ELECTRIC POWER SYSTEMS, CONTROL SYSTEMS AND ASSOCIATED OPERATIONAL METHODS (iEdison No. 0685901-22-0033)
Distributed control architecture to engage end-use loads (GFAs) as a flexible operating resource in primary frequency resource(Grid connected and islanded) This disclosure contains multiple parts: 1) The use of GFA devices to improve primary frequency response. This is essentially load shedding during transients to prevent system collapse. A paper was published in 2018 using this concept to support networked microgrid operations, but it used static setpoints. 2) The use of a distributed control architecture, e.g. OpenFMB, to enable the updating of GFA setpoints to better align with current system conditions. Specifically, the setpoints that are appropriate for grid connected operations are not ideal for an islanded microgrids and may be again different for networked microgrid operations. This update would be on the pub/sub system and would only need to be updated when there are significant changes in system conditions. 3) Determining the appropriate setpoints for each GFA based on current system conditions. The current work is examining the determination of set point values based on the resources available to support primary frequency support, i.e., spinning reserve and fast frequency regulation from grid-forming inverters. Combining these three concepts is the entire idea. GFA devices are deployed on the system as part of normal installation. During normal grid connected system transients the GFAs can respond as was envisioned in the original GFA work. When parts of the system are islanded as one or more microgrids, the OpenFMB system collects information to determine the status of how DERs available to support primary frequency response. For systems with a lower level of resource, "more aggressive" GFA set points are selected. For stronger systems the set points are "less aggressive". The goal is to engage GFAs when needed to stabilize microgrid operations, but not to shed excessive load when necessary. A example of this would be the transition from a system with a large amount of solar PV and grid-following inverters to one with more batteries and grid-forming inverters, i.e. a microgrid going from day to night. When there is a high penetration of grid-following inverters the system will be 'weaker" and it will be desirable for the GFA to operate sooner during a transient. But when there are more grid-forming batteries such aggressive load shedding is not necessary and should be avoided. This concept adaptively changes them to reflect current system conditions.
FLOW-ASSISTED SELECTIVE MINERAL EXTRACTION FROM NON-TRADITIONAL SOURCES (iEdison No. 0685901-21-0109)
Seawater, geothermal brines, and industrial wastes are abundant and mineral rich. However, selectively extracting minerals and elements of interest and commercial value from such non-traditional sources can be a challenge. Current approaches to mineral extraction are chemical- and energy-intensive. As an alternative, we present a simple, single-step, separation technique that leverages non-equilibrium conditions in a flow cell to generate phase-pure solid precipitates. The technique relies on differences in solubility constants to selectively separate minerals from aqueous ion mixture (e.g., seawater). The method can be used to extract various minerals deemed critical by the DOE, by simply selecting the appropriate reactant to flow along with source water. Here we demonstrate the approach for selective separation of Mg(OH)2 from seawater (Instant Ocean) using NaOH as the reactant solution. We experimentally show that using the flow-cell approach generates phase pure Mg(OH)2 compared with bulk mixing of the same two solutions (reactant NaOH and seawater). Our data is obtained using a microfluidics device, however, the same concept of laminar flow for achieving non-equilibrium products has been previously utilized at industrial scale confirming practical relevance of the technique. Further, the method can be used to extract multiple minerals from source water by appropriately sequencing reactants.
Reactive Coating Processes
Reactive coating processes are provided that can include providing a coating material, reacting the coating material to form a shell about the coating material, contacting the shelled coating material with a substrate to be coated, depositing the coating material from within the shelled coating material on the substrate, and removing the shells from the substrate. Coating materials may be deposited upon a substrate to be coated and reacted to form a shell about the coating material. The coating materials can be particles and a shell can be formed about each of the individual particles.
