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All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

DOE OSTI2023

Solar Photovaltaics Durability and Resilience - A Win-Win

Solar photovoltaics (PV) will play a crucial role in decarbonizing the electrical grid and limit the effects of detrimental climate change. Long lifetimes of PV installations are a win-win situation, as it not only reduces carbon emissions directly through avoidance of fossil fuel emissions but also indirectly, as it reduces the demand of needed materials and potentially recycling. However, during their decades-long lifetime expectations installations are also more commonly exposed to extreme weather events. Building durable solar system to withstand extreme weather events is essential in the electrification of the economy and will save lives, particularly when they power critical infrastructure such as hospitals. As more PV is installed in regions prone to extreme weather events, high-quality materials, installation and monitoring practices can mitigate risk. Evaluating resilience requires combined computational, analytical, and experimental capabilities that are best leveraged by teams working across multiple disciplines.

durability↗

DOE OSTI2022

Digitalization of an experimental electrochemical reactor via the smart manufacturing innovation platform

The exponential increase in data produced over the last two decades has revolutionized the way we collect, store, process, analyze, model, and interpret information to improve profitability. Manufacturing is no exception. How- ever, Smart Manufacturing, the digital practice, organization, workforce, and infrastructure transformation for collection and deployment of data and models at scale and at all levels of manufacturing, is a complex, costly, and labor-intensive journey that is still seeing slow adoption. The Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CESMII), a national Manufacturing USA public-private partnership sponsored by the Department of Energy, is addressing this scaled use of data and modeling in manufacturing. CESMII has focused on how to col- lect and use operating data for numerous applications that improve productivity, precision, and performance of manufacturing operations from factory floor to supply chain using process simulation, predictive analytics, mon- itoring and control, and real-time optimization. Because contextualized data are key, CESMII has developed the Smart Manufacturing Innovation Platform (SMIP) to lower the barriers to the data that are needed to accelerate data-based model building, improve data visualization, and more quickly gain insights. Reusable, standards-based ways of doing data collection, ingestion, and contextualization are particularly important for scaling access and use of data. The SMIP uses a standards-based definition and construct for reusable information models called an SM Profile. When an SM Profile is used in conjunction with the SMIP, the SMIP ensures the availability of contextualized, operational data for model building. The present work demonstrates Smart Manufacturing and the application of the SMIP for building several data-centered models for the operation and control of an ex- perimental electrochemical reactor that reduces carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) gas to valuable liquid and gas chemicals, such as alcohols, olefins, and syngas. We describe how the SMIP plays a central role in more effective model building and we demonstrate how the electochemical reactor can be controlled and optimized for the desired products. Use of the SMIP involves the transmission of real-time sensor measurements to a cloud resource so that the operating data are available to all model building experts. The data collection and transmission process is fully automated to greatly reduce the need for manual manipulation of the data. Data-driven machine learning models are used for advanced real-time state estimation, real-time optimization, and model-based feedback control for the reactor. The application models are implemented as a system to monitor the data flow and control the electrochemical reactor with a single visualization interface. SM Profiles are used to demonstrate reusability of the information models for the reactor and the instrumentation. The application packages, algorithms, and user interfaces developed are cast as Docker images in a library to facilitate reusability of the application models.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2020

Roadmap on multiscale materials modeling

Modeling and simulation is transforming modern materials science, becoming an important tool for the discovery of new materials and material phenomena, for gaining insight into the processes that govern materials behavior, and, increasingly, for quantitative predictions that can be used as part of a design tool in full partnership with experimental synthesis and characterization. Modeling and simulation is the essential bridge from good science to good engineering, spanning from fundamental understanding of materials behavior to deliberate design of new materials technologies leveraging new properties and processes. This Roadmap presents a broad overview of the extensive impact computational modeling has had in materials science in the past few decades, and offers focused perspectives on where the path forward lies as this rapidly expanding field evolves to meet the challenges of the next few decades. The Roadmap offers perspectives on advances within disciplines as diverse as phase field methods to model mesoscale behavior and molecular dynamics methods to deduce the fundamental atomic-scale dynamical processes governing materials response, to the challenges involved in the interdisciplinary research that tackles complex materials problems where the governing phenomena span different scales of materials behavior requiring multiscale approaches. The shift from understanding fundamental materials behavior to development of quantitative approaches to explain and predict experimental observations requires advances in the methods and practice in simulations for reproducibility and reliability, and interacting with a computational ecosystem that integrates new theory development, innovative applications, and an increasingly integrated software and computational infrastructure that takes advantage of the increasingly powerful computational methods and computing hardware.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2025

