Invention Description There is a well-recognized need to broadly decrease the amount of water used for evaporative (wet) cooling in many applications, especially in power generation, but also in emerging cutting-edge technologies, such as data and supercomputing centers. The main challenge in dry cooling using ambient air is the inevitable temperature...

In the field of power grid analysis, particularly in distribution systems, solving the power flow problem is fundamental for grid planning and operational decision-making. Traditionally, methods rely on iterative techniques and sparse linear solvers to find solutions. However, these approaches can be computationally intensive, require careful initialization,...

High frequency isolated resonant converters have found widespread application in the field of EV charging, solar inverters, switch mode power supplies, and aircraft power supplies, due to their higher power density and superior conversion efficiency. Specific applications include auxiliary power units used in more electric aircrafts that use fuel cell-based...

Background The creation of effective energy conversion technologies has become essential in response to the challenges of integrating diurnally and seasonally intermittent and variable renewable energy resources. Specifically, one of the most important steps toward the economical production of sustainable fuels and organic chemicals is the conversion...

Energy usage in the industrial sector has been increasing since 2007 and has been the largest energy consuming sector in the US (e.g., at nearly 33 quadrillion Btus in 2018). Industrial facilities are not only the largest end-use consumer of energy, but account for one-third of the total peak power demand in the US. This creates several challenges...

As the world gears up for the ongoing renewable energy revolution, the temporal variability of the renewable sources remains a big headache for designing a reliable electricity grid. A multi-level energy storage infrastructure is thus necessary to maintain high, year-round dispatchability. No technology that currently exists is ideally suited to meet...

­Thermochemical reactors provide an effective means for water splitting and carbon dioxide splitting. These reactors are able to produce energized chemicals (e.g., hydrogen and carbon monoxide), which can subsequently be used in other chemical reactions (e.g., to reduce, add functionality, etc.) or from which other chemicals can be made (e.g.,...

Background Power plants, automobiles, and many other sources expel billions of tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere each year. A major greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide. As the world’s population increases, the amount of fossil fuel used to create energy increases, as the amount of fuel burned increases, the amount of carbon dioxide in...

Background Thermochemical reactors can provide an effective means for splitting water and carbon dioxide. These reactors are able to produce energized chemicals such as H2 and CO, which can be subsequently used in other chemical reactions (e.g., as reductants or as fuels). In water splitting, the main competing technologies are steam-methane reforming...

Background High-temperature heaters have many applications, including the high-temperature processing of materials. As fossil fuel burners, such as natural gas burners, are replaced with renewable alternatives, the number of applications will increase. Conventional high temperature electrical heaters have been based on silicon carbide or molybdenum...