COST EFFECTIVE SYNTHESIS OF OXIDE MATERIALS FOR LITHIUM ION BATTERIES (iEdison No. 0685901-20-0044)
Method and apparatus for improving water balance in fuel cell power unit
A method and apparatus for improving the water balance in a power unit by providing the exhaust gas from the cathode side of the fuel cell as a feed gas to the combustion system condensing at least a portion of water present in the effluent from the combustion system in a condenser, and then transferring water vapor from the uncondensed portion of the effluent from the condenser to the gas fed to the cathode side of the fuel cell. Water from the exhaust gas from the cathode side of the fuel cell is either captured in the condenser, or is reused in the feed gas of the cathode side of the fuel cell. By humidifying the air fed into system with the water vapor present in the exhaust gas, water is not lost from the system. Instead, the air is being fed into the system is humidified with this water, which in turn allows the humidifier to operated at higher temperatures and/or use smaller radiators and fans and/or draw less parasitic power, thereby increasing overall system efficiency.
AQUEOUS ELECTROLYTES FOR REDOX FLOW BATTERY SYSTEMS
An aqueous redox flow battery system includes an aqueous catholyte and an aqueous anolyte. The aqueous catholyte may comprise (i) an optionally substituted thiourea or a nitroxyl radical compound and (ii) a catholyte aqueous supporting solution. The aqueous anolyte may comprise (i) metal cations or a viologen compound and (ii) an anolyte aqueous supporting solution. The catholyte aqueous supporting solution and the anolyte aqueous supporting solution independently may comprise (i) a proton source, (ii) a halide source, or (iii) a proton source and a halide source.
CARBON DIOXIDE ENHANCED HYDROTHERMAL LIQUEFACTION (iEdison No. 0685901-22-0241)
The invention is injecting carbon dioxide into hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) in order to increase biocrude product yield and/or decrease byproduct yield. 1) Injection of carbon dioxide into a hydrothermal liquefaction process including, but not limited to In the feeding section And/or the preheating section And/or the reactor section And/or the product handling and collection section 2) The carbon dioxide is optionally obtained from the waste product gas from an HTL process This invention improves product yield, reduces byproduct yield, and may enhance operation of HTL when carbon dioxide is injected into one or more unit operations into an HTL process. As a source of CO2 is available from the HTL process byproduct gas, it can be easily collected, recompressed, and injected into the HTL system at various locations. As the CO2 is captured from the HTL process, this also enables simple recovery/recycle of the injected carbon dioxide as a normal function of HTL. This recovery may also be used to capture carbon dioxide in order to reduce atmospheric emission.
HYDRATE MATERIALS FOR THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE AND METHODS FOR USING (iEdison No. 0685901-23-0245)
Using Organic Hydrates (such as 2-(p-isobutylphenyl)propionic acid, known as ibuprofen) as thermal energy storage and moisture-involved electricity generation. Water molecules in organic salt hydrates can be reversibly & thermally cycled i.e. de/re-hydration process. This de/re-hydration process in organic salt hydrates can be used for designing thermal energy storage and also moisture-involved electricity generation systems.
Lithium Ion Batteries with Titania/AnGraphene Anodes
The invention report discloses nanostructured composites intended for energy storage applications, e.g. Li-ion batteries, and the method of producing the composites. The materials concept and approach have been successfully reduced recently into practice. The nano-composites are made from a semi-conductive, electrochemically active phase and a highly electron conductive minor phase, in particular graphene that electrically interconnects the active phase in three dimensions, only with a very small amount (~1%). One step, scalable approach was conceived and successfully used to fabricate the nanocomposites. The synthesized composites as electrodes of Li-ion batteries demonstrated significantly improved electrochemical performance, in particular in the power and energy. Thus the nanocomposites are promising electrode materials in high energy/power batteries for applications, such as plug in hybrid electrical vehicles.
Electrolyte for high efficiency cycling of sodium metal and rechargeable sodium-based batteries comprising the electrolyte
Embodiments of a non-aqueous electrolyte for a rechargeable sodium (Na)-based battery comprise a sodium salt and a nonaqueous solvent, the electrolyte having a sodium salt concentration ≧2.5 M or a solvent-sodium salt mole ratio ≦4:1. Na-based rechargeable batteries including the electrolyte exhibit both high cycling stability and high coulombic efficiency (CE). Some embodiments of the disclosed batteries attain a CE≧80% within 10-30 charge-discharge cycles and maintain a CE≧80% for at least 100 charge-discharge cycles. In certain embodiments, the battery is an anode-free battery in the as-assembled initial state.