Opportunities and Challenges for Development of a Mature Concentrating Photovoltaic Power Industry (Revision) (open access)

Opportunities and Challenges for Development of a Mature Concentrating Photovoltaic Power Industry (Revision)

This report summarizes the current status of the CPV industry and is updated from previous versions to include information from the last year. New information presented at the CPV-8 conference is included along with the addition of new companies that have announced their interest in CPV, and estimates of production volumes for 2011 and 2012.
Date: November 1, 2012
Creator: Kurtz, S.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Measurement of the $WZ$ Cross Section and Triple Gauge Couplings in $p \bar p$ Collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 1.96$ TeV (open access)

Measurement of the $WZ$ Cross Section and Triple Gauge Couplings in $p \bar p$ Collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 1.96$ TeV

This Letter describes the current most precise measurement of the WZ production cross section as well as limits on anomalous WWZ couplings at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV in proton-antiproton collisions. The WZ candidates are reconstructed from decays containing three charged leptons and missing energy from a neutrino, where the charged leptons are either electrons or muons. Using data collected by the CDF II detector (7.1 fb{sup -1} of integrated luminosity), 64 candidate events are observed with the expected background contributing 8 {+-} 1 events. The measured total cross section {sigma}(p{bar p} {yields} WZ) = 3.93{sub -0.53}{sup +0.60}(stat){sub -0.46}{sup +0.59}(syst) pb is in good agreement with the standard model prediction of 3.50 {+-} 0.21. The same sample is used to set limits on anomalous WWZ couplings.
Date: February 1, 2012
Creator: Aaltonen, T.; Alvarez Gonzalez, B.; Amerio, S.; Amidei, D.; Anastassov, A.; Annovi, A. et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Development of ZnTe:Cu Contacts for CdTe Solar Cells: Cooperative Research and Development Final Report, CRADA Number CRD-08-320 (open access)

Development of ZnTe:Cu Contacts for CdTe Solar Cells: Cooperative Research and Development Final Report, CRADA Number CRD-08-320

The main focus of the work at NREL was on the development of Cu-doped ZnTe contacts to CdTe solar cells in the substrate configuration. The work performed under the CRADA utilized the substrate device structure used at NREL previously. All fabrication was performed at NREL. We worked on the development of Cu-doped ZnTe as well as variety of other contacts such as Sb-doped ZnTe, CuxTe, and MoSe2. We were able to optimize the contacts to improve device parameters. The improvement was obtained primarily through increasing the open-circuit voltage, to values as high as 760 mV, leading to device efficiencies of 7%.
Date: April 1, 2012
Creator: Dhere, R.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Success Stories (Postcard), Wind Powering America (WPA) (open access)

Success Stories (Postcard), Wind Powering America (WPA)

Wind Powering America shares best practices and lessons learned on the Wind Powering America website. This postcard is an outreach tool that provides a brief description of the success stories as well as the URL.
Date: February 1, 2012
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Delaware Energy and Cost Savings for New Single- and Multifamily Homes: 2012 IECC as Compared to the 2009 IECC (open access)

Delaware Energy and Cost Savings for New Single- and Multifamily Homes: 2012 IECC as Compared to the 2009 IECC

The 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) yields positive benefits for Delaware homeowners. Moving to the 2012 IECC from the 2009 IECC is cost effective over a 30-year life cycle. On average, Delaware homeowners will save $10,409 with the 2012 IECC. After accounting for upfront costs and additional costs financed in the mortgage, homeowners should see net positive cash flows (i.e., cumulative savings exceeding cumulative cash outlays) in 1 year for the 2012 IECC. Average annual energy savings are $616 for the 2012 IECC.
Date: April 1, 2012
Creator: Lucas, Robert G.; Taylor, Zachary T.; Mendon, Vrushali V. & Goel, Supriya
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Combined upper limit on Standard Model Higgs boson production at CDF (open access)

