected sensors that are deployed within fossil fuel based power generation plants. Specific project objectives are: (1) integration of cyber intrusion detection functionalities with connected sensors; (2) develop a comprehensive monitoring framework that would encompass advanced data analytics features such as assets security monitoring as well as device operation faults detection / prognostics. The project consists of three phases. Phase I conducts a cybersecurity technology gap analysis for existing coal-based power generation. Phase II provides design architecture for the proposed cyber secure sensor development and power generation monitoring framework. Phase III provides concept validation and compatibility analysis of integrating proposed solutions and methodology with existing infrastructure.

The scope of the project is to develop compatible cybersecurity technology that can be integrated with connected sensors and control systems capable of operating under extreme environment conditions such as those that exist inside coal-based power generation plants. The core technology proposed consists of (a) development of a comprehensive monitoring framework encompassing advanced data analytics features based on existing tools; (b) system design and development process for integrating cyber intrusion detection functionality with connected sensors which are operable under harsh environment.

Michigan State University will evaluate the benefit of using a new, dual atmosphere and rapid thermal-cycling-tolerant Ag-Ni metal system for circuit paste applications. The objectives are to obtain a baseline of commercial Ag circuit paste performance and durability, produce durable, high-performance Ag-Ni circuits on SOFC materials, and improve the performance and durability of Ag-Ni circuits by adding nickel getters. These objectives will be achieved by performing in-situ controlled atmosphere electrical conductivity and electrical contact resistance measurements; double shear lap tensile, rapid thermal cycling adhesion, and redox cycling adhesion tests; and density functional theory, molecular dynamics, and phase field modeling on commercial Ag circuit pastes, Ag-Ni circuit pastes, and Ni-gettered Ag-Ni circuit pastes atop various SOFC-relevant substrates in hydrogen and air. If successful, the proposed work would demonstrate a new category of Ag silver pastes that exhibit lower sheet resistance, lower contact resistance, better redox cycling stability, better rapid thermal cycling stability, and better adhesion to a variety of SOFC materials than today’s best commercially available contact pastes.

Redox Power Systems, LLC will demonstrate a 100 percent increase in power density in Redox SOFCs using sputtered electron blocking, buffer, and cathode functional layers as well as demonstrate that the sputtering process can be optimized to a high throughput, low cost per watt fabrication route. This work will take advantage of low cost, conventional ceramic processing to build large format (10 cm x 10 cm) half-cells upon which sputtered layers will be added to dramatically increase SOFC performance. Electron-blocking and GDC buffer layers deposited by sputtering will be developed in the first part of this project. Process parameters will be tuned to achieve the best film quality, which will be validated through SOFC testing. The GDC electrolyte layer on the half-cells will be optimized via conventional ceramics processing to provide the most suitable substrate for sputtering the additional layers. The second part of the project will involve developing a cathode functional layer via sputtering and validating it with SOFC testing. Finally, the researchers will take the initial sputter process parameters from the first two parts of the project and improve them for high throughput sputtering for demonstration of commercial-scale fabrication.

Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International, in conjunction with partners Technology Centre Mongstad (TCM), SINTEF, University of Texas-Austin, University of Oslo, Electric Power Research Institute, Pressura, and Nexant, advanced RTI’s transformational water-lean, solvent-based post-combustion carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture technology by performing engineering-scale testing using the existing large-scale pilot (approximately 12 megawatt-electric [MWe]) amine plant at TCM in Norway. Previously, RTI’s process was tested successfully at laboratory, bench, and small pilot scales, including long-term, coal-derived flue gas exposure testing at SINTEF’s Tiller Plant, showing a 40% reduction in solvent regeneration energy requirements, as well as lower thermal and oxidative solvent degradation rates compared with the conventional monoethanolamine (MEA) process. The water-lean solvent process uses intercoolers to distribute cooling throughout the CO₂ absorber, which offsets the large temperature increases in the column due to the low specific heat of the solvent. The process also includes a solvent regenerator design specific for water-lean solvents that combines heat delivery and gas release in a single-step process unit to maintain lower regeneration temperatures. Modifications were made to the existing 12-MWe amine plant at TCM that is designed for aqueous-amine solvents, including an interstage cooler installed in the absorber column and a higher capacity forced-recirculation pump installed in the regenerator. The project team conducted engineering-scale testing of the process with coal, natural gas combined cycle (NGCC), and other types of industrial flue gas using the residual fluidized catalytic cracker (RFCC), combined heat and power (CHP), and Mongstad heat plant (MHP) sources at TCM. Parametric and long-term testing was performed to evaluate solvent degradation rate, emissions, solvent loss, and corrosion characteristics, the results of which were used to complete a techno-economic analysis for a full-scale plant. The test results are used to address the scalability and commercial potential of RTI’s CO₂ capture process, aid in understanding operational efficiency, and evaluate the feasibility of optimizing an existing amine system for operation with RTI’s water-lean solvent.

Source is OSTI

Liquid Ion Solutions, along with Carnegie Mellon University and Carbon Capture Scientific, will develop and evaluate novel additives that lower the viscosity of water-lean amine solvents for post-combustion carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture. The project will focus on developing a solvent additive that minimizes the formation of long-range hydrogen bonding (HB) networks, in turn decreasing the solvent viscosity and improving the process economics. The goal of the project is to evaluate, at lab scale, the effectiveness of ether and ester HB disruptor additives in lowering solvent viscosity without having an adverse impact on CO₂ capture capacity. Three model solvents will be prepared using amines that encompass the characteristics of most amines used in water-lean solvents, and the solvents will be studied computationally and experimentally to benchmark the behavior of the solvents’ viscosity in the presence of CO₂. The project team will then use simulation models to understand the molecular interactions in water-lean solvents and identify additives that disrupt HB networks effectively, measure solvent viscosity reduction with additives at lab scale, optimize the combination of additive/solvent and test the optimized system in synthetic flue gas, and perform a cost-benefit analysis to examine the advantage of using additives for solvent viscosity reduction.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute will design, test, and validate cathode materials for SOFCs that maintain high performance and low degradation rates under simultaneously present, MULTIPLE impurities using a combined Integrated Computational Materials Engineering and lab-scale testing approach. The research team will comprehensively simulate the phase stabilities, equilibrium compositions, and point defect chemistry of cathode materials; experimentally validate phase stability and point defect chemistry through electrical conductivity measurements on the cathode materials identified by computational modeling; and recommend a series of potential cathode materials for cell testing. The team will then fabricate button cells using the optimized cathode, test selected cells, and recommend cathode candidates that can deliver power density higher than 1.5W/cm2 at 800C but exhibit degradation rate lower than 0.4%/1000 hours in the presence of simultaneously present, MULTIPLE impurities at the cell level, for testing in real cells/stacks at Atrex Energy.

GE Global Research will build and field-test gas sensors for monitoring hydrogen (H₂) and carbon monoxide (CO) anode tail gases produced in situ via on-site steam reforming in solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) systems. Knowledge of the H₂/CO ratio of these tail gases will help accurately determine and control the efficiency of the reforming process in the SOFC system and deliver a lower operating cost for SOFC customers. The project objectives are to achieve a multi-gas monitoring capability with a single multivariable sensor and to sustain this performance between maintenance cycles of the SOFC system. The team will optimize a previously developed concept for detecting multiple gases with a single high-temperature sensor by monitoring H₂ and CO in precise lab experiments followed by field validation in SOFCs at GE–Fuel Cells, LLC. The team expects to achieve, at most, ±10 percent error in sensor accuracy in side-by-side comparisons against the benchmark instrument utilized on existing GE SOFC systems.

The overall objective for the Phase II CarbonSAFE Integrated Midcontinent Stacked Carbon Storage Hub (IMSCS-HUB) Project is to demonstrate the feasibility of stacked Paleozoic storage complexes at potential sites in southwest Nebraska and Kansas to safely, permanently, and economically store commercial-scale quantities of carbon dioxide (CO₂) (50 million metric tons [MMT] or greater) from industrial sources. This project will build on lessons learned from the Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships (RCSPs) and multiple Phase I CarbonSAFE projects to extend the framework for site characterization and development to the commercial scale and enable large volumes of CO₂ to be stored.

University of Connecticut will identify, fabricate, test, and validate cost-effective getter formulations and designs to capture airborne Cr, Si, S and B gaseous species entering SOFC power generation systems operating from 600 to 900°C to mitigate electrochemical poisoning of the cathode. The research effort will focus on thermodynamic and kinetic interaction studies between multi-constituent airborne gaseous impurities (predominantly acidic) and alkaline earth-transition metal oxides (basic) along with the analysis of reaction kinetics and identification of rate limiting steps that can lead to continued surface reaction under materials limitation conditions. High surface area nano-rods and nano-particles will be synthesized and incorporated into the porous getter coating formed over ceramic substrates. Advanced characterization techniques will be used to identify surface and interfacial morphological changes and compound formation. Select getter configurations will be subsequently scaled up, integrated, and tested in a prototype SOFC system test bed to validate the technology readiness level.

The objective of the study is to perform a comprehensive analysis of the current state-of-the-art approaches that use distributed sensors and controls technology for securing fossil power plants from cyber-risks. The study will analyze physical domain approaches and fault-tolerant controls or similar technology extensible to cybersecurity needs (e.g., detection and neutralization of effects of cyber-attacks or faults). The team will use a generic reference solution example and assess the suitability to fossil power generation assets. The reference solution framework, being a physical defense layer, is unlike the conventional protections offered by IT and OT employed in many industrial control systems. It uses a hybrid technical approach combining theoretical advances from multiple disciplines such as system physics, human physiology, machine learning, and control and estimation, with abilities to simultaneously process copious amounts of data from a heterogeneous sensing environment and learn from it. During this project, we will investigate further optimization and breakthroughs unique to fossil power plants. The research team will work with the industry advisory board members selected from various segments of GE businesses.The paper study will contain a report about (1) a survey of the cybersecurity landscape affecting control systems of fossil fuel power plants; (2) a list of high-risk threats and faults, identified vulnerabilities, risk factors, and their impacts; (3) capabilities of existing fault tolerant control systems; (4) the applicability of current DOE-funded efforts; (5) the applicability of secure communication technologies; and (6) identified technical and non-technical gaps. The report will conclude with recommendations and requirements for creating advanced monitoring solutions. The results of this study can be used to define more focused research.

TDA Research Inc. partnered with Membrane Technology and Research Inc. (MTR), Technology Centre Mongstad (TCM), Gas Technology Institute, and the University of California Irvine to design, construct, and operate an engineering-scale (1 megawatt-electric [MWe]) hybrid post-combustion carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture system, combining a polymeric membrane and a low-temperature physical absorbent. The polymer membrane removes the bulk of the CO₂ in the flue gas across a relatively low-pressure gradient, reducing the power consumption and cost of capture. The membrane residue gas is further treated by the sorbent, ensuring greater than 90% CO₂ capture overall. The sorbent is regenerated using the coal boiler air intake, and the CO₂-laden air is fed to the boiler, generating a CO₂-rich flue gas that further increases the driving force across the membrane. In a previous U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded Small Business Innovative Research project, the sorbent formulation was optimized and operation of the hybrid process was evaluated at bench scale using a slipstream of actual coal-derived flue gas. A preliminary techno-economic analysis (TEA) showed a substantial improvement in net plant efficiency (approximately 3.5% increase on higher heating value basis) compared with the state-of-the-art CANSOLV amine-based CO2 capture system. In this project, the team designed a 1-MWe modular pilot unit with the support of computational fluid dynamic simulations. Based on the final design details, the membrane-sorbent hybrid test unit was fabricated, following modifications to MTR’s existing 1-MWe two-stage membrane skid and the construction of TDA’s modular sorbent skid. A nine-month test campaign was performed at TCM on the field unit using an industrial flue gas that closely resembles coal-fired flue gas to evaluate the system’s performance at different operating conditions. The test results were used to update the membrane performance data and the TEA to validate lower cost of capture compared to the reference amine system, as well as to provide an environmental health and safety assessment for the technology.

The goal of the project is to normalize various forms of machine data to enhance analytics and machine learning to more robustly detect cyber-attacks on generation, transmission and distribution systems. Captured data will provide a baseline of the environment that will be utilized to generate analytical trends, patterns, and discovered behavior of devices/processes.

West Virginia University will develop a chromium tolerant, highly active, stable coating layer and apply it to the internal surfaces of porous composite cathodes from commercially available SOFCs via Atomic Layer Deposition. The coating will be applied to tailor the nanostructures of both LSM/YSZ and LSCF/SDC cathode surfaces to improve Cr-tolerance. The research team will characterize the nanostructure of the coating layer and identify an optimized coating layer thickness, layer chemistry, and structure possessing high electro-catalytic activity, enhanced cell durability and high tolerance to Cr-poisoning. Specific objectives are to enhance the Cr-tolerance of LSM/YSZ cathodes through the formation of dual layer of metallic electrocatalyst Pt capped with an (MnCo) Ox layer; formation of a Pt-free single-phase transition metal oxide electrocatalyst (Co3O4); and design of a nanocomposite layer consisting of an oxide electrocatalyst (Co3O4) and metallic electrocatalyst (Pt). The project is expected to result in commercial cells with a 50 percent greater power density throughout the entire SOFC operational temperature range of 650–800°C.

University of Missouri researchers will develop a robotics-enabled eddy current testing (ECT) system for autonomous inspection of heat exchanger tubes. The proposed system will be capable of precisely controlling the location and speed of the ECT probe into or out of tubes of various sizes and geometries. An imaging system and adaptive control algorithm will be employed to quickly identify the outer geometry of the tubes and their positions relative to the probe, enabling precise movement of the ECT probe to the inlet of each tube. Insertion and extraction speeds will be controlled for fast and more consistent scanning during testing. A convolutional neural network or other machine learning algorithms will enable autonomous inspection via a feedback loop, which will be employed to learn from historical data categorized by the signatures of the various failure modes (e.g., cracking and corrosion, abrasive and erosive wear). If measured data from suspicious regions of the tubes match these signatures, the controller will make a real-time decision on insertion and extraction speeds and probe location for more detailed scanning, thus increasing measurement accuracy while enhancing testing efficiency.

The objective of the project is to fully develop an Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) framework by building on developments previously accomplished by UTRC. The project team will use the modeling framework to demonstrate the viability of engineering spatially varying properties by controlling the microstructure evolution in the additive manufacturing process.

The scope of the project is to demonstrate the application of computational methods and tools on microstructure evolution and mechanical properties prediction (e.g., yield strength, creep) for a nickel-based superalloy (IN718) part used in land-based gas turbine engines made by an additive manufacturing (AM) process using laser powder bed fusion. Specifically, UTRC will develop models in three areas: (1) AM process parameters – microstructure correlation models; (2) correlation between initial microstructure and final microstructure after the heat treatment process; and (3) final microstructure to mechanical properties relationship. Using those computational models, UTRC aims to demonstrate the ability to tailor spatially varying mechanical properties in a part by appropriately controlling the microstructure evolution during the AM process. UTRC further intends to demonstrate the superior performance (e.g., durability/life) of the part with spatially optimized properties by comparison to that of a homogenous polycrystalline material using computational simulation.

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The primary goal of this research is to develop a lizard-inspired robot for in-service inspection of power plant components that contain rough surfaces and limited accessibilities. Several kinds of animals have evolved over millions of years to gain complex mobility based on friction in order to live in tight spaces with complex geometries and rough surfaces. Inspired by a lizard, the novelty of the current project is the integration of sensing, advanced ultrasound Lamb wave imaging, and friction-based mobility components in a single robot.

The first objective of the current project is to develop a robot with friction-based mobility capabilities to move on tubes with complex geometries, obstacles, and rough surfaces such as U-bend corroded tubular structures. The second objective is to integrate automation with couplant-free ultrasound transmission technology and develop an advanced Lamb wave-based imaging algorithm to detect and evaluate crack and corrosion defects in tubes/pipes using a network of couplant-free ultrasound sensors placed at the location of the robot’s grippers. This robot will be able to move on ferromagnetic and non-ferromagnetic materials and will not require smooth and prepared surfaces for mobility or to obtain ultrasound images of the entire cross section of the tube.

Arizona State University (ASU), in collaboration with the University of South Carolina (USC), will develop a high-temperature, high-pressure ceramic-carbonate dual-phase (CCDP) membrane reactor for water-gas-shift (WGS) reaction to produce a high concentration hydrogen (H₂) stream with carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture. The CCDP membrane is composed of a porous ceramic phase that serves as a support layer and a molten carbonate phase infiltrated into the support. The reactor is expected to produce separate CO₂- and H₂-rich streams with single-stage carbon monoxide conversion and CO₂ recovery of 90 percent. Previous research at ASU and USC has shown successful fabrication and unique CO₂ permeation/separation properties of CCDP membranes of different materials in disk and tubular geometries.During this project, the project team will design and fabricate CCDP membranes with improved CO₂ permeance and mechanical strength for testing in a lab-scale reactor with simulated coal-derived syngas. The membrane reactor will be designed to operate at high temperature (700-900^oC) and pressure (20-30 atm) and will be able to withstand impurities in the syngas, such as hydrogen sulfide. Experiments will be conducted to study high-pressure CO₂ permeation and WGS reaction with CO₂ capture and the results will be incorporated into a mathematical model. The experimental conditions of the system will then be optimized to produce high-purity CO₂ and H₂ streams with at least 99 percent and 90 percent purity, respectively. Process design and a techno-economic analysis will be completed for the CCDP membrane reactor incorporated in a full-scale integrated gasification combined cycle plant.

Colorado School of Mines researchers will collaborate with partners from Michigan State University to develop an integrated autonomous robotic platform that (1) is equipped with advanced sensors to perform live inspection, (2) operates innovative onboard devices to perform live repair, and (3) uses artificial intelligence (AI) for intelligent information fusion and live predictive analysis for smart automated spatiotemporal inspection, analysis, and repair of furnace walls in coal-fired boilers. The autonomous robotic platform will be capable of attaching to and navigating on vertical boiler furnace walls using magnetic drive tracks. Live non-destructive evaluation (NDE) sensors and repair devices will be developed and integrated to the robot. In addition, the robot will be powered by AI to automate data gathering (e.g., mapping and damage localization) and live predictive analysis will incorporate end user feedback to continuously improve performance and achieve smart autonomy. Performance will be verified on vertical steel test structures in the principal investigators’ laboratories and at facilities provided as in-kind support by Xcel Energy and EnergynTech.

Florida International University researchers will develop a robotic inspection tool to evaluate the structural integrity of key components in fossil fuel power plants. The tool will consist of multiple modular crawlers that can navigate through the 2-inch diameter superheater tubes typically found within power plant boilers—which are often subject to corrosion and micro cracks—and provide information regarding the health of the pipes. Design modifications to reduce the tether load and maximize the pull force will be made. Multiple systems will then be synchronized to increase the length of pipe that can be inspected. The base system will house a camera for video feedback and contain a module that utilizes thumbnail-size ultrasonic sensors for measuring pipe thickness and a LiDAR (light detection and ranging) sensor to detect any pipe buildup, damage, and/or misalignment. In addition, the module will provide a means to prepare the surface prior to measuring. The team will develop and conduct bench-scale tests to optimize the design of the crawler and its modules and conduct engineering-scale tests to validate the system.

Lehigh University, working with Western Kentucky University, will characterize coal contaminants in power plant wastewater as a function of coal type, plant type, plant operational profile, environmental controls, water treatment technology, and effluent species. Multiple utility companies will provide access to their coal-fired power plants and in-kind support for testing and data and sample collection from flue gas desulfurization wastewater discharge and treated water tank discharge effluent streams. Effluent samples will be analyzed for mercury, arsenic, selenium, nitrate/nitrite, and bromide. Coal sample analyses will include proximate analysis (moisture, volatile matter, ash and fixed carbon); ultimate analysis (carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulfur, ash, and oxygen); trace elemental analysis (mercury, arsenic, and selenium); and anions analysis (bromide, nitrate + nitrite).

University of Texas at El Paso researchers will test and validate the performance of UTEP’s GPS-denied Inspection System, outfitted with electro-optical and infrared inspection sensors, in a representative coal-fired power component that will be determined in conjunction with the El Paso Electric Company. Researchers will use rotary wing flying robots for outdoor inspection of GPS-denied environments to test the system’s guidance and navigation and obstacle avoidance capabilities. The objectives are to develop computer assisted design (CAD)-based inspection profiles for space-constrained and GPS-denied areas of a power plant; test and validate the capability to keep a pre-set distance from complex surfaces (within sub-15 cm tolerances in all 6 directions); and test and validate the capability to perform an automated inspection of uneven vertical and horizontal surfaces in enclosed and GPS-denied areas.

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During this project ULC Robotics will develop a Resident Inline Robot for Leakage Inspection, Repair, and Prevention of Methane Emissions. ULC Robotics will develop the prototype leak detection and repair robotic system for use with natural gas pipelines. Leak detection sensor testing and optimization have been planned along with the development of the leak detection and data acquisition system. The repair patch and repair sleeve will be designed for enhanced sealing capabilities and for enabling robotic installation.

Ohio State University (OSU) will develop a cost-effective design and fabrication process for a novel amine-containing transformational membrane to capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal-derived syngas. The membrane consists of a CO₂-selective and permeable layer on top of a nanoporous polymer support and exhibits chemical stability to hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) gas. The membrane operates based on the facilitated transport mechanism, in which CO₂ transfer through the membrane is enhanced via reaction with amino groups, while hydrogen (H₂) is rejected due to the absence of reaction. Hydrogen sulfide can permeate through the membrane significantly faster than CO₂ and can be removed in the front section of the membrane module, resulting in less than 10 ppm H₂S in the retentate. The membrane will be used in a single-stage membrane process utilizing modules in commercial spiral-wound configuration with a minimal pressure drop. OSU will synthesize and characterize transformational membranes, scale up the best performing membrane using a continuous roll-to-roll fabrication method, and fabricate at least nine prototype membrane modules with an approximate membrane area of 800 cm². Parametric testing of the membrane modules at 20-32 bar and 100-120°C will be performed to identify conditions for continuous steady-state operation, which will be conducted using simulated syngas at OSU for at least 200 hours. The membrane test data will be used to complete a high-level techno-economic analysis (TEA) and finalize the state point data table. American Electric Power will provide consulting support on the TEA and Microdyn-Nadir US Inc. will provide consultation on membrane scale-up and module fabrication.

This project will develop new or improved methods of manufacturing conductive ink pigments using coal as a primary feedstock. The conductive inks to be developed will use calcined coal pigments obtained from proprietary thermal treatment processes and combinations of the coal-derived conductive pigments with other conductive materials such as graphite/graphene platelets and carbon black. The commercial manufacturing of graphene is in its infancy and currently top-down (subtractive) scalable manufacturing processes use graphite as a precursor material for graphene production. Minus 100 will collaborate with existing graphite and ink manufacturers to convert domestic coal sources to conductive pigments that, in turn, can be used to produce highly conductive inks. Process flow diagrams will be developed for individual process steps that are intended to lead to practical scale-up to commercial- or demonstration-scale operations. A bottom-up cost analysis will be performed to validate the economics of the new/improved conductive pigment manufacturing process using coal as the primary feedstock.

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The project will adapt processes and compositions of coatings currently used on air conditioning and refrigeration materials for materials used in steam condensers. Although a variety of materials are used by the coal power plant industry, the recipient will focus on two alloys of stainless steel 304 and Cu90Ni10 due to their widespread use. Surface energy, durability, and heat transfer properties will be measured on test coupons. The process will be scaled up and tested on a laboratory scale test condenser capable of measuring heat transfer to the cooling water. This laboratory scale steam condenser will test the performance of the droplet rejection coatings at a set of conditions which bound typical heat exchanger operations. This includes several inlet water temperatures and steam pressure conditions that account for variations in cooling water reservoir temperature, seasonal variations in temperature, and availability of cooling water at different power plant locations. These empirical results will complement the heat transfer simulations to develop a semiempirical model. The model can be used by future design engineers to design and model condenser performance specific to the conditions operating at the plant.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with support from Heat Transfer Research Inc. (HTRI), will develop a robust new approach to enhance condensation heat transfer for steam power plants via capillary-driven condensation. To achieve this goal, MIT will (1) develop porous membranes and wicking structures for capillary-driven condensation, design and develop various wicking structures and porous hydrophobic membranes to reduce the thermal resistance and enhance capillary driven flow; (2) experimentally investigate capillary-driven condensation on flat and tube substrates, experimentally characterize the condensation heat transfer performance, and compare it with traditional film-wise condensation on various samples; (3) optimize the capillary-driven condensation structure with model development, develop a physics-based model to predict and optimize condensation heat transfer, and experimentally validate the results; (4) incorporate capillary-driven condensation structures to demonstrate scaled-up proof-of-concept operation, and with HTRI support, perform experiments on tube bundles under relevant industrial conditions.

This project will develop and demonstrate a method that improves the measurement of in-situ principal stresses in the deep subsurface. Project goals include (a) developing a method for determining the spatial distribution of the magnitude and orientation of principal in-situ stresses in the deep subsurface, including near and far from the wellbore; (b) testing the method at one or more field sites considered for hosting carbon dioxide (CO2) storage; (c) defining performance limits on uncertainty and spatial resolution that can be achieved with the method; and (d) achieving improvement over state-of-the-art methods for determining in-situ stresses. The results of this project will lead to an increased understanding of the geomechanical impacts associated with a CO2 injection operation, thereby decreasing the geomechanical risks throughout the life cycle of a CO2 injection project.

Membrane Technology and Research, Inc. (MTR) will work with its partners Susteon and the Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) to develop a transformational membrane process for pre-combustion carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture in integrated gasification combined cycle power plants. Expanding on prior U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded work that produced a novel hydrogen-selective, multilayer composite polymer membrane called Proteus™, this project focuses on the scale up of a second-generation Proteus membrane. Previous testing of Gen-2 Proteus membrane stamps in MTR’s laboratory and at the National Carbon Capture Center using a slipstream of syngas resulted in an average H₂/CO₂ selectivity of 30 (approximately double that of the Gen-1 membrane) and stable operation up to 200°C, indicating the potential to reduce the cost of capture by more than 30 percent compared to a base-case Selexol™ separation process. The project team will fabricate high-temperature prototype modules using Gen-2 Proteus membranes and validate module performance in laboratory tests. A bench-scale module test system will be designed, built, and installed at EERC for parametric and lifetime testing of the modules with actual coal-derived syngas. The process will be optimized, and a techno-economic analysis will be updated based upon the results of testing.

SRI International will partner with PBI Performance Products, Inc., Enerfex, Inc., and the University of Kentucky’s Center for Applied Energy Research (UK CAER), to advance the development of a polybenzimidazole (PBI) polymer hollow-fiber membrane (HFM)-based pre-combustion carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture technology. The process utilizes compact, hollow, asymmetric PBI fibers to separate CO₂ from a syngas stream at high temperature (~225°C) and pressure (>20 atm) for increased net power plant efficiency and reduced cost of electricity. In a previous U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded project, the PBI-HFM gas separation technology was successfully tested at bench scale at the National Carbon Capture Center under air-blown gasifier conditions, revealing greater than 90 percent CO₂ capture at temperatures greater than 180°C, as well as higher H₂/CO₂ selectivity and H₂ permeance compared to commercially available low-temperature polymeric membranes. Further work led to the development of next-generation (GEN-2) fibers with far superior H₂/CO₂ selectivity, which will be fabricated and further evaluated in this project. SRI’s existing bench-scale test skid will be upgraded to accommodate large fiber modules (four and six inches) for field testing. The GEN-2 modules will be tested with actual coal-derived syngas under oxygen-blown gasifier conditions at UK CAER. A series of parametric and steady-state tests will be performed over a full range of operating conditions to assess optimal system operating parameters. The team will use the test results to prepare a techno-economic analysis and component and system modeling of the PBI-HFM capture system integrated into a 550-MWe power plant to advance the technology toward further scale up and commercialization.

The State University of New York (SUNY) – Buffalo, along with its partners Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and Trimeric Corporation, will develop a highly efficient membrane-based process using carbon molecular sieve (CMS) hollow fiber membranes to capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal-derived syngas. The CMS membranes will be derived from polybenzimidazole (PBI) doped with polyprotic acids and are expected to be chemically stable, able to operate in temperatures up to 300°C, easily scalable, and have high hydrogen (H₂) permeance and H₂/CO₂ selectivity. In previous work, LANL successfully fabricated nearly defect-free PBI hollow fiber membranes with a 0.2 µm selective layer and a defect minimizing PBI-based seal material and concluded that PBI doped with polyprotic acids enhances the size-sieving ability and thus H₂/CO₂ separation properties of the polymer. It was also determined that the carbonization of PBI combined with acid doping increases both permeability and selectivity into a range suitable for commercial deployment. In this project, the team will develop and optimize CMS hollow fiber membranes based on PBI doped with polyprotic acids to achieve high H₂ permeance (1,000 GPU) and H₂/CO₂ selectivity (40) at 200-300°C. Parametric testing of the membranes assembled into pencil modules will be performed at lab scale using simulated syngas containing hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide, and water vapor. Membrane reactors based on the H₂-selective membranes will also be designed for low-temperature water-gas shift (WGS) reaction and tested for efficiency. Using test data, a techno-economic analysis based on the newly developed membranes will be conducted.

In Phase II, UES will develop electrochemical and thermal models of the cell in its stack environment for selected MPEA compositions, which can provide the basis for tailoring the anode composition. Electrochemical testing and performance analysis will be done on button cells fabricated using the optimized composition of selected alloys and compared with the performance of the base line cell. Further testing will be performed with gas mixtures more representative of natural gas to avoid the need for a supplemental conventional pre-reformer.

The scope of this work is to demonstrate the thermal and corrosion performance of film-forming coatings, and the feasibility of using a loop thermosyphon to replace the pumped water loop that is currently used to remove heat from the steam surface condenser.

A bench-scale test loop will be built to measure the condensation heat transfer improvement and corrosion protection under different steam operation conditions. A comparison between loop thermosyphon and pumped water loop will be made to demonstrate the advantage of using a loop thermosyphon. A sub-scale prototype will be fabricated and tested to further demonstrate the feasibility.