Performance Analysis and Simulaion of the Hydraulic Scram System in TREAT Reactor

The Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT) at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) serves a vital role in nuclear fuel safety research, enabling transient experiments that simulate reactivity excursions and accident scenarios. Central to these operations is the transient control rod drive system (TCRDS), which drives rapid motion of the transient control rods such that TREAT can simulate rapid power changes typical of reactor accidents. The reliability and performance of this system are critical for protecting both fuel specimens and reactor infrastructure. This study presents the initial phase of a two-year investigation into the dynamics and reliability of the TREAT hydraulic TCRDS. Conducted in collaboration with INL, the research employs a combined computational and experimental approach to analyze the system's response time, pressure transients, and potential failure modes. Emphasis is placed on understanding how fluid characteristics influence the TCRDS’s ability to achieve both rapid power changes and mechanical stability. The TRDS and the skid that powers it will be analyzed throughout this investigation. Computational modeling using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) will simulate the hydraulic response under varying conditions. In parallel, experimental testing planned at INL will validate these models and capture key performance metrics. This paper outlines the system design, analytical framework, and modeling strategies that form the foundation for later testing. Ultimately, this work aims to support improvements to the TCRDS’s design and reliability, contributing to the broader goal of enhancing nuclear fuel safety and sustaining TREAT’s mission as a premier nuclear fuel test facility.

21 - SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLAN↗

DOE OSTI2021

CUORE opens the door to tonne-scale cryogenics experiments

The past few decades have seen major developments in the design and operation of cryogenic particle detectors. This technology offers an extremely good energy resolution – comparable to semiconductor detectors – and a wide choice of target materials, making low temperature calorimetric detectors ideal for a variety of particle physics applications. Rare event searches have continued to require ever greater exposures, which has driven them to ever larger cryogenic detectors, with the CUORE experiment being the first to reach a tonne-scale, mK-cooled, experimental mass. CUORE, designed to search for neutrinoless double beta decay, has been operational since 2017 at a temperature of about 10 mK. This result has been attained by the use of an unprecedentedly large cryogenic infrastructure called the CUORE cryostat: conceived, designed and commissioned for this purpose. In this article the main characteristics and features of the cryogenic facility developed for the CUORE experiment are highlighted. In this work, a brief introduction of the evolution of the field and of the past cryogenic facilities are given. The motivation behind the design and development of the CUORE cryogenic facility is detailed as are the steps taken toward realization, commissioning, and operation of the CUORE cryostat. The major challenges overcome by the collaboration and the solutions implemented throughout the building of the cryogenic facility will be discussed along with the potential improvements for future facilities. The success of CUORE has opened the door to a new generation of large-scale cryogenic facilities in numerous fields of science. Broader implications of the incredible feat achieved by the CUORE collaboration on the future cryogenic facilities in various fields ranging from neutrino and dark matter experiments to quantum computing will be examined.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Long-Range Biometric Identification in Real World Scenarios: A Comprehensive Evaluation Framework Based on Missions

The considerable body of data available for evaluating biometric recognition systems in Research and Development (R&D) environments has contributed to the increasingly common problem of target performance mismatch. Biometric algorithms are frequently tested against data that may not reflect the real world applications they target. From a Testing and Evaluation (T&E) standpoint, this domain mismatch causes difficulty assessing when improvements in State-of-the-Art (SOTA) research actually translate to improved applied outcomes. This problem can be addressed with thoughtful preparation of data and experimental methods to reflect specific use-cases and scenarios.To that end, this paper evaluates research solutions for identifying individuals at ranges and altitudes, which could support various application areas such as counterterrorism, protection of critical infrastructure facilities, military force protection, and border security. We address challenges including image quality issues and reliance on face recognition as the sole biometric modality. By fusing face and body features, we propose developing robust biometric systems for effective long-range identification from both the ground and steep pitch angles. Preliminary results show promising progress in whole-body recognition. This paper presents these early findings and discusses potential future directions for advancing long-range biometric identification systems based on mission-driven metrics.