Combined upper limit on Standard Model Higgs boson production at CDF

The Higgs boson is the only elementary particle predicted by the Standard Model (SM) that has neither been confirmed nor refuted. The CDF collaboration has performed SM Higgs searches in many channels using p{bar p} collisions at a centre-of-mass energy {radical}s = 1.96 TeV. We present the latest combined Higgs boson search at CDF. Since the previous year's combination, the sensitivity is increased through the addition of new channels, the improvement of existing channels and the addition of new data samples. We also use the latest parton distribution functions and gg {yields} H theoretical cross sections when modelling the signal event yields. Using integrated luminosities of up to 8.2 fb{sup -1}, we observe a good agreement between data and the background prediction. Since we do not see a Higgs boson excess, we set 95% CL upper limits on the Higgs boson cross section in the range between 100 and 200 GeV/c{sup 2}, with 5 GeV/c{sup 2} increments. The observed (expected) limits for a 115 and a 165 GeV/c{sup 2} Higgs boson are 1.55 (1.49) and 0.75 (0.79) x SM, respectively. Since last year, the Higgs boson excluded range by CDF is extended to 156.5 - 173.7 and 100 - 104.5 …
Date: February 1, 2012
Creator: Adrian, Buzatu
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Combined Effects of Gravity, Bending Moment, Bearing Clearance, and Input Torque on Wind Turbine Planetary Gear Load Sharing: Preprint (open access)

Combined Effects of Gravity, Bending Moment, Bearing Clearance, and Input Torque on Wind Turbine Planetary Gear Load Sharing: Preprint

This computational work investigates planetary gear load sharing of three-mount suspension wind turbine gearboxes. A three dimensional multibody dynamic model is established, including gravity, bending moments, fluctuating mesh stiffness, nonlinear tooth contact, and bearing clearance. A flexible main shaft, planetary carrier, housing, and gear shafts are modeled using reduced degrees-of-freedom through modal compensation. This drivetrain model is validated against the experimental data of Gearbox Reliability Collaborative for gearbox internal loads. Planet load sharing is a combined effect of gravity, bending moment, bearing clearance, and input torque. Influences of each of these parameters and their combined effects on the resulting planet load sharing are investigated. Bending moments and gravity induce fundamental excitations in the rotating carrier frame, which can increase gearbox internal loads and disturb load sharing. Clearance in carrier bearings reduces the bearing load carrying capacity and thus the bending moment from the rotor can be transmitted into gear meshes. With bearing clearance, the bending moment can cause tooth micropitting and can induce planet bearing fatigue, leading to reduced gearbox life. Planet bearings are susceptible to skidding at low input torque.
Date: September 1, 2012
Creator: Guo, Y.; Keller, J. & LaCava, W.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Development and Test of a Single-Aperture 11 T Nb3Sn Demonstrator Dipole for LHC Upgrades. (open access)

Development and Test of a Single-Aperture 11 T Nb3Sn Demonstrator Dipole for LHC Upgrades.

The upgrade of the LHC collimation system expects installation of additional collimators in the dispersion suppressor areas around the LHC ring. The longitudinal space for the collimators could be provided by replacing some 8.33 T Nb-Ti LHC main dipoles with shorter 11 T Nb/sub 3/Sn dipoles compatible with the LHC lattice and main systems. To demonstrate this possibility FNAL and CERN have started a joint program with the goal of building a 5.5 m long twin-aperture dipole prototype suitable for installation in the LHC. The first step of this program is the development of a 2 m long single-aperture demonstrator dipole with the nominal field of 11 T at the LHC nominal current of 11.85 kA and 60 mm bore with ~20% margin. This paper describes the design, construction and test results of the first single-aperture Nb/sub 3/Sn demonstrator dipole model.
Date: October 1, 2012
Creator: Zlobin, A.V. & al., et
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Functional Requirements and Design Basis for Information Barriers (open access)

The Functional Requirements and Design Basis for Information Barriers

This report summarizes the results of the Information Barrier Working Group workshop held at Sandia National Laboratory in Albuquerque, NM, February 2-4, 1999. This workshop was convened to establish the functional requirements associated with warhead radiation signature information barriers, to identify the major design elements of any such system or approach, and to identify a design basis for each of these major elements. Such information forms the general design basis to be used in designing, fabricating, and evaluating the complete integrated systems developed for specific purposes.
Date: May 1, 2012
Creator: Fuller, James L.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Measure Guideline: Transitioning from Three-Coat Stucco to One-Coat Stucco with EPS (open access)

Measure Guideline: Transitioning from Three-Coat Stucco to One-Coat Stucco with EPS

This Measure Guideline has been developed to help builders transition from using a traditional three-coat stucco wall-cladding system to a one-coat stucco wall-cladding system with expanded polystyrene (EPS) insulated sheathing. The three-coat system uses a base layer, a fill layer, and a finish layer. The one-coat system maintains the look of a traditional stucco system but uses only a base layer and a finish coat over EPS insulation that achieves higher levels of energy efficiency. Potential risks associated with the installation of a one-coat stucco system are addressed in terms of design, installation, and warranty concerns such as cracking and delamination, along with mitigation strategies to reduce these risks.
Date: April 1, 2012
Creator: Brozyna, K.; Davis, G. & Rapport, A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
High-Penetration PV Deployment in the Arizona Public Service System, Phase 1 Update: Preprint (open access)

