Materials and Society: Front Page
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JOM Devotes Issue to Energy Materials
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By Lynne Robinson
Posted on:
9/1/2010 12:00:00 AM...
Nearly every page of the September 2010 issue of JOM offers new information and insights on the critical role that materials science and engineering plays in ensuring a more secure and sustainable energy future. In addition to a dozen papers organized within three energy-focused topic areas, this JOM also offers a special insert—the complete Linking Transformational Materials and Processing for an Energy-Efficient and Low-Carbon Economy: Creating the Vision and Accelerating Realization report prepared by the Energy Materials Blue Ribbon Panel convened by TMS in February. The “Vision Report,” as it is also known, addresses an array of energy application areas in which new materials and processing breakthroughs can lead to transformational advances in both the near- and long-term. Its publication concludes the first phase of a two-part study in support of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) and funded by Oak Ridge National Laboratory. An overview of the project’s next steps is the focus of the JOM feature “Transformational Energy Materials Project Launches Next Phase.”
ENERGY STORAGE TECHNOLOGIES
Advisor: Zhenguo ‘Gary’ Yang, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Yang notes in his commentary to this technical topic that, while stationary electrical energy storage is a relatively new field in the materials science community, it is viewed as a critical enabling technology for effectively and economically integrating renewable energy generation methods into the electrical grid. The three papers comprising this technical topic examine the needs, requirements, and status of these technologies:
- “Enabling Renewable Energy—and the Future Grid—with Advanced Electricity Storage”
Zhenguo Yang, Jun Liu, Suresh Baskaran, Carl H. Imhoff, and Jamie D. Holladay
Because of the variable and intermittent nature of renewable energy sources, electrical energy storage (EES) is a necessity for their effective use, enabling their delivery while improving the reliability, stability, and efficiency of the electrical grid. A number of existing and emerging technologies are potential candidates for energy storage applications. All these technologies are, however, facing challenges to meet economic and performance targets for wide market penetration, which requires substantial advances in materials, design, and system engineering. This overview examines the benefits and challenges of EES, in particular electrochemical storage or battery technologies, and discusses the fundamental principles, economics, and feasibility of the storage technologies.
- “Lithium-ion Batteries for Stationary Energy Storage”
Terrence Xu, Wei Wang, Mikhail L. Gordin, Donghai Wang, and Daiwon Choi
This research summary examines available lithium-ion battery electrode
materials and their combinations for stationary EES applications. Specifically, the paper presents a lithium-ion battery that uses nano-structured LiFePO4 and TiO2 as the electrode materials. The authors suggest that this type of battery’s stable performance, long cycling life, and low cost offer great potential for use in stationary EES. The paper also explores limitations and future research directions in lithium-ion for stationary EES applications.
- “Sodium-beta Alumina Batteries: Status and Challenges”
Xiaochuan Lu, John P. Lemmon, Vincent Sprenkle, and Zhenguo Yang
Sodium-beta alumina batteries have been extensively developed in recent years, with encouraging progress in both performance and cycle life. Several key issues, however, stand in the way of broader application. This paper offers a review of materials and designs for sodium-beta alumina battery technology and discusses the challenges ahead for further technology improvement.
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY IN MATERIALS PROCESSING
Advisor: Xingbo Liu, West Virginia University
The four papers within this topic area represent a spectrum of energy challenges within the materials processing arena, from seeking out viable near-term solutions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to exploring the long-term potential of alternative energy sources:
- “A Low-cost Electro-gen Solvent for Carbon Dioxide Sequestration”
Neale R. Neelameggham and Brian R. Davis
Writes Liu in his commentary on this paper, “Most current research on solvent based CO2 capture and sequestration (CCS) is focused on ammine-based solvents. However, studies at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) have shown that this will cost an additional 85 percent for power generation with CCS compared to no capture. This means the price of electricity would be doubled if the ammine-based CCS were utilized today.” In this overview, the authors propose a concept for a process that involves the use of low-cost make-up reagents which are capable of providing credits for partial mineralization of CO2— offsetting some of the costs for carbon capture and sequestration.
- “Residues Recycling: Reducing Costs and Helping the Environment”
Luis C.A. Venancio, José Antonio Silva Souza, Emanuel Negrão Macedo, João Nazareno N. Quaresma, and Antonio Ernandes M. Paiva
This paper describes the results of a ten-year effort in Brazil to recycle and develop useful applications for two major solid residues from aluminum smelting: red mud and spent pot lining. The approach, while engineering intensive, has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions and save significant amounts of wasted energy in transport and processing, when compared with dedicated recycling or neutralizing processes.
