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At least 235 records · Page 13

Assessing Cybersecurity Resilience of Distributed Ledger Technology in Energy Sector Using the MITRE ATT&CK® ICS Framework

Digitization in the power industry enables wide connectivity among multiple new entrants such as DERs, prosumers, and P2P counterparts within or outside the Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT). The use of DLT to improve resilience in the power grid has growing support, but new technology provides new opportunities for adversaries to cause harm. This work completed by the Cybersecurity- focused task force of IEEE SA P2418.5 evaluates the potential risks by applying the MITRE ATT&CK® ICS matrix to the DLT Engineering and Cybersecurity Stack designed for power systems applications

Gourisetti, Sri Nikhil Gupta↗

Simple and Robust Carrier-Based PWM Technique for Single-Stage Three-phase Rectifier Indirect Matrix Converter

Indirect matrix converters (IMC) can offer high efficiency, high power density, and bidirectional power flow capability with a single-stage three-to single-phase AC-AC power conversion integrating a conventional three-phase active rectifier with a primary side full-bridge inverter of a dual active bridge converter. However, the IMCs generally require space vector modulation techniques, leading to complex sectors and dwell times calculations. A practical implementation of the modulation methods with a commonly used digital signal processor becomes even more challenging when considering power factor correction, harmonics reduction, and deadtime between sector transitions. This paper proposes a simple and robust carrier-based pulse width modulation (PWM) technique determined through a voltage-source inverter (VSI) to current-source inverter (CSI) to IMC conversion. This translation enables the adoption of all conventional VSI control methods with active and reactive power control in the IMCs through simple carrier and reference waveform comparison. The VSI vectors are first one-on-one matched with CSI vectors and translated to IMC modulation signals without calculating sectors and dwell times. Nine different carrier waveforms are proposed, and the converter performance is analyzed. Grid current THD and efficiency are estimated for each modulation method. The symmetric A and B methods had the lowest THD of the grid current, 2.80%, and the efficiency remained at approximately 98.3%, making it the most suitable carrier-based method proposed in this paper. The space vector PWM (SVPWM) modulation method was implemented to the DSP and generated the expected twelve gate signals.

Benson, Mikayla↗

Numerical computation of exponential matrices using the Cayley-Hamilton theorem

A method for computing exponential matrices, which often arise naturally in the solution of systems of linear differential equations, is developed. An exponential matrix is generated as a linear combination of a finite number (equal to the matrix order) of matrices, the coefficients of which are scalar infinite sums. The method can be generalized to apply to any formal power series of matrices. Attention is focused upon the exponential function, and the matrix exponent is assumed tri-diagonal in form. In such cases, the terms in the coefficient infinite sums can be extracted, as recursion relations, from the characteristic polynomial of the matrix exponent. Two numerical examples are presented in some detail: (1) the three dimensional infinitesimal rotation rate matrix, which is skew symmetric, and (2) an N-dimensional tri-diagonal and symmetric finite difference matrix which arises in the numerical solution of the heat conduction partial differential equation. In the second example, the known eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the finite difference matrix permit an analytical solution for the exponential matrix, through the theory of diagonalization and similarity transformations, which is used for independent verification. The convergence properties of the scalar infinite summations are investigated for finite difference matrices of various orders up to ten, and it is found that the number of terms required for convergence increases slowly with the order of the matrix.

Walden, H.↗

Thermodynamic Cycle Analysis of Superadiabatic Matrix-Stabilized Combustion for Gas Turbine Engines

In aircraft propulsion as well as stationary power generation, gas turbine engines remain a key energy conversion technology due to their high thermal efficiencies and low emissions. However, as emission requirements become increasingly stringent, engine manufacturers have sought to design combustion systems that operate near the fuel-lean limit of flammability. In this study, superadiabatic matrix-stabilized combustion, also known as porous media combustion, is evaluated as an advanced combustion concept for extending the lean flammability limit to achieve improved efficiency and emissions. To this end, a Brayton cycle analysis is developed and key parameters of the porous matrix are identified for maximizing the extension of the lean flammability limit. It is shown that stabilization of combustion below the nominal lean flammability limit allows for the design of engines with significantly higher pressure ratios and lower dilution ratios without increasing turbine inlet temperatures, thus improving cycle thermal efficiency. Combustor flammability limits were shown to be extendable by up to 32% when employing matrix-stabilized combustion, resulting in thermal efficiency gains of up to 11% compared to a nominal design.