High-Penetration PV Deployment in the Arizona Public Service System, Phase 1 Update: Preprint

In an effort to better understand the impacts of high penetrations of photovoltaic generators on distribution systems, Arizona Public Service and its partners have begun work on a multi-year project to develop the tools and knowledge base needed to safely and reliably integrate high penetrations of utility- and residential-scale photovoltaics (PV). Building upon the APS Community Power Project -- Flagstaff Pilot, this project will analyze the impact of PV on a representative feeder in northeast Flagstaff. To quantify and catalog the effects of the estimated 1.3 MW of PV that will be installed on the feeder (both smaller units at homes as well as large, centrally located systems), high-speed weather and electrical data acquisition systems and digital 'smart' meters are being designed and installed to facilitate monitoring and to build and validate comprehensive, high-resolution models of the distribution system. These models will be used to analyze the impacts of the PV on distribution circuit protection systems (including anti-islanding), predict voltage regulation and phase balance issues, and develop volt/var control schemes. This paper continues from a paper presented at the 2011 IEEE PVSC conference that introduces the project and describes some of the preliminary consideration, as well as project plans and …
Date: June 1, 2012
Creator: Hambrick, J. & Narang, D.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
User s Guide for REFoffSpec Version 1.5.4 (open access)

User s Guide for REFoffSpec Version 1.5.4

This document is a user s guide for the IDL software REFoffSpec version 1.5.4 whose purpose is to aggregate for analysis NeXus data files from the magnetism and liquids reflectometer experiments at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Spallation Neutron Source. The software is used to scale and align multiple data files that constitute a continuous set for an experimental run. The User s Guide for REFoffSepc explains step by step the process using a specific example run. Output screens are provided to orient the user at each step. The guide documents in detail changes made to the original REFoffSpec code during the period November 2009 and January 2011. At the time of the completion of this version of the code it was accessible from the sns_tools interface as a beta version.
Date: September 1, 2012
Creator: Ward, Richard C; Bilheux, Jean-Christophe; Lauter, Valeria & Ambaye, Haile Arena
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Wind energy Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) : data collection recommendations for reliability analysis. (open access)

Wind energy Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) : data collection recommendations for reliability analysis.

This report addresses the general data requirements for reliability analysis of fielded wind turbines and other wind plant equipment. The report provides a rationale for why this data should be collected, a list of the data needed to support reliability and availability analysis, and specific data recommendations for a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) to support automated analysis. This data collection recommendations report was written by Sandia National Laboratories to address the general data requirements for reliability analysis of operating wind turbines. This report is intended to help develop a basic understanding of the data needed for reliability analysis from a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) and other data systems. The report provides a rationale for why this data should be collected, a list of the data needed to support reliability and availability analysis, and specific recommendations for a CMMS to support automated analysis. Though written for reliability analysis of wind turbines, much of the information is applicable to a wider variety of equipment and analysis and reporting needs. The 'Motivation' section of this report provides a rationale for collecting and analyzing field data for reliability analysis. The benefits of this type of effort can include increased energy delivered, decreased …
Date: January 1, 2012
Creator: Peters, Valerie A. & Ogilvie, Alistair B.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
4 kW Test of Solid Oxide Electrolysis Stacks with Advanced Electrode-Supported Cells (open access)

4 kW Test of Solid Oxide Electrolysis Stacks with Advanced Electrode-Supported Cells

A new test stand has been developed at the Idaho National Laboratory for multi-kW testing of solid oxide electrolysis stacks. This test stand will initially be operated at the 4 KW scale. The 4 kW tests will include two 60-cell stacks operating in parallel in a single hot zone. The stacks are internally manifolded with an inverted-U flow pattern and an active area of 100 cm2 per cell. Process gases to and from the two stacks are distributed from common inlet/outlet tubing using a custom base manifold unit that also serves as the bottom current collector plate. The solid oxide cells incorporate a negative-electrode-supported multi-layer design with nickel-zirconia cermet negative electrodes, thin-film yttria-stabilized zirconia electrolytes, and multi-layer lanthanum ferrite-based positive electrodes. Treated metallic interconnects with integral flow channels separate the cells and electrode gases. Sealing is accomplished with compliant mica-glass seals. A spring-loaded test fixture is used for mechanical stack compression. Due to the power level and the large number of cells in the hot zone, process gas flow rates are high and heat recuperation is required to preheat the cold inlet gases upstream of the furnace. Heat recuperation is achieved by means of two inconel tube-in-tube counter-flow heat exchangers. …
Date: June 1, 2012
Creator: O'Brien, J. E.; Zhang, X.; Housley, G. K.; Moore-McAteer, L. & Tao, G.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Advanced inactive materials for improved lithium-ion battery safety. (open access)

Advanced inactive materials for improved lithium-ion battery safety.