Aykac, Deniz↗

NASA NTRS2005

On Automating Failure Mode Analysis and Enforcing its Integrity

This paper reports our experience on the development of a design-for-safety (DFS) workbench called Risk Assessment and Management Environment (RAME) for microelectronic avionics systems. Our objective is to transform DFS practice from an ad-hoc, inefficient, error-prone approach to a stringent engineering process such that DFS can keep up with the rapidly growing complexity of avionics systems. In particular, RAME is built upon an information infrastructure that comprises a fault model, a knowledge base, and a failure reporting/tracking system. This infrastructure permits systematic learning from prior projects and enables the automation of failure modes, effects and criticality analysis (FMECA). Among other unique features, the most important advantage of RAME is its capability of directly accepting design source code in hardware description languages (HDLs) for automated failure mode analysis, which enables RAME to be compatible and to evolve with most electronic-computer-aided-design systems. Through an initial experimental evaluation of the RAME prototype, we show that our approach to FMECA automation improves failure mode analysis turn-around-time, completeness, and accuracy.

design for safety↗

DOE OSTI2020

Experimental Test Bed to Enable Realistic Evaluations for Direct Transfer Trip Relaying via Private Wireless LTE Communications: Preprint

Increasing penetration levels of inverter-based distributed energy resources (DERs) in distribution systems are creating challenges in system operation. Currently, wired or proprietary wireless communications are used by advanced distribution management systems (ADMS) to detect the state of the system and control the DERs for optimal operation. Wireless communications are an alternative solution that can enable connectivity between the dispersed assets used in distribution system applications. This paper demonstrates an experimental test bed to enable the realistic evaluation of communications system characteristics for direct transfer trip (DTT) relaying of a photovoltaic inverter system using a private 900-MHz spectrum wireless LTE network. Private LTE network communications can be deployed to many remote DERs and other grid-edge devices to prevent costly infrastructure upgrades across distribution systems. In addition, this paper provides a framework for evaluating the impact of signal strength and network traffic in communications systems. The results shown develop a better understanding of the best practices for using LTE communications systems across multiple utility applications, such as protective relaying, voltage regulation, and supervisory control and data acquisition system messages.

900 MHz LTE network↗

DOE OSTI2023

Integration of Experimental Hydroprocessing and FCC Data with Process (Aspen Plus) and Refinery Optimization (Aspen PIMS) Models

NREL's Economic, Sustainability, and Market Analysis (ESMA) team develops process models in Aspen Plus to support techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life-cycle assessment (LCA) of conversion pathways from renewable and circular resources to fuels and chemicals. These tools are being applied to assess probable operational constraints or bottlenecks associated with refinery co-processing and repurposing opportunities. The team also utilizes optimizable refinery models to quantify opportunities for biofuel and bioproduct pathways through integration with existing refining infrastructure. The goals of analysis are to model the transition of refineries to renewable and circular feedstocks and quantify the costs production and CO2 abatement through utilization of existing refineries. At the core of the ESMA team's work is the process data derived from conversion experiments on hydroprocessing and fluid catalytic cracking performed at NREL. The objective of this presentation is to highlight new analysis approaches and capabilities in pathway analysis and refinery optimization modeling with specific emphasis on integration of experimental data.

BIOMASS FUELS,ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2021

Experimental Test Bed to Enable Realistic Evaluations for Direct Transfer Trip Relaying via Private Wireless LTE Communications

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

NASA NTRS2008

IPv6 and IPsec Tests of a Space-Based Asset, the Cisco Router in Low Earth Orbit (CLEO)