The University of Pennsylvania will address unresolved anode degradation issues via Atomic Layer Deposition to form oxide overlayers on Ni-YSZ cermet anodes to suppress whisker formation, reduce coarsening, and suppress oxidation of the reduced Ni. Specific objectives will be to explore and optimize the use of ultra-thin films of oxide modifiers such as BaO and reducible perovskites that are able to exsolve catalytic metal nanoparticles to enhance the coking tolerance of Ni-based anodes and demonstrate the use of ultra-thin perovskite layers to stabilize the Ni surface area and preserve three-phase boundary sites. Initial work will focus on identifying materials that improve the properties of Ni-cermet anodes on button cells and then applying the most promising materials to larger cells, including those of tubular design, to demonstrate that the methods can be applied to the development of commercial systems.

The objective of this project is to evaluate a set of effluent water management technologies and strategies that yield lower-cost clean water and reduced energy consumption compared to conventional systems used in coal-fired energy plants, and additionally generate salts and solids byproducts that can be reused or disposed as non-hazardous waste materials in landfills. The approach is holistic, addressing both water treatment and byproducts. The goals of the project are to (1) develop and use a statistical-based water mass balance model to identify opportunities for reducing water consumption and meeting discharge treatment requirements; (2) demonstrate at pilot scale a potentially highly effective, lower-cost energy technology for treating flue gas desulfurization (FGD) discharges at the Water Research Center (WRC); and (3) develop and test the encapsulation for safe disposal of solid byproducts of the wastewater treatment process that have no productive use.

The objective of this project is to implement a real-time, on-line preventative maintenance system aimed at extending operational lifespan of coal-fired plant operations. This will be accomplished by first modeling existing operational behavior based on historical instrumentation data utilizing advanced artificial intelligence (AI) techniques already proven for use on gas turbines. The value of this approach is it does not require a priori knowledge of operation or physics of the assets/system. The resultant models and associated user interfaces will be deployed into an on-line system for real-time monitoring of equipment health; again, this approach will utilize existing instrumentation and plant operational data.

The project will achieve lab-scale demonstration of an inexpensive, anti-corrosion coating for application to carbon steel, which will facilitate the capture of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal- and natural gas-fired power generation by reducing materials of construction and maintenance costs. The coating consists of a novel mixed metal oxide coating, developed by LumiShield Technologies Incorporated, covered with an organic anti-corrosion coating. The objectives for Budget Period 1 (BP1) will be to optimize the metal oxide coating for use as a base layer for organic coatings and to prove the effectiveness of a prototype two-layer coating in preventing corrosion. The objectives for Budget Period 2 (BP2) will be to identify the organic coatings which give the best performance in combination with the optimized metal oxide coating and to show the economic advantage of using the coatings by completing a cost benefit analysis.

Det Norske Veritas (DNV) GL USA will develop and validate computational design and analysis tools that optimize novel material combinations for fabricating microchannel heat-exchangers via additive manufacturing (AM) for supercritical CO₂ power cycle technology. Original experiments will be performed for alumina- and chromia-scale forming Ni-based superalloys made with conventional and additive manufacturing with simulated compositional grading effects. The project integrates high-temperature oxidation modeling, phase-field modeling of microstructure evolution, and creep performance using crystal plasticity modeling. The three models will be coupled according to an input-output matrix that passes information on solute depletion into microstructure models for gamma-prime (?’) re-distribution and then into the crystal plasticity models for prediction of creep rate and tensile strength reduction. The modeling work will be tightly coupled with experimental high-temperature oxidation and creep testing of advanced alloys and prototype components in supercritical CO₂.

The main objective of the project is to design, prototype, and demonstrate a miniaturized implementation of a multi-process, high-spatial-resolution monitoring system for boiler condition management. This monitoring system includes an electrochemical sensor that can provide a real-time indication of tube surface conditions at key locations in the radiant or convective section of a coal-fired boiler. It is capable of providing metal loss rates, heat flux, metal surface temperature, and deposit thickness. This monitoring system will be developed and tested in the high temperature regions of a coal-fired utility boiler in this project, but can be applied in a variety of other industries and applications.

The overall objective of the project is to determine the feasibility of establishing a commercial-scale (50+ million metric tons [MMT] of carbon dioxide [CO2]) geological storage complex in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin (PRB) in the immediate vicinity of Basin Electric Power Cooperative’s (BEPC) coal-fired Dry Fork Station (DFS). The study will investigate stacked storage within four PRB geologic units of varying lithology and depositional environments.

Research Triangle Institute (RTI), is developing a comprehensive solvent emission mitigation toolset for reducing the solvent and aerosol emissions from carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture systems using water-lean solvents (WLSs). Due to their low energy requirement for solvent regeneration, lower regeneration temperature, low corrosivity, and low vapor pressure, WLS systems are rapidly being developed for CO₂ capture. RTI’s toolset is specifically designed for WLS systems, implementing an advanced organic solvent wash system in conjunction with water wash, acid wash, and other commercially available, state-of-the-art emission reduction technologies. This integrated approach will minimize the amine losses and emissions through the suppression of three key emission mechanisms: vapor loss, liquid entrainment, and aerosol formation. The project objectives are to characterize the emissions produced by WLSs while capturing CO₂; develop a model that predicts the emissions based on the solvent’s physical and chemical properties and on critical operating parameters from the absorber and wash section; develop a process toolset for emission reduction over a range of solvent systems; evaluate the effectiveness of these emission mitigation devices in RTI’s Bench-scale Gas Absorption System (BsGAS) by testing with RTI’s current WLS formulation, NAS-5, and a second selected WLS under actual flue gas conditions; and complete a techno-economic analysis to determine the contribution of the emission control technologies to the overall CO₂ capture cost.

University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research (UK-CAER) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) will develop three enabling techniques to advance the deployment of post-combustion carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture technologies. The specific objectives are to develop a dynamic polarity packing material with increased turbulent liquid flow and controlled gas-liquid bubble formation to increase CO₂ mass transfer into amine solvents; investigate the impact of additives on the physical properties of solvents and their relationship to bubble formation to boost mass transfer while reducing aerosol formation; and neutralize nitrosamines derived from amine solvents through development of an electrochemical treatment process. The project team will develop and fabricate customized dynamic packing material using advanced manufacturing techniques, install the packing into UK-CAER’s bench-scale (0.1 MWth) CO₂ capture unit, and conduct parametric and long-term testing with additive-modified solvents using coal-derived flue gas, with a goal of achieving stable operation with an average of 90 percent CO₂ capture and an average of 20 to 30 percent less energy consumption compared to the monoethanolamine (MEA) reference case. An electrochemical cell with stationary carbon electrodes will be designed and evaluated for the adsorption and decomposition of nitrosamines from wash water collected from UK-CAER’s 0.7-MWe small pilot CO₂ capture system located at Kentucky Utilities’ E.W. Brown Generating Station. A high-level technical and economic analysis will be performed to determine the feasibility of producing the custom dynamic packing at commercial scales and assess the logistics and associated costs of constructing a commercial-scale electrochemical cell to decompose nitrosamines.

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The objective of this project is to develop a framework to boost the reliability of characterization and prediction of the state of stress in the overburden and underburden (including the basement) in carbon dioxide (CO₂) storage reservoirs using machine learning and integrated geomechanics and geophysical methods. This project will use field data and models developed by the Southwest Regional Partnership on Carbon Sequestration (SWP) for the Farnsworth Unit, a CO₂ enhanced oil recovery (EOR) project being conducted by Perdure in Ochiltree County, Texas, to verify the improved capabilities of the developed methods. The integration methodology is an adaptation of industry-accepted practices for calibration of flow simulation models to coupled geomechanical models for improved stress prediction. Computational challenges will be overcome through application of machine learning.

The project approach is to develop and demonstrate an integrated boiler management system that incorporates high temperature, distributed fiber optic sensors, existing plant instrumentation, and an Integrated Creep-Fatigue Management System to provide near-real-time determination of damage accumulation during flexible operation. This system enhances the capability of proven creep/fatigue analysis methods by integrating industrially implemented distributed fiber optic sensing technology specifically adapted to boiler applications. The technology developed will be transferrable to all boiler types and operating regimes. Data analysis will be used to inform operational approaches that minimize thermal stresses and transients and lead to improvements in boiler operational performance and reliability. Monitoring of thick-walled components in concert with boiler tubes will permit an accurate assessment, in near real time, of component damage and degradation through advanced data collection, expanded modeling, and use of validated assessment tools.

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) will use a digital twin material model to apply advanced manufacturing (AM) techniques to advance rotating detonation engine (RDE) injector design. This project will develop both a digital twin model of the injector manufacturing process and an injector that performs in an RDE combustor with a significant reduction in flow loss. This will be accomplished through several subordinate objectives: design of a novel RDE injector that allows for fuel and oxidizer flows to be optimized in ways not possible with conventional manufacturing; comprehensive design of experiments (DofE) focusing on contributing factors that trigger high-cycle fatigue; development of a parametric material model based on actual test coupons from the AM process that allows prediction of mechanical strength properties; and manufacture, test, and post-test destructive evaluation of an RDE injector exposed to a significant high-cycle fatigue environment. SwRI is responsible for the material model DofE; producing a portion of the material samples; performing the detailed RDE injector design; performance testing of the RDE injector; and post-test analysis of the injector component. Aerojet Rocketdyne will support the application of this work to the existing RDE; review the DofE for material samples; produce many of the material samples; support the conceptual design of the new RDE injector; manufacture the RDE injector prototypes for testing; and support RDE injector testing, including data capture and post-processing. Georgia Institute of Technology will provide the material model development and application to the design of the RDE injector; review the DofE for completeness; process material samples to extract physical and microstructure qualities; advance the process parameter to microstructure linkage; develop the microstructure to fatigue resistance linkage; and support the injector design analysis with process parameter optimization.

The goal of this project is to demonstrate an innovative, energy-efficient water treatment system for flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) wastewater treatment to meet the Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Steam Electric Power Generating Point Source Category (ELGs). The proposed treatment system uses hybrid biosorption, which is an adsorption process enhanced by biological activity to remove selenium, arsenic, nitrate, and potentially other contaminants from FGD wastewater.The objectives are to (1) evaluate a biosorption treatment system at the Water Research Center at Plant Bowen; (2) demonstrate both energy and water savings associated with the proposed innovative water treatment process; (3) using available published data, compare energy and water savings with alternative technologies that are typically used to remove the target contaminants, and (4) provide long-term management of the FGD wastewater challenge that plagues coal-fired power plants by offering a low-energy, high water-efficiency water treatment system that also significantly decreases waste byproducts by utilizing available waste heat.

The overall goal of this project is to accelerate the development of a CO2 mineralization process that synergistically utilizes CO2 in flue gas and coal combustion residues (CCRs) to synthesize CO2NCRETE, a functional replacement for traditional concrete. Over the course of this project, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), with support from Susteon Inc., will design, fabricate, and optimize a field-scale CO2 processing (carbonation) system designed to consume about 100 kilograms of CO2 per day directly from coal-derived flue gas, without a CO2 capture or enrichment step. UCLA will evaluate the system’s performance at the Integrated Test Center (ITC) using real coal flue gas from the Dry Fork Station, during which critical data on energy inputs and CO2 uptake rates achievable at the field-scale will be compiled. The performance data and optimization sequence that the team collects will inform design and scaling analysis required for development of a commercial-scale CO2 mineralization system, which will be achieved prior to the completion of this project.

The outcome of this project will be the improvement in current membrane separation technologies for removing oxygen from air by providing a durable, high-performing membrane material that represents a dramatic advance over current technology. Specifically, selective polymeric materials will be modified to drastically reduce plasticization and aging phenomena that plague many commercial and research materials. In this work, methods for developing the new materials into deployable forms that can use existing system designs and engineering, specifically hollow fibers, will be investigated to ensure a pathway to commercialization. This work supports the deployment of smaller modular coal-fired power plants, gasification, and oxycombustion.

Ohio University will develop a process that simultaneously converts CO₂ and natural gas liquids (NGLs), mainly ethane (C₂H₆), in wet natural gas (WNG) into valuable carbon monoxide (CO) and chemicals/fuels respectively, using electrical energy. The primary objective is to identify an intermediate temperature solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC) process configuration that offers the technical feasibility of producing CO and removing C₂H₆ from WNG at costs equivalent to current commercial processes, with significant reduction in lifecycle CO₂ emissions over conventional processes. A secondary objective will be to evaluate the potential integration of the proposed process into a coal-fired power plant facility for direct utilization of CO₂ containing flue gas to match current commercial CO production and NGL separation costs. The process is based upon a SOEC stack design that synergistically combines electrochemical reduction of CO₂ with electrochemical-oxidative dehydrogenation (e-ODH) of ethane. The technical feasibility of the proposed process will be evaluated using laboratory-scale electrochemical button cell tests to investigate CO₂ reduction and e-ODH electrocatalyst activity and stability. Process simulation and modeling will evaluate different process configurations for optimizing CO₂ conversion and evaluating process economics. The ability to directly utilize flue gas as a CO₂ source will also be evaluated experimentally and through process simulation and modeling.

MicroBio Engineering, Inc., in collaboration with Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC), California Polytechnic State University, University of Central Florida, and Global Thermostat, will continue the development of an integrated process to produce microalgal biomass for the conversion of coal-fired power plant flue gas carbon dioxide (CO₂) into valuable animal feeds. In a previous U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded project (FE0026490), filamentous species of microalgae were cultivated in 3.4-m² raceway ponds using flue gas CO₂ from a power plant unit at OUC’s Stanton Energy Center (SEC) in Orlando, Florida. The focus of this research will be on cultivating the filamentous species for high value animal feeds rich in carotenoids and essential fatty acids, while greatly reducing the cost of production. The filamentous nature of the algae species allows for easy harvesting by using a commercial, low-cost vibrating screen. This project will test at field scale the major unit processes required to produce animal feed with microalgae cultivated using flue gas CO₂ from a coal-fired power plant. The dried and milled biomass will be added to conventional poultry feed and feeding trials will be conducted to quantify the value of the feed in terms of a suite of poultry production metrics. The results from the cultivation and feeding trials will be used to update the current full-scale (1,000-acre) design and to develop a techno-economic assessment and life cycle assessment (LCA) for a larger facility (>10,000 acres). Two intertwined issues to be addressed are: (1) the supply of CO₂ beyond the range feasible for flue gas transport (<5 miles) and (2) scale up to 10,000 acres or larger production systems, supplied with concentrated flue gas CO₂ through a pipeline.

University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research is partnering with Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) to develop and test a novel electro-catalytic method to produce high-value formic acid from high-purity coal-derived carbon dioxide (CO₂), as a strategy to offset the cost of CO₂ capture. Formic acid is currently produced from the decomposition of higher-order carbon products such as methane and/or methanol. The proposed electro-catalytic CO₂ reduction process (Andora process) utilizes a highly selective catalyst in a flow-through reactor design to maximize the formic acid production rate. The specific objectives of this study are to: 1) screen and produce engineered CO₂-reducing catalysts capable of exclusively producing formic acid; 2) immobilize the catalyst within a flow process to continually produce formic acid and increase catalyst lifetime; and 3) assess the stability of the catalyst in the presence of trace contaminants in the CO₂ stream during longer-term operations.

The Colorado School of Mines (CSM), in collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), will perform laboratory-scale research to tune protonic-ceramic materials for CO2-upgrading chemistries and catalyst advancement in the development of a modular and scalable reactor that electrochemically converts CO2 into fuels and chemicals. The project technical activities include: developing protonic-ceramic membranes for CO2-upgrading, integrating CO2-upgrading catalysts into protonic ceramics, and establishing a design for degradation mitigation through computational modeling. NREL will synthesize catalysts, characterize performance using techniques such as electron microscopy, and provide optimal catalysts to CSM for incorporation into protonic-ceramic electrolyzers. The final product will be a protonic-ceramic electrochemical cell comprised of unique materials tuned for efficient, long-term conversion of CO2 into higher-value chemicals.

TDA Research will develop a new sorbent-based process that can convert the carbon dioxide (CO₂) captured from power plants or other large emission sources by reducing it along with CH₄ (natural gas) and water into a mixture of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H₂) without generating additional CO₂ or greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and to validate the assertions with a product life cycle analysis (LCA). TDA, and its project partner the University of California, Irvine, will optimize the catalyst and the process to reduce the CO₂ captured from power plants using a high temperature reactor system, and carry out the process design and modeling using software process simulations. The process modeling and analysis will be used to evaluate the techno-economic feasibility of the proposed carbon neutral process to convert CO₂ into fuel.Integration of the CO2 utilization system with both a Fischer-Tropsch plant and a methanol-to-gasolineplant will be considered to assess the relative merits of the two approaches.

The purpose of the proposed project is to scale up and field test a rationally-designed, catalyst-driven ethylene production process using ethane and actual coal-fired flue gas-derived carbon dioxide (CO2) (oxidative dehydrogenation [ODH] process). Southern Research Institute will first scale up catalyst synthesis and then validate performance levels using a laboratory-scale reactor. An existing test skid will be modified and installed at the National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC) in Wilsonville, Alabama, for testing on coal-fired flue gas. Data produced during testing will be used to complete a life cycle analysis and technical and economic feasibility study.

Georgia Tech will design and test catalytic materials forthe direct conversion of coal-derived carbon dioxide (CO2) into mixed aromaticchemicals (benzene, toluene and xylenes (BTX)). BTX are currently produced from oil in a petroleum refinery via multiplereaction and separation steps. In thisproject, a single reactor will be used for the hydrogenation of coal-derivedCO2 into methanol or light alkanes on one catalyst followed by conversion toBTX on a separate catalyst. The development of this technology will becompleted with a combined experimental and theoretical modeling approach. Specific objectives include: (i) synthesisand testing of composite catalytic materials that include known methanol (Cu)and hydrocarbon (Co) synthesis catalysts mixed with a known aromatizationcatalyst; (ii) varying material and reaction properties such as catalyst domainsize or reactant composition to investigate effects on measured rates andselectivities; (iii) developing a microkinetic computational model on baselinesystems and extending to various alloys and reactant compositions; (iv)refining computational mechanisms based on experimental data; and (v) synthesisof alloys based on computational models to improve selectivities to BTXspecies.

The overall goal of the laboratory-scale research project is to increase energy efficiency and reduce costs for converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into fuels and chemicals through electrolysis. Opus 12, Inc. is scaling up a modified polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolyzer that converts CO2 from a coal-fired power plant into high-value products. The project technical activities include new polymer-electrolyte identification and selection; fabrication of membrane-electrode assemblies; energy efficiency testing; durability testing; and techno-economic & life cycle analyses.

The overall objective of this research is to identify economic strategies to co-optimize carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (CO₂-EOR) and associated storage in stacked, primarily siliciclastic, reservoirs and residual oil zones (ROZs) in the Illinois Basin (ILB). Achieving this objective will entail (1) verifying the presence of ROZs within the Illinois Basin; (2) developing methods to identify and characterize siliciclastic ROZs; (3) conducting simulation, laboratory, and field-laboratory studies at greenfield and brownfield ROZ field laboratory sites; (4) assessing the economics and performing lifecycle analyses of injection-production scenarios; and (5) conducting a ROZ CO₂-EOR and associated storage resource assessment for the ILB.

This study will address challenges related to co-optimizing CO₂- EOR and associated storage in integrated stacked ROZ storage complexes through computational, bench-scale, and field-laboratory research. Detailed studies will be conducted at two field laboratory sites, one with stacked greenfield ROZs and the other with a stacked complex that includes a brownfield ROZ and depleted conventional reservoirs. The field laboratory sites will be used to collect data and conduct tests to validate ROZ detection methodologies and identify economic, field-deployable strategies to optimize oil production, optimize CO₂ storage, and co-optimize CO₂-EOR and associated storage in stacked ROZs. Findings from these field sites will be extrapolated to characterize the basin wide stacked ROZ fairway CO₂-EOR oil resource and CO₂ storage potential.

North Carolina State University, in partnership with Susteon Inc., will develop comprehensive proof-of-concept data for sustainable and cost-effective production of acetic acid from carbon dioxide (CO2) and domestic shale gas. In order to achieve this objective, the project will address redox-material synthesis, characterization, and optimization as well as long-term stability testing and scalability investigations. Kinetic parameters of the optimized redox materials will also be determined. Reactor and process designs for pilot- and commercial-scale hybrid redox process (HRP) systems with techno-economic and life-cycle analyses will be developed using the experimental results.

Mined coal is cleaned of its impurities such as mineral matter and sulfur before utilization. In general, the cost of cleaning increases with decreasing particle size. At present, the industry is discarding coal fines below approximately 44 µm due to the high costs associated with the recovery and dewatering. The amount of the fine coal discarded to impoundments in the United States is estimated to be approximately 6 billion tons. Minerals Refining Company and Virginia Tech have jointly developed a new separation process known as hydrophobic-hydrophilic separation (HHS) that will be tested at pilot scale to collect appropriate scale-up and cost information toward commercial deployment. The basic principles involved in the newly patented process are distinctly different and more efficient than the flotation process, which was patented in 1905 but still is regarded as the best available separation technology for cleaning fine coal. Furthermore, the HHS process is capable of producing dry products without thermal drying, regardless of particle size. The new process has been tested successfully at laboratory, proof-of-concept, and pilot scales on different types of fine coal samples taken from operating coal cleaning plants. The results show that the process can produce high-quality products with high efficiencies. In general, the ash contents of the products decrease with decreasing particle size due to improved liberation of inorganic mineral matter from organic coal matrix, which opens the possibility of producing ultraclean coal with less than 1% ash and with very low moisture. The high-quality coal produced in this manner may create new markets for coal such as activated carbon, carbon black, carbon foams, carbon electrodes, graphene, oil additives, etc. If successful, these new markets will help maintain and create high-paying jobs in the Appalachian coal field. The work proposed herewith include pilot-scale tests to produce low-ash, low-moisture coals that can burn more cleanly and hence generate less CO₂ emissions. The tests will be conducted on a bituminous and anthracite coal wastes that have been discarded due to the lack of appropriate separation and dewatering technologies. The pilot-scale tests will also be conducted on a micronized coal sample to produce an ultraclean coal that can create new markets for U.S. coals.

The overall goal of this project is to develop and evaluate methods for the production of precipitated calcium carbonate while simultaneously utilizing carbon dioxide (CO₂) and industrial solid and liquid wastes. In the proposed process, waste brines are either used as a medium to carbonate coal combustion ashes (e.g., fly ash, bottom ash), or carbonated directly, i.e., CO₂ mineralization is enabled by the calcium ions present in the liquid (brine) stream. University of Wisconsin, partnered with University of California, Los Angeles, will investigate the physical and chemical processes involved in the two proposed carbonation pathways and optimize process parameters for the production of high purity calcite through each of the mineralization routes. A laboratory-scale system will also be constructed to demonstrate the process.

The objective of the project is to develop an electrolyzer technology for the conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) into formic acid using flue gas from a power plant as a source of CO2. The specific objectives of the proposed study are to: (1) characterize how the performance of the electrolyzer changes as the CO2 concentration is decreased; (2) develop new cell designs that can operate with feedstocks with lower CO2 concentrations; (3) develop filters to remove any impurities that arise; and (4) test simulated flue gas in the electrolyzer system. Dioxide Materials, Inc. is collaborating with OCO, Inc. to design an economical process for the manufacturing of formic acid, a valuable product that can be used as a feedstock for the biochemical industry.

The objective of this research is to measure methane emissions from marginal well sites within various basins across the United States. The goal is to collect and evaluate representative, defensible, and repeatable data from marginal well sites and draw quantifiable conclusions on the extent of emissions from marginal wells across oil and natural gas producing regions, and to compare these results to published data available on the emissions from non-marginal wells.

Overall, 589 oil and gas production sites were visited in coordination with 15 participating host operators, who in addition to direct access to perform emission screening and measurements, provided valuable activity data. Among visited sites, 524 exhibited marginal production at an average rate of 2.5 BOE per day of combined oil and natural gas. Sitewide production or throughput was nonmarginal at 65 sites (approximately 11% of the total visited), where production ranged from 15 to 2100 BOE per day. The relatively small size, low equipment counts, and ease of accessibility of most emission sources led to complete screening at all visited sites and complete measurements of most observed emissions. Besides emissions screening and measurements, detailed activity data, including major equipment counts and oil and gas production rates, were documented at each visited site.

On a sitewide basis, no emissions were detected at approximately 55% of visited natural gas production sites and approximately 60% of visited oil production sites. Overall, emission rate measurements across the entire study exhibit the long‐tail behavior commonly observed in air emissions studies. Figure E1 of the final report provides additional perspectives on the relative extent and magnitude of methane emissions among key subpopulations of sites. These plots compare distributions of estimated sitewide methane emissions among site populations distinguished by main product (natural gas vs. oil) and region. Approximately 90% of the observed methane emissions were less than 16 standard cubic feet per hour (scfh; 0.25 kg/h or 2.4 tons per year [TPY]), and 95% of the observed emissions were less than 38 scfh (0.60 kg/h, 5.8 TPY). Study wide, the top 10% of emitting sources contributed 90% of the total methane emissions observed. The ten largest observed sources, each emitting between 100 and 780 scfh of methane (1.6‐12 kg/h, 15‐120 TPY), accounted for 2% of the total measured emissions.

The results of this study suggest that i) marginal oil and gas production in the United States may account for approximately 1 million (±140,000) tons per year (TPY) of “every day” methane emissions, as were observed in the regional field campaigns, ii) marginal gas production accounts for an estimated 60% (±10%) of emissions from U.S. natural gas production, and iii) marginal oil production accounts for an estimated 40% (±10%) of emissions from U.S. oil production.

This project will establish the feasibility of developing a commercial-scale (~50 million metric tons) geological carbon dioxide (CO₂) storage complex at the Wabash Valley Resources facility near Terre Haute, Indiana. The former Wabash integrated gasification combined cycle plant at this location has been repurposed as an ammonia production facility and will serve as the primary source of CO₂ for the storage complex. The Mt. Simon sandstone is expected to be the primary storage reservoir; this and other potential storage reservoir(s) and sealing units at the prospective site will be characterized by a two-year data acquisition program that includes drilling and testing a new stratigraphic test well, core and fluid sample collection/analysis, and a two-dimensional seismic survey over the area. The resulting datasets will be analyzed and the storage complex will be modeled to determine the site’s storage capacity, long-term storage security, and ability to receive CO₂ at the required rate. The project team will prepare a detailed plan for future commercialization of the storage complex and evaluate options for utilization of CO₂ from the Wabash facility for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in the Illinois East Basin.

West Virginia University (WVU) is partnering with the University of Pittsburgh and Longview Power, LLC to develop and test at the laboratory scale an innovative technology that uses select amino acids (AAs) to produce a commercial-quality sodium bicarbonate directly from carbon dioxide (CO₂) derived from coal-fired power plant flue gas. Preliminary studies at WVU have revealed that two AAs, glycine and alanine, can convert CO₂ into bicarbonate nanofibers or flowers of nanowires. Specific objectives of the project are to develop and optimize the process for the formation of bicarbonate nanomaterials, assess the effect of contaminants such as sulfur oxides (SO_X) and nitrogen oxides (NO_X) on the process, and conduct a preliminary engineering design. An associated techno-economic assessment for scale up and a carbon lifecycle analysis will also be conducted.

The proposed objectives are to: (1) fabricate, integrate, and research a compact absorber with internal fog and froth formation on the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research’s (UKy-CAER) bench post-combustion CO₂ capture facilities with both simulated and real coal-derived flue gas; (2) develop and finalize the atomizing nozzle and gas/liquid contractor and operating conditions for the fog and froth formation and destruction; (3) determine preferable location(s) for the in-situ heat rejection and aerosol reduction heat exchanger configuration inside the absorber; (4) conduct a long-term campaign to investigate the effects of solvent degradation on fog and froth formation; (5) assess issues of environmental, health, and safety (EH&S) relating to the solvent, and its degradation during long-term operation, and extrapolate to commercial-scale application; (6) conduct a techno-economic analysis to document the benefits of the proposed technology and identify technology gaps for next step development; and (7) prepare and submit State Point Data Table and Technology Maturation Plan (TMP). UKy-CAER’s transformational compact CO₂ absorber with internal fog and froth formation is intended to surmount the limitations of packed-bed CO₂ absorption columns and make progress towards achievement of DOE’s Transformational CO₂ Capture goals of 95% CO₂ purity and a cost of electricity at least 30% lower than a supercritical pulverized-coal (PC) power plant with CO₂ capture, or approximately $30 per tonne of CO₂ captured ready for demonstration by 2030.

The overarching objective of this bench-scale study is to scale-up and field-validate the technical feasibility of the University of Southern California's membrane- and adsorption-enhanced water gas shift (WGS) process that employs a carbon molecular sieve (CMS) membrane reactor (MR) followed by an adsorption reactor (AR) for pre-combustion CO₂ capture while demonstrating progress towards achievement of the performance goals of CO₂ capture with 95% CO₂ purity at a cost of electricity of 30% less than the baseline capture approaches. The project begins at TRL 4, as the system prototype has already been validated in the laboratory on simulated syngas (DE-FE0026423). The project aims to end at TRL 5, via scaling-up of the prototype system and its testing on actual syngas at the University of Kentucky (UK). During Budget Period 1, the team will design, construct, and assemble a bench-scale experimental MR-AR system; prepare sufficient quantity of membranes, adsorbents and catalysts with desired features and characterize their properties; and conduct a preliminary in-house test of the bench-scale unit with simulated syngas to validate its functionality. During Budget Period 2, the team will install the unit at UK and conduct testing of the novel MR-AR process in the bench-scale apparatus using real syngas.

The objective of this project was to evaluate Svante’s transformational VeloxoTherm™ technology via the development and bench-scale testing of an advanced structured adsorbent, including novel bilayer, laminated adsorbent structures and segmented beds. The project team selected, synthesized, and characterized tailored solid adsorbents for computational modeling, advanced structured adsorbent development, process simulations, and dynamic bench-scale (approximately 1-10 kg/day carbon dioxide [CO₂] captured) testing using an existing single-bed variable test station coupled with a natural gas-fired boiler. Segmented beds used the in-house, multibed process demonstration unit (PDU) to demonstrate key performance indicators, such as recovery, product purity, regeneration energy, and the integrated system’s productivity in lifetime analysis. Segmented beds were tested in a 1-tonne-per-day unit at the Lafarge cement plant in Richmond, Canada, to provide bench-scale validation of performance in an industrial setting.