None
Date: November 1, 2012
Creator: Orendorff, Christopher J.; Nagasubramanian, Ganesan; Lambert, Timothy N.; Fenton, Kyle Ross; Apblett, Christopher Alan; Shaddix, Christopher R. et al.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Max Tech and Beyond: High-Intensity Discharge Lamps (open access)

Max Tech and Beyond: High-Intensity Discharge Lamps

High-intensity discharge (HID) lamps are most often found in industrial and commercial applications, and are the light source of choice in street and area lighting, and sports stadium illumination. HID lamps are produced in three types - mercury vapor (MV), high pressure sodium (HPS) and metal halide (MH). Of these, MV and MH are considered white-light sources (although the MV exhibits poor color rendering) and HPS produces a yellow-orange color light. A fourth lamp, low-pressure sodium (LPS), is not a HID lamp by definition, but it is used in similar applications and thus is often grouped with HID lamps. With the notable exception of MV which is comparatively inefficient and in decline in the US from both a sales and installed stock point of view; HPS, LPS and MH all have efficacies over 100 lumens per watt. The figure below presents the efficacy trends over time for commercially available HID lamps and LPS, starting with MV and LPS in 1930's followed by the development of HPS and MH in the 1960's. In HID lamps, light is generated by creating an electric arc between two electrodes in an arc tube. The particles in the arc are partially ionized, making them electrically …
Date: April 1, 2012
Creator: Scholand, Michael
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
HTGR Cost Model Users' Manual (open access)

HTGR Cost Model Users' Manual

The High Temperature Gas-Cooler Reactor (HTGR) Cost Model was developed at the Idaho National Laboratory for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant Project. The HTGR Cost Model calculates an estimate of the capital costs, annual operating and maintenance costs, and decommissioning costs for a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor. The user can generate these costs for multiple reactor outlet temperatures; with and without power cycles, including either a Brayton or Rankine cycle; for the demonstration plant, first of a kind, or nth of a kind project phases; for a single or four-pack configuration; and for a reactor size of 350 or 600 MWt. This users manual contains the mathematical models and operating instructions for the HTGR Cost Model. Instructions, screenshots, and examples are provided to guide the user through the HTGR Cost Model. This model was design for users who are familiar with the HTGR design and Excel. Modification of the HTGR Cost Model should only be performed by users familiar with Excel and Visual Basic.
Date: January 1, 2012
Creator: Gandrik, A.M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Near-Zero Emissions Oxy-Combustion Flue Gas Purification Task 3: SOx/NOx/Hg Removal for Low Sulfur Coal (open access)

Near-Zero Emissions Oxy-Combustion Flue Gas Purification Task 3: SOx/NOx/Hg Removal for Low Sulfur Coal

The goal of this project was to develop a near-zero emissions flue gas purification technology for existing PC (pulverized coal) power plants that are retrofitted with oxycombustion technology. The objective of Task 3 of this project was to evaluate an alternative method of SOx, NOx and Hg removal from flue gas produced by burning low sulfur coal in oxy-combustion power plants. The goal of the program was to conduct an experimental investigation and to develop a novel process for simultaneously removal of SOx and NOx from power plants that would operate on low sulfur coal without the need for wet-FGD & SCRs. A novel purification process operating at high pressures and ambient temperatures was developed. Activated carbon’s catalytic and adsorbent capabilities are used to oxidize the sulfur and nitrous oxides to SO{sub 3} and NO{sub 2} species, which are adsorbed on the activated carbon and removed from the gas phase. Activated carbon is regenerated by water wash followed by drying. The development effort commenced with the screening of commercially available activated carbon materials for their capability to remove SO{sub 2}. A bench-unit operating in batch mode was constructed to conduct an experimental investigation of simultaneous SOx and NOx removal from …
Date: June 1, 2012
Creator: Zanfir, Monica; Solunke, Rahul & Shah, Minish
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Safeguards-By-Design: Guidance and Tools for Stakeholders (open access)