This report documents the design of network infrastructure to support testing and demonstrating network-centric operations and command and control of space-based assets, using IPv6 and IPsec. These tests were performed using the Cisco router in Low Earth Orbit (CLEO), an experimental payload onboard the United Kingdom – Disaster Monitoring Constellation (UKDMC) satellite built and operated by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL). On Thursday, 29 March 2007, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cisco Systems and SSTL performed the first configuration and demonstration of IPsec and IPv6 onboard a satellite in low Earth orbit. IPv6 is the next generation of the Internet Protocol (IP), designed to improve on the popular IPv4 that built the Internet, while IPsec is the protocol used to secure communication across IP networks. This demonstration was made possible in part by NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) and shows that new commercial technologies such as mobile networking, IPv6 and IPsec can be used for commercial, military and government space applications. This has direct application to NASA’s Vision for Space Exploration. The success of CLEO has paved the way for new space-based Internet technologies, such as the planned Internet Routing In Space (IRIS) payload at geostationary orbit, which will be a U.S. Department of Defense Joint Capability Technology Demonstration. This is a sanitized report for public distribution. All real addressing has been change to psueco addressing.

Communication↗

NASA NTRS2003

To Support Research Activities Under the NASA Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research

The Alabama NASA EPSCoR Program is a collaborative venture of The Alabama Space Grant Consortium, The Alabama EPSCoR, and faculty and staff at 10 Alabama colleges and universities as well as the Alabama School of Math and Science in Mobile. There are two Research Clusters which include infrastructure-building and outreach elements embedded in their research activities. Each of the two Research Clusters is in an area of clear and demonstrable relevance to NASA's mission, to components of other Alabama EPSCoR projects, and to the State of Alabama's economic development. This Final Report summarizes and reports upon those additional activities occurring after the first report was submitted in March 2000 (included here as Appendix C). Since the nature of the activities and the manner in which they relate to one another differ by cluster, these clusters function independently and are summarized in parallel in this report. They do share a common administration by the Alabama Space Grant Consortium (ASGC) and by this means, good ideas from each group were communicated to the other, as appropriate. During the past year these research teams, involving 15 scientists, 16 graduate students, 16 undergraduates, and 7 high school students involving 10 Alabama universities had 14 peer reviewed scientific journal articles published, 21 others reviewed for publication or published in proceedings, gave 7 formal presentations and numerous informal presentations to well over 3000 people, received 3 patents and were awarded 14 research proposals for more than $213K dollars in additional research related to these investigations. Each cluster's activities are described and an Appendix summarizes these achievements.

Gregory, John C.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Effects of hurricane disturbance and increased temperature on carbon cycling and storage of a Puerto Rican forest: a mechanistic investigation of above- and belowground processes (Final Technical Report)

The overall goal of the Tropical Responses for Altered Climate Experiment (TRACE) is to assess the effects of increasing temperature on tropical plant and soil carbon fluxes and storage as the forest recovers from major hurricane disturbance that occurred in September 2017. Ultimately, we aimed to reduce uncertainty and increase confidence with which tropical forests are represented in Earth System models to make more accurate global forecasts of future climate. We focused on both above- and belowground processes and explored temperature controls over critical aspects of carbon and nutrient cycling for tropical plants, soil, and microbes. TRACE is located in a wet tropical forest in the Luquillo Experimental Forest close to the USDA Forest Service Sabana Field Research Station in Luquillo, Puerto Rico. The warming treatment consists of six 4.7 m diameter plots. Three of the plots receive infrared warming and three have the same infrastructure but are not warmed (using ‘dummy’ heaters). Each plot was monitored from 2018-2023 to investigate two major questions: 1) Are there legacy effects of prior warming on forest recovery following hurricane disturbance? 2) Will the trajectory of forest recovery following disturbance be affected by warmer temperatures? Concurrent soil incubation experiments were conducted to enable more controlled mechanistic investigations of temperature response on microbial function. In sum, our goal was to use this novel climate manipulation experiment (the only of its kind in any tropical forest) and once-in-a-lifetime chance to assess how temperature and hurricane disturbance interact to affect coupled biogeochemical cycling in a tropical forest.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS1988

Regenerative life support system research

Sections on modeling, experimental activities during the grant period, and topics under consideration for the future are contained. The sessions contain discussions of: four concurrent modeling approaches that were being integrated near the end of the period (knowledge-based modeling support infrastructure and data base management, object-oriented steady state simulations for three concepts, steady state mass-balance engineering tradeoff studies, and object-oriented time-step, quasidynamic simulations of generic concepts); interdisciplinary research activities, beginning with a discussion of RECON lab development and use, and followed with discussions of waste processing research, algae studies and subsystem modeling, low pressure growth testing of plants, subsystem modeling of plants, control of plant growth using lighting and CO2 supply as variables, search for and development of lunar soil simulants, preliminary design parameters for a lunar base life support system, and research considerations for food processing in space; and appendix materials, including a discussion of the CELSS Conference, detailed analytical equations for mass-balance modeling, plant modeling equations, and parametric data on existing life support systems for use in modeling.