Ohio State University (OSU) will develop a cost-effective design and fabrication process for a novel transformational membrane and its membrane modules that capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) from flue gas. The membranes exhibit very high CO₂ permeance of about 3,300 gas permeation units (GPU) and a very high CO₂/nitrogen (N₂) selectivity of greater than 140. OSU will optimize the membrane design, scale-up the membrane to a prototype size of 21 inches wide, and construct and test a bench-scale skid containing at least six membrane modules with simulated flue gas at OSU and with actual flue gas at the National Carbon Capture Center. The goal of this project is to achieve 60 to 90% capture of the CO₂ with greater than 95% CO₂ purity ready for compression to 152 bar (2,200 pounds per square inch [psi]) for storage or enhanced oil recovery.

ION Engineering LLC, in partnership with Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), conducted a comprehensive test campaign utilizing U.S. coal-fired flue gas to evaluate key performance indicators of the novel ION capture solvent, “ICE-31.” The project, designated by ION as Apollo, aimed to scale up a novel amine-based solvent technology with transformational stability and excellent carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture performance from bench-scale to pilot-scale (0.6 megawatt-electric [MWe]) using real coal-fired natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) surrogate flue gas and real gas-fired boiler flue gas at the National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC) in Wilsonville, Alabama. Data from the test campaign was utilized to validate a new solvent-specific module in ProTreat® process simulation software that is critical for further scale-up and economic evaluations. The successful test campaign at NCCC’s Pilot Solvent Test Unit validated the transformational performance of the technology, facilitating progression to large-scale pilot testing (greater than 10 MWe). For a comprehensive evaluation of the novel solvent technology, the test plan included parametric testing to determine optimal operating conditions; evaluation of system response and operation during process dynamics that occur naturally at power stations, including variations in flue gas flow rates and/or CO₂ inlet concentrations; emissions studies under steady-state and dynamic conditions; and long-term (more than 1,000 hours) steady-state testing.

This project encompasses four complementary objectives that will employ a high degree of coordination and communication to realize a final, rigorously sound, and validated computational capability for identifying plant inefficiencies upon completion that will subsequently be communicated and validated with industrial partners for technology transfer. Objective 1 will utilize massively-parallelized graphics processing units (GPUs) in the laboratories of both the recipient and partners to efficiently execute the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) ANSYS Fluent code used in this project. A sizeable portion of operational damage in fossil fuel power plants occurs in the boiler’s superheater/reheater headers; therefore, Objective 2 will be to make use of these GPU-parallelized simulations to understand the durability of and damage mechanisms to these header structures under various cycling and operational modes. Objective 3 will be to assess subsequent damage mechanisms by quantifying and calculating the effects of particulates within “steam in” boilers as a function of both boiler geometry and operating conditions. Objective 4 will combine the results of the previous three objectives to create a holistic, comprehensive, and systems-level assessment of damage rates under different cycling modes.

This research will systematically characterize arsenic (As) and selenium (Se) speciation within a representative matrix of coal fly ashes using state-of-the-art synchrotron X-ray spectroscopic and microscopic techniques in order to develop a comprehensive correlation and searchable database for coal source/type, generation condition, As/Se speciation, and As/Se mobility. A detailed survey will be performed to document current knowledge of fossil power operating units as a function of coal type and source, operating conditions, environmental control systems, additive use, and fly ash handling methods, as well as common techniques for analyzing As and Se concentration. A matrix of fly ash samples will be collected and subjected to (1) traditional characterization techniques to provide bulk characteristics such as elemental composition, microstructure, chemical and mineralogical composition, surface area, and particle size distribution; (2) synchrotron X-ray microscopy and spectroscopy techniques to reveal molecular-scale speciation information regarding As and Se, such as oxidation state, association with other elements and minerals, embedded mineral phase, and complexation states; and (3) mobility of As and Se in samples, using various leaching methods. The resulting database will detail correlations among coal type and source, utility operating conditions, and As/Se speciation and mobility.

The overall goals of the Phase I program are to demonstrate the technical feasibility and commercial potential of acetic acid synthesis from CO2 and methane with plasma. The specific Phase I objectives include: (1) construction of a complete reactor that integrates the PlasmaBlastTM plasma generator with feedstock/process control, and reaction/product monitoring in real time; (2) test reactor performance with target metrics of over 60% product yield as acetic acid and a cost of energy less than 200 kJ/mol acetic acid (CH3CO2H); and (3) conduct an initial techno-economic analysis.

Carbon dioxide is used as a feedstock for manufacturing graphene and other carbon nanomaterials. The innovation is the use of exothermic (heat producing) reactions that create only carbon and water as the products, while keeping the chemical reactor hot enough to sustain the reaction. An experimental program will prove that carbon dioxide contributes carbon to the synthesis of graphene via the use of non-radioactive isotopic tracers, and will also seek to show the potential for converting 100% of the carbon dioxide to solid form, so that it can be removed from the greenhouse gas cycle.

FGC Plasma Solutions will explore a novel method generating a large-volume non-equilibrium discharge sustained by external ionization to allow for CO2 conversion efficiencies over 60%. The goal of this work will be to develop a flow reactor for testing two different types of non-self sustained discharges, and to conduct a technoeconomic analysis considering possible applications for this technology.

Fossil fuel power plants are complex systems containing multiple components that create extreme environments for the purpose of extracting usable energy. The extreme environments include elevated temperatures of flue gases (~700–3400 ºF) that can reduce the usable life of the components that make up the system. Failures in the system can lead to increased downtime for the plant, reduction of power, and significant cost for repairs. This project aims to develop a novel platform for secure data logging and processing in fossil fuel power generation systems. The platform integrates two emerging technologies, blockchain and machine learning, and incorporates several innovative mechanisms to ensure the integrity, reliability, and resiliency of power systems even when the systems are under various cyberattacks such as false data injection and denial of service. The proposed novel platform is enabled by the following components and will provide benefit in a secure mechanism to collect sensor data, aggregate the data using a machine learning platform, and store them in the blockchain. A set of mechanisms ensures that only data sent by legitimate sensors are accepted and stored in the data repository. The design of the mechanisms will be informed by a thorough threat analysis on the sensor networks used in power generation systems. Node authentication/identification will be facilitated by public-key cryptography. The distribution of public keys is protected by a novel relay mechanism that leaves no room for man-in-the-middle attacks. A suite of data aggregation methodologies uses machine learning/deep learning algorithms to minimize the noise and faulty data. The project will involve interface development to communicate with the sensor network to collect real-time data, store raw data for machine learning model development, and predict anomalous data using edge runtime and deployment functions. Traditional machine learning algorithms such as support vector machine (SVM) and K–means clustering, and deep learning algorithms such as recurrent neural networks, long short-term memory (LSTM), autoencoders, and generative adversarial networks (GAN) will be used for model building and prediction of anomalous data. Two-level secure logging is protected by the blockchain. The raw data are stored locally at data aggregators after filtering using machine learning algorithms to be developed as part of the platform. The summative data are placed on the secure ledger protected by the blockchain. The hashgraph blockchain will be used to facilitate high-throughput logging and to ensure minimal energy consumption. Furthermore, a novel mechanism is employed to establish a strong link between the raw data and the summative data, which is essential to ensure the integrity of the logged data.

The goal of this project is to demonstrate a secure private blockchain protocol designed for fossil power generation systems. The specific objectives include (i) design and implementation of a secure private blockchain architecture that can secure process signal data and other information flows within distributed sensor networks for fossil-based power generation systems, (ii) a simulated power plant environment that uses sensor data with cryptographic digital signatures and integrate the secure blockchain developed by the project team with this system, (iii) demonstration of the effectiveness of the developed blockchain technology by simulating a cyber-attack on the sensor infrastructure.

West Virginia University Research Corporation will develop and test an innovative treatment process that utilizes produced water (PW) to create chemical and energy synergisms in blowdown (BD) water treatment. The project goal is to maximize generation of a product stream low in fouling potential for reuse and a concentrated stream of commercial value (i.e., 10-lb brine) while reducing chemical and energy costs for the treatment. This treatment process consists of mature treatment technology and innovative use of mature technology (i.e., brine electrolysis) to enable step improvement in cost and energy requirements for BD water treatment over the baseline process. Specifically, the proposed treatment process consists of softening, organics and suspended solids removal, reverse osmosis, brine electrolysis, and thermal desalination. These treatment units are integrated to sequentially treat the PW and BD water from their raw water conditions to those of a product stream suitable for reuse and 10-lb brine as a saleable product.

The goal of this work is to develop a new technology that can produce acetic acid in a single-step and do so at reduced temperature and ambient pressure. In this Phase I study, the Recipient will combine plasma and catalysts to produce acetic acid in a single-step process, avoiding the need for high temperatures and high pressures. ACT has established partnerships with Lehigh University and a syngas manufacturer to support the proposed work.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) will continue the development and validation of three-dimensional printed intensified devices, i.e., mass exchanger packing with internal cooling channels, for enhanced carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture. In a previous U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded project (FWP-FEAA130), ORNL exhibited that the novel packing can effectively achieve mass exchange and heat exchange functionalities in a lab-scale column using an aqueous amine solvent. In this project, ORNL will develop and test the novel packing using a water-lean advanced solvent in the ORNL lab-scale (4.5 feet tall) column and perform computational scoping on the conceptual design of a larger (9 to 12 feet tall), flexible, and modular column at ORNL for further testing of enhanced capture using intensified devices.

University of Texas, Austin (UTA), in conjunction with its partner, the Pennsylvania State University (Penn State), will use AM (additive manufacturing) to manufacture turbine components with complex features that cannot be manufactured with conventional techniques, and will use AM for rapid prototyping and testing of turbine components that will ultimately be manufactured using conventional techniques. This project will have experimental and computational components with the common focus on developing integrated internal cooling, film cooling, and TBC configurations which maximize overall cooling effectiveness and hence reduce needed coolant mass flows. Adjoint-based sensitivity calculations for RANS (Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes) models will be used to establish the sensitivity of cooling performance to both shape and roughness in order to develop optimized configurations. The performance of the optimum cooling configurations will be evaluated using engine scale and large scale coupons incorporating internal cooling channels feeding film cooling holes. These optimum designs will be incorporated in full vane configurations which will be tested at large scale to provide details of operational performance, and at engine scale to validate using AM to rapid prototype and test new vane/blade designs.

West Virginia University Research Corporation will evaluate the transient response to various system concepts that minimize the levelized cost of electricity of thermal, chemical, mechanical, and electro-chemical storage technologies. Project objectives include: developing dynamic models of chemical storage using hydrogen, electro-chemical storage using high temperature sodium sulfur, vanadium redox flow and Li-ion batteries, mechanical storage using compressed air and pumped hydroelectric storage, thermal storage using phase change materials, and molten salts and cryogenics; developing system technology concepts where the dynamics of the fossil-fueled power plants (FFPPs)—natural gas combined cycle, supercritical pulverized coal and integrated gasification combined cycle power plants—are exploited while selecting the optimal storage technology; developing reduced dynamic models using input-output data from dynamic models of storage technologies integrated with FFPPs for use in mathematical optimization for down selection of the system concepts; developing a holistic optimization-based methodology and a decision-making framework using a novel mixed-integer nonlinear programming algorithm to down select the most promising energy storage technologies; and performing detailed technoeconomic analyses of up to six system concepts selected in consultation with NETL.

Pennsylvania State University will mature additive manufacturing (AM) of ceramic matrix composite (CMC) airfoils with complex internal cooling features using a polymer precursor matrix pre-impregnated with ceramic fiber filaments. The project will demonstrate the ability to 3D print relevant turbine features in SiOC, develop and characterize new silicon carbide (SiC) precursor materials for AM, and develop design tools that can enable a complex cooled CMC vane capable of operation at firing temperatures of 3100°F. The goal is to develop new insight into how AM can enable transformative levels of performance in CMC airfoils. The project interlinks research tasks that converge to a CMC vane with optimal material properties and complex cooling design features that are not currently possible through other manufacturing methods. It will be enabled by AM, novel materials processing, computational optimization, and iterative design and experimental feedback. Expected project outcomes include the development and evaluation of a CMC AM process for gas turbine components that enables cooled gas turbine component shapes while retaining many benefits of CMCs, including temperature tolerance and toughness.

University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research will develop a self-cleaning, ash fouling free air preheater to increase the capacity of a coal-fired power plant for load following. Increased use of alternative energy sources presents a challenge to controlling thermal efficiency. The proposed unit offers a solution to this challenge, especially during deep cyclic operation, and is transformative from the state-of-art regenerative heater with either hot-air recycling or a hot water recirculation system. The research team will accomplish this goal by installing four sets of auto-controlled blind valves at the air inlet of the air preheater. Whenever the load is below 70 percent, the inlet blind valve will be rotationally closed to block the air flow and provide an annular hot-temperature zone inside the air preheater to decompose condensate ammonia bisulfate, transforming the sticky fouling ash to loose dry ash, followed by cleaning with high-temperature flue gas when the valve rotates to the flue gas side. The objective is to design, build and test a 0.25 MWth regenerative air heater at a coal-fired power plant (Louisville Gas and Electric E.W. Brown Station Unit 3, a wall-fired pulverized coal unit). The effectiveness of auto-control blind valves will be investigated in terms of flue gas pressure drop across the air heater and the flue gas exhaust temperature as a function of time.

The goal of the project is to develop a blockchain-empowered provenance platform for identity management and process integrity for sensors in fossil-based power plants. To accomplish this goal, the following objectives will be completed:

1. Develop a blockchain-based provenance platform that can track data flow traffic from sensors deployed in fossil-based power plants and detect identity violations, unauthorized communication, and process integrity violations.
2. Design the proposed platform to be scalable across a geographically distributed footprint.
3. Develop a prototype to evaluate the effectiveness of the platform and provide performance metrics.

GE Research, in collaboration with Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and Southern Company Services Inc., is developing a novel end-to-end trainable artificial intelligence (AI)-based multivariate time series learning system for flexible and scalable coal power plant fault detection and root cause analysis (i.e., diagnosis) known as Deep Analysis Net with Causal Embedding for Coal-fired power plant Fault Detection and Diagnosis (DANCE4CFDD).

The objective of the proposed program is to develop DANCE4CFDD AI learning system and bring the technology maturity from TRL 2 to TRL 5, with final validation performed based on data from a coal-fired power plant. DANCE4CFDD aims to address a range of challenges faced by today’s asset health management system for coal-fired power plants: (1) high-dimensional nonlinear interaction among multiple time series measurements; (2) high measurement variance induced by operational conditions/modes; (3) variation among asset types and plant configurations; and (4) a small number of faulty events to learn from. DANCE4CFDD aims to address these real-world challenges with a combination of two novel components: a deep similarity net and a deep causal embedding net.

GE Steam Power, Inc. will demonstrate improved reliability, flexibility, and economics of an existing coal-fired power plant by applying a plasma-assisted pulverized fuel firing system at a full-scale implementation at Rocky Mountain Power to validate achievement of lower load, improve flame stabilization, and reduce operating costs. The research will advance the plasma ignition technology to a fully integrated and field-proven system to make it commercially available for other coal-fired power plants. The effort will consist of detailed engineering, installation, commissioning, and testing on additional sensors and control analytics for the coal-fired combustion system to address the objective described above. The research team will operate the plasma assisted system in a long-term field test (five-to-seven months) that will begin when full implementation of the system on the host unit is achieved to capture operational experience through all seasons and conditions, record and analyze operational improvements, and optimize the system. Inspection and reporting work will be conducted upon completion of the field test. This new technology could save customers millions of dollars by eliminating the need for oil/gas for start-up or to support low load, increasing reliability by providing a stable low load flame, and significantly reducing OPEX costs over alternatives.

The overall objective of the project is to establish a field laboratory and utilize a horizontal well of opportunity to conduct a scientific study designed to advance the understanding of the petrophysical and geomechanical properties of the Rogersville Shale.

This project builds upon the Performer's recently reported conversion of a variety of biomass materials and lignite coal to graphite. The aforementioned materials are all known as “non-graphitizable carbons”, that is, carbonaceous materials that do not graphitize even when heated to 3000 ˚C, thus, the graphitization of “non-graphitizable” carbons is remarkable. However, perhaps even more remarkable is that these materials are transformed at very high yield (>95% of carbon present graphitized) into highly crystalline graphite of high-purity (>99%), with properties that are nearly identical to that of high-grade Li-ion battery graphite. The objectives of this project are to elucidate the mechanism of the graphitization of lignite by examination of the reaction intermediates and products and determine the factors that govern the size, quality, and yield of the lignite derived graphite. Furthermore, efforts will be made to transition the process from batch to continuous processing.

This research effort will develop and demonstrate a new technology for large-volume, targeted comminution of rock in low permeability formations to enhance recovery of unconventional oil and natural gas (UOG) resources. This increased stimulated rock volume stimulation is expected to result in significant increases

in permeability leading to increased recovery factors for sub-surface fluids. The proposed technology is especially applicable for enhanced recovery in emerging UOG plays, such as ductile shales that are resistant to opening-mode fracturing by conventional hydraulic fracturing processes.

Increasingly, coal-fired power plants are required to balance power grids by compensating for the variable electricity supply from renewable energy sources. Fossil-fueled power plants, originally designed to be base loaded, will increasingly need to operate on a load following or cyclic basis. This demanding requirement for operational flexibility will need to be evaluated for resilience to frequent start-ups, meeting major and rapid load changes, and providing frequency control duties. The project objective is to evaluate flexibility of existing power plants by improving and redesigning components and designing new operational strategies, with acceptable impacts on component life, efficiency and emissions. The three key areas of materials (riffled/internally ribbed/optimized redesign tubes to address creep/fatigue/oxidation damage mechanisms), operational (impact of load changes, low load and/or cycling conditions on heat exchanger cost/life) and efficiency (integration with thermal energy storage systems) impacts will be tested in a small-scale (~100 kWth) pilot plant at the subrecipient site. This multidisciplinary approach will address the performance-degrading influences resulting from fatigue, creep and corrosion mechanisms along with performance and efficiency gains for timely deployment of redesigned components to market and accelerates technology download for existing power plants. The research activities targeting three key areas of materials, operations and efficiency gains is proposed to optimize operations and determine the true cost of each operation.

Research Triangle Institute and industrial partners will design and engineer novel surface treatments and secondarily applied remediation components to mitigate biofilm growth on condenser tube surfaces in coal-fueled power plants with the goal of developing a strategy to mitigate biofilm growth by at least 50 percent, with an expected improvement in average electricity generation efficiency of more than one-percent. Such modified surfaces can potentially disrupt the landscape for emerging anti-biofouling technologies through the creation of surface environments that interfere with ability of bacteria to sense and respond to their environment, thereby inhibiting biofilm production and surface attachment. Additives will be assessed for their ability to disrupt biofilm as a function of concentration and benchmarked against commercial alternatives. The research team will use microbial test solutions cultured from an actual power plant cooling water source to validate broad spectrum efficacy on the complex array of microbial consortium that constitute biofilms. In the final phase of the project, the research team will use the results to guide the development of surface treatment of an integrated bench-scale test unit for operation using actual cooling water to demonstrate biofilm inhibition. The viability of the proposed system will also be assessed via techno-economic and life-cycle analysis to determine any residual impact on receiving ecosystems based on experimental bench data using real cooling source water.

Lehigh University will develop an optimized prototype of a solid media thermal energy storage concept for thermal management applications in coal-fired power plants. The system is based on thermosiphon technology embedded into an optimized cementitious matrix for combined sensible/latent heat thermal energy storage (TCM-TES) to address an urgent need to develop reliable energy storage capabilities to improve efficiency and flexibility of coal-fired power plants and reduce CO₂ emissions. The proposed TCM-TES is a novel design that incorporates elements from previous studies into an enhanced concept that overcomes the limiting characteristics of solid-state TES systems via enhancement of heat transfer rate, maximum heat utilization and equalization; optimized cementitious matrix for compactness, long term energy in/out cycling capability without material deterioration, low environmental losses and cost, and design for direct interaction with low pressure turbine steam and the feed water stream. The project team will design, engineer, optimize, and test the concept at laboratory- and prototype-scale at test facilities at Lehigh University, Advanced Cooling Technologies, Inc., and Dominion Energy Power Generation with the goal of developing a thermal energy storage prototype designed and built for up to 400°C operation, 100 kWhth, 90 percent round-trip efficiency, and cost of no more than $25/kWhth.

Ash and slag deposits that foul the steam-generation surfaces of a boiler are the primary cause for boiler outages. These deposits result from the presence of volatile species in the coal ash that act as a glue for ash deposition and growth. Barr Engineering Co. (Barr) has teamed with the University of North Dakota (UND), Microbeam Technologies Inc. (MTI), Envergex, LLC, and MLJ Consulting to develop a transformational technology that controls the formation of alkali aerosols. This project will mitigate ash deposition by capturing the volatile species in the boiler through the injection of sorbents in the boiler. The impact of mitigating slagging and fouling is significant and is expected to: 1) increased plant revenues due to a reduction in outage time; 2) reduce boiler temperatures due to better heat rate efficiency; 3) reduce NO_x emissions from lower furnace temperatures and deeper staging; 4) reduce fuel consumption from improved heat rate; 5) decrease parasitic power from less fan power (lower pressure drop through convective pass); and 6) improve fuel flexibility/tolerance for low-quality fuels.

Project Goals: 1) Demonstrate effectiveness of tailored clay sorbents in mitigating fouling and slagging; 2) Develop a benchmark/screening tool for identifying low cost clay sorbents; and 3) Develop a techno-economic assessment of the sorbent technology including a pathway to commercialization.

GE Research (GER) plans to develop additive manufacturing-enabled repair solutions for last stage bucket (LSB) and additive-manufacturing-enabled packing rings (PRs) for coal-fired steam turbines with the goal of reducing routine maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) cost and improving the operating efficiency of steam turbines (Figure 1). GE Steam Power (GESP) and GE Gas Power (GEGP) will provide technical and commercial consulting to GER with insights on steam turbine MRO design requirements, MRO duration and costs, and an overall commercialization strategy for the developed additive manufacturing (AM) technologies.

To assess the technical and economic potential of extracting rare earth elements (REE) from coal waste, a ¼-ton/hr mobile pilot plant was designed, constructed, and tested as part of an ongoing project funded by U.S. DOE. Although the pilot plant was successful in recovering REE and producing rare earth oxide (REO) mixes having a purity level greater than 90%, several economic barriers were realized that require more detailed evaluations and a modification of the process circuitry. Most importantly, a reduction in the chemical costs per kilogram of REO recovered is needed for the process to be economically viable for a typical coal source. It is, therefore, proposed to extend the activities of the existing REE pilot plant to integrate and test new technologies and circuits that will significantly reduce the cost of producing REO mixes, cobalt, and manganese at purity levels significantly greater than 2% by weight. Concentrate production will be increased from a current rate of 10 – 100 grams/day to around 200 grams/day. To significantly reduce the primary cost of producing the concentrates, naturally occurring coal pyrite will be recovered and used in bioreactors to produce the acid needed for leaching. Optimization of the conditions will be conducted in laboratory and pilot plant test programs. High-temperature pretreatment of the feed to the leach reactor will be optimized with chemical additives to significantly improve REE recovery and, in the case of magnetite addition, provide the potential for acid generation to aid in acid cost reduction efforts. Selective precipitation will be added and optimized as a means of elevating the REE concentration in the pregnant liquid solution (PLS) prior to the final concentration steps. Calcite will be recovered from coal to be used for increasing solution pH values. The research program will be managed and conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Kentucky, University of Utah and Virginia Tech. Alliance Coal will host and provide operational support for the pilot plant as well as the necessary amount of a qualified feedstock. Kentucky River Properties will be a team partner and will work with the project team to collect and transport several tons of the second qualified feedstock to the pilot plant location. Mineral Separation Technologies will provide a dual X-ray transmission sorter to provide the initial concentration of REE and critical materials.

The University of Texas at Austin (UT) will team with AECOM Technical Services and Trimeric Corporation to prepare a front-end engineering design (FEED) of the PiperaZine Advanced Stripper (PZAS) process for carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture at the Mustang Station of Golden Spread Electric Cooperative (GSEC) in Denver City, Texas. The project team will develop a proposal for CO₂ capture from two General Electric gas turbines with two heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs) and a steam turbine that are rated at 464 megawatt-electric (MWe). The PZAS process is designed to use 30 wt% piperazine to absorb CO₂ from the flue gas of the natural gas combined cycle (NGCC). The technology offers many advantages over competing amine-based carbon capture processes, including: a more efficient and stable solvent; a smaller, more inexpensive absorber; a novel, efficient stripper; compressor and environmental benefits; and more inexpensive materials of construction. The overall objective of this project is to execute the engineering necessary to define the specific requirements of UT’s CO₂ capture system for installation at Mustang Station, culminating in a 30 to 60% complete design package, and the development of a capital cost estimate with an accuracy of +/-15%.

The project's focus is on improving ultimate recovery from Unconventional Oil and Gas (UOG) resources specifically within the oil window of the Utica/Point Pleasant (UPP) shale through the use of natural gas liquids (NGLs) as a treatment for reservoir sections showing limited production efficiency using more traditional approaches. This is to be accomplished through the development and testing of a well treatment method designed to simultaneously improve the effectiveness of well completions, optimize oil and gas recovery over the life of the well and reduce the impact of fresh water consumption and produced water disposal.

The goal of this project is to develop accurate models of the physical and mechanical behavior and degradation of nickel-based superalloys during cyclic operations in fossil energy (FE) power plants where thermo-mechanical fatigue and creep damage are occurring at the same time. The project focus will be on a nickel-based alloy, Haynes H282, that is likely to be used in current and next generation boiler and piping components of FE power plants. The proposed work will provide physically informed models, capturing the microstructural changes taking place in the industrial components under cyclic loading and exposure to high stress and temperature for long operating life – up to 300,000 hours.

The goal of this project is to develop, demonstrate, and commercialize a new real-time monitoring approach (the Hybrid Analytics Solution) to improve coal plant operations. This hybrid analytics software tool will provide real-time information on the relationship between plant operational data (such as measured temperatures, pressures, and flow rates) and the plant performance and reliability. The hybrid analytics solution will integrate machine-learning-based data analytics with thermal analysis in a manner that enables increased accuracy and scope of the thermal analysis, resulting in improved ability of the data analytics to monitor changes affecting plant operations.

Enchant Energy LLC and their partners will perform a Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) study for the retrofit of two coal-fired generating units (847 megawatts-electric [MWe]) at San Juan Generating Station (SJGS) with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ (MHI) KM CDR Process™ for carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture. Both operating units (Units 1 and 4) are equipped with state-of-the-art environmental controls for nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, and mercury, making the SJGS facility carbon capture-ready from an emissions perspective. The FEED study will document the initial engineering and cost estimates for the retrofit and determine the technical and economic viability of extending the life of the existing SJGS coal-fired power plant through the installation of the advanced amine-based CO₂ capture technology. The FEED study will enable SJGS to move forward into detailed engineering, procurement, installation, and operation in future work.

The City of Farmington, currently a part-owner of SJGS, will be jointly responsible with Enchant for site-specific decisions regarding the SJGS. Enchant will manage the CO₂ capture retrofit process and will be solely responsible for decision-making related to the overall direction of the project. MHI will provide the engineering and design documents, and costs for the carbon capture island in support of the overall project FEED study.

Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. (EPRI) will evaluate the application of various surface modification technologies on coal-fired power plant condenser tubes to enhance their heat transfer properties and increase overall plant performance. EPRI will identify surface modification technologies (i.e., coatings, etching) and apply them to tubing components to study the potential for improved heat transfer by either reducing surface fouling or by altering the physical steam condensation process. The coatings and/or etching techniques may be applied to internal or external surfaces of components (e.g., tubes). Suppliers will apply selected coatings to tubes and tubing material provided by EPRI, and the modified components will be evaluated independently by EPRI. In addition, the research team will test the heat transfer characteristics of full-scale modified tubular components in a facility co-located with an operating power plant and will employ pilot-scale test equipment that has been carefully designed to simulate the environmental conditions in an operating coal-fired power plant condenser. Where feasible, actual waters for steam generation and recirculating cooling will be the same as those used in the co-located power plant. Other component modification characteristics critical to successful field utilization include durability, suitability under a range of conditions, and compatibility with maintenance activities; these characteristics will be measured and determined by pre- and post-testing laboratory analyses, as applicable. These surface modification technologies (modifications to condenser tube surfaces) are expected to be applicable to retrofit or field application in existing coal-fired power plants.

The primary focus of this project will be the critical component analysis of the drums and the headers in the boiler island for a representative subcritical coal-fired power plant. These analyses will produce insights into existing coalpower plant challenges impacted by cycling operations and generate practical and cost-effective solutions to cycle coal power plants to reduce plant failures and enhance unit safety and reliability while pursuing profitable operating flexibility.

The objective of this project is to develop coal plastic composite (CPC) decking boards at lower manufacturing costs than current commercial wood plastic composite (WPC) decking boards, meeting all applicable ASTM and International Building Code (IBC) performance specifications. Bench-scale screening trials will be performed to assess coal/polymer interface chemistry and impacts of formulation additives on composite properties. Commercial continuous-manufacturing equipment will be used to produce CPC decking boards, which will undergo ASTM testing to determine important application properties before being installed in outdoor applications. Process simulations will be developed and validated using continuous-manufacturing information to support techno-economic studies. Further, CPC marketing studies will be completed along with the identification of additional promising applications for CPC materials.

The goal of this two-year research project is to delineate the distribution of fractures by characterizing the hydrological response of fractures to simulated production conditions in real-time, and providing robust methods to remotely monitor changes in pressure and/or fluid chemistry. Keys to achieving the global objective are:

• Unique access to the ongoing Advanced Energy Consortium’s (AEC’s) field pilot studies at the University of Texas (UT) Devine Field Pilot Site (DFPS), which has established a well- characterized hydraulically fractured (HF) anomaly using a novel Electrically Active Proppant (EAP)
• The intrinsic responses of the EAP to pressure and salinity changes.