Safeguards-By-Design: Guidance and Tools for Stakeholders

Effective implementation of the Safeguards-by-Design (SBD) approach can help meet the challenges of global nuclear energy growth, by designing facilities that have improved safeguardability and reduced safeguards-related life cycle costs. The ultimate goal of SBD is to implement effective and efficient safeguards that reduce the burden to both the facility operator and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Since 2008, the National Nuclear Security Administration's Next Generation Safeguards Initiative's Safeguards By Design Project has initiated multiple studies and workshops with industry and regulatory stakeholders, including the IAEA, to develop relevant documents to support the implementation of SBD. These 'Good Practices Guides' describe facility and process design features that will facilitate implementation of effective nuclear material safeguards starting in the earliest phases of design through to final design. These guides, which are in their final editorial stages, start at a high level and then narrow down to specific nuclear fuel cycle facilities such as Light Water Reactors, Generation III/IV Reactors, High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactors, and Gas Centrifuge Enrichment Plants. Most recently, NGSI has begun development of a facility safeguardability assessment toolkit to assist the designer. This paper will review the current status of these efforts, provide some examples of these documents, …
Date: February 1, 2012
Creator: Schanfein, Mark & Johnson, Shirley
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Grid Simulator for Testing a Wind Turbine on Offshore Floating Platform (open access)

Grid Simulator for Testing a Wind Turbine on Offshore Floating Platform

An important aspect of such offshore testing of a wind turbine floating platform is electrical loading of the wind turbine generator. An option of interconnecting the floating wind turbine with the onshore grid via submarine power cable is limited by many factors such as costs and associated environmental aspects (i.e., an expensive and lengthy sea floor study is needed for cable routing, burial, etc). It appears to be a more cost effective solution to implement a standalone grid simulator on a floating platform itself for electrical loading of the test wind turbine. Such a grid simulator must create a stable fault-resilient voltage and frequency bus (a micro grid) for continuous operation of the test wind turbine. In this report, several electrical topologies for an offshore grid simulator were analyzed and modeled.
Date: February 1, 2012
Creator: Gevorgian, V.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Sell Energy-Efficient Products (Fact Sheet) (open access)

Sell Energy-Efficient Products (Fact Sheet)

This document outlines resources for doing business with the Federal Government.
Date: December 1, 2012
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
AGR-1 Thermocouple Data Analysis (open access)

AGR-1 Thermocouple Data Analysis

This report documents an effort to analyze measured and simulated data obtained in the Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) fuel irradiation test program conducted in the INL's Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) to support the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) R&D program. The work follows up on a previous study (Pham and Einerson, 2010), in which statistical analysis methods were applied for AGR-1 thermocouple data qualification. The present work exercises the idea that, while recognizing uncertainties inherent in physics and thermal simulations of the AGR-1 test, results of the numerical simulations can be used in combination with the statistical analysis methods to further improve qualification of measured data. Additionally, the combined analysis of measured and simulation data can generate insights about simulation model uncertainty that can be useful for model improvement. This report also describes an experimental control procedure to maintain fuel target temperature in the future AGR tests using regression relationships that include simulation results. The report is organized into four chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the AGR Fuel Development and Qualification program, AGR-1 test configuration and test procedure, overview of AGR-1 measured data, and overview of physics and thermal simulation, including modeling assumptions and uncertainties. A brief summary of statistical analysis …
Date: May 1, 2012
Creator: Einerson, Jeff
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Top differential cross section measurements (Tevatron) (open access)

Top differential cross section measurements (Tevatron)

Differential cross sections in the top quark sector measured at the Fermilab Tevatron collider are presented. CDF used 2.7 fb{sup -1} of data and measured the differential cross section as a function of the invariant mass of the t{bar t} system. The measurement shows good agreement with the standard model and furthermore is used to derive limits on the ratio {kappa}/M{sub Pl} for gravitons which decay to top quarks in the Randall-Sundrum model. D0 used 1.0 fb{sup -1} of data to measure the differential cross section as a function of the transverse momentum of the top-quark. The measurement shows a good agreement to the next-to-leading order perturbative QCD prediction and various other standard model predictions.
Date: January 1, 2012
Creator: Jung, Andreas W.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
In-Depth Look at Ground Source Heat Pumps and Other Electric Loads in Two GreenMax Homes (open access)

In-Depth Look at Ground Source Heat Pumps and Other Electric Loads in Two GreenMax Homes

CARB partnered with WPPI Energy to answer key research questions on in-field performance of ground-source heat pumps and LAMELs through extensive field monitoring at two WPPI GreenMax demonstration homes in Wisconsin. These two test home evaluations provided valuable data on the true in-field performance of various building mechanical systems and lighting, appliances, and miscellaneous loads (LAMELs).
Date: April 1, 2012
Creator: Puttagunta, S. & Shapiro, C.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library