Source record↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA Langley Aerothermodynamics Laboratory: Hypersonic Testing Capabilities

A description of the NASA Langley Research Center’s Langley Aerothermodynamics Laboratory (LAL) will be presented in the paper, along with descriptions and details of the facility test techniques and recent upgrades. The LAL consists of three hypersonic blow-down wind tunnels covering Mach numbers of 6 and 10 and unit Reynolds number ranges of 0.5 to 8.3 million per foot as well as a 60-ft Vacuum Sphere Test Chamber. LAL facilities are used to study and define the aerodynamic performance and aeroheating characteristics of flight vehicle concepts. Data collected in the facilities have been used for design and optimization, anchoring computational predictions, generation of aerodynamic databases and design of Thermal Protection Systems. Over the years modifications and enhancements have been made to the facility hardware and instrumentation to increase efficiency, data quality, capabilities and reliability to better meet the programmatic requirements. Recent utilization information illustrates the need for the capabilities associated with these facilities. Recent test programs include the Space Shuttle Program, Crew Exploration Vehicle/Orion/Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, Hypersonic International Flight Research Experimentation (HIFiRE), Mars Science Laboratory, Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator System (HIADS) and X-51 among others and usage has been split between NASA, Commercial Crew, Department of Defense and private company programs. Plans for future improvements to the facility infrastructure and instrumentation will also be presented.

Karen Berger↗

DOE OSTI2022

Gamification of Cybersecurity for Workforce Development in Critical Infrastructure

Not Available

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2026

A roadmap toward scaling, reasoning and self-evolving foundation models for nuclear and particle physics

Foundation models have revolutionized artificial intelligence, with Large Language Models demonstrating unprecedented capabilities in multimodal understanding, reasoning and tool use. Nuclear and particle physics stands at a critical juncture where similar transformative potential awaits realization. The field generates exabytes of experimental data, exascale simulations, and decades of theoretical insights — yet these remain largely disconnected from modern Artifical Intelligence (AI) capabilities, with most physics AI applications confined to narrow, task-specific models that suffer from domain shifting when applied to real experimental data. We present a roadmap for FM4NPP (Foundation Model for Nuclear and Particle Physics), systematically scaling from current proof-of-concept models to trillion-parameter architectures capable of autonomous discovery. Our approach advances three critical frontiers: unified data infrastructure integrating detector data, scientific knowledge and computational tools across global facilities; multi-facility foundation models enabling cross-experiment knowledge transfer and accelerated discovery; and agentic AI capabilities for reasoning and autonomous tool use. The resulting self-evolving FM4NPP will transform physics research by converting time-intensive data analysis, theory derivation and computational bottlenecks into rapid AI–human collaborative discovery. This paradigm shift promises to fundamentally accelerate scientific progress in nuclear and particle physics, enabling researchers to focus on high-level insights while AI handles routine analysis and explores vast parameter spaces beyond human capacity.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop (METL) Operations, Maintenance, and Testing - FY2025

This report documents the operations, maintenance, and improvements that were performed at the Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop (METL) and its supporting infrastructure during FY2024. The METL facility had a very successful seventh year of operations while supporting the testing of multiple test article experiments in the facility. The METL facility continued supporting the Gear Test Assembly (GTA) testing and the Thermal Hydraulic Experimental Test Article (THETA) with the full testing with both the primary and secondary systems. Work to accommodate two additional experiments, a flow sensor test article (F-STAr) gripper test and a fuel handling gripper test article (GrTA) continued as they are expected to undergo testing in METL in FY2025. In addition, a new 18” test article, the Sample Testing Basket (STB) was used a few times to provide screening tests for sodium service materials. A fifth test vessel was installed in the location of Test Vessel 6, and a wet vapor nitrogen sodium processing system was developed and initially tested.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