This project will assess the application of EAP and ERT and/or EM methods in remote sensing of in situ alterations of physical and chemical properties of fractured networks with much higher resolution than current wellbore technologies. The unique and comprehensive data set(s) collected in this project will be disseminated to the public and will lay the foundation for the advancement of various geophysical fracture mapping, and modeling techniques for HF completion and production strategies beyond Technology Readiness Level 5. It is anticipated this research will lead to significant enhancements to ultimate recoveries from Unconventional Oil and Gas (UOG) reservoirs.

Rice University will study how flash Joule heating (FJH) can produce high value graphene from anthracite coal at gram scales in less than 1 second per conversion step. The graphene is termed flash graphene (FG). During the first year, reaction equipment will be built, the reaction profiles will be studied, and data will be gathered and analyzed. Iterations will be made to produce the best FG for the several applications proposed. Throughout the first and second year, scale-up equipment will be refined and built that will be designed to meet the target of 1 kg of FG per day from anthracite.

Battelle plans to perform a research effort to test and validate their technology for making high-value polyurethane (PU) foam from bituminous and sub-bituminous coal, along with some low-sulfur fuel oil byproduct. The heart of the process, for which a patent application has been filed, is ozonation of liquefied coal from pyrolysis or direct solvent-based liquefaction to produce polyols, the essential feedstock for PU foams, then making foams from these polyols. Detailed characterization of the PU foam will lead to refined conceptual plant design, economic assessment, and a technology scale-up and commercialization plan.

Source is OSTI

This project will weld Haynes 282 (H282) superalloy plates and/or rounds (up to 3 inches thick) to similarly shaped grades of common rotor steels (3.5NiCrMoV steel and 9-12%Cr steel). The work related to welding will involve developing weld designs that will seek to minimize residual stresses, distortion, and weld defects when H282 is welded to steels. Simulation software will be used to simulate multiple weld designs to downselect the most promising ones. Simulation-derived designs will be used to make actual welds to further refine the weld parameters. Successful welds will be examined ultrasonically using the synthetic aperture focusing technique (SAFT). Welded test pieces incorporating H282 will be machined using automated spindle-speed adjustment to enhance tool life. A data-driven digital twin of tool flank wear evolution in a longitudinal turning operation will be created on a cloud platform. The data will be used to train a Gaussian process regression (GPR) model to predict the average tool flank wear as a function of the measured quantities. A web application running the GPR model on the cloud platform will be used to forecast the remaining tool life during turning operations and adjust the spindle speed to automatically extend tool life by the desired amount. The scope of this project is geared towards answering the questions that would allow a steam turbine rotor to be made that is suitable for AUSC applications in coal fired power plants from 100 megawatt electrical to1 gigawatt electrical size, and service conditions of at least 760 degrees Celsius and 3,100 pounds per square inch absolute pressure.

Minnkota Power Cooperative Inc. completed a front-end engineering design (FEED) study on the addition of a post-combustion carbon capture system based on Fluor’s Econamine FG Plus™ solvent technology onto Milton R. Young Station Unit 2 (MYR2), which is fueled by North Dakota lignite. The capture system is designed to process 100% of the total available MRY2 flue gas and 100% of the boiler package flue gas, and then remove 90% of the CO₂ available from the processed flue gas streams (11,773 tonnes CO₂/day). Building on the findings of a pre-FEED study for MRY2, the key deliverables of this FEED study were: (1) design, costing, and performance data needed to commence project financing activities; (2) engineering and material balances required to file for all project permits; and (3) a final project schedule. Advances in the project to take carbon capture technology beyond the current state-of-the-art included: (1) steam cycle integration with advanced heat recovery to improve energy efficiency; (2) a solution for aerosol emissions and solvent degradation to improve the environmental and cost profile; and (3) optimization for cold climate performance.

The Caney shale is an emerging unconventional resource play in the southern mid-continent Anadarko, Ardmore, and Arkoma basins. The Caney reservoir is approximately 60–300 m thick, rich in total organic carbon, contains a large oil resource platform, and has a strong natural gas drive. However, development has been hampered by high clay content and reactivity of the formation with water. The main goal of the project is to establish the Caney Shale Field Laboratory in southwestern Oklahoma to conduct a comprehensive field characterization and to validate cost effective technologies that will lead to a comprehensive development plan for the Caney shale, characterized by high clay content and ductile behavior. The first phase of the project (years 1 and 2) will focus on studying the Caney shale. The project’s first objective is development of an integrated program to comprehensively characterize the geological, petrophysical, and geochemical properties of the Caney Shale and its reservoir fluids. The geomechanical properties of clay-rich, ductile shale are not well known and further characterization can improve hydraulic fracturing operations in these formations. Secondly, the project aims to gain a fundamental understanding of hydraulic fracture initiation/propagation, fracture and proppant permeability, proppant embedment, and fluid-rock interaction in the Caney Shale using laboratory data, field observations, and modelling. The second phase of the project (years 3 and 4) will focus on field development, starting with a horizontal well being drilled in Caney shale. The project will validate the findings and recommendations from the first phase of the project by drilling, stimulating, and testing a horizontal well.

This R&D effort is designed to inject water with a composition engineered to improve oil recovery from the carbonate matrix in fractured reservoirs. Carbonate reservoirs tend to be oil-wet/mixed-wet due to positively charged carbonate mineral surfaces and negatively charged acidic/asphaltic components in oil. Many carbonate reservoirs are also highly fractured. Water injection is generally not effective in fractured oil-wet reservoirs because water does not imbibe into the matrix. The water composition can be engineered with ionic modification, surfactants, and nanoparticles which can change the wettability of carbonate rocks towards more water-wet conditions under which water can imbibe into the matrix and displace oil into the fractures. The engineered water can also lower interfacial tension and minimize capillary forces so that gravitation forces influence oil recovery from the matrix. Specifically, this effort aims to develop brine compositions that would increase oil recovery in the Goldsmith-Landreth San Andres Unit (GLSAU) [West Texas] and to conduct several single-well pilots and one multi-well pilot to test the technology.

ION Clean Energy Inc. (ION) and Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) leveraged the work performed during the previous Commercial Carbon Capture Design and Costing project (DE-FE0031595) to complete a front-end engineering design (FEED) study for a carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture system retrofit onto Unit 2 of NPPD’s Gerald Gentleman Station (GGS). Through previous U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded projects, ION has successfully tested their CO₂ capture technology based on the low-aqueous ICE-21 solvent in bench-, small pilot- and large pilot-scale systems, validating a reduction in energy requirements, less solvent degradation, and lower emissions compared to systems using baseline commercial solvents. In this project, the team conducted a FEED study for a 700-megawatt-electric (MWe) (2 parallel 350-MWe capture units) commercial-scale CO₂ capture plant retrofit to GGS. The project team also evaluated a bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) system with co-firing of synthetic gas (syngas) generated from the gasification of corn stover to determine the incremental cost of capture for implementing biomass fuel to account for the additional 10% of carbon emissions. With this approach, the team aims to decarbonize as much of Unit 2 as possible and maximize operational flexibility with the power station.

The objective of the project is to conduct a front-end engineering design (FEED) to determine the technical and economic feasibility of a retrofit, post-combustion, carbon capture technology on a commercially-operating, natural-gas fired, combined cycle (NGCC) power plant. The FEED study will examine the cost and engineering requirements for installing a plant to capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) produced by the 550-megawatt-electric (MWe) Elk Hills Power Plant (EHPP) NGCC unit located in the Elk Hills Oil Field in Kern County, California. The project is led by Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. with Fluor Corporation and California Resources Corporation (CRC) as key project partners. Fluor is the design engineering contractor and Fluor’s Econamine FG Plus^SM (EFG+) technology will be used for the carbon capture system design. CRC is the owner and operator of the host site, EHPP.

The objective of this work is to calibrate an existing damage accumulation and component life model to a high-pressure turbine disk/rotor alloy (used in a steam-cycle turbine of a coal-fueled plant) and a steam cycle Y-block alloy. The component life model accounts for coupled thermomechanical damage accumulation, material microstructural evolution, and material/component erosion/corrosion damage to determine component life predictions. The damage accumulation model, complete with lifetime prediction capabilities, will be implemented in Microsoft Excel or MATLAB format, and will only require input data (inelastic strain, hydrostatic stress, temperature-time waveforms, initial microstructure, etc.) from a component-specific finite element analysis to predict component lifetime. The modelling tool will then enable lifetime prediction as a function of historical plant steam cycle operational data as well as any potential proposed future operational cycling. Activities proposed as part of this work include material testing and characterization, damage accumulation and component model calibration and verification, and component life model implementation within a user-friendly format (Microsoft Excel orMATLAB).

The goal of this project is to demonstrate the feasibility of structures and components for advanced fossil energy power cycles by fusion welding powder metallurgy (PM) based near net shape (NNS) hot isostatic pressed (HIP) nickel superalloy Inconel 740H (IN740H) components to cast or wrought IN740H components. Preliminary calculations indicate that structures fabricated by this method might reduce manufacturing costs by up to 50%, which would be approximately equivalent to a $13/kW reduction and $115/kW reduction in capital costs for fossil energy (FE) advanced ultra-supercritical (AUSC) steam Rankine cycle or supercritical carbon dioxide(sCO2) power plants, respectively.

Tennessee Technological University, partnering with Purdue University, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Electric Power Research Institute, Siemens Corporation, and Eastern Plating, LLC, aims to enhance the durability and lifetime of nickel-base superalloy components in advanced ultra-supercritical (AUSC) power plants through improved coating development via low-cost electrolytic codeposition. To accomplish this, the following tasks will be performed:

1. Additional optimization of coating composition and process
2. Assessment of long-term coating performance with regard to high-temperature steam oxidation, solid-particle erosion, and thermomechanical fatigue
3. Coating process scale-up using numerical simulation and design of experiments methods to apply uniform coatings on high-pressure steam turbine blades
4. Evaluation of the coated blades in Siemens’ steam turbine test rigs
5. Develop a coupled thermodynamic/kinetic model for coating lifetime prediction
6. Explore laser-based additive manufacturing as an alternative cost-saving option for coating/blade repair
7. Conduct techno-economic analysis to quantify the cost effectiveness and commercial viability of the proposed coating technology

The primary objective of this project is to design, construct, and test—in conjunction with their partners West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and Rockwell Automation, Inc.—a pilot-scale continuous, integrated process for simultaneously and efficiently treating up to 1,000 gpm of acid mine drainage (AMD) while producing an enriched REE/CM (Rare Earth Elements/Critical Minerals) concentrate. WVURC will carry out the objectives in two phases. The first phase will focus on the engineering design, construction, and assembly of the pilot-scale process equipment to be used in the project. To support these development efforts, WVURC will construct and test a small-scale, fully-continuous test unit to emulate the performance of the upstream concentrator. This test unit will allow rapid optimization of various operational variables and limit the need for extensive testing at the larger scale. During the second phase of work, the integrated pilot plant will be operated on a continuous basis to validate process performance and refine process cost estimates. During both phases, other efforts will focus on critical support tasks including technical and environmental systems analysis.

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association in collaboration with Great River Energy, Purdue University, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have undertaken a project to develop resources and tools that will allow utilities to determine the costs of operating their large coal boilers at reduced capacity. The resource will allow large coal boilers to cycle safely to provide enhanced resiliency and reliability while utility systems accommodate increased penetration of renewable resources such as wind, solar photovoltaics, or other small generators.

Operational flexibility is desired in today’s coal-fired power plants to balance power grids by compensating for the variable electricity supply from renewable energy sources and distributed gensets. This demanding requirement accelerates materials degradation and makes in-situ health monitoring essential. Life monitoring of components and subsystems is thus seen as essential in assessing material and mechanical behavior so as to estimate system reliability, move to a condition-based maintenance strategy and determine time to failure of the units in their actual operating conditions. Vibration monitoring, in particular, can be exploited for blade tip timing to measure blade vibration amplitude and tip clearance to detect any deterioration taking place in the condition of blades. While the feasibility of this inspection technique has been amply demonstrated, there is a need to install induction probes to magnetize the blade for signal output.

Siemens, in partnership with Raytheon Technologies Research Corporation, proposes a holistic approach to develop embedded sensors to utilize radio frequency for not only coupling to sensors, but as the sensing modality. The goal of this project is to embed the novel sensing approach by using either additively manufactured or extruded waveguides that integrate the communication/sensing network on rotating blades for recording, evaluation, and monitoring of blade vibrations in low-pressure turbines, with applications extending to aeronautical engines.

The overall goal of this project is to perform a front-end engineering design (FEED) study for the retrofit of Unit 2 (approximately 816 megawatt-electric [MWe]) of Prairie State Generation Company’s (PSGC) coal-fired power station in Marissa, Illinois with a post-combustion carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture plant based on Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ (MHI) advanced KM CDR process.

The purpose of the FEED study is to complete preliminary engineering and design work to support developing a detailed cost estimate for the cost of retrofitting CO₂ capture at PSGC. University of Illinois, along with project partners Kiewit Corporation, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, Inc., and Sargent & Lundy, will perform multiple feasibility and design studies based on project-specific details in preparation for developing engineering deliverables. These studies will help define the scope of the retrofit project, based on project-specific decisions, technology-specific performance, site-specific requirements, and client-specific needs. Once the scope has been defined, detailed design will commence for the CO₂ capture system and integration with the existing facility. Various design and engineering deliverables will be developed that will help define commodity quantities, equipment specifications, and labor effort required to execute the project. These FEED study deliverables will be prepared with the intent to develop an overall project capital cost estimate within a +/-15% accuracy.

This project consists of the study of plume formation and collection on mechanical (induced) draft cooling towers, partly in a high-fidelity controlled environment and partly on a full-scale industrial cooling tower. It will start by building the needed laboratory setup and installing various sensors on the lab cooling tower. At the same time a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model will be implemented to get precise full-scale plume models. Using the insights into power-plant plume characteristics, Infinite Cooling, Inc. will iterate on and experimentally test electrodes and collectors, which make up modular panels, on the lab cooling tower. What has been learned from the full-scale plume modeling and sensor data analysis will then be applied to develop a design model to build the optimal collection apparatus for given working conditions of the industrial cooling tower.

The research objective is to develop a component-level modeling toolkit for materials-based degradation for two key mechanisms that can accelerate with cyclic operations. In more detail, this includes the fireside corrosion/steam oxidation/erosion/creep/fatigue of superheaters/reheaters and steam pipework and water droplet erosion/fatigue of last-stage steam turbine blade degradation mechanisms. These mechanisms demand routine and sometimes unplanned maintenance and repair. Lifetime assessment in such environments needs to account for the unit-specific analyses, operational history and fuel feedstock; this can only be obtained by destructive analysis of components. This, in turn, enables validation of the model toolkit utilizing service feedback data, improving the probability of time/temperature dependent life prediction.

The objective of this project is to perform a Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) study for a 400 MWe Membrane Technology and Research (MTR) membrane capture system at the Basin Electric’s Dry Fork Station power plant in Gillette, Wyoming. The key project partners: Sargent & Lundy (S&L) is the Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management (EPCM) contractor and has the lead role in conducting the study. Trimeric will provide design and equipment costing information on the CO₂ liquefaction/purification portion of the membrane capture design. EPRI will work with the project team and the project host, Basin Electric, to assess the best uses of the water collected by MTR’s capture plant.

Southern Company Services is collaborating with Linde Gas North America LLC to conduct a front-end engineering and design (FEED) study for the installation of a commercial-scale carbon capture system based on the Linde-BASF advanced aqueous amine solvent-based carbon dioxide (CO2) capture technology at an existing natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plant of at least 375 megawatt-electric (MWe). The specific goals of the project are to select the best host site based on a set of defined criteria, produce a set of project requirements, including the design basis and environmental permitting needs, and complete the process design optimization for the proposed site, the engineering design packages, and the project cost and schedule estimate within 15% accuracy. The two host sites that will be evaluated are Alabama Power Company’s Plant Barry (Units 6 and 7) and Mississippi Power Company’s Plant Daniel (Units 3 and 4). The project team will leverage work from prior feasibility studies at other locations as well as testing at the chosen host site to accomplish the FEED.

The objective of the project is to develop a technology that enhances flexibility and improves the efficiency of existing recirculating cooling towers by precooling and dehumidifying air prior to entering the cooling tower fill while controlling parameters of the air under cyclic and part-load operation. It is proposed to demonstrate and model a sub-dew-point cooling tower technology (patent pending) that increases coal-fueled power plant efficiency under cyclic and part-load operation. The technology employs an innovative flow arrangement called a pressure dehumidifying system (PDHS) coupled with effective heat and mass transfer so air is cooled and dehumidified prior to entering the cooling tower fill. The air cooling and dehumidification is accomplished by a near-atmospheric pressure regeneration technique and efficient heat exchange components with ultra-low energy requirements. The main components of the PDHS are an air heat exchanger, blower, heat-mass exchanger and expander. The blower in the system slightly pressurizes the incoming air and increases the air dew point, thus making it easier to remove moisture from the air using the heat-mass exchanger. The expander is used to offset the power consumed by the blower, thus making this an ultra-low energy system. Preheating the ambient air in the heat exchanger by using waste heat from the coal-fired boiler or other heat sources would allow deeper cooling of air and water in the cooling tower.

The Project titled A NOVEL “SMART MICROCHIP PROPPANTS” TECHNOLOGY FOR PRECISION DIAGNOSTICS OF HYDRAULIC FRACTURE NETWORKS was selected under the “FY2019 Advanced Technologies for Recovery of Unconventional Oil & Gas Resources” FOA Number DE-FOA-0001990 area of interest 1B titled “Improving Ultimate Recovery from Unconventional Oil and Gas Resources”. The proposed research in this project is divided into three phases / budget periods (BP), each spanning 12 months.

The principal objective of this study is to develop a closed-loop fracture diagnostic and modeling based on novel Smart MicroChip Sensor technology to better characterize propped fracture geometry. The project will be accomplished by satisfying several tasks under the following four major categories:

1. Detail micro-scale rock/fluid and geomechanical studies.

2. Precise near-wellbore hydraulic fracture diagnosis.

3. Integration of near Smart MicroChip Sensor data with other fracture diagnostic tools.

4. Development of state-of-the-art predictive fracture and flow simulation models and performing the history matching.

Bechtel National, Inc., along with project partner Electric Power Research Institute, will conduct a comprehensive front-end engineering design (FEED) study for retrofitting an existing natural gas-fired gas turbine combined cycle power plant with a post-combustion carbon capture facility. Bechtel will apply an “open access” and “open technology” approach to the process technology and the physical design of the plant. The design includes the use of an amine-based conventional absorber-stripper scrubbing system with a non-proprietary solvent, e.g. monoethanolamine (MEA). The host site is Panda Power Funds’ duct-fired 758-megawatt-electric (MWe) combined-cycle generating facility with F class gas turbines, located in Sherman, Texas. The prospective end use for the captured carbon dioxide is enhanced oil recovery.

The objective is to develop the capability for large area Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) to produce functionally graded AUSC components with location specific morphology and composition to increase structural life in severe service conditions. The recipient will integrate physics-based material and damage modeling into an additive manufacturing control system to produce and test materials engineered for an aggressive environment, extreme high temperature and very long operation time regimes.

The objective of the project is to assess the technical feasibility for generation of quality carbon fiber precursor materials using a supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO₂) solvation process. This includes the generation and recovery of coal tar pitches from Powder River Basin (PRB) coal, removal of low-molecular-weight (MW) compounds from pyrolysis coal tar, evaluation of the efficacy of sCO₂ systems for increasing coal tar average MW, and carbon fiber creation from high-MW coal tar pitch fractions. PRB coal-derived pitch needed for sCO₂ solvation testing will be generated using an sCO₂ pyrolysis test loop. Pyrolysis tar will be tested with sCO₂ and co-solvents to solvate light-MW compounds and increase the average MW of the resulting pitch.

This project aims to develop technology that converts domestic United States (US) raw coal to high quality, high-value and marketable carbon fiber. More specifically, the project aims to significantly improve the selectivity and yield of carbon fiber produced per ton of coal over conventional coal pitch-based production by using low-severity direct coal conversion technology to maximize the yield of pitch from coal, suitable for production of carbon fiber. The proposed scope of work involves testing of a low-severity direct coal liquefaction (LSDCL) process approach and includes the following sequential activities:

• Coal/Conversion Screening
• Feedstock Production
• Carbon Fiber Production
• Commercialization Plan

Project personnel will develop a process of creating high-quality carbon fiber precursor material from U.S. domestic coal, using low severity direct coal liquefaction (LSDCL) techniques in the synthesis of coal tar pitch. These techniques can dramatically increase coal tar pitch yields, especially from low-cost western U.S. coals which have not historically yielded high amounts of suitable coal tar pitch by other conventional means. The objective of the project is the development of a high-quality carbon fiber precursor material from U.S. domestic coal, accomplished through pilot-scale processing and characterization to develop a scheme(s) that can be evaluated for technical and economic feasibility prior to future scale-up. To achieve this goal, the project aims to: 1) Investigate the effectiveness of using a low-severity direct coal liquefaction technique as a continuous process to synthesize coal-tar-derived pitch; 2) Qualitatively evaluate the use of this mesophase pitch to produce carbon fibers; 3) Determine any modifications to the coal-to-tar processes that aid in the production of mesophase pitch optimized for carbon fiber production and further reduce the overall cost of such; and 4) Assess the engineering and economic impact of using LSDCL and associated processes to produce carbon fibers from coal.

This complex project culminates with a full-scale test of a proposed control system, dynamic neural network optimization (D-NNO). First two new flue gas sampling grids will be installed in PacifiCorp’s boiler, one in the horizontal primary superheater in the convective section of the boiler and another downstream of the air heater to correct for leakage in the ductwork. A new Adaptive Predictive Control (APC) will be installed to better control set points during ramping. This will interact with the plant Distributed Control System (DCS). This work will be done by ADEX. After these changes have been made, the dynamic combustion model will be developed using artificial intelligence (AI) to develop the D-NNO algorithms that will be the output of this work. This will be done by University of Utah, Chalmers University, and Brigham Young University as well as Griffin Open Systems. Finally, data from Hunter Units 1 and 2 will be compared, one with dynamic NNO and the other with static NNO to show the benefit of the new control method.

Source is OSTI

The overall objective of this project is to develop a working prototype of a two-part affinity-based membrane separation process for recovering hydrocarbons and separating organics, from produced water. This research effort focuses on using nanostructured membranes that take advantage of interfacial chemistry principles to reduce fouling during water filtration and selectively permeate benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) and oil during resource recovery. This effort is focused on produced waters originating from the Greater Green River Basin (GGRB) in Wyoming.

The objective of this project is to address bandwidth and parallelism deficiencies in currently available undersea wireless optical communications technologies. These goals will be achieved using tight beam focused free space optical networks of 450nm light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation (LASER) nodes distributed along the sea floor, allowing for a highly scalable network backbone connecting a wide array of residency sensors as well as command and control devices.

This innovation is based on advanced multi-dimensional extensions of Electrical Capacitance Volume Tomography (ECVT) sensors that involve ECVT, Displacement Current Phase Tomography (DCPT), Maxwell-Wagner-Sillars polarization effect (MWS), and velocimetry which exploit the variation of electric properties between the oil, water, and gas coming out of the well. Capacitance sensors are embedded on the inside of a pipe spool and placed in line with the subsea oil line piping on the extraction end of the well. The difference in dielectric, dielectric loss, surface polarization, and velocity of each phase are used in the multi-dimensional algorithm to measure the volume fraction, distribution, velocity, mass flow rate, and flow regime of the mixture moving through the pipe.

The goal of the project is to advance the development of a novel membrane technology based on zwitterionic copolymers that can provide cost-effective pretreatment for produced water and maintain immunity to detrimental and irreversible membrane fouling.

The objective of the proposed study is to design a machine learning (ML) model to predict screen-out events

before their occurrence. This will be carried out by analyzing the hidden dynamics of control and feedback

signals such as bottom-hole net pressure, surface treating rate, bottom-hole proppant concentration among

others.

The overarching objective of this project is to use plasma stimulation of a light hydrocarbon resource to synthesize value-added liquid chemicals. This work will evaluate the hypothesis that the plasma will serve multiple roles in this transformative chemistry including: (1) activation of Carbon - Hydrogen (C-H) bonds at low bulk gas temperature and pressure, (2) providing a fast response for immediate startup and shutdown, (3) enhancing the lifetime of the catalyst through plasma-assisted removal of surface impurities, and (4) providing a means to activate Nitrogen (N₂) to allow for the direct formation of chemicals containing Nitrogen – Carbon (N-C) bonds. In addition, the project will explore the potential for exploiting these processes more broadly, by building on recent discoveries using plasma-assisted methods to convert hydrogen and N₂ feeds.

The overall objective of this project is to develop a new membrane-based filtration system for removing organic compounds from produced water (PW). The proposed membrane treatment process integrates the new filter with a series of well-established water treatment technologies, such as mechanical filtration and reverse osmosis (RO) membranes to remove all suspended and dissolved solids, organic molecules, bacteria and radioactive particles from the PW generated in oil and natural gas production. The proposed research will focus on the development and demonstration of a unique zeolite coated ceramic nanofiltration membrane that can selectively remove the organic compounds to protect a downstream (final-stage) desalination system. The state-of-the-art RO membranes currently used to remove dissolved solids are severely fouled by the organic compounds in the PW, and the proposed ceramic nanofiltration membrane will extend the life of the RO units by removing these impurities prior to desalination. This project will develop and demonstrate a prototype system capable of processing 10 kg/day of PW. A detailed design of the full-scale system, including the design of all auxiliary units supporting operations will also be developed. Finally, a technoeconomic analysis will be completed to addresses any regulatory issues related to the use of the reclaimed water and the disposal of waste byproducts.

The goal of this project is to develop and test a new method for delivering a Fe³⁺ coagulant and disinfectant for treating flowback and produced water (FPW) so that it can be reused for fracking and water-flooding at a cost savings of at least 50% compared to current practices. The treatment system will remove suspended solids, dispersed oil, H₂S, microorganisms and scale-forming cations from FPW. The goal will be accomplished by completing several research objectives that include:

1. Determine the water supply and demand centers for the Basin to inform the engineering design and techno-economic justification report.
2. Design, construct, and test an automated treatment system for use in pilot demonstrations with flow rates of 25 gallons per minute.
3. Perform laboratory testing to determine potential system outcomes from simulated FPW.
4. Test the treatment system at three oil and gas production locations in Colorado, Texas, and/or New Mexico.
5. Develop an Engineering design and specifications manual for scale-up of the technology.

The objectives for BP1 are to build the treatment system and test it in the laboratory using simulated FPW. The objectives for BP2 are to validate the system for treating real FPW, and to determine the costs and effectiveness of the treatment system for removing different contaminants from FPW. Successful completion of BP1 and BP2 will take the proposed treatment scheme from a technology readiness level (TRL) of 4 to a TRL of 6.

The objective of the project is to develop and validate a novel, low-cost (< $75-100/BHP), field-installable (installation time < 3 hours), remotely controlled, retrofit kit with integrated sensors for Integral Reciprocating Compressors (IRCs) used in production, gathering, transmission, and processing sections of the natural gas industry. The proposed technology helps to reduce emissions and improves operating efficiencies, combustion stability, and operational envelope of IRCs. The retrofit kit consists of 1) an air management system; 2) integrated sensors to collect data from the IRC; and 3) a cloud-connected control unit plus a graphical user-interface (GUI) or human-machine interface (HMI). Because the parameters measured to control the air management system (AMS) constitute true evidence of the IRC’s healthy operation, the cloud-connected feature facilitates remote monitoring of the IRC for preventative and predictive maintenance as an additional benefit to operators.

This research aims to create novel, resilient, inexpensive, active, and selective catalyst materials to concurrently conquer current constraints and achieve an efficient, scalable, and intensified non-oxidative methane conversion (NMC). The catalysts are made of isolated single metal atoms supported in a silica matrix and operated at medium-high temperatures (900-1100 °C). The isolation of metal atoms achieves methane activation by heterogeneous surface dehydrogenation to generate a hydrocarbon pool and hydrogen species, followed by C-C coupling on the active sites, and limits coke formation due to the absence of metal atom ensembles. The high reaction temperature induces homogeneous gas-phase reactions to form dehydrogenated and cyclized C₂₊ products. The integration of novel single atom catalysts for NMC initiation with homogeneous reactions in a microreactor (e.g., a catalytic wall reactor) will enable unprecedented NMC performance. The objectives of this project are to: 1) synthesize isolated single atoms of various metals in a silica matrix to prove universality of these catalysts in CH₄ activation; 2) utilize a wide range of experimental and computational techniques to probe in situ and operando the surface and bulk structure/property of the NMC catalysts; 3) mechanistically understand the reaction network by an integrated experimental and computational effort to identify rigorously species, temperature, and kinetics; and 4) validate and scale-up synthesis of robust catalysts and reactors for efficient NMC of natural gas guided by validated process modeling. The proposed system is designed to run at single-pass CH₄ conversion and C₂₊ yields of >25%, with > 90% C₂₊ selectivity, and a lifetime of >1000h.

The objective of this project is to develop low cost sensing systems based on mixed-potential electrochemical devices to sense and quantify the presence of natural gas as an early warning system for pipeline leakage which contributes to loss of product and air pollution. The miniature solid state sensors are ideally suited to remote operation and widescale deployment on drones and autonomous vehicles. The project will include the development of sensing elements specifically suited for detection of natural gas components and contaminants. The performer will employ machine learning techniques to train sensing systems to quantify the concentration of natural gas species, distinguish between natural gas at different parts of the processing pipeline, and distinguish natural gas from natural and man-made interfering sources such as wetlands and agriculture. In collaboration with their Subcontractor (SensorComm Technologies, Inc. (SCT)), the research team will develop portable computing hardware to develop systems that can be deployed in the field with intent to perform a field test at a local industrially relevant location in New Mexico. The performer will work with the industrial partners of the NSF-ERC CISTAR program to field test the devices at natural gas processing facilities.

This project aims to design and demonstrate a core-shell structured multifunctional catalyst for single step conversion of the light components of shale gas into liquid aromatic compounds. Operated in a modular oxidative aromatization system (OAS) under a cyclic redox scheme, the novel catalyst and process can significantly improve the value and transportability of stranded natural gas.