Superadiabatic combustion↗

Subhourly Clipping Correction Model Comparison

This work will compare the Allen method and Walker method of accounting for subhourly inverter clipping power losses in hourly PV performance models. The Allen method uses a matrix lookup based on DNI clearness and clipping potential to assign a clipping correction loss at each simulation timestep. The Walker method models the PV DC power input to the inverter as a distribution over the hourly timestep and uses integration over the timestep to determine the amount of clipping that occurs within the timestep. Both these models have been recently implemented in the System Advisor Model's (SAM) open-source code, and will be applied to hourly SURFRAD datasets to analyze the subhourly clipping loss predicted by each model for different system designs and inverter loading conditions. Both models will be compared to "true" 1-minute SURFRAD data simulations to see their accuracy against more accurate 1-minute clipping correction loss predictions. This model comparisons will be investigated in more detail at the PVSC conference in Seattle, Washington June 2024.

ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY,MATHEMATICS A↗

Defect-engineered monolayer MoS 2 with enhanced memristive and synaptic functionality for neuromorphic computing

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs)-based memristors are promising candidates for realizing artificial synapses in next-generation computing. However, practical implementation faces several challenges, such as high non-linearity and asymmetry in synaptic weight updates, limited dynamic range, and cycle-to-cycle variability. Here, utilizing optimal-power argon plasma treatment, we significantly enhance the performance matrix of memristors fabricated from monolayer MoS 2 . Our approach not only improves linearity and symmetry in synaptic weight updates but also increases the number of available synaptic weight updates and enhances Spike-Time Dependent Plasticity. Notably, it broadens the switching ratio by two orders, minimizes cycle-to-cycle variability, reduces non-linear factors, and achieves an energy consumption of ~30 fJ per synaptic event. Implementation of these enhancements is demonstrated through Artificial Neural Network simulations, yielding a learning accuracy of ~97% on the MNIST hand-written digits dataset. Our findings underscore the significance of defect engineering as a powerful tool in advancing the synaptic functionality of memristors.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Modeling creep behavior in ceramic matrix composites

Here, in this work, a three-dimensional viscoplasticity formulation with progressive damage is developed and used to investigate the complex time-dependent constituent load transfer and progressive damage behavior in ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) subjected to creep. The viscoplasticity formulation is based on Hill's orthotropic plastic potential, an associative flow rule, and the Norton-Bailey creep power law with Arrhenius temperature dependence. A fracture mechanics-informed isotropic matrix damage model is used to account for CMC brittle matrix damage initiation and propagation, in which two scalar damage variables capture the effects of matrix porosity as well as matrix property degradation due to matrix crack initiation and propagation. The Curtin progressive fiber damage model is utilized to simulate progressive fiber failure. The creep-damage formulation is subsequently implemented as a constitutive model in the generalized method of cells (GMC) micromechanics formulation to simulate time-dependent deformation and material damage under creep loading conditions. The developed framework is used to simulate creep of single fiber SiC/SiC microcomposites. Simulation results are in excellent agreement with experimental and numerical data available in the literature.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Advanced materials for space nuclear power systems

The overall philosophy of the research was to develop and characterize new high temperature power conversion and radiator materials and to provide spacecraft designers with material selection options and design information. Research on three candidate materials (carbide strengthened niobium alloy PWC-11 for fuel cladding, graphite fiber reinforced copper matrix composites for heat rejection fins, and tungsten fiber reinforced niobium matrix composites for fuel containment and structural supports considered for space power system applications is discussed. Each of these types of materials offers unique advantages for space power applications.

