Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

About: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is a facility organization based out in Richland, Washington, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Catalysis & Aerosol. The organization has 11581 authors who have published 27934 publications receiving 1120489 citations. The organization is also known as: PNL & PNNL.

An Evaluation of the Water Heater Load Potential for Providing Regulation Service

Abstract: This paper investigates the possibility of providing aggregated regulation services with small loads, such as water heaters or air conditioners. A direct-load control algorithm is presented to aggregate the water heater load for the purpose of regulation. A dual-element electric water heater model is developed, which accounts for both thermal dynamics and users' water consumption. A realistic regulation signal was used to evaluate the number of water heaters needed and the operational characteristics of a water heater when providing 2-MW regulation service. Modeling results suggest that approximately 33 000 water heaters are needed to provide a 2-MW regulation service 24 hours a day. However, if water heaters only provide regulation from 6:00 to 24:00, approximately 20 000 will be needed. Because the control algorithm has considered the thermal setting of the water heater, customer comfort is maintained. Therefore, the aggregated regulation service provided by water heater loads can become a major source of revenue for load-serving entities when the smart grid enables the direct load control.

Observation and Quantification of Nanoscale Processes in Lithium Batteries by Operando Electrochemical (S)TEM

Abstract: An operando electrochemical stage for the transmission electron microscope has been configured to form a "Li battery" that is used to quantify the electrochemical processes that occur at the anode during charge/discharge cycling. Of particular importance for these observations is the identification of an image contrast reversal that originates from solid Li being less dense than the surrounding liquid electrolyte and electrode surface. This contrast allows Li to be identified from Li-containing compounds that make up the solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer. By correlating images showing the sequence of Li electrodeposition and the evolution of the SEI layer with simultaneously acquired and calibrated cyclic voltammograms, electrodeposition, and electrolyte breakdown processes can be quantified directly on the nanoscale. This approach opens up intriguing new possibilities to rapidly visualize and test the electrochemical performance of a wide range of electrode/electrolyte combinations for next generation battery systems.

The evaporation rate, free energy, and entropy of amorphous water at 150 K

Abstract: Measurement of the rates of evaporation of amorphous water (a) and ice (i) near 150 K can be interpreted as giving a measure of their free energy difference, ΔaiG (150 K)=1100±100 J/mol, which, together with the known enthalpy difference and heat capacity data, suggests a residual entropy difference of ΔaiS (0)=−0.7±2.2 J/(K mol) at absolute zero. Previous theoretical estimates of ΔaiS (0), which are much larger, did not allow the amorph to be connected with normal liquid water by a reversible thermodynamic path at atmospheric pressure. The present value allows such a connection.

Measurements of Turbulence at Two Tidal Energy Sites in Puget Sound, WA

Abstract: Field measurements of turbulence are presented from two sites in Puget Sound, WA, that are proposed for electrical power generation using tidal current turbines. Time series data from multiple acoustic Doppler instruments are analyzed to obtain statistical measures of fluctuations in both the magnitude and direction of the tidal currents. The resulting turbulence intensities (i.e., the turbulent velocity fluctuations normalized by the deterministic tidal currents) are typically 10% at the hub heights (i.e., the relevant depth) of the proposed turbines. Length and time scales of the turbulence are also analyzed. Large-scale, anisotropic eddies dominate the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) spectra, which may be the result of proximity to headlands at each site. At small scales, an isotropic turbulent cascade is observed and used to estimate the dissipation rate of TKE, which is shown to balance with shear production. Data quality and sampling parameters are discussed, with an emphasis on the removal of Doppler noise from turbulence statistics. The results are relevant to estimating the performance and fatigue of tidal turbines.