Semplastics will complete development and begin commercialization of a novel composite material specifically targeted for use in lithium ion (Li-ion) battery anodes. The goal is to find the best formulation for technical performance and economic viability, thereby preparing this material for insertion into the coal value chain. Specifically, this project will (1) produce several new battery anode materials comprised of filled, conductive silicon oxide carbide or silicon oxycarbide (SiOC) ceramics based on Semplastics’ X-MAT technology, targeting a specific capacity at least three times that of current graphite anodes as well as improved specific power; (2) provide the best six formulations (highest specific capacity and/or highest specific power) to a commercial Li-ion battery manufacturer as fine powders or of the form they request; and (3) fund the battery manufacturer to produce prototype single-cell industrial batteries and test the batteries under standard test conditions.

University of North Dakota Energy and Environmental Research Center (UNDEERC) will demonstrate a laboratory scale coal-derived graphene process to produce graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide, and graphene quantum dots starting from domestic U.S. coals. The steps to meet the proposed objective include (1) coal pretreatment with EERC-developed methods, (2) graphitization of treated coal products, (3) exfoliation of graphite to graphene, (4) an economic feasibility analysis, and (5) analysis of product target markets and technology gaps. These processes will be applied to anthracite, bituminous, subbituminous, and lignite coals to advance the current state of technology as well as maximize the coal value chain. EERC-developed techniques will be employed to pretreat the coal, which will then be further improved via chemical hydrogenation and reduction reactions. The resultant residue will be carbonized at 1000 °C and graphitized at 2800 °C. The modified Hummer’s method will be used to exfoliate graphite to graphene oxide, which will then be chemically reduced to graphene derivatives.

The overall objective is to develop and validate models for heat transfer in coal-fired boilers for indirect sCO2 cycle applications that will provide the information and tools needed to design efficient and cost-effective combustors for indirect sCO2 power cycles. In addition to obtaining internal sCO2 heat transfer data with experiments, fireside heat transfer will be modeled and used to create 1-D analysis code in IDAES for sCO2 primary heat exchanger. The Phase I R&D effort is based on three tasks: Task 1 Validation of heat transfer correlations for internal CO2 flow at boiler conditions; Task 2 Radiative-convective model of heater external flow path; and Task 3 Integrated Modeling & 1-D Optimization of PC-boiler for sCO2 cycle.

MoleculeWorks will develop a novel adsorptive heat exchanger (AHX) unit for low-cost, energy-efficient CO2 capture from flue gas. This approach allows high adsorbent loading in a design that facilitates rapid adsorption and desorption of flue gas CO2 while still maintaining low pressure drops. Rapid in-situ regeneration is realized by introducing thermal fluid in direct contact with the thin dense metal foil so that the adsorbent can be heated up and cooled in mere minutes regardless the adsorbent bed size. In this Phase I SBIR project, 20 cm by 20 cm adsorptive heat exchanger plate elements utilizing commercially available zeolite powders will be prepared to build a multi-stage AHX prototype. The AHX unit will be built by aid of computational fluid dynamics modeling and analysis and will be demonstrated for CO2 adsorption through rapid thermal (TSA) and pressure swing (PSA) mode. A broad range of conditions will be tested to develop the specification of operating conditions for this new type of device. Techno-economic analysis will be performed, including manufacturing cost models for the AHX module fabrication and basic process design of flue gas CO2 capture using AHX units.

The proposed air pre-cooling system is focused on the air side of a mechanical draft dry cooling tower/air-cooled condenser (ACC). The system is based on "cold energy" storage, which involves storing low-temperature heat ("cold" thermal energy) during the night when the temperature of the ambient air is low and using it to pre-cool the air entering a dry cooling tower/ACC during the hot period of the day. A pervious concrete (PC) material with embedded, encapsulated phase-change material (PCM) will be fabricated. It will be tested with air flow by an induced draft (ID) or forced draft (FD) fan and integrated into a direct contact heat exchanger. The combined system is referred to as the Cold Thermal Energy Storage System (CTESS).

The CTESS heat storage modules will be designed by considering trade-offs between air pressure drop and heat storage capacity. PC mix designs without PCM will be developed to optimize porosity, thermal conductivity, and specific heat while meeting mechanical requirements of compressive and tensile strength and stiffness. The PC mixes will be fabricated and examined at the Advanced Technology for Large Structural Systems (ATLSS) Research Center at Lehigh University. After the baseline PC characterization, PCM will be characterized and three techniques will be examined for integrating this material into the PC matrix: micro-encapsulation, macro-encapsulation, and containment in embedded pipes.

Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) sensors are needed to detect multiple gases within the fuel and oxidant streams with operable temperatures in the 600 to 900 °C range. Quantification of these fuel and oxidant streams can improve the performance, cost, reliability and endurance of fuel cell systems via process control measures. In order for these SOFC sensors to offer beneficial effects, the sensors need to operate in real time in the harsh temperature range with compatibility to the variable fuel constituents in minimally invasive designs that do not impede SOFC system performance. Furthermore, it is desired to integrate these sensors throughout SOFC systems to quantify chemical constituent concentrations thus necessitating low cost methods, yet that are durable for 40,000 hour operational lifetimes. To meet this market need, Skyhaven will develop a ceramic-based SOFC sensor that can quantify the chemical concentrations of fuel mixtures for the anode flow stream as well as function in the cathode flow stream for assessing the oxidant composition. This Phase I program will fabricate these sensors, assess their operation with fuel and oxidant streams over the 600-900 °C temperature range, assess variable levels of constituents found in practical SOFC systems, and conduct an economic-technical viability assessment toward commercializing the sensor for the SOFC industry. This sensor platform is directly oriented at improving SOFC power generators by quantifying the chemical constituents in anode and cathode feed streams. Extensions of this sensor technology may find utility in harsh operating environments for quantifying fuel mixtures in the oil and gas industry, chemical industry, and combustion-based processes.

The primary objective of the proposed effort is to leverage Sporian’s prior work to realize a spectroscopy-based, field-deployable, real-time monitoring system with integrated machine learning for primarily liquid phase selenium content in wastewater treatment processes, but potentially leverage-able for monitoring mercury and arsenic.

TDA Research, Inc. proposes to develop adsorption-based process to directly remove CO2 from air. The

new process uses a unique adsorbent that can effectively remove CO2 at very low concentrations (i.e., 400

ppmv). A mild temperature/concentration swing will be employed to regenerate the sorbent that will

enable the recovery of CO2 as a concentrated product. The sorbent will be housed in a unique gas-solid

contactor that is designed to minimize the pressure drop and the associated parasitic losses (which is

essential for the Direct Capture Systems).

The objective of this project is to develop a neural network-based interaction (drag and lifting) force model. The project seeks to firstly construct a database of the interaction force between the non-spherical particles and the fluid phase based on the particle-resolved direct numerical simulation (PR-DNS) with immersed boundary-based lattice Boltzmann method (IB-LBM). An unsupervised learning method, i.e., variational auto-encoder (VAE), will be used to improve the diversity of the non-spherical particle library and to extract the primitive shape factors determining the drag and lifting forces.

The interaction force model will be trained and validated with a simple but effective multi-layer feed-forward neural network: multi-layer perceptron (MLP), which will be concatenated after the encoder of the previously trained VAE for geometry feature extraction. The interaction force model obtained by the accurate DNS-based database will be supplied as a more general and robust gas-solid coupling correlation than the currently used empirical and semi-empirical correlations in computational fluid dynamics coupled with discrete element method CFD-DEM simulations.

Natural gas fired turbine engines supply over 30% of the electricity in the United States. To maintain optimal efficiency and reliability, these engines require blade temperature sensors that can operate reliably for long periods of time (many years) in high temperature (>1200°C), oxidizing environments. In the proposed project, we will develop wireless temperature sensors for rotating turbine engine blades. The sensor consists of a passive sensor head located on the rotating turbine blade and wireless RFID reader mounted on the turbine case. The sensor head is made from a novel, high-temperature polymer derived ceramic and is unaffected by emissivity changes than can skew the results of IR based sensors.

In the Phase I project a conceptual design of the entire turbine sensor system will be conducted. This includes the wireless sensor head, the sensor reader, and the integration with a turbine engine. The Phase I sensor hardware will then be designed and built, and will mimic key aspects of the engine sensor, but without engine packaging. The sensor will be tested over a range of conditions to demonstrate its performance.

The objective of this project is to develop an approach to manufacture metals ingots in such a manner as to reduce the overall cost and decrease the instances of defects that would cause catastrophic failure in extreme environment applications. By combining an advanced measurement system with the application of transverse magnetic forces, the solidification profile in ingots can be tailored. Specifically, Ampere Scientific will validate the applicability of their approach by a) investigating system dynamics during experimental vacuum arc remelting (VAR) and validating their measurement technology using situations where these alloys are melted (short arc gap influenced by drip short dynamics), b) verifying that the low current profiles during the melting of these alloys are not prone to magnetic field interference from other sources, and c) developing an arc gap measurement technique since the arc gap is critical to the defect-free melting of alloys. The following three tasks will be accomplished during the Phase I work: a) modify an existing VAR system to sustain the necessary validation experiments; b) run a statistically relevant number of tests to validate the technology and investigate scaling; and c) analyze data to establish the relationship between arc conditions and defect generation.

This SBIR project also includes a sub-award with NASA Glenn Research Center (for burner rig tests, fabrication of EBC, sample characterization before/after tests) along with in-kind support from Rolls Royce.

The specific goals of the project are:

1. Demonstrate operation of high temperature sensor fabricated on SiC-based CMC and embedded within EBC coatings up to 2700°F in isothermal static tests

2. Perform burner-rig testing using natural gas under simulated combustion turbine conditions to determine sensor stability and performance

3. Demonstrate long term sensor survivability and durability (on the order of 24,000-48,000 hours) at 2700°F when subjected to burner rig testing

4. Demonstrate the sensors are accurate within ±1%

In this Phase I project, UHV Technologies, Inc. (UHV) will develop a novel real-time, online monitor for selenium species Se (IV) and Se (VI) in addition to mercury and arsenic for effluent streams at coal-fired power plants. The foundation for this effort is based on UHV’s recent success in developing novel advanced online x-ray fluorescence (XRF) and total reflection x-ray fluorescence (TXRF) measuring systems. These online XRF instruments have been designed for the industrial and manufacturing industries. The technical approach is to couple existing methods of column separation for selenium (IV) and selenium (VI) with the TXRF measurement technology. The keys to success for this Phase I effort include utilizing state-of-the-art methods for selenium species separation, simplifying the overall measurement process, utilizing state-of-the-art methods in TXRF spectroscopy, using existing NIST-certified standard reference materials, cybersecurity, creating new calibration standards for Se (IV) and Se (VI), and creating a benchtop prototype for Phase I and both benchtop and online prototype for onsite testing during the Phase II effort.

This SBIR Phase I project seeks to develop and validate models for heat transfer in coal-fired combustors for indirect sCO2 cycle applications. The project seeks to provide the information and tools needed to design efficient and cost-effective combustors for indirect sCO2 power cycles. The project will also conduct a preliminary TEA of entire plant

Recent advancements in ultra-high temperature materials and manufacturing methods suggest a pathway toward development of new CMCs which can operate at high temperatures for extended periods of time without the brittleness and oxidation concerns which have plagued ceramics in the past.This Phase I project is focused on the utilization of new reinforcing fibers, nanomaterials, and matrix having high thermal conductivity, increased mechanical strength properties, resistance to crack-propagation, and long life-cycle utilization. Furthermore, these materials will be developed for the high-rate production of turbine engine components using additive manufacturing methods.

North Carolina State University, along with project partners West Virginia University and Susteon Inc., will develop a comprehensive proof-of-concept scheme for the sustainable and cost-effective production of propionic acid from carbon dioxide (CO₂) derived from power plant flue gas and light alkanes derived from domestic shale gas. This objective will be realized via a molten salt mediated oxidative dehydrogenation (MM-ODH) process that performs reactive CO₂ capture (from power plant flue gas) and CO₂-assisted alkane ODH in a two-step, thermochemical scheme. The resulting carbon monoxide (CO) and light olefin (e.g. ethylene from ethane ODH) are subsequently converted into propionic acid via the industrially proven hydrocarboxylation process. The project will address redox catalyst synthesis, characterization, and optimization as well as long-term testing and scalability investigations. Kinetic parameters of the optimized redox catalysts will also be determined. Reactor and process designs for pilot- and commercial-scale MM-ODH systems will be developed using the kinetic results. Detailed techno-economic and life cycle analyses will also be performed.

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, in collaboration with the University of Cincinnati, will develop novel cost-effective tandem electrodes and combine them with pulsed electrolysis technology for the electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide (CO₂) to value-added ethylene (C₂H₄) with a selectivity of 90% and an energy efficiency of 50% under a partial current density of 1,000 mA cm^-2. During pulsed electrolysis, the diffusion layer at the electrode surface is characterized with a pulsed concentration of active ions. A short pulse can create an extremely high local current, allowing the electrolysis to produce multi-carbon products involved with multiple electrons. The main project tasks include: (1) design and fabrication of tandem electrodes, incorporating two types of complementary and distinct catalyst layers to direct the cascade reaction of CO₂ to carbon monoxide (CO) to C₂H₄; (2) development of a functionally graded catalyst layer in the tandem electrodes to balance the transport of electrons, ions, and reactants; (3) development of a pulse electrolysis protocol to boost the production yield of C₂H₄ and lower the overpotential; and (4) testing of a membrane electrode assembly-type cell integrating the tandem electrodes for CO₂ pulse electrolysis at the cathode coupled with biomass derivatives upgrading at the anode.

Improving the flexibility of conventional power plants is a key challenge in transforming current energy system towards a high share of renewable energies in electricity generation. In the current energy system, mainly dispatchable coal- and gas-fired power plants compensate for fluctuating renewable power generation to ensure the stability and reliability of the electrical grid. Considering the expected capacity growth of renewable energy resources and corresponding reduction in the capacity of conventional power plants, the remaining dispatchable power plant fleet has to meet increasingly higher flexibility and reliability requirements. Energy storage integrated with a power plant partially decouples plant power output and boiler (steam generator) firing rate thus improving flexibility of the plant (lowering minimum load, providing peak power when needed, time-shifting peak power generation, and allowing load changes at constant or nearly constant firing rate), reducing cycling damage, reducing emissions, and improving plant economic performance.

This project will analyze four energy storage technology options and six sub-options, and determine their impact on operation and economics of a representative (reference) coal-fired power plant. A coal-fired steam plant was selected for the analysis because it may provide the greatest benefits from the integration of energy storage and can be used as a foundation for other fossil fuel facilities. The savings due to the integrated energy storage resulting from improved operating efficiency, improved system reliability, reduced CO2 and other pollutant emissions, lower operating costs, more efficient plant participation in frequency control, and increased participation in the ancillary services market will be considered. As the penetration of renewables increase over the next decades, the efficient, flexible, and reliable operation of existing fossil power generating plants is critical for a smooth cost-effective decarbonization of the power generation sector.

This project plans to develop novel Metal-Supported Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (MS-SOFC) using a compositionally varying aerosol spray deposition (CV-ASD) technique. Using this technique, the Recipient will deposit graded electrode structures and dense electrolyte on a metal support. Using computer control of layer formations, deposition rate, pore former content, and graded electrolyte layout, structures unachievable by current methods will be built and tested. The specific objectives of the project are to (1) complete a techno-economic assessment (TEA) of MS-SOFCs with Graded Electrode Porosity (GEP), (2) down-select formulations for GEP, (3) fabricate and GEP cells with CV-ASD and electrochemically validate them, (4) ensure cell flatness, (5) improve cell performance through down-selection of functional catalysts, and (6) optimize GEP cathode and validate electrochemical performance.

This project plans to use an additive manufacturing (AM) approach to fabricate novel design Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) and interconnects. The use of AM will be initially focused on producing metal supports that have controlled porosity in the center with dense edges. The goals of the project are to (1) demonstrate a proof of concept design for an improved cell and stack enabled by AM, (2) assess the AM impact on fabrication cost and performance of the cell and stack, (3) demonstrate the feasibility of an AM process to realize micro and macro structures designed to allow for ideal gas flow channels and diffusion, and (4) fabricate and test SOFC structures to demonstrate this improved performance.

In this Phase I SBIR, Advanced Cooling Technologies (ACT) will develop a scalable, efficient plasma-catalytic reactor for ammonia synthesis using inexpensive natural gas with carbon dioxide and nitrogen from flue gas. The aim is to produce ammonia in an economically competitive way to the Haber-Bosch process (T=450-600°C and P=150-200 bar) at milder operating conditions. ACT will combine plasma and novel catalysts to produce ammonia and carbon monoxide in a single-step process at low temperature (<200°C) and ambient pressure in an actively-cooled plasma-catalytic reactor. ACT will evaluate promising catalysts and perform experiments at different inlet compositions, flow conditions, and plasma powers. In parallel, their academic partner, Lehigh University will synthesize and characterize the catalyst and their commercial partner, Linde will assist in tailoring the technology to meet industry performance and cost metrics relevant to scalability.

Seerstone has developed a method to produce amorphous carbon powder from CO₂ and hydrogen into solid carbon powder (in the form of carbon black, carbon fiber) with distilled water as the sole byproduct. This amorphous carbon can be converted into solid graphitic structures with a sufficiently robust structure to permit machining. Seerstone’s objectives for this project are to determine methods to process the carbon powder material into a solid shape of sintered carbon and to determine the methods to post-process the sintered carbon structure into synthetic graphite. In this project, Seerstone will investigate the temperature and dwell times as a post-processing step to convert the amorphous carbon bonds of the carbon sintered structure into graphitic bonds.

In this Phase I SBIR, Acadian Research & Development will synthesize a catalyst for the process to reduce CO₂ to synthetic graphite. The proposed catalyst is composed of metal particles supported on nanofibers, which protects against particle agglomeration and has a surface chemistry that resists coking. These characteristics translate to higher catalyst stability and allow for operation of a multi-stage reactor system to produce graphite on a variety of substrates. The catalyst monolith will be produced using an in-house, custom built 3D printer extruder. Characterization of the catalyst and performance measurements on a small-scale will be conducted to validate concept feasibility. Finally, testing of the catalyst in a multi-stage reactor will be used to demonstrate graphite production performance and catalyst stability.

In this Phase I SBIR, Acadian Research & Development will demonstrate the production of a 3D printed scaffold and in situ synthesis of a robust, high-capacity solid sorbent for CO₂ capture. The sorbents are amine-functionalized metal organic frameworks (MOFs) with silica scaffolding that are mechanically stable as well as moisture tolerant. Additionally, these solid sorbents are not corrosive, have greater CO₂ capacity than aqueous amines, and have the potential for superior stability. Testing to quantify the sorbent performance on a small-scale will be performed as well as cyclical testing under dry and humid conditions to quantify CO₂ capture and recovery, and to demonstrate performance capable of meeting the target of $30/metric ton of CO₂ captured and 95% purity desorption production.

The University of Louisville Research Foundation, in partnership with the University of North Dakota, will establish an economically viable pathway to convert carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from coal-derived flue gas to valuable multicarbon products, including four-carbon (C4) species, through a novel electrolysis process using a molecular catalyst and a heterogeneous metal alloy electrode in a methanol catholyte. Research will focus on expanded understanding of the electrochemical process, the specific role of the molecular catalyst, and optimization of the faradaic efficiency for tetrahydrofuran (C4 product), while working in parallel to build an electrolyzer to increase the CO₂ reduction current density. The reactor development effort will also engineer a dual-electrolyte feed strategy to promote water oxidation at the anode for overall sustainability. In addition, strategies will be pursued to operate directly from coal-derived flue gas without separate capture and purification.

With increasing production from renewable energy sources, it is expected that coal-fired power plants will cycle more frequently and ramp up much faster. Such frequent and fast ramping process may lead to operation at off-load conditions reducing plant efficiency. The project will focus on two key power plant components that may be adversely affected by transient operations, the low pressure turbine (LPT) and the air-cooled condenser (ACC), to better understand performance of coal-fired power plants. The proposed program seeks to develop system level transient performance and optimization studies in the IDAES framework by developing dynamic models for the LPT and the ACC under relevant conditions. The system level dynamic models will be improved and calibrated with high-fidelity simulations to improve their predictive capabilities. The integrated model for air-cooled, coal-fired power plant in IDAES will be used to perform transient system studies in order to maximize component life and optimize efficiency.

Microbeam will establish the technology proof-of-concept of an IDAES-AGM BoilerHeatExchanger model to predict plant heat rate. As a first step Microbeam proposes to utilize Microbeam’s AGM mechanistic tools to provide thermal properties information that can be used in the IDAES BoilerHeatExchanger model. Microbeam will work with the IDAES group and a utility to incorporate the relevant design and operating information into the BoilerHeatExchanger model to allow for testing the use of thermal conductivity information to provide relevant heat rate information. Heat rate and associated operating conditions will be compared to the results obtained with the prototype IDAES – AGM mechanistic ash model platform.

This project will focus on a new absorption column design that combines local cooling and enhanced gas-liquid contact to maximize the absorption of CO2 in traditional amine solvents. During Phase I, Skyhaven will produce a better absorption packing unit that integrates internal cooling and gas-liquid contact regions into the absorption packing. Commercial applications for this hybrid absorption packing unit are directed at capturing carbon dioxide from post-combustion processes to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere. Additional applications of this new packing unit may be applied to other absorption process units that need enhanced gas-liquid interfacial contact area to maximize mass transfer applications.

Mapex Softare will build a software application that makes it easier for users to get started using the IDAES environment and less expensive to build and run IDAES models. The proposed software will support the full power and flexibility of the IDAES environment and will be an extension of existing IDAES environment. The software will be structured so that future improvements in IDAES environment (i.e. unit models, property packages, …) can easily be incorporated into and used by the proposed IDAES application. Little or no changes in the current IDAES framework will be required.

This project approach increases utilization of the solar energy spectrum in concentrated sunlight and increases carbon dioxide conversion over current technologies. An examination of optical mirrors for sunlight spectrum splitting will be performed to obtain empirical data of their effects on thermal waste and heat flow in a photochemical reactor. Based on the models, a dual-stage solar catalytic reactor will be manufactured that separately uses each component of the solar spectrum to convert carbon dioxide to a major industrial feedstock for chemicals and fuels (carbon monoxide). The output for Phase I work will be a prototype lab system with increased carbon dioxide conversion and solar energy conversion than current state-of-the-art. Empirical data and modeling from prototype testing will support scale-up efforts. This research will make progress toward a process identified as valuable to industrial partners: low-cost carbon dioxide conversion to feedstock chemicals and fuels. The present work in Phase I would directly address a chemical product (carbon monoxide) requested by target customers, and the project could smoothly transition to Phase II using the obtained data to re-design a larger-scale system with integrated components.

The project goal is demonstrate the feasibility of building a reliable deep subsurface monitoring system for both long-term and real-time usages. During Phase I Cyentech, in collaboration with the University of Houston, will design and verify the practicability of using a deep learning framework to enhance the subsurface imaging of CO2 plume distribution by combining inversion results obtained via EM and seismic methods and conduct feasibility studies on cross-well energized casing measurements for CO2 monitoring.

In Phase 1, Terrafore and SwRI will collaborate to build and implement mathematical models of TES in the IDAES platform for a variety of thermal storage systems (Terrafore scope) and advanced coal power cycles (SwRI scope) with the intent to determine optimal approaches for integrating TES into the power plant. Specifically, SwRI will build power cycle models for two coal-based cycles from the Coal FIRST program: Flameless Pressurized Oxy-combustion (FPO) cycle and coal-fired indirect supercritical carbon dioxide (s-CO2) power cycle. Terrafore Technologies will enhance their existing models of at least eight different thermal storage technologies and implement three of these models – currently two-tank molten salt TES, emerging dual-media (using solid such a rock and molten salt), and near term encapsulated phase change TES - in IDAES.

In Phase I of the project, Envergex will partner with the University of North Dakota and Microbeam Technologies, and the focus will be on developing modelling tools based on the IDAES platform and optimizing integration of energy storage (Li-ion and Vanadium flow batteries) with a novel coal-fired plant concept known as the “hybrid gas coal combustion concept. The overall goals of this project are targeting the enhancement of flexible operation of fossil fuel-fired power plants.

During Phase I Aerem Nova will develop a liquid air energy storage (LAES) process model using IDEAS modelling framework. This will be a thermally coupled LAES system for use with a 400MW sub-critical PC coal plant. It will include modelling a large molten salt thermal storage system that will be connected to a re-gasifying turboexpander. Further, regasification cold can be used to further cool condenser water, which can improve current steam generator performance by another 5% to 10%. The model will reflect 1,000 – 2,000 Megawatthours of energy storage that is supplied with liquid air by a 25 – 40 MW liquefier.

The University of Delaware is partnering with the University of Colorado to develop a novel tandem two-step electrochemical process that can utilize carbon dioxide (CO₂) gas emitted from coal-fired power plants to simultaneously produce ethylene and acetate with high carbon selectivity. The objectives are to: (1) design a novel, high-performance carbon monoxide (CO) electrolysis reactor that produces two concentrated product streams, an ethylene gas stream on the cathode and an acetate liquid stream on the anode; (2) construct and assess a CO electrolysis multi-cell stack reactor prototype with a 90% carbon selectivity and a total power of 0.9 kilowatts (kW); and (3) perform a full techno-economic analysis and a life-cycle assessment of the two-step CO₂ electrolysis technology for CO₂ utilization.

The University of North Dakota Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) and project partners Red Trail Energy, LLC (RTE), Trimeric Corporation, and KLJ will complete an initial engineering design and cost estimate for the installation of a hybrid system for the capture and compression of carbon dioxide (CO₂) generated from an ethanol production facility near Richardton, North Dakota. The hybrid capture system combines commercially available technologies of chemical absorption to process the CO₂ emissions associated with heat production (i.e., steam generated by firing a natural gas boiler) and liquefaction to process the CO₂ emissions associated with bioprocessing at RTE’s ethanol plant. The project team will complete a pre-front-end engineering and design (FEED) analysis of the hybrid capture system, which includes an environmental health and safety (EH&S) risk assessment, a constructability review, identification of permits, and corporate approvals. A techno-economic assessment and pre-FEED level cost estimate will also be completed.

(19-b) Sensatek has proposed developing a resonant frequency (RF) based temperature sensor using a dielectric resonator for ultra-high temperature sensing, an integrated RF transmission antenna, and a pressure sensor based on evanescent-mode resonator structure. These sensors are comprised of polymer derived ceramic materials suitable for harsh environments characterized by high temperatures (1200°C –1700°C) and corrosive gases.

The principle for these sensors is that the dielectric constant of ceramic materials monotonically increases versus temperature/pressure. Therefore, by designing the sensor as a resonator and by detecting its resonant frequency, the temperature & pressure of the sensor can be extracted to provide continuous real-time monitoring.

Susteon Inc., in partnership with North Carolina State University (NCSU) and Newcastle University (NU), will develop a catalytic non-thermal plasma (CNTP) technology utilizing carbon dioxide (CO₂) as a soft-oxidant and novel metallic/bi-metallic catalysts to produce ethylene and propylene from ethane and propane, respectively. The key step in this conversion process is the plasma-assisted catalytic conversion of CO₂ to carbon monoxide (CO) and oxygen radicals at very mild operating conditions. The oxygen radicals subsequently react with ethane and propane and break the C-H bonds in alkanes to selectively form ethylene and propylene, respectively, through well-known oxydehydrogenation (ODH) chemistry. The project is aimed at adapting a commercial ozone reactor design to produce commercial quantities of ethylene/propylene in a modular configuration at competitive costs with negative CO₂ footprint. The project activities include: (1) catalyst preparation, characterization, and testing to achieve maximum alkene yield and catalyst stability; (2) plasma reactor design and setup; (3) experimental testing of the plasma-assisted catalytic CO₂-ODH process under parametric conditions with and without catalyst; (4) process modeling; (5) long-term testing to assess the stability of dielectric barrier discharge plasma and catalyst performance and; (6) techno-economic and life cycle analyses. NCSU will perform catalyst synthesis, testing, and optimization. NU will lead the plasma reactor and test system design, modification and construction, and CO₂-ODH reaction testing and optimization.

Source is OSTI

Georgia Tech Research Corporation will investigate the use of hybrid sorbents based on metal-organic framework (MOF) materials functionalized with amine groups for the direct air capture (DAC) of carbon dioxide (CO₂) at sub-ambient conditions. The primary goal of the project is to tailor MIL-101(Cr)-based sorbents to overcome technical barriers associated with their application at sub-ambient temperatures/conditions and validate their amenability to practical DAC application. In this direction, the stability of the powder sorbents against adsorption-desorption cycles and oxidative degradation will be determined. MIL-101(Cr) MOFs will be studied alone and in the presence of amines that range in size from small molecules to oligomers. The synthesis and characterization of sorbent materials as powder, fiber, and monolith samples will be conducted. These materials will be tested for CO₂ adsorption performance with air feeds containing 400 parts per million (ppm) CO₂ at sub-ambient conditions between -20°C and 20°C and varied humidity levels. Preliminary models of adsorption and desorption behavior will be developed and used to predict DAC process parameters. Furthermore, the possibility of the deployment of powder sorbents as practical structures for gas-solid contacting (i.e., monoliths and fibers) will be evaluated.

The objective of this effort is to establish an industry-acceptable standard heat rate test method and annual/long-term heat rate calculation protocol for coal-fired electricity generating units. This study will cover two areas of primary concern related to the development of methodologies to publish The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Standards to provide regulators and industry with procedure(s) to report annual heat rates.

The first area is to survey government agencies, utilities, and non-government organizations who have primary interest in regulating or producing electric power from coal-fired plants. This will include their concerns regarding reporting of heat rate data and issues of data accuracy.

The second major area will be to use the existing ASME Codes and Standards procedures to provide a consensus methodology to report annual/long-term heat rates for coal-fired power plants. ASME Performance Test Codes provide procedures that yield results of the highest level of accuracy consistent with the best engineering knowledge and practice currently available. The ASME Code will be developed by balanced committees representing all concerned interests and will specify procedures, instrumentation, equipment-operating requirements, calculation methods, and uncertainty analysis.