- “Aluminothermic Reduction of Metal Oxides by Concentrated Solar Irradiation”
Yuri M. Lytvynenko
Most applied methods for aluminothermic reduction of oxides of metals demand
considerable electrical energy. This paper describes initial successful efforts to produce metals and alloys by aluminothermic reduction of oxides of metals using
renewable solar energy. The experiments summarized carry out this process in solar
furnaces of various diameters using direct heating and the Cassegrain scheme.
- “Production of Si by Vacuum Carbothermal Reduction of SiO2 Using Concentrated Solar Energy”
Peter G. Loutzenhiser, Ozan Tuerk, and Aldo Steinfeld
The authors report on a novel solar thermochemical process to produce silicon from readily available silica using concentrated sunlight and a carbon-containing reducing agent. They thermodynamically and experimentally demonstrate that it is possible to reduce silica and distill silicon vapor under vacuum conditions using highly concentrated solar radiation as the energy source of high-temperature process heat. When the reducing agent is biomass charcoal, the solar-driven carbothermal process is CO2 neutral.
MATERIALS FOR NUCLEAR POWER
Advisor: K.L. Murty, North Carolina State University
Addressing the unique challenges and considerations in developing structural materials for next-generation reactors is a particular focus in this topic area:
- “The DOE Advanced Gas Reactor Fuel Development and Qualification Program”
David Petti, John Maki, John Hunn, Pete Pappano, Charles Barnes, John Saurwein, Scott Nagley, Jim Kendall, and Richard Hobbins
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected the high-temperature
gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) concept for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant Project as a transformative application of nuclear energy. The objective of the DOE Advanced Gas Reactor Fuel Development and Qualification program is to qualify tristructural isotropic (TRISO)-coated particle fuel for use in HTGRs. This paper presents an overview of materials fabrication, characterization, and testing activities involved to qualify the fuel for use.
- “Structural Materials Issues for the Next Generation Fission Reactors”
I. Charit and K.L. Murty
A key consideration in the successful development and deployment of
Generation-IV reactor systems is the performance and reliability issues involving structural materials for both in-core and out-of-core applications. These materials need to endure higher temperatures, higher neutron doses, and more corrosive environments than is the experience with current nuclear power plants. This paper addresses the material requirements for these advanced fission reactor types, examining structural materials issues according to specific application areas.
- “Ferritic Steels for Sodium-cooled Fast Reactors: Design Principles and Challenges”
Baldev Raj and M. Vijayalakshmi
This paper discusses the development of creep-resistant 9-12Cr FM steels for core components in sodium-cooled fast reactors. Optimal processes/microstructures for resistance to high-temperature irradiation creep and fracture are described, as well as issues related to dissimilar welds where Type IV cracking in creep and hard zone formation are prevalent. The authors also evaluate the suitability of ferritic steels for fast reactor technology, with the goal of achieving better breeding ratio and improved thermal efficiency.
- “Irradiation-Tolerant Nanostructured Ferritic Alloys: Transforming Helium from a Liability to an Asset”
G.R. Odette and D.T. Hoelzer
Nanostructured ferritic alloys (NFAs) have the potential to make transformational contributions to developing advanced sources of fission and fusion energy. NFAs are Fe-Cr based ferritic stainless steels that contain an ultra high density of Y-Ti-O nanofeatures (NFs). The NFs provide outstanding high temperature properties and tolerance to irradiation-induced displacement damage and the degrading effects of transmutation product helium. This paper examines the role of nanometer-scale Yi-Ti-O precipitates in providing these attributes, while also outlining the challenges facing the continued development of nanostructured ferritic alloys.
- “Irradiation Induced Creep of Graphite”
T.D. Burchell, K.L. Murty, and J. Eapen
The very high temperature reactor is a graphite-moderated, helium-cooled reactor. This paper addresses concerns with the dimensional stability of graphite during in-reactor operation. Specifically, the authors review the status of graphite irradiation-induced creep strain prediction and describe major creep models. They also report on the ability of the models to quantitatively predict the irradiation induced creep strain and make a case for further experimental work and the need for improved creep models across multi-scales..
TMS members and JOM subscribers can read this month’s full collection of papers by accessing this link. The article, “Enabling Renewable Energy—and the Future Grid—with Advanced Electricity Storage” is open to all readers. The full report of the Energy Materials Blue Ribbon Committee—Linking Transformational Materials and Processing for an Energy-Efficient and Low-Carbon Economy: Creating the Vision and Accelerating Realization—is available for download at www.energy.tms.
Lynne Robinson is a news and feature writer with TMS.
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