InnoSepra LLC will collaborate with Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T), Arizona State University, and Adroitech Enterprise to evaluate transformational materials (i.e., structured sorbents) for the direct capture of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from air and to confirm a reduction in energy requirements compared to state-of-the-art technologies for direct air capture (DAC). The project activities include performing computational simulations, materials characterization, and lab-scale testing to optimize the performance of materials under DAC conditions; developing a high-level process design to provide an estimate of electrical and thermal energy requirements and sizing of equipment; and utilizing the test results to assess the energy requirements, cost of equipment, and carbon footprint. Finally, an assessment of the proposed materials will also be made to evaluate production of large-scale quantities for future commercial implementation.

Membrane Technology & Research Inc. will partner with Sargent & Lundy (S&L) and CEMEX to perform an initial engineering design of a full-scale Polaris membrane carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture system (approximately 1 million metric tons of CO₂ per day) applied to the CEMEX Balcones cement plant located in New Braunfels, Texas. This study will produce estimates of the cost and performance of a first-of-its-kind industrial membrane capture plant at a cement plant. The technical activities include completing a project design basis and process design, estimating the cost of the capture plant construction and installation, performing an environmental health and safety review and permitting, constructability review and a hazard and operability study (HAZOP), and preparing a techno-economic analysis. S&L, an Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management (EPCM) contractor, will have the lead role in conducting the design study. CEMEX is the owner and operator of the cement plant and will provide plant-specific information on the Balcones facility for this study.

RTI International is partnering with Creare and Mohammed VI Polytechnic University to develop two types of advanced adsorbent materials—metal organic frameworks (MOFs) and phosphorous dendrimers (P-dendrimers)—for direct air capture (DAC) of carbon dioxide (CO₂). Sorbents will be synthesized, characterized, and optimized to achieve high CO₂ capacity at very low CO₂ partial pressures, high swing capacity, improved mass and heat transfer, and long operational life at low cost. The project team will conduct testing of two selected sorbents (one MOF adsorbent and one amine-P-dendrimer adsorbent) over 100 adsorption-desorption cycles in a laboratory-scale packed bed reactor and evaluate sorbent performance in the presence of contaminants (e.g., oxygen and water). The best performing sorbent will be evaluated for commercial production cost and scalability. Incorporation of the novel sorbents into a low pressure drop multichannel monolith-type reactor will result in a pathway to developing an advanced low-cost DAC process that can capture CO₂ from air at a cost of approximately $70/tonne of CO₂.

General Electric (GE) Research will partner with University of California, Berkeley (UCB) to develop an advanced integrated reticular sorbent-coated system to capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere ("AIR2CO2"). The system integrates pioneering metal-organic framework (MOF) sorbents and sorbent-binder composite coatings to capture and release atmospheric CO₂. UCB will build on their benchmark MOF sorbent to synthesize, test, downselect, and sufficiently scale a next-generation sorbent with optimized overall CO₂ adsorption capacity and thermal and chemical stability. GE Research will develop a robust MOF sorbent-binder formulation and coating process and integrate the advanced sorbent into an additively manufactured substrate. Component and system modeling of the AIR2CO2 process will be performed based on laboratory-scale experimental results and will be used to develop a techno-economic model that will inform future development of the sorbent material and AIR2CO2 contactor.

Semplastics aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of their Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) encapsulation technology. Samples of the selected CCR will be encapsulated and undergo leach testing to show reduction of toxic element leaching by more than 80%. The project team will mold test plates from CCR and a number of inorganic resins, which will be cut into test specimens for microstructural, mechanical, and physical property analysis. The process developed in making the test plates will be used for scale-up to make bulk demonstration parts. The team will optimize the scaled-up process to produce large-scale support columns (approximately 9” diameter). The team will develop two predictive models—one for encapsulated CCR in high-CCR-loaded bulk parts, and one for encapsulated CCR as filler in polypropylene. By the end of the project, the team plans to demonstrate that encapsulated CCR improves the strength and modulus of polypropylene by 30-50% and can be used in structural components to provide a strength five to ten times that of concrete.

Electricore Inc. will partner with Svante Inc. and Kiewit Engineering Group Inc. to accelerate the implementation of a commercial-scale (1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide [CO₂]/year) VeloxoTherm™ carbon capture plant at an existing cement plant. The project objectives include completing a pre-front-end engineering design (pre-FEED) for installation of the capture system at a LafargeHolcim-owned cement plant in Florence, Colorado and identifying plausible options for CO₂ storage near the host site, including saline and depleted oil reservoirs and the Sheep Mountain natural CO₂ reservoir as alternatives to enhanced oil recovery. This project will be designed to remove CO₂ from the flue gas of the cement kiln (14% concentration), as well as CO₂ from the natural gas-fired steam generator (8.5% concentration). The study will also include optimization engineering for the potential expansion to 2 million tonnes of CO₂/year that may provide a step-change advancement toward achieving the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) goal of $30/tonne for CO₂ capture. The project will be executed in two phases: Phase 1 will focus on selecting the preferred design options and most advantageous plant capacity (Front-End Loading [FEL]-1), and Phase 2 will produce pre-FEED-level engineering deliverables for the selected design (FEL-2).

The State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo (University at Buffalo) will prepare novel membrane adsorbents and develop an integrated adsorption system enabled by solar heating and radiative cooling for rapid temperature swing adsorption of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the air. The technical objectives of this laboratory-scale project include:

• Designing, preparing, and characterizing highly porous flat-sheet membrane adsorbents containing CO₂-philic amines and CO₂-philic self-assembled inorganic nanocages (SINCs) that can be easily dispersed in the polymers with great stability.
• Constructing a portable device integrating sorption, solar heating, and radiative cooling.
• Conducting continuous operation of the prototype system for direct air capture (DAC).

The porous membranes coupled with porous SINCs offer low resistance for airflow and fast CO₂ sorption/desorption cycles, while the incorporation of the amine groups provides high CO₂ sorption capacity. With collaboration from project partner Trimeric Corporation, the resulting experimental data will be incorporated into a techno-economic analysis (TEA) to assess the feasibility, economic opportunity, and impact on CO₂ emissions reduction of this technology if implemented at scale.

The University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research (UK CAER) will develop an enhanced depolarized electro-membrane system (EDEMS) for direct air capture (DAC). The EDEMS consists of a low-pressure ceramic membrane contactor/absorber in a tailored electrochemical process that leverages depolarization to regenerate and concentrate both a capture solvent and carbon dioxide (CO₂) extracted by the membrane. The technical objectives of this laboratory-scale project include developing and evaluating patterned inorganic membrane absorbers and a depolarized electrochemical cell, integrating the components into a novel EDEMS, and conducting continuous operation of the system for DAC. A process design package will be developed, and with collaboration from project partner ALL4, an Environmental Health and Safety Risk Assessment will be completed. The EDEMS technology will have the potential to extract CO₂ from ambient air, up-concentrate and regenerate the extracted CO₂, and simultaneously renew the capture solvent.

Linde Inc., in partnership with Linde Engineering Americas (LEA) and BASF, will conduct an initial engineering design study for an approximately 3,500 metric tons of CO₂ per day carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture plant based on Linde-BASF advanced aqueous amine post-combustion CO₂ capture technology. The capture plant will be installed at a Linde-owned commercial-scale steam methane reforming (SMR) plant. The specific goals of the project are to define integration options with the SMR host site; produce a set of project requirements, including the design basis and environmental permitting needs; and complete the process design optimization for the site, the engineering design packages, and project cost and schedule estimates. BASF will develop a technology design package for the defined CO₂ capture system. LEA will complete detailed design packages for mechanical, electrical, civil, structural, instrumentation and control, and facilities engineering and assess the cost and logistics for constructability and site security; Linde Inc. will lead the technical analyses to supplement the engineering design study, including techno-economic, environmental health and safety, and technology maturation plan; Linde will interface with the SMR plant operators for operational and utility information.

Susteon Inc., in partnership with the University of Wyoming, will develop solid sorbent materials that can be regenerated at lower temperatures than current state-of-the-art materials. Structured sorbent beds will be constructed for low pressure drop operation to achieve reduced costs for direct air capture (DAC) of carbon dioxide (CO₂). The project aims to develop amine-doped solid sorbents catalyzed by a novel ionic liquid that has the potential to increase the CO₂ desorption rate by several orders of magnitude at desorption temperatures of 80 to 90°C. The catalytic effect of the ionic liquid has been tested at laboratory scale as an additive in monoethanolamine (MEA) solvent, resulting in an increase in the CO₂ desorption rate by 60 times at 85°C. The sorbent-based process enables a reduction in the energy required for sorbent regeneration and increased sorbent lifetime/stability due to operation at lower desorption temperatures.

The project objectives are to: (1) synthesize and test the ionic liquid catalyst to determine catalytic activity and catalyst stability; (2) evaluate the catalyzed amine-based sorbents to determine CO₂ desorption and absorption kinetics; and (3) based on the experimental results, develop a conceptual process design for the sorbents applied in a DAC system and conduct a preliminary cost analysis to assess the potential of the novel sorbent to reduce the cost of DAC.

Precision Combustion will to develop a new regenerable structured sorbent-based approach to Direct Air Capture (DAC) that is tailored to atmospheric CO2 concentrations, ambient humidities, and minimized energy cost of desorption. This will build on their success in a separate DOE SBIR Phase II project developing MOF-based CO2 flue gas capture, which to date has demonstrated 75% energy savings over state-of-the art monoethanolamine (MEA)-based systems and targets 90% energy savings for overall $25/ton CO2 capture in energy costs.

During Phase I, PCI will develop a comprehensive natural gas fueled, SOFC generator design that allows direct CO2 capture and very high fuel-to-electric efficiencies. A fully-consistent process model will be developed via a commercially available software platform with supporting data derived from testing of SOFC stacks at PCI to validate the model. A detailed layout, flow model, and other balance of plant component performance data will be developed and reported. Utility for other fuels of interest will be examined. A comprehensive economic assessment, including for CO2 capture, will be developed via DOE’s Commercialization Assistance Program.

The project is for the development of flexible gas sensor technology for real-time monitoring of multiple species in the flue gas of power plants. This leverages the recent development of laser absorption-based sensors operating in the mid-infrared (Mid-IR) wavelength regime, which offers greater sensitivity and specificity than similar systems operating at other wavelengths.

In Phase I, new fiber-optic devices will be developed, and the implementation of components optimized for measurements between the boiler and the air heater in a coal-fired power plant. A prototype system will be assembled and demonstrated with ability to monitor multiple species in real time at test facilities in conditions simulating real life power plants. The project will result in (1) new sensor technology specifically optimized to reduce costs and emissions at power plants and (2) general fiber-optic based tools that will be applicable to a wide range of gas sensing applications for harsh environments.

Cummins Inc. (Columbus, IN) aims to advance the state of the art for Reversible Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (R-SOFC) systems by developing two novel technologies that will enable $2/kg hydrogen production with a 30% overall product cost reduction. Based on Cummins proprietary metal supported stack, it is proposed to further lower cost and improve performance by modeling and developing an advanced sheet-metal substrate. This substrate will target a 50% cost reduction by using less metal and substantially reducing processing costs. A new system concept will be demonstrated to drive the hydrogen gas/fuel loop with no moving parts in the recirculation loop, greatly simplifying the system design. By eliminating the hydrogen blower, recuperator and associated piping, a potential cost savings of up to 75% is possible for the hydrogen gas path. This project will advance the technology readiness of R-SOFC systems and has the potential to realize 30% cost reduction enabling earlier commercial viability of small-scale hybrid electrolyzer plants.

The objective of this project is to develop a process to produce rigid-board building panels using at least 55% by mass of coal-derived material (71% by mass of carbon) as filler in a new family of moldable inorganic resins. Prototype quantities of composite rigid board insulation panels will be produced with dimensions at least 16” × 32” × 1” and of architectural composite wall/facade panels with dimensions ranging from 9” × 14” × ½” to 8” × 12” × ¾” or larger. The panels will have better mechanical strength (three to five times higher flexural strength), lower weight (30-50% lighter), and significantly improved insulation (two to three times the R-value), compared to commercially used and certified building panels. A target market analysis for the coal-based X-MAT® panels and technology gap analysis will be performed.

This project will develop and demonstrate the viability of a new class of composite infrastructure components that use coal as the primary component. Coal particles are completely encapsulated and bonded using a specially formulated polymer-derived ceramic (PDC) that is cured to form an aggregate of coal and PDC resin. This aggregate can be further processed and pressed to produce a brick. The project team aims to produce brick and block components, called X-BRIX and X-BLOX, with dimensions comparable to commercially available bricks and concrete blocks, but with superior mechanical strength, lower weight, greater hardness, improved toughness, greater abrasion resistance, and greater chemical resistance than concrete. Sufficient quantities of full-size X-BLOX and X-BRIX will be fabricated to demonstrate the technology and to support the development of mortar or joining techniques.

The University of Akron, in partnership with Aspen Aerogels, Inc., will develop novel solid sorbent materials that can be regenerated in a low vacuum swing adsorption (VSA) process with greater performance than current state-of-the-art materials for the capture of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from air. A hierarchical structure of gradient amine sorbent, which allows CO₂ to adsorb in the form of weakly adsorbed CO₂, will be constructed in bead form. The weakly adsorbed CO₂ can then be regenerated from the sorbent by applying a low vacuum. The novel sorbent allows VSA to be operated at ambient temperature without a significant energy demand, eliminating the energy-intensive heating and cooling cycle in temperature swing adsorption (TSA) processes. Operation at ambient temperature further eliminates the possibility of thermal degradation of sorbents, leading to a prolonged lifetime of the sorbent and minimizing maintenance costs to provide a cost-effective approach for direct air capture (DAC).

The project objectives are to: (1) prepare amine functionalized aerogel (AFA); (2) fabricate hybrid sorbents, adhering specific amine structures and AFA on carbon fiber; (3) construct a VSA test apparatus; (4) and conduct sorbent characterization and performance testing. A high-level process design/analysis will be conducted to evaluate the feasibility of applying the sorbents in a DAC system.

The objective of this project is to develop coal-based siding materials used for cladding of residential and commercial buildings. The coal-based alternatives will consist of at least 70% carbon (by weight), and at least 51% of the carbon (by weight) must be coal derived and offer performance, cost, and environmental benefits in comparison to commercially available fiber-cementitious (FC) siding materials. The project team will assess the ability to design a continuous thermal process to directly convert coal into siding material to supplant and meet all applicable ASTM performance specifications for fiber-cementitious building materials. Bench-scale manufacturing trials will be conducted to assess coal-derived material properties and technical feasibility for siding and related applications. In addition, molecular dynamic simulations will be experimentally validated and utilized to predict properties of coal siding materials. Techno-economic and technology gap analyses will be conducted to assess coal siding manufacturing costs and identify best suited initial market applications and resources necessary to scale and commercialize the product.

The primary objective of the project is to develop coal plastic composite (CPC) piping containing at least 70% by weight carbon derived from at least 51% by weight coal for non-pressurized and pressurized application that offer cost, performance, and environmental benefits in comparison to existing plastic pipe infrastructure. CPC piping offers advantages including minimal coal processing yielding low capital/operating costs, generating nearly zero carbon emissions, utilizing existing commercial manufacturing equipment, and producing a CPC piping product with lower manufacturing costs and equivalent or superior properties relative to existing plastic piping.

Ohio University will carry out the objective by conducting bench-scale research and development (R&D) to develop and refine CPC formulations for plastic piping applications, including appropriate ASTM testing for plastic piping applications, to correlate coal type, plastic resin, and additive content with formulation properties. Initial CPC piping continuous manufacturing trials will be completed to validate process operation and pipe properties. Process simulations will be developed to support CPC piping techno-economic analyses (TEA) to determine CPC piping manufacturing costs and assess potential in existing plastic piping markets. In addition, a technology gap analysis will be completed to identify additional R&D and resources necessary to scale up CPC piping manufacturing and commercialization.

This project is planned to develop and demonstrate a field deployable, multifunctional smart pavement system made from domestic coal-derived solid carbon materials. This research will demonstrate the use of coke-like coal char, a key byproduct of the coal pyrolysis process, in the design and construction of a prototype multifunctional pavement system that could provide roadways with the capability for self-sensing, self-heating (deicing), and self-healing. Specifically, this project will (1) carry out multiscale experimental and numerical studies to establish processing-structure-property relationships, (2) develop a novel coal char-bearing multifunctional pavement system and gather experimental data to evaluate its performance and assess the feasibility for scale up, (3) test a prototype pavement section to evaluate its intended functionalities, and (4) perform a comprehensive technoeconomic analysis to identify the potential market size and key technology gaps to field implementation.

University of Wyoming researchers will develop coal-derived carbon building materials from Wyoming Powder River Basin (PRB) coal pyrolysis products. Two building components containing more than 70% carbon, most of which is derived from coal itself, are proposed: char-based concrete brick (CCB) and carbon-based structural unit (CSU). These construction products have the potential to be transformational from a cost-benefit perspective and can be scale manufactured for use in residential and commercial buildings.

In this project, the as-mined coal will be converted to functional carbon elements through an integrated solvent extraction and pyrolysis process invented by the University of Wyoming that includes elevated temperature in an inert atmosphere and generation of pyrolyzed char (PC) and coal deposits, extracts, and residuals tar (CDER). The CCB will be developed for building wall applications by adding surface functionality to the PC, providing the modified material with engineered properties to ensure a high degree of interaction/reactivity and bonding with the cement binder. The purity of the PC and CDER intermediates has been shown to comply with the strictest health and environmental requirements for building materials from metals.

Specific goals for the development of the CCB and CSU coal-carbon based building components are: CCB with thermal conductivity greater than 0.40 W/mK, mechanical strength of 14 MPa (compression), and light weight at 1.0-1.5 g/cm3; and CSU with mechanical strength greater than 30 MPa (compression) and light weight at 1.0-1.3 g/cm3 with minimal water retention and long-term corrosion resistance and durability in service.

The objective of the project is to develop an innovative, facile, low-temperature, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly technology for producing high-value coal-based carbon quantum dots (CQDs), which have not been a commodity product yet. The coal-based CQD production is based on a proprietary technology developed at UW. A green solvent is used for directly extracting carbon out of coal with the help of coal itself. Optimal extraction conditions will be obtained via a study of the effects of different factors on the quantity and qualities (size, bandgap, and purity) of the solid carbon from coal. Since CQD have novel optical properties, efficiencies of photoelectric conversion and photocatalysis of the synthesized CQDs will carried out in order to determine suitability towards each application. Additionally, a techno-economic analysis of the novel coal-to-CQDs technology will be performed to evaluate the proposed CDQ production technology.

Harvard University will conduct experimental verification of a novel approach for direct air capture (DAC) of carbon dioxide (CO₂) that employs an alkalinity concentration swing (ACS) process. ACS involves concentrating an aqueous alkaline solution (that has equilibrated with air) using commercially available technologies such as reverse osmosis (RO) or capacitive deionization (CDI). The concentrated solution has a higher partial pressure of CO₂ relative to the initial solution, allowing the CO₂ to be separated and stored. The final step in the ACS process involves diluting the concentrated solution following carbon extraction, using the fresh water produced from the RO or CDI modules. The solution is then re-equilibrated with air, returning the system to the initial point. The project team will evaluate in parallel two methods for concentrating an alkaline fluid (RO and CDI), combined with two approaches for CO₂ extraction — one applying a vacuum on a fluid reservoir and another making use of gas permeable membrane technology. The lab-scale test results will be analyzed to determine the CO₂ yield per amount of water processed by the ACS method and the energy required per quantity of CO₂ captured.

In this project, technical data will be generated by testing coal-based composites formulated by a design of experiments (DoE) approach to assess the technical feasibility of the proposed technology. Results will be assessed against technical performance targets based on present commercial products and by uses identified through a market survey analysis. Technical gaps requiring additional R&D for scale-up or commercialization will be identified.

A techno-economic analysis (TEA) will also be performed encompassing coal processing, composite formulation, and brick fabrication stages to assess the readiness of the proposed technology. It will incorporate capital investment, direct operating costs (e.g., raw materials, energy inputs, labor), indirect costs (e.g., maintenance) and general costs. Economic performance targets will be identified. The economic growth potential of coal-to-products includes social benefits in the form of new job creation, especially in regions of the country adversely impacted by the recent downturn in coal production and power generation.

The Palo Alto Research Center Inc. (PARC), in collaboration with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), will develop a novel solid sorbent (Tunable Rapid-uptake AminoPolymer aerogel Sorbent [TRAPS]) for direct air capture (DAC) of carbon dioxide (CO₂). The key innovation of TRAPS builds on PARC’s proprietary polymer aerogel synthesis platform, which will be adapted to produce a polyamine aerogel with a combination of high CO₂ capacity, rapid uptake kinetics, resistance to degradation, and low cost. During the project, PARC will develop the novel TRAPS sorbent and LLNL will test the performance of the sorbent under DAC-relevant conditions in a lab-scale, fixed-bed reactor with adsorption at ambient temperature and humidity, combined with temperature-vacuum swing or steam desorption. TRAPS will yield substantial improvements to process cost, energy consumption, and sorbent lifetime, drastically improving the economic viability of DAC.

The University of Oklahoma will conduct research on the integration of reversible methane (CH₄) electrochemical reactors as an efficient energy storage technology in fossil fuel power plants. Protonic ceramic electrochemical reactors (PCERs) integrated with a fossil asset may offer efficient energy storage by operating and switching between fuel cell and electrolyzing modes. In fuel cell mode (power generation mode), the chemical energy in the CH₄-rich supply gas is converted to electrical energy as the fuel flows from the fuel tanks through the stack. In electrolyzing mode (fuel production mode), the polarity of the cell switches as surplus electrical energy from the fossil power plant or renewable resource is supplied to the stack. The carbon dioxide (CO₂)-rich gas captured from the fossil power plant (e.g. using a carbon capture system) is converted to a CH₄-rich gas which can be stored in fuel tanks, injected into a natural gas pipeline, or immediately used as feedstock for fossil industries. Fundamental processes and system models will be developed to conduct a preliminary conceptual study and identify power plant system integration requirements, performance requirements, and technology gaps for eventual implementation at a system level.

PSU will develop a basic model of the all-Cu(I, II) redox flow battery (TRB) to assess its performance as an energy storage technology. The numerical model will produce current-potential simulations of the all-Cu(I, II) TRB via a multi-physics computational program. Once developed, the model will provide insights into its preliminary energy storage, power output, and energy efficiency capabilities. The model will simulate fluid flow, mass transfer, and electrochemical transport in the battery reaction cell using the proposed chemistry. Simulation results will allow us to determine mass transport effects on cell power output, identify favorable flow cell designs, and determine the optimal combination of electrode and membrane materials for lab-scale prototype testing. Electrochemical and spectrochemical experimental data will be used to collect and validate model inputs. Model outputs will be validated and improved through laboratory-scale prototype testing.

Southwest Research Institute (SWRI) will perform a Phase I feasibility study for the integration of a 100 MW, 10-hour (100 MWh) Malta Pumped Heat Energy Storage (MPHES) system with one or more full-sized fossil-fired electricity generation units (EGU). MPHES is a long-duration, molten-salt-energy storage technology that uses turbomachinery and heat exchangers to transfer energy to thermal storage media when charging, and removes the heat in a similar fashion when discharging. This Phase I study will focus on determining the size and method of integration of the MPHES system with the natural-gas-fired EGU and grid, enabling the fossil-asset owner to optimize the operation of the co-located assets, balance their portfolio of energy generation, and better respond to grid disturbances through the integration of MPHES on-site.

The research team will perform market analyses, cycle modeling and optimization studies, component specification and technology gap analysis, and techno-economic trade studies for variations of combustion turbine (CT) cycles augmented with liquid air energy storage (LAES). The studies and analyses will focus on a patent-pending Liquid Air Combined Cycle^TM (LACC) that is expected to lead to the conceptual design and specification of a commercial-scale LACC. The commercial-scale LACC will also be adapted to a demonstration-scale LACC conceptual design specification based on a smaller, 10 MW-class CT. The primary technical objectives of the development effort are to (1) define cost and performance trades for charge and discharge cycle components, (2) perform system optimization of the charge and discharge cycles, and (3) develop an optimized commercial-scale LACC specification from techno-economic trade studies and incorporate technology gap analysis.

The University of California – Irvine (UCI) will advance the capability of an existing fossil asset serving the campus microgrid to store energy in the form of hydrogen produced through electrolytic and/or micro steam methane reforming and to consume hydrogen as fuel with the production and use cycles optimized based on market, operational, and demand conditions. The UCI central plant features a natural gas-fired 13 MW gas turbine, which is coupled with a heat exchanger that captures waste heat for use in either additional power generation via a steam turbine, chilling via an absorption chiller, or heating via steam use and exchange with a district heating system. The Phase I project will assess the optimal design of this integrated storage ecosystem that would feature turbine retrofit to enable operation on variable fractions of hydrogen up to 30%; integration of technology to utilize waste heat from the gas turbine for hydrogen production; physical interconnection via hydrogen pipe of the campus central plant and the campus hydrogen refueling station to allow joint use and co-optimization of electrolyzer, mSMR, and storage resources to serve either power or transportation demand; and an integrated control system to allow dynamic dispatch of ecosystem components. In addition, a technoeconomic study to assess the generic implementation of the proposed system to assess overall value and pricing models will be conducted.

The recipient aims to develop a high-density Cryogenic Flux Capacitor (CFC) for hydrogen energy storage. A key advantage of CFC modules is that they can accept gaseous hydrogen at ambient conditions, such as from an electrolyzer, and “charge up” over time. On the discharge step, controlling heat input into a CFC storage cell can pressurize the system and regulate the flow of the hydrogen gas as it is released from its physisorbed state. Simple auto-pressurization of the cell via heat input provides operational flexibility for the total system and allows a wide range of demand loads and duty cycles. The project will validate the prior work on the NASA test rig, demonstrate a CFC storage system working with an electrolyzer, and assess the inherent ramp times of the system. The work will also analyze and assess the required cell storage size to maintain flexibility and optimize costs. A commercial-scale study and development pathway of the technology will be produced in the form of a TMP, Technology Gap Assessment, Commercialization Plan, and TEA.

Gas Technology Institute (GTI) will develop a conceptual feasibility study for innovative hydrogen energy storage and production as part of a potential integrated low-carbon, fossil-based, power generation system located at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). The objective is to conduct a conceptual design study to advance the commercialization of a zero carbon, fossil based integrated energy production system using hydrogen storage (subsurface and above ground), and CO₂ sequestration that demonstrates the ramping and dispatch capabilities of traditional Electricity Generating Units powered by natural gas turbines. The project site seeks to provide access to underground geological formations for large-scale energy storage opportunities. Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS) will further characterize and investigate potential underground geological formations for storing hydrogen as an energy source in a similar manner as that used for underground natural gas storage. The combination of above ground and underground hydrogen storage will be designed to provide at least 10MWhs of energy storage. A commercial 30–40 MW class gas turbine will be capable of using varying blends of hydrogen and natural gas and, through operational testing, will be optimized to eventually operate on 100% hydrogen. The power system will be grid connected and operated by UIUC. Hydrogen will be produced from natural gas by GTI’s compact hydrogen generator at 41,000 kg/day.

The objective of the Phase I Study is to determine the technical feasibility, economic viability, and environmental benefits of deploying an Integrated Hydrogen Energy Storage System (IHESS) to produce blended hydrogen/natural gas fuel mixtures for heat/power production “behind the fence” at a fossil-based power or cogeneration facility. To accomplish this study, the team will develop a process and technoeconomic model that evaluates the hydrogen generation and pipeline operating conditions required to provide the fossil-based power or cogeneration facility with access to at least 10 MWh of hydrogen energy storage.

Sustainable Energy Solutions and Chart Industries will perform a quantitative assessment of an energy-storing version of their Cryogenic Carbon Capture process. The Cryogenic Carbon Capture-Energy Storing (CCC-ES) technology will provide a minimum of 10 megawatt-hours (MWh) of energy storage. The technology uses liquefied natural gas as a refrigerant to store energy when power generation costs are low or when power is plentiful, and recovers energy by drawing on stored refrigerant when power generation costs are high or when power is scarce. The project team will conduct design, engineering, and modeling of the energy-storage process and analyses of the associated costs and fuel prices based on a specific fossil energy host site and the value added from energy storage.

The drive for a low-carbon future and the commensurate growth of variable renewable energy has led to a potential for grid instability and associated inability to provide dispatchable, synchronous power. Energy storage can alleviate these concerns. One promising vehicle for storage is sand-based thermal energy storage (SandTES) integrated with an operating fossil power plant. This strategy allows the plant to store energy in the system when less power is needed and provide power to the grid from both the operating fossil plant and the SandTES system when more is required. The objective is to perform a Phase I feasibility study on the integration of a 10-MWh-e SandTES system to Southern Company’s coal-fired Plant Gaston in preparation for a Phase II project in which a pre-front-end engineering and design (pre-FEED) will be performed. The scope of work for the Phase I feasibility study consists of a conceptual study, a techno-economic study, a technology gap assessment, a project plan for Phase II, a technology maturation plan, and a commercialization plan.

Universal Matter, Ltd. (Houston, Texas), in partnership with the University of Missouri, will scale up and attempt to commercialize a breakthrough process, Flash Joule Heating (FJH), to transform different coal grades into high-quality graphene. The main objective of this project is to optimize the process by using statistical modeling and to validate the technical and economic benefits of producing graphene by using different grades of coal as the feedstock for the FJH process. The graphene products developed from different feedstocks will be analyzed for application development in different strategic markets to further validate the cost and performance advantages and the environmental benefits that can be realized by the incorporation of graphene-based modifiers into different end-use applications.

This graphene is made using a high-voltage electric discharge that brings the carbon source to temperatures higher than 3,000 K in less than 10 milliseconds. The short burst of electricity breaks all chemical bonds and reorders the carbon atoms into thin layers of a special type of graphene. This project plans to advance the FJH technology from its current technology readiness level (TRL) of 4 to TRL 5. To achieve this goal, Universal Matter, Ltd. will focus on application of statistical modeling to develop the process-structure-property relationship required for process optimization and quality control of graphene produced in a controlled industrial environment using the FJH process.

Siemens Energy, Inc. will develop a concept design of a hydrogen energy storage system integrated into an advanced class combined cycle power plant (CCPP). The goal is to maximize efficiency and reliability of the CCPP, mitigating inefficient or off-design operation by complementing it with the dynamic response characteristics of the hydrogen energy storage system. The project aims to address underlying hydrogen energy storage system challenges in technology and economic design, and thoroughly analyze the intricacies of integrating the system into an existing power plant and transmission grid. The conceptual study will be based on Siemens’ Silyzer PEM electrolyzer platform, hydrogen compression, hydrogen storage, and intelligent plant controls. A technoeconomic study using simulation and optimization software is planned to determine sizing, scheduling, and cost/benefit analyses. The study includes a thorough assessment of the hydrogen system integration into a CCPP, and how the dynamic response capabilities of the electrolyzer support grid stability, further promoting renewable penetration while avoiding off-design operation, thus improving overall efficiency and plant life.

Siemens Energy, Inc. will conduct a feasibility study to prove the technical and economic feasibility of integrating a Combined Cycle integrated Thermal Energy Storage (CiTES) system that stores low-cost electricity as thermal energy into an existing gas-fired Combined Cycle Power Plant. A secondary objective is to use the stored thermal energy to increase the flexibility of the Combined Cycle Power Plant by pre-warming the Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) during plant start preparation. This will transform each start into a hot plant re-start regardless of the plant down time, thus avoiding low-load holds of the gas turbine during start, which will result in fuel savings and emission reductions and improve the flexibility of the plant by shortening the start-up time. The CiTES system will use a thermal energy storage core using volcanic rocks with excellent thermal properties and durability. To charge the system, a blower will push air through an electrical heater using low-cost electricity to heat up the thermal storage core. To discharge, the gas flow will be reversed with a set of dampers and cold gas will be extracted at the stack, heated in the storage core, and injected into the exhaust gas of the gas turbine at the inlet of the HRSG to be converted into electricity in the steam bottoming cycle of the plant.

Operation of fossil plants at partial capacity with frequent cycling results in decreased efficiency and increased emissions, wear, and maintenance. The objective of this project is to advance the integration of a titanium-cerium electrode-decoupled redox flow battery (Ti-Ce ED-RFB) system with conventional fossil-fueled power plants through detailed technical and economic system-level studies, component scale-up, and research and development. The Ti-Ce chemistry has a clear pathway to meet the Department of Energy cost targets of $100/kWh and $0.05/kWh-cycle owing to the use of low-cost, earth abundant elemental actives and incorporation of inexpensive carbon felt electrodes and non-fluorinated anion exchange membrane separators. With assistance from Giner, Inc., the team will scale up Washington University’s existing laboratory Ti-Ce flow battery system to a kW-scale stack with a current density of 0.5 A/cm², a cycle duration of 48 hours, and less than 5% capacity loss during 1-week standby.

Cost and performance data from the RFB scale-up efforts will be incorporated into a detailed techno-economic assessment (TEA) of this storage technology situated within the fence lines of a fossil-fueled power plant to demonstrate the benefits of co-location to asset owners, grid operators, and the public. The TEA will consider both pulverized coal and gas fired power plants with and without carbon capture. The path to commercialization of this storage technology will be enabled through market research, gap assessment, and technology maturation and commercialization planning. The resulting TEA and performance data are expected to show reduction in risk and lowering of potential barriers to wide-scale deployment of integrated grid-scale storage; resulting in more secure, reliable, efficient, and cost-effective delivery of electricity with increased share of renewables.

One tangible product of the proposed work will be a new power system economic modeling tool that will be made available to power plant owners. This tool will allow users to determine the best battery technology and size for their location and the electricity market. The tool may be used by developers of large-scale battery technologies to identify market opportunities and attract investment. The development of a 3-5-10 cell Ti-Ce ED-RFB cell stack with 400 cm² cells at 0.5 A/cm² current density, 48h cycle duration and less than 5% capacity loss in one week standby will provide a prototype scaled-up RFB that is cost effective at the grid level. The project will also identify pathways to capex values of less than $500/kW (power) and less than $ 50/kWh (energy) for an annual production volume of less than 100 MW/yr. and less than 1 GWh/yr., and a levelized cost of storage (LCOS) of less than $0.05/kWh-cycle which will enable the widespread deployment of this technology solution.

University of Illinois will conduct a conceptual design study for integrating a 10 MWh Compressed Natural Gas Energy Storage (CNGES) system with the Abbott Combined Heat and Power Plant at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. CNGES technology is analogous to commercial compressed air energy storage except natural gas is compressed during off-peak hours and discharged during peak hours. The project takes advantage of synergies at the Abbott plant where natural gas is its primary fuel. Co-locating energy storage with the plant will improve the short- and long-term reliability of electric power delivery as the use of variable renewable power generation increases. The technology includes control systems and algorithms to reliably adjust the energy generated to maintain a stable grid. This Phase I study will focus on a preliminary technical design that includes (1) identifying potential on-site locations for the CNGES; (2) projected utility requirements for CNGES from the fossil asset; (3) tie-in points; (4) permitting and regulatory considerations; and (5) technical challenges for integration of CNGES with the fossil asset. The impact of integration of CNGES into the campus grid, which already has renewables, will also be examined. Upon successful completion of the project, this new integrated technology would provide CHP plants with improved energy efficiency, reduced fuel and maintenance costs, and reduced emissions (since efficient ramping uses less fuel).

Fuel Cell Energy, Inc. (FCE) will complete a detailed feasibility study and technoeconomic analysis for MW-scale deployment of its reversible solid oxide fuel cell (RSOFC) energy storage technology, in combination with hydrogen production as an additional source of revenue and/or use in the power plant during peak periods. The RSOFC system will be designed for >10 MWhr capacity applications co-located with fossil-fueled Electricity Generating Units (EGUs). The primary objective of Phase I of this project is to show the technical and economic benefits of FCE’s RSOFC technology for a variety of fossil EGU applications, while also advancing the technology toward demonstration at Tri-State G&T’s natural gas-fueled combined cycle J.M. Shafer Generating Station power plant in Colorado as a key enabler for future commercial deployment. Additionally, FCE and team members plan to look more broadly at RSOFC energy storage implementations with fossil-assets and complete a technoeconomic study in specific market segments. The project includes creating a technology-to-market plan comprised of a technology gap assessment, Phase II Pre-FEED planning, technology maturation plan, and commercialization plan.

Gas Technology Institute (GTI), in partnership with Southern Company, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), will perform a Phase I feasibility study on asset-integrated production and intermediate duration storage of >150 megawatt-hours (MWh) of energy in the form of “blue” hydrogen (H₂). The H₂ will be produced from natural gas with integrated carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture using GTI’s patented Compact Hydrogen Generator (CHG) technology. Stored H₂ will be used for load-following in an existing natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) plant within Southern Company's fleet. The objectives of the study are to: (1) perform a conceptual engineering assessment to define a system consisting of onsite H₂ production, storage, and integration within a Southern Company-owned NGCC plant, in which the stored H₂ will be injected into a duct burner within the heat recovery steam generator section; (2) perform the associated modeling to predict and quantify the load-following characteristics of the system; (3) obtain preliminary techno-economics and environmental performance of the system; (4) determine the risks and mitigation steps at the component/subsystem, as well as at the integrated system levels; and (5) establish a project plan for conducting a potential preliminary-front end engineering design (pre-FEED) study at a site that will be down-selected from the 20 NGCC plants owned by Southern Company.

Gas Technology Institute (GTI), in partnership with Southern Company, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), will perform a Phase I feasibility study on asset-integrated production and intermediate duration storage of >150 megawatt-hours (MWh) of energy in the form of “blue” hydrogen (H₂). The H₂ will be produced from natural gas with integrated carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture using GTI’s patented Compact Hydrogen Generator (CHG) technology. Stored H₂ will be used for load-following in an existing natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) plant within Southern Company's fleet. The objectives of the study are to: (1) perform a conceptual engineering assessment to define a system consisting of onsite H₂ production, storage, and integration within a Southern Company-owned NGCC plant, in which the stored H₂ will be injected into a duct burner within the heat recovery steam generator section; (2) perform the associated modeling to predict and quantify the load-following characteristics of the system; (3) obtain preliminary techno-economics and environmental performance of the system; (4) determine the risks and mitigation steps at the component/subsystem, as well as at the integrated system levels; and (5) establish a project plan for conducting a potential preliminary-front end engineering design (pre-FEED) study at a site that will be down-selected from the 20 NGCC plants owned by Southern Company.

The goal of this project is to design a next-step pilot to advance near-term energy storage integrated with a fossil plant to provide a facility capable of being viable and effective in a market with growing penetration of variable renewable energy (VRE). Thermal energy storage (TES) represents an ideal technology for this purpose. A feasibility study to prepare for the Phase II pre-front-end engineering design (pre-FEED) for implementing a crushed-rock TES system integrated with a natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) plant will be performed. The crushed rock storage technology, which is being developed by Brenmiller, is a modular TES system termed bGen™, which can accommodate both thermal and electrical inputs, and output steam, hot water, or hot air. For this application, the estimated efficiency is 80% thermal to thermal.

The Brenmiller technology will be designed to operate on a slipstream from NYPA’s Eugene W. Zeltmann Power Project (Zeltmann) natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) plant or a similar plant in their portfolio. The projected size of the system will be up to 4 megawatt electric (MWe) with at least 4 hours of storage duration, or 16 megawatt-hours electric (MWh-e) total. Final sizing will be determined during the feasibility study. EPRI has reviewed Brenmiller’s technology, which is being built in Dimona, Israel, to demonstrate bGen at 1.7 MWe on a solar plant (Rotem 1) and has been designed for an NGCC facility in Italy, assessing it at technology readiness level (TRL) 5. Brenmiller is also conducting a separate 1-megawatt thermal (MWth) pilot with Zeltman that pairs a bGen module with a microturbine for a combined heat and-power application to improve efficiency and provide flexibility.

The next-step pilot being designed as part of the proposed project will represent a 5-fold increase in scale, versus Rotem 1, and will show the technology’s ability to provide effective and economical energy storage, bringing the technology to TRL 6. This pilot at Zeltmann would be the next-to-last demonstration scale before bGen could be commercially ready at GWh-e scales in the 2030 timeframe. This project will provide the design for the critical next-step pilot to be undertaken in real-world operating conditions to determine the Brenmiller technology’s ability to be integrated with a NGCC plant and assess degradation over transient cycling rates available at various marketplaces.

This project supports the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy (FE) goal to advance near-term commercial deployment of fossil-fueled asset-integrated, energy storage solutions. The overall objective is to conduct an initial feasibility study for a power-to-hydrogen system “inside the fence” of a fossil fuel electricity generating plant in the state of Kansas. The scope of work will set the stage for subsequent site-specific projects integrating relatively mature combinations of energy storage technologies with particular fossil-fueled assets. The specific goals of the project are to complete a conceptual study of a hydrogen-based energy storage system at a specific site, conduct a technoeconomic study of a generic implementation in the midwestern electricity market, perform an assessment of the key risks including perceived technology gaps that could delay commercialization by 2030, create a project plan for a Phase 2 pre-FEED study, define a maturation plan that includes the work required to advance the technology to TRL 9, and prepare a commercialization plan to enable wide-scale deployment. The project team will leverage previous geologic assessments performed by the Kansas Geological Survey and Linde’s industrial experience operating an underground salt cavern in the Gulf Coast area to facilitate attainment of the project objectives. Evergy, the energy asset partner, owns the two natural gas combustion turbine electricity generating units (EGU) that are the designated sites for the study.

Siemens Energy will develop an advanced compressor concept that significantly reduces the overall number of stages required for cost-effective hydrogen compression. The project will include progressing the design of the compressor, manufacturing a prototype, and testing it to verify its performance in relevant operating conditions. Testing will aim to provide validation of the efficiency and operating range of the compressor stage. Siemens also will develop a cost model and conduct a techno-economic analysis to evaluate the cost benefits provided by the advanced hydrogen compressor relative to current commercially available compression technologies.

Element 16 Technologies, Inc. will conduct a detailed feasibility study establishing the impact, cost, and performance of a molten sulfur thermal energy storage (TES) system integrated with fossil fuel assets. The molten sulfur TES performance model combined with cost model will be used to derive an optimal integration plan for increasing flexibility and improving economics of fossil-fueled electricity generating units. The planned activities include system performance and cost modeling for detailed techno-economic evaluation, and system design optimization to maximize the fossil fuel electricity generating unit’s output capacity and to minimize the levelized cost of electricity/storage and emissions. The project also includes developing a commercialization plan and technology gap assessment plan that identifies future research and development required to commercialize the technology by 2030.

The overall objective of this project is to perform a conceptual design study of methods to integrate the Malta Pumped Heat Energy Storage System (MPHES) with an existing fossil energy (FE) power plant scheduled for partial or full retirement to identify opportunities to extend the useful economic life of the plant, maximize the asset owner’s return on investment in the plant, and provide stored energy to help maintain electric grid stability.

The above objective will be achieved through engineering design and economic studies of various MPHES-FE power plant integration options and economic analyses that will identify the most favorable economic option. The minimum stored energy delivery capacity will be 100MW for 10 hours.

Ammonia’s unique set of chemical, physical, and economic properties make it the ideal energy storage medium for deployment at coal-fired power plants to reduce or eliminate the need for costly load following/cycling. In this project, the NH3-BEST concept will be modeled, validated, and advanced from technology readiness level (TRL) 2 to TRL3. This will enable electricity generation unit (EGU) accommodation of load fluctuations while operating within an optimal performance baseline output range, ensuring EGU operational efficiency and minimum degradation of materials, equipment, and performance due to load cycling-driven stresses. A basic model of the NH3-BEST concept/subsystem—which comprises electrolytic ammonia production, storage, and conversion to electricity via a direct ammonia fuel cell—will be defined and built using operational data from coal-fired utility plants. The model will be utilized to evaluate and optimize NH3-BEST performance when integrated with a power plant, establish NH3-BEST round-trip energy storage efficiency, quantify power plant operational and economic benefits of NH3-BEST integration, and establish NH3-BEST performance requirements for commercial viability and deployment including storage capacity and operational ramp time.

The objective of the project is to scale up low-cost, high-efficiency, second-generation high-temperature superconducting (2G-HTS) technology for deployment across several markets, with a primary focus on the commercial development of Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) systems. SMES is a transformative, disruptive energy-storage technology in the form of a “magnetic battery.” The geometry of the device creates a highly contained electromagnetic field, and the energy is released by discharging the coils. Due to the zero electrical resistance and infinite conductivity of a superconductor, the stored energy remains constant in the coil without any degradation until it is discharged. This ensures instant charging and access capabilities, with unparalleled efficiency exceeding 95%.

Pumped-storage hydropower (PSH) accounts for around 95% of all utility-scale storage in the U.S. and globally. PSH is a proven, cost-effective technology that is poised for massive expansion throughout the U.S. if the “?H challenge” can be solved. The ?H challenge refers to achieving a suitable difference in hydraulic head height between the upper and lower reservoirs in a PSH system to enable hundreds of megawatts of electricity generation power by turbines located at the lower reservoir. To date, PSH deployment has been constrained to locations throughout the U.S. for which natural topography provides suitable elevation relief between the upper and lower reservoirs. Carbon Solutions is investigating a solution to the ?H challenge and facilitate the commercialization of a novel energy storage technology termed PSH-AUM—Pumped-Storage Hydropower using Abandoned Underground Mines.

Skyhaven Systems, LLC, proposes a Phase I SBIR to demonstrate an improved rare earth metal separation and recovery process. Our technology builds on earlier work by extending and optimizing electrodeposition parameters in combination with magneto-migration ion separation techniques. The Phase I program will evaluate the recovery of metals from dissolved rare earth oxides in deep eutectic solvents (DESs), a subset of ionic liquids, using the proposed electrochemical/magnetic separation approach DESs are environmentally benign, chemically stable and are produced in large quantities at low cost ($0.60- 2.30/kg). A large proportion of DESs are considered biodegradable because most of their components are natural products. Importantly, DESs can dissolve many metal oxides. The Phase I program will focus on separating and recovering rare earth metals from single and dual component solutions. The Phase II program will continue to optimize this process and extend the approach to multi-component solutions.

In this SBIR project TDA will develop a robust CO2 sensor for continuous monitoring of supercritical CO2 at the high pressures and elevated temperature conditions thousands of feet underground. This sensor is based on a metal-organic-frameworks (MOF) material that is sensitive to CO2. The MOF material’s electrical parameters change in the presence of CO2, and this signal change can be continuously monitored by variation in the impedance. The CO2 sensitivity and durability of our MOF material has been shown in thousands of hours of testing with coal flue gas in laboratory and pilot unit testing. This sensor is simple, with no mechanical parts, and it passively responds to the presence of CO2. In Phase I TDA will experimentally establish the limits of detection using the MOFs and an advanced data processing technique called Fluctuation Enhanced Sensing (FES) and demonstrate the performance of the sensor in a column of soil at the temperature and pressures characteristic of deep, bore-hole environments. In Phase II TDA will optimize the sensor design and package it to read-out CO2 in rock and soil so it is ready for in-field use.

Bettergy will develop a novel coaxial cable microwave Fabry-Perot interferometric (FPI) sensing probe that is able to detect CO₂ in the subsurface a with high sensitivity, fast response speed and superior robustness. Highly stable and corrosion resistant metal tubes will be selected from off-the-shelf commodities as the outer conductor shield of the sensor, while the core of this sensor will be a modularized FPI section filler—a novel composite membrane made of inorganic CO₂ adsorbent and organic support/bonder that can rapidly and effectively adsorb CO₂ molecules.

The liquid salt combined-cycle (LSCC) strategy has been developed by Pintail Power (PP) to facilitate low carbon intensity load balancing with variable renewable energy (VRE) power systems by providing reliable load during periods of high VRE production, storing that energy in a thermal energy storage (TES) system, and dispatching that energy with gas turbine (GT) generation to deliver secure, reliable power with lower carbon intensity.

Because LSCC makes use of only commercially available equipment (molten nitrate salt TES, resistive electric heaters, and salt-to-steam heat exchangers), no novel equipment is needed to realize an effective energy storage system. However, the integration of this equipment has not been demonstrated in a combined cycle arrangement. Therefore, the objective of this proposal is to integrate the LSCC design in a combined cycle environment, interfaced with existing natural-gas combined-cycle (NGCC) hardware to evaluate system responsiveness in a real-time operating environment. Southern’s Plant Rowan in North Carolina has been selected for the LSCC integration study. The plant has three simple-cycle and one two-on-one combined-cycle GT generating systems, including all vital components needed for an integrated design: flue gas, feedwater, electrical power, and footprint space.

T2M Global will perform component development of its Advanced O₂-Free Electrolyzer (AES) technology for low-cost, long-duration hydrogen energy storage for fossil plants. Most fossil plants end up with ~ 25% of syngas as a dilute stream which is an underutilized/stranded resource. The low-level heat from these plants is also often wasted. AES technology provides a new pathway to create higher value co-products from these stranded resources--namely dilute/waste syngas streams, excess electricity, and waste heat--for additional revenue and greater sustainability. AES targets a round-trip electrical efficiency of 80% and hydrogen priced at < $4/kg. The stored hydrogen will be used to produce power on demand using a highly efficient hybrid power cycle. Test data will be utilized to develop a MW-class AES module design (target capacity 1 ton/day H₂ storage) to establish readiness for potential demonstration at Hawaii Gas. The AES module data will be utilized to perform a techno-economic analysis and validate the market potential for AES in the syngas industry.

This project will develop a low-cost and highly corrosion resistant coating for enhancing the

resistance of boiler tubes against failure. Protecting boiler tubes against thermal failure is an

emergent need in coal power plants. The reason is that many of these boilers are now experiencing

on/off cycling operation while they were originally designed for continuous operation.

The University of Utah (Salt Lake City, UT) will leverage a high-pressure, slurry-fed, oxygen-blown entrained-flow system to enable co-gasification of biomass and waste plastic by creating slurries of pulverized coal, biomass pyrolysis liquids, and liquefied plastic oil. Objectives include determining compositions of coal-biomass-plastic mixtures that produce a stable slurry suitable for pumping to high pressure, designing and testing a novel burner to effectively atomize the mixed feedstock slurry in a pressurized gasifier, and acquiring first-of-a-kind performance data for pressurized, oxygen-blown entrained-flow gasification of slurried blends of coal, biomass, and plastic. Various combinations of coal, bioliquid, and plastic oil will be mixed to create blended feedstock slurries ranging from 25 to 60% biomass on a heating value basis. The slurries will be characterized to assess stability, viscosity, fuel properties, and ability to be pumped to high pressure and atomized. Additionally, a custom hot oxygen burner (HOB) specifically designed to gasify the slurry mixtures will be manufactured, and its atomization efficiency will be characterized. Gasification performance of the most promising slurry mixtures will be evaluated in the University of Utah’s 1 ton/day pressurized oxygen-blown gasifier with the Hot Oxygen Burner installed.

Compact Membrane Systems Inc. (CMS) will develop a novel custom amorphous fluoropolymer (CAF) facilitated transport membrane (FTM) for post-combustion CO₂ capture. The CAF FTM will have high CO₂/N₂ selectivity and high CO₂ flux with excellent fouling resistance. In this Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project, CMS will synthesize polymers, fabricate lab scale membranes, demonstrate membrane stability, and calculate cost savings via engineering and economic evaluations. The CMS target is to develop a membrane system capable of 90% CO₂ capture from flue gas for less than $30/tonne and greater than 95% CO₂ purity.

The project will enable the design, fabrication, and integration of a novel hydrogen sensing device prototype that can monitor the pipeline infrastructure system continuously or detect the possible leakage of the hydrogen gas in a variety of environments. The project will fabricate a prototype device and evaluate its performance. 4D Maker LLC will partner with Oakland University and Michigan State University to work together for the commercialization of the developed sensor technology. GTI, a leading provider of services and research for the natural gas and renewable energy industries, will also assist the research team in promoting the new technology and developing a commercialization plan.

Rare earth (RE) elements are used in a variety of energy and defense critical technologies, including permanent magnets and rechargeable batteries, but the vast majority of extraction and processing to convert the oxide to metal is done overseas. Coal and coal-based resources represent a significant potential domestic source of REs. Current RE refinement technologies use high temperatures and highly reactive and toxic chemicals. The development of new techniques and processes to refine rare earth oxides and salts to rare earth metals would enable domestic production of REEs and provide a high value product.

This project will use computational techniques to design ionic liquids (IL) that can solvate individual rare earth cations from their oxide and salt forms. The solvated rare earth cations will be reduced to metals using an electrowinning process. In the Phase I effort we will apply our computation methods to a wide range of ionic liquids to identify those that have both a wide electrochemical stability window and which can effectively solvate the RE cations. Select ILs will be purchased or synthesized in-house. We will experimentally demonstrate the solvation and electrowinning processes on a lab scale, and explore basic process parameters such as temperature and time. An engineering analysis will be performed to identify the scale-up and techno-economic challenges that we will need to address in Phase II.

Solve has teamed up with Siemens Energy, Inc., and Stony Brook to develop advanced hybrid thermal protection system architectures by additive manufacturing. The team will demonstrate the application of additive manufacturing to engineered surfaces at the bond coat/TBC interfaces, with precise control of surface area and aspect ratios. This will be first demonstration of a hybrid AM+TBC architecture for sCO2 applications. This provides a large range in strain compliance capability, enabling the thermal barrier coating systems to successfully operate in sCO2 environments. With additive manufacturing, unique surface features can be formed on the surface and the proposed innovation will result in a step change in technology of hybrid thermal protection systems for sCO2 applications. Phase 1 will focus on LPBF printing of engineered surface features, with down-selected cell sizes and heights for the superalloy/bond coat/coating system and also the boundary conditions for sCO2 operation-such as substrate temperature, thermal gradient, coating thickness and material.

This project seeks to develop an inexpensive, reliable, real-time composition monitoring system -- based on an advanced, cavity enhanced Raman spectroscopy technique being developed by the Recipient -- for high pressure supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) based power cycles. The proposed monitoring suite seeks to provide real-time composition information (such as CO2, moisture, possible contaminants) to assist with the design/operation of key hardware components, process control, and the overall sCO2 power cycle operations.

The focus of this project will be on the viability of beneficial use of harvested coal combustible residuals (CCRs), especially ponded fly ash and landfilled flue gas desulfurization (FGD) by-products . The project will take place at 3 sites represented by the phases I and II and the two phase III circles in the adjacent graphic. The proposed project is designed to demonstrate laboratory- as well as bench-scale testing and construction methods that can be applied to a wide variety of ash ponds, closed FGD landfills, and abandoned coal mine sites in the United States. The major tasks for this project are:

1. Geotechnical and environmental testing and evaluation using an existing bench-scale facility of harvested ponded fly ash and landfilled FGD material at the former Conesville power plant. Successful completion of the lab- and bench-scale testing will lead to Task 2 - Conesville Full-Scale Demonstration.
2. About 2 million tons of harvested CCR materials from an inactive fly ash pond and an adjacent old FGD landfill will be used to fully reclaim a nearby partially-abandoned surface coal mine. Site monitoring will be carried out during the project.
3. Numerical models leveraging the rich set of data collected from the Conesville site will be used to analyze risks for high-volume surface mine reclamation with harvested CCRs. Transport simulators and geochemical reaction models will be integrated, calibrated, and validated. Sensitivity analysis of the temporal evolution and significance of the factors involved in the process will be performed to determine significant risk factors and drivers.

Executive Order 138171 recently listed 35 minerals deemed critical to the United States’ national security and our economy. Most of these minerals are not available to be mined from conventional sources in the United States; as a result, a mineral dependency vulnerability is created that can adversely impact our nation. A comprehensive review of the potential to extract critical minerals from unconventional sources, such as coal-based resources, is an important step in improving the knowledge by advancing research efforts in this area. The nature of the unconventional deposits of critical minerals and extracting technologies that are limiting exploitation by our miners and producers, as described in Executive Order 13817, is not well understood. In collaboration with West Virginia University (WVU), RESPEC’s team will develop a comprehensive study of the potential to extract critical minerals from coal-based resources. By combining industry and academia experience, our team will build concepts for quantifying and extracting critical minerals found in unconventional sources. Our elite professionals will also provide a detailed analysis of the potential applications of these minerals in developing advancing alloys or component production that are essential toward the economy or national security of the United States.

This project addresses the issue of high variability of critical minerals (CM), including rare earth elements (REE), in coal feedstocks. The proposed project is aimed at developing a technology to sort coals based on REE-CM concentration. Sorting the high CM from low CM-containing feedstocks is essential to the economic viability of a commercial CM concentrate production facility. The inability to sort coal in real time is detrimental to REE-CM processing plants. This technology will assist these plants in reducing costs through efficient management of their incoming feedstocks materials.

The Phase I specific objectives include the following: 1) identify coal samples that represent high-rank and low-rank coals, 2) determine abundance and form of the REE-CM in selected coal samples, 3) analyze samples with the advanced sensors, and 4) develop algorithms for total REE, light REE, heavy REE, and individual REE and CM based on sensor responses.

Liquid Ion Solutions LLC will develop and commercialize a 3rd generation water-lean solvent system with high capture capacity (> 10 wt%), low viscosity at rich loading (< 10 cP at 40 °C), and improved thermal and chemical stability over 2nd generation solvents. During Phase I of the project, the team will combine commercially available amine candidates with RoCo Global’s proprietary additives to formulate water-lean solvent systems, combining key characteristics of piperazine-based solvents and water-lean solvents. The team will conduct performance testing to screen and optimize the solvent systems. A down-selected solvent system will then be scaled-up and tested in a lab-scale CO2 capture system to collect performance data and operating parameters.

This proposal is for a feasibility study and software modeling of a novel approach to well pad surface equipment. This equipment will substantially replace the existing surface infrastructure to minimize methane and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions, while at the same time, maximize the amount of liquids recovery from oil wells. Pioneer Energy anticipates ~90% reduction in the number of point-sources of emissions from the well pad, and an immediate increase of about 5% in crude oil volume. The proposed system can also enable in-situ enhanced oil recovery (EOR) using miscible NGLs, which can further increase total hydrocarbon recovery from unconventional wells by 50%-100% and elongate the life of those wells by 5-10 years.

In the proposed project, Creare will develop a modular gas sensor package capable of measuring

hydrogen concentrations while operating in a high-pressure blended methane-hydrogen gas environment.

The multi-sensor platform will be packaged into a rugged enclosure and integrated onto a robotic platform

as part of a comprehensive inline inspection platform. In parallel, industry partners at ULC

Technologies LLC (ULC) will enhance their acoustic-based methane leak detector so that it is also capable

of detecting leaks and further repairing them utilizing their magnetic patch technology while operating in a

blended hydrogen-methane environment.

The project aims to realize smart proppants and sensor balls with diameters ranging between 2.5mm and 1mm. A sensor ball contains sensors for temperature, pressure, with future generations to include geochemical sensors as well. The ball contains three accelerometers, one for each orthogonal axis. Integrating acceleration twice results in displacement, or computed trajectory, a technique known as inertial navigation. Taken together, a sensor ball is able to report its unique trajectory, and what was measured along its path. A sensor ball is designed to be entrained in a fluid, and can therefore journey through any subsurface engineered system (e.g., any circulating drilling fluid, any closed-loop geothermal system, and even through hydraulic fractures as applicable to fracking for hydrocarbons, or fracking to engineer an enhanced geothermal system, EGS). The ball can be captured, collected, and interrogated to report information from its journey, and then cycled again. The project envisions 100s or even 1,000s of sensor balls cycling through subsurface systems of interest. With such a network of balls, an entire 3D mapping of a fracture network is possible, like imaging veins in a human body.

Oceanit proposes to develop Hydrogen Detection using an Intelligent Optical Sensor (HyDIOS) for “real-time” monitoring of hydrogen concentration within a pipeline-quality natural gas stream throughout transportation infrastructure for efficient end-use. The concept of HyDIOS is built on the combination of Oceanit’s unique NERRO artificial intelligence (AI) chip and an inexpensive miniaturized surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor. HyDIOS will facilitate a more comprehensive set of sensing capabilities, which will allow for continuous unmanned monitoring of natural gas blends, pipeline efficiency, and hydrogen delivery. A successful outcome from the proposed effort will deliver the following:

• “real-time” remote monitoring capabilities

• robust chemical and mechanical durability

• hydrogen specificity in diverse gas mixes

• a scalable and cost-effective sensor technology compatible with existing pipeline monitoring systems.

Oceanit will leverage 20 years of in-house AI development, with 30 years of sensor development experience at University of California, Riverside, to create a cutting edge HyDIOS hydrogen detection technology that will deliver “real-time” hydrogen monitoring capabilities compatible with existing pipeline monitoring systems.

The main objective of the proposed Phase I effort is to develop and demonstrate the feasibility of an acoustic and electromagnetic intelligent proppant that can be used with current industry tools with real-time monitoring capabilities derived from AI hardware. Oceanit will design and produce an acoustic and electromagnetic responsive proppant that will provide new multi-modal imaging capabilities that convey increased information about proppant flow, placement, and environmental conditions, such as mechanical stress or chemical surroundings. The Phase I project's overall goal is to provide proof-of-concept and advancement of a unique intelligent proppant system that allows for accurate mapping of propped hydraulic fractures along with additional information useful for safety and productivity.

This Phase I SBIR submitted to the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) aims to improve efficiency in unconventional oil and gas recovery through optimization of the downhole completions process and providing supply chain surety to deliver point-of-need solution to remote production facilities by commercializing novel, thiol-based 3D printable photo-resins that unlock polymers with materials properties and geometries not previously achievable by other means. Conventional completions processes utilize tools which are manufactured from cast and milled rubber and metal parts, assembled in factories, inventoried, and shipped to locations for use. This generates long lead times for replacement parts, high inventory costs and limited ability to respond to unconventional situations (such as packers for needed for: sealing high salinity wells, wells with irregular rock faces and pausing well production with retrievable packer systems). Additive manufacturing of functional parts on-site can enable rapid deployment of solutions to improve up-time and limit costly inventory overhead. Additive manufacturing can enable novel geometries, unattainable by conventional molding and subtractive manufacturing, which leads to improved functionality and decreased cost. Further, additive manufacturing is ideal for low lot production runs, where tooling costs and lead times are prohibitive, and for one-off replacement parts for legacy systems. Deploying these capabilities to remote locations (where most oil and gas production

occurs) provides further value as it decreases inventory overhead and lead times to deploy replacement parts when needed. To date, additive manufacturing of elastomers has proven insufficient to withstand the high temperatures (often > 200°F), pressures (often > 10 kpsi) and large deformations (often > 100% strain) placed on elastomers in oil and gas environments (down-hole). This is because today most 3D printed thermoset, elastomers are formed from (meth)acrylate-based polymer systems, which are inherently susceptible to environmental degradation and poor aging, exacerbated at high temperature due to main chain ester hydrolysis. Thermo-plastic elastomers (such as those formed by fused filament fabrication and laser sintering) fail above their melt temperatures and suffer from wear, creep and fatigue. 3D printable elastomers which are mechanically robust and hydrolytically stable have, heretofore, not been produced for the oil and gas sector as functional end-use parts. The specific target of this Phase I feasibility study is a 3D printable rubber which has mechanical and chemical properties similar to NBR. The elastomer resulting from our proposed efforts will be mechanically robust (strain of > 200%, stress > 20 MPa and toughness of > 20 MJ/m3) and chemically resistant (able to withstand > 100 °C for > 1 month in supercritical water). While this objective is trivial to achieve for conventionally formed rubbers, it is challenging to achieve this combination of materials properties in an additive manufacturing process, such that there are no viable additive manufacturing photo-elastomer solutions on the market today for downhole applications for functional end parts.

Hydrogen can be produced from the decomposition of hydrocarbons such as methane, without the production of carbon oxides. This represents a highly favorable route for hydrogen production compared to industrial production methods based predominantly on steam-methane reforming (SMR). Breaking hydrogen-oxygen bonds in water requires about seven times the energy compared to breaking carbon-hydrogen bonds in methane. SMR and methane decomposition processes both require indirect heating to provide the overall endothermic heat of reaction for hydrogen formation, but the heat of reaction for the SMR is more than double that for methane decomposition. In contrast to the SMR process, the methane decomposition process offers a promising path for economical and environmentally sound production of hydrogen without production of carbon dioxide.

The goal of this project is to make targeted improvements to the conventional thermo-catalytic hydrocarbon conversion process using an electromagnetic energy assisted mechanism; resulting in the reduction of downtime associated with catalyst reactivation or replacement due to poisoning. State-of-the-art solid catalysts exhibit short process lifetimes that are not suitable for commercial application. This project uses both experimental and computational tools to understand the fundamental interactions between fossil fuels and their interactions with an electromagnetic energy source. This technology can utilize natural gas or volatiles obtained from coal decomposition to provide carbon dioxide-free hydrogen. The first objective of this project is to identify catalyst supports that enhance the electromagnetic energy-assisted mechanism to ensure in-situ catalyst reactivation to near-initial fresh conditions. The performance of these prepared catalysts will be tested in laboratory units and the results will be used to validate computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and chemical kinetics models. Finally, CFD will be used to investigate the electromagnetic energy-assisted conversion mechanism as a function of catalyst structure and operating conditions for hydrogen production.

Georgia Institute of Technology will demonstrate the commercial feasibility of a robust, highly efficient, and low-cost Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell (SOEC) system based on proton conductors for hydrogen generation. The objective of the overall project is to develop new materials that have potential to meet or exceed 95 % Faradaic efficiency in SOEC mode, and > 70 % roundtrip efficiency at 0.5 A/cm² in both SOFC and SOEC modes in individual cells. This objective will be accomplished through the: (1) production of dry hydrogen, thus eliminating the need of downstream purification, (2) optimization of the proton conductivity, air-electrode materials, and air-electrode catalyst by tailoring their compositions, structures, and architectures, and (3) study of in situ, ex situ, and operando measurements guided by theoretical analysis, thus obtaining a better understanding of the degradation mechanisms of cell materials and interfaces. In prior work, Georgia Tech has constructed small reversible Solid Oxide Cells (rSOCs) based on proton conductors, achieving ~70% roundtrip efficiency at 1 A/cm², far better than those reported for a zirconia membrane-based system, showing the potential that the SOECs developed for this project will dramatically advance the technology for hydrogen and electricity generation.

This project will develop strategic and novel development plans for the abundant COR-CM feedstocks located in the Greater Green River Basin (GGRB) and Wind River Basin (WRB) including waste streams from coal, coal byproducts, trona, helium, uranium, phosphate, and oil and gas industries. The project team will complete initial assessments, gap analyses, and strategic planning under several categories including (1) assessment CORE-CM feedstocks, (2) waste stream reuse assessments, (3) infrastructure, industry, and businesses, (4) technology pairing and development, (5) technology innovation center planning, and (6) stakeholder outreach and education, including workforce development programs and forums to facilitate technology transfer.

The primary objective of this project is to advance the development of technology for synthesizing sulfurized vegetable oil modified (SuMo) fly ash particles with inherently reduced metal leaching for use as novel fillers in multi polymeric matrices. It will be demonstrated that these encapsulated fly ash particles will improve functional properties of plastics and elastomers and have comparable or improved environmental release of constituents of potential concern (COPC) compared to non-CCR (coal combustible residuals) products, thereby meeting EPA evaluation criteria for CCR encapsulated beneficial use.

CORMETECH Inc., in partnership with Global Thermostat LLC and Georgia Institute of Technology, will develop and test a novel sorbent - air contactor composition with low pressure drop optimized for carbon dioxide (CO₂) removal from ambient air. The monolith contactor will be optimized to support the selected direct air capture (DAC) sorbent composition, linear poly(propyleneimine) (l-PPI), which offers advantages over benchmark poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI)-based sorbents. The process employs the desorption step developed by Global Thermostat LLC, whereby steam is directly contacted with the sorbent media to induce desorption, resulting in ultra-fast desorption kinetics. Experimental measurements of key adsorption and diffusion parameters coupled with various process and techno-economic models will inform the design and optimization. Bench-scale testing of the optimized sorbent-contactor composition will be performed. The novel approach will maximize the volumetric productivity of the DAC process while reducing the auxiliary power required to capture CO₂ from air.

This project looks to deploy carbon foams derived from coal as core materials for all-composite buildings, with a prime focus on housing. The team is focusing primarily on carbon foam as a potential core substrate for carbon nanotube composite panels. Carbon foam offers non-combustible, acoustically absorptive, compression-carrying properties that seem well-suited to building use. Additionally, the project will look at using the electro-thermal capacity of carbon foam, to permit heating and cooling, in place of separate systems. Fire, structural, thermal, acoustical, and other properties will be tested per building code requirements. The main goals are to more fully characterize carbon foam as a composite substrate for building use. An all-carbon house will be designed using the poly-functional attributes of carbon foam (and carbon nanotube), and life cycle analysis and techno-economic analysis will be performed on this design pilot.

Tallgrass MLP Operations LLC will partner with the University of Wyoming and Technip Energies to perform an initial engineering design on a commercial-scale carbon capture and storage system to be installed at a proposed hydrogen (H₂) production plant in Douglas, Wyoming. The proposed plant will be capable of producing 220 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) of H₂ from natural gas with 99.97% purity, or “blue” H₂, utilizing Haldor Topsoe’s auto-thermal reforming (ATR) technology. BASF’s OASE® White carbon capture system will be implemented to capture 1.66 million tonnes per year of 95% pure carbon dioxide (CO₂) with more than 97% total carbon capture efficiency. The project team will leverage existing ATR technology design and engineering to reach the optimal ATR and carbon capture design while minimizing the lowest levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) production and cost of CO₂ capture to achieve the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) target for carbon-neutral blue H₂ production of less than $1/kg. The design will include integration of the blue H₂ facility, the associated oxygen producing facility, and the carbon capture system to optimize the oxygen requirements and steam balance. Plausible options for storing the CO₂ will be evaluated and the economics will be assessed.

CORE-CM projects will focus on the following six objectives: (1) basinal assessment of CORE-CM resources, (2) basinal strategies for reuse of waste streams, (3) basinal strategies for infrastructure, industries, and businesses, (4) technology assessment, development, and field testing, (5) technology innovation centers, and (6) stakeholder outreach and education.

The University of North Dakota Energy & Environmental Research Center will form and lead a coalition team of nearly 30 partners, encompassing all value chain segments, focused on expanding the use of coal and coal-based resources to produce rare-earth elements (REE), critical minerals (CM), and nonfuel carbon-based products in the Williston Basin. This basin, centered in western North Dakota with portions reaching into South Dakota, Montana, and Canada, contains over 800 years of lignite coal at existing rates of use. The primary development of Williston Basin lignite coal has been in North Dakota, providing coal resources to a series of power facilities totaling greater than 4000 MW of generation capacity. The project work constitutes Phase 1 of a long-term program with objectives to identify the existing knowledge base and gaps and to develop a series of assessments/plans. Research will be conducted to identify and compile the existing, extensive Williston Basin knowledge base related to REE, CM, and nonfuel carbon-based products. Specific efforts will focus on assessment of coal characteristics, identification of waste streams available, development of regional business planning opportunities, assessment of existing technologies, development of plans to create technology innovation centers, and stakeholder outreach. This assessment may result in databases, models, and a series of assessments/plans that are intended to guide the next phase of activities, with the overall goal of expanding and transforming the use of coal and coal-based resources within the Williston Basin.

Linde Inc., in coordination with Linde Engineering Americas, Linde Engineering Dresden, and Svante Inc., completed an initial engineering design of a commercial-scale carbon capture plant using the Svante VeloxoTherm™ solid adsorbent carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture technology installed at an existing Linde-owned steam methane reforming (SMR) hydrogen (H₂) production plant in Port Arthur, Texas. The overall system was designed to capture approximately 1.4 million tonnes/year net CO₂ with at least 90% carbon capture efficiency while producing “blue” H₂ with 99.97% purity from natural gas. The engineering design comprises the core technology; process units inside the battery limits of the CO₂ capture unit, such as flue gas conditioning and CO₂ product purification; and balance of plant components outside the battery limits of the capture plant. The project team also estimated capital and operating expenditures and performed a techno-economic analysis to estimate the cost of capture in $/tonne net CO₂ captured from the H₂ plant for three different design cases — a base case and two additional cases with proposed process improvements.

Black & Veatch Corporation will partner with Global Thermostat (GT), Sargent & Lundy, ExxonMobil Research and Engineering, Southern Company Services, and Elysian Ventures LLC to execute an initial engineering design of a commercial-scale carbon capture, utilization, and storage direct air capture (CCUS-DAC) system that captures at least 100,000 net tonnes/year of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere. The lead system, designated as DAC+, consists of a DAC unit utilizing GT’s sorbent contactor technology coupled with a natural gas-fired combined heat and power (CHP) plant. In the DAC+ process, CO₂ is extracted from the flue gas emanating from the burning of natural gas to power the process in addition to the CO₂ extracted from the air. A second approach will also be examined, which involves a DAC unit powered by a CHP unit combined with a conventional liquid amine-based capture system to capture additional CO₂ from the CHP flue gas (“two capture” approach). Initial engineering design studies will be performed for the base DAC+ design for three distinct locations in the continental United States—Odessa, Texas (dry hot climate); Bucks, Alabama (hot wet climate); and Goose Creek, Illinois (mid-continental climate)—that are conveniently located near known, well-characterized CO₂ storage sites. An initial engineering design study will also be generated for the “two capture” system at the Bucks, Alabama, site. Black & Veatch will lead project management and engineering design for construction and balance of plant; Sargent & Lundy will lead design efforts inside the DAC+ island; and ExxonMobil Research and Engineering will provide support for scaleup and plant layout at scale. Southern Company and Elysian Ventures will manage deployment logistics at the three selected sites. Techno-economic and life cycle analyses, as well as business case assessments based on utilization of the Low-Carbon Fuel Standard or 45Q tax credit, will also be performed for all three sites.

Georgia Tech Research Corporation, with project partners Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Reactwell Inc., and Trimeric Inc., will advance a fiber sorbent technology for direct air capture (DAC) through optimization of a contactor design to enhance productivity and lower cost. Polyethyleneimine (PEI)-infused cellulose acetate (CA)/silica fibers sorbents previously developed for DAC applications will be housed in 3D-printed modules that provide heat integration and flow control for adsorption of carbon dioxide (CO₂). The hybridization of fiber sorbent technology with modular housing provides several advantages that will lead to lower air pressure drops, higher sorbent productivity, and ease of manufacturing and assembly. During Budget Period 1 (BP 1), the hybrid 3D-printed modules will be designed, fabricated, and optimized. The fibers will be fabricated on a large-scale, with a portion woven into laminate-style sheets. Long-term cyclic testing will be performed at bench scale on the optimal 3D-printed module. During BP 2, the hybrid modules containing the fibers will be evaluated against pressure drop, productivity, purity, and degradation metrics. The hybrid system will be optimized to yield CO₂ purity of at least 95% with a volumetric productivity five times greater than state-of-the-art.

RTI International is partnering with Creare to design, fabricate, and test a bench-scale contactor for direct air capture (DAC) of carbon dioxide (CO₂) that is optimized for wind-driven operation. The system will incorporate RTI’s high-performance, high-durability amine sorbents and Creare’s hybrid additive manufacturing technology to produce high-performance, compact heat and mass exchange structures at low cost using methods that are ideally suited for integration with sorbent materials. The sorbent/contactor design enables high CO₂ sorption, low regeneration temperature, and excellent tolerance for oxygen and water. The project team will build a unique test system that will enable rapid, automated temperature-swing sorption cycling of DAC contactors under conditions that simulate operation in a wind-driven system. Tests will take place in an environmental chamber that will maintain constant, controlled test conditions for long-duration life testing (e.g., 1,000 cycles) and parametric testing.

The University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research (UK CAER), Vanderbilt University, and the Electric Power Research Institute are developing an intensified, cost-effective, and easily scalable process using aqueous potassium hydroxide (KOH) as the capture solvent for direct air capture (DAC). The two-unit operation employs a hybrid membrane absorber (MA) that extracts carbon dioxide (CO₂) from air, enriching carbon content in the solution after capture, coupled with an electrochemical solvent regenerator (ER) that releases the CO₂ and simultaneously refreshes the capture solvent while producing hydrogen (H₂) to offset the DAC cost. Key features of the process include (1) utilizing dilute KOH as the capture solvent in a compact hybrid absorber, (2) using a hydroxide (OH^-) selective nanofiltration membrane to concentrate carbon content in the rich solvent prior to regeneration to reduce the parasitic reactions, (3) producing saleable H₂ to offset the CO₂ capture cost, and (4) leveraging the mature technologies of nanofiltration and the alkaline electrolyzer to make the process easily scalable. In this project, the team will design and fabricate a bench-scale unit (up to 10 cubic feet per minute air flowrate) and conduct parametric and long-term studies. Results from the studies will inform next-scale process development.

Susteon Inc., in coordination with Cormetech Inc. and Columbia University, will conduct bench-scale testing on a novel structured sorbent system for direct air capture (DAC). The sorbent technology exhibits rapid carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture, high dynamic capacity under DAC conditions, excellent regenerability, and desired multicycle performance. The sorbent will be incorporated on commercially available monolith supports (for low-cost fabrication) to minimize pressure drop. The structured material system will integrate the highly dispersed sorbent with in situ desorption by direct electric heating and a low pressure drop structured support in order to reduce the overall cost of DAC by lowering energy consumption by approximately 50%. The project team will optimize the sorbent and structured supports to maximize CO₂ working capacity and capture rate; design and build a bench-scale test unit to evaluate the structured sorbent system to determine engineering factors and scale-up parameters such as CO₂ working capacity, adsorption and desorption rates, desorption energy requirements, and cycle times; develop and validate a process model using the experimental data from bench-scale testing; and to perform techno-economic and life cycle analyses.

The primary objective of this project is to identify and evaluate advanced refining and metal production technologies capable of extracting high-purity rare earths and critical minerals (CMs) and metals from coal-based sources economically and in an environmentally friendly manner. Previously, the Recipient successfully designed, constructed, and operated a pilot scale rare earth processing facility that uses conventional approaches to extract and recover rare earth elements (REEs). Operational data from this facility has demonstrated the ability to successfully produce rare earth oxide (REO) concentrates at grades exceeding 90% and at production rates of 10 to 100 g/day. It is currently being expanded to 110 kg/year. However, this facility does not have the capability to produce individually separated high purity REEs. Through this effort, the project team will deliver a pathway and research plan to apply advanced technologies for individually separated high purity rare earth and critical minerals production from coal-based sources and reduction to metal that will minimize environmental impact and reduce capital and operating expenses by more than 20% over conventional processes while delivering at a minimum the following rare earths and critical minerals: (REEs) Y, Pr, Nd, Gd, Dy, and Sm of greater than 99.5% purity, and (CMs) Co, Mn, Ga, Sr, Li, Ni, Zn, and Ge of greater than 90% purity.

The objective of this project is to develop a conceptual design of a process to extract, separate, recover, and purify germanium (Ge) and gallium (Ga) from lignite coal-derived mixed rare earth element (MREE) concentrates. The process will be integrated into the University of North Dakota (UND) rare earth extraction process and will be designed to co-produce Ge and Ga concentrates. The potential multiphase effort involves an integrated development that spans the entire supply chain that includes: feedstock sourcing, feedstock optimization, extraction/concentration/separation/refining, and product use in industrial applications. The scope of work for this project involves the development of an environmentally benign concept to produce Ge and Ga that is fully integrated with downstream applications and with the properties of the MREE species. The effort will involve the characterization of midstream feedstocks from UND’s bench and pilot facilities; identification of optimal methods to recover and refine Ge and Ga for industrial applications; development of process flow diagrams of the Ge/Ga final production; and performance of a market analysis to determine the resource needed to produce quantities of refined product.

The proposed project will develop an integrated technical research plan based on advanced processes for recovery, separation, and purification of mixed rare earth oxides (MREO) to enable mass production of rare earth metals (REM) from the phosphoric acid sludge feedstock resource. The research strategy involves pre-treatment of the sludge to recover both the valuable liquid phosphate fraction and rare earth element (REE)-containing solids, leaching of REEs from the solids, novel solvent extraction technology to separate REEs from the leaching solution, precipitation and calcination to obtain high-purity MREOs, followed by advanced separation to produce REMs in either individual or group forms.

The general objectives of this project are to develop concepts for rare earth metal (REE) and critical mineral (CM) production from coal and related resources and incorporate them into a technical research plan and an innovative process flow sheet that specifies new technology. The specific project objectives include (1) identification of targeted rare earth element (REE) and critical minerals (CM) market(s), annual production quantities, demand, and intermediate/end-use products, (2) identification of a targeted set of critical materials used in these markets/applications, and as the basis for development of proposed advanced purification, separation, and reduction to metals processes, (3) selection of feedstock and existing facilities for mixed rare earth oxides (MREO)/mixed rare earth salts (MRES) and CM production, (4) identification and preliminary assessment of a process for making independently separated high-purity (ISHP) rare earth oxides (REO)/rare earth salts (RES)/CM, (5) identification and preliminary assessment of an REM production process, (6) identification and preliminary assessment of a process for conversion of CM from pilot-scale facilities to industrial CM-compounds, and (7) development of a conceptual process flow diagram illustrating circuit integration for REM/CM production from coal related resources.

Success in this context will be defined by the potential viability of the flow diagram for the production of the desired purified REE/CM products as well as by the potential improvements in flow diagram over conventional technologies. The ultimate success will be defined in the long term by the implementation of new technologies that enable domestic production of needed high-purity REE/CM products from coal resources.

The overall objective of this project is to design, develop, and deploy innovative process technologies to produce salable rare earth metals and critical minerals from acid mine drainage (AMD) feedstocks to reduce our nation’s vulnerability to interruption by international competitors. In prior efforts, the project team has successfully developed and demonstrated technology to produce mixed rare earth oxides (REO) from raw AMD in an economically attractive and environmentally benign matter. The current effort seeks to extend the process technology development further downstream to include (1) the separation of at least five individual high purity REO and (2) the production of at least five high purity rare earth metals and alloys. In addition, the project will explore technology to synergistically produce at least five target critical minerals (CM) during the processing steps. The development activities of this project will focus on two novel technologies, namely task specific ionic liquid separation for rare earth elements (REE) and CM separation and carboxylate reduction for the production of individually separated high purity metals.

General Electric Gas Power (GEGP), in collaboration with Linde Inc., Kiewit Engineering Group Inc., and Southern Company Services, completed a front-end engineering design (FEED) study for a “Generation 2” amine-based post-combustion carbon capture system integrated with an existing domestic natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plant (Plant Barry Unit 6 in Bucks, Alabama) to capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions with at least 95% efficiency. The project was focused on optimized plant integration and performance, reduced carbon capture and storage (CCS) cost, and increased operability and flexibility to accommodate renewable power sources. The project began with various conceptual designs, with a down-select leading to a single NGCC/CCS configuration. Optimizing operability of the system to include startup, shutdown, and a range of outputs and loads is critical to enable NGCC plants with CCS to complement renewable power sources. The project concluded with a detailed design, assessment of technical viability across a real-world plant operating profile, techno-economic and life cycle analyses, and a business case assessment.

Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions Inc. (Wood EIS), in partnership with Southern States Energy Board (SSEB) and the University of Houston (UH), will execute and complete a front-end engineering design (FEED) of a post-combustion carbon capture system to separate more than 820,000 tonnes per year (tpy) of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from the commercially operated Shell Chemicals Complex located in Deer Park, Texas. The project will utilize Shell’s CANSOLV technology to capture CO₂ emitted from the olefin units and a hydrotreater unit, reducing the overall facility CO₂ emissions by 95%. The project will result in a capital cost estimate consistent with Association of the Advancement of Cost Engineering (AACE) Class 3, with an expected accuracy range of -10% to +30%. Additionally, the project team will prepare a Business Case Analysis; Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA); Life Cycle Analysis (LCA); Environmental, Health, and Safety (EH&S) risk assessment; Environmental Justice Analysis; and Economic Revitalization and Job Creation Outcomes Analysis.

University of Wyoming will examine the economic impact of fossil energy production in Wyoming and provide various predictions for future energy mixes to achieve net-zero emissions. Specifically, the project will focus on critical aspects to reduce carbon emissions and facilitate the deployment of a clean hydrogen industry. Preliminary work suggests that Wyoming-based hydrogen production could have large economic benefits and job creation implications for Wyoming. The proposed study will further assess Wyoming’s opportunities to create decarbonized hydrogen-based industries, assess economic impacts, identify knowledge gaps and research needs, and create a Hydrogen Center of Excellence to accelerate commercialization and deployment.

The objective of the Phase I effort is to develop and demonstrate the feasibility of a metastable water/natural gas foam paired with a high-dispersion proppant material with appropriate properties for fracture permeability and time-based degradation. This Phase I project's overall goal is to develop a foam fracture fluid system which reduces the water fraction in fracture fluids and increases long-term productivity while having minimal impact on hydraulic fracturing procedures such as injection pressure. The project goals include water reduction by at least 60% and 20% increase in the penetration of the proppant into fractures. This research and development will enhance understanding of proppant-bearing fracturing foams and the constraints that may impede successful field deployment. The goals are to be accomplished with emulsion stability evaluations and permeability test comparisons.

Oil and gas exploration and production operation generates large volumes of wastewater (produced water) and some estimate that produced water and oil ratio ranges between 1:1 to 100:1. In US, the Ground Water Protection Council estimates in their 2019 Produced Water Report that produced water generation in 2012 was 890 billion gallons. Produced water is a global problem that significantly impacts overall production and operation of oil and gas wells which is especially challenging in geographical locations such as in the Middle East, Africa and parts of America that have minimal water resources and high cost of water purification which has resulted in interest to find alternative ways to treat, and reuse produced water. In order to mitigate the need for disposal options for produced water, Oceanit proposes the utilization of an arc-plasma reactor to break the water phase into constituent components, generating hydrogen that can be used as a fuel. This method will also separate solid constituents from the produced brine, leading to the possibility of resource recovery of value-added products such as heavy metals or minerals. Phase I will focus on lab-scale validation of the arc plasma reaction process, creating an AI control system, and validating the techno-economic potential of the project when scaled. Creation of a bench-scale apparatus operated as a batch process will allow testing and optimization of the plasma reaction and validate solids collection by varying the operating conditions and the feedstock composition. Modeling of the process will also be conducted to predict conditions which may lead to the most favorable product outcomes. If successful in the laboratory proof of concept is successful in Phase I, Phase II efforts will focus on scaling up the reactor system such that it can be operated as a continuous process. The AI control will be tested on the scaled-up system and developed to optimize the continuous reaction. The HALO system could allow for a mobile and modular system which is adaptable to a variety of feedstock compositions and flowrates.

Carbon-metal composites are a class of materials that are characterized by the existence of unique phases between the carbon material and metallic backbone. Being more than a simple mixture of carbon materials and metal, carbon-metal composites display properties far superior to what would be suggested by the law of mixing, including significant improvements in tensile strength, stiffness, hardness, electrical conductivity, and wear rates for a variety of metals, including copper. Carbon-metal composites could find use in almost any application where superior material properties justify the price premium, but they are particularly attractive for electrical and electromechanical applications.

In this project, Kuprion Inc. will investigate different compositions of coal-derived carbon-copper composites incorporating high loadings of coal-derived pitch-based carbon fibers, which are anticipated to exceed the thermal conductivity of copper and have tunable thermal expansion over a wide range to match that of PCBs and semiconductor materials. Heat spreader and thermal coin samples will be fabricated using injection molding, thermal performance will be measured, and the fabrication of large thermal vias (>3-4 mm) will be demonstrated.

The project seeks to develop a hydrogen gas composition sensing system for gas turbine applications.

The overall goal of this project is to conduct a scoping study and university-wide self-assessment to evaluate how the Recipient’s current capabilities, expertise, personnel, and facilities/equipment align with Department of Energy (DOE) Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) goals (particularly decarbonization).

The University of Illinois, in partnership with Climeworks, Visage Energy, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, will execute and complete a front-end engineering and design (FEED) study of an advanced direct air capture (DAC) system that is capable of removing and storing 5,000 tonnes/year of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the air based on cradle-to-gate Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The DAC system will be co-located with an existing (retrofit) geothermal plant in Brawley, California for utilization of the thermal energy for DAC operation. The DAC system consists of an adsorption-desorption process to remove CO₂ from ambient air by using a selective filter. The project team will complete the FEED study, including a detailed cost estimate, a Business Case Analysis (BCA), Technology Maturation Plan (TMP), LCA, Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) Analysis, Environmental Justice Analysis, Economic Revitalization and Job Creation Outcomes Analysis, and Workforce Readiness Plan.

Constellation Energy, in collaboration with 1PointFive Inc., Worley Group Inc., Carbon Engineering Ltd., University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign (UIUC), and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), will perform a front-end engineering design (FEED) study to facilitate a future investment decision in a potential direct air capture (DAC) project by validating the commercial case for utilizing nuclear energy to capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere. Specifically, the FEED study will integrate Carbon Engineering LLC’s DAC technology into Constellation’s Byron Generating Station (BGS) in Illinois, with waste heat thermal and electrical integration. The expected amount of net carbon removed from the atmosphere is 250,000 tonnes/year and the CO₂ captured from the atmosphere will be transported by pipeline to an underground geologic formation in Illinois for permanent storage.

The goal of this project was to advance the development of the University of Illinois’s transformational biphasic carbon dioxide (CO₂) absorption process (BiCAP) for CO₂ capture from waste-to-energy (WTE) generation at a 2.5-tonne-per-day (TPD) engineering scale. The BiCAP technology was previously tested at a 0.7-TPD scale on coal-derived flue gas at the Abbott Power Plant located on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus, demonstrating the energy efficiency advantages of BiCAP. In this project, the team completed a basic design of a 2.5-TPD pilot system within the inside battery limits pertaining to CO₂ capture with a CO₂ capture target rate of 95%. A preliminary techno-economic analysis for BiCAP at a scale of 100,000 tonnes per year of CO₂ captured and a preliminary life cycle analysis (LCA) were also conducted.