Titran, Robert H.↗

Advanced materials for space nuclear power systems

The overall philosophy of the research was to develop and characterize new high temperature power conversion and radiator materials and to provide spacecraft designers with material selection options and design information. Research on three candidate materials (carbide strengthened niobium alloy PWC-11 for fuel cladding, graphite fiber reinforced copper matrix composites for heat rejection fins, and tungsten fiber reinforced niobium matrix composites for fuel containment and structural supports) considered for space power system applications is discussed. Each of these types of materials offers unique advantages for space power applications.

Titran, Robert H.↗

Anomaly Detection for Online Monitoring of Thermocouple Sensors in the Advanced Test Reactor

This study explores data-driven anomaly detection methods to analyze sensor fail- ures in the Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) nuclear fuel irradiation experiments. Specifically, we examine failures of thermocouples (TCs), which are critical for mon- itoring and controlling in-reactor temperatures during operation. Failures were pri- marily observed during abrupt power transitions and manifested as sensor drop-outs, drifts, or unexplained behavior. We applied three time-series analysis techniques— rolling mean smoothing, matrix profile, and vector auto-regression (VAR)—to de- tect anomalies in TC data prior to failure events. The rolling mean method effec- tively highlighted deviations aligned with reported failures, while the matrix profile provided partial early warning but sometimes flagged normal fluctuations during power-down periods. VAR shows potential in capturing multivariate dependencies but requires further calibration. A rare case of TC drift was also documented, which did not result in failure, underscoring the challenge of building predictive models with sparse positive examples. Our findings demonstrate that traditional statistical tools can aid anomaly detection but have limited predictive power without richer training data. We propose future directions including synthetic data generation, real- time surrogate modeling, and multi-modal feature integration. This work provides a foundation for applying robust anomaly detection frameworks to mission-critical sensor systems in experimental settings.

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

A Measurement of the Largest-scale CMB E -mode Polarization with CLASS

We present measurements of large-scale cosmic microwave background E-mode polarization from the Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor 90 GHz data. Using 115 det-yr of observations collected through 2024 with a variable-delay polarization modulator, we achieved a polarization sensitivity of 82 μK arcimin, comparable to Planck at similar frequencies (100 and 143 GHz ). The analysis demonstrates effective mitigation of systematic errors and addresses challenges to large-angular-scale power recovery posed by time-domain filtering in maximum-likelihood map-making. A novel implementation of the pixel-space transfer matrix is introduced, which enables efficient filtering simulations and bias correction in the power spectrum using the quadratic cross-spectrum estimator. Overall, we achieved an unbiased time-domain filtering correction to recover the largest angular scale polarization, with the only power deficit, arising from map-making nonlinearity, being characterized as <3%. Through cross-correlation with Planck, we detected the cosmic reionization at 99.4% significance and measured the reionization optical depth τ = $0.053^{+0.018}_{-0.019}$, marking the first ground-based attempt at such a measurement. At intermediate angular scales (ℓ > 30), our results, both independently and in cross-correlation with Planck, remain fully consistent with Planck’s measurements.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Polymer matrix composites research at NASA Lewis Research Center

The in situ polymerization of monomer reactants (PMR) approach was demonstrated to be a powerful approach for solving many of the processing difficulties associated with the use of high temperature resistant polymers as matrix resins in high performance composites. The PMR-15 polyimide provides the best overall balance of processing characteristics and elevated temperature properties. The excellent properties and commercial availability of composite materials based on PMR-15 led to their acceptance as viable engineering materials. The PMR-15 composites are used to produce a variety of high quality structural components.

T. T. Serafini↗

A Flexible Power Method for Solving Infinite Dimensional Tensor Eigenvalue Problems

We propose a flexible power method for computing the leftmost, i.e., algebraically smallest, eigenvalue of an infinite dimensional tensor eigenvalue problem, $H x = \lambda x$, where the infinite dimensional symmetric matrix $H$ exhibits a translational invariant structure. We assume the smallest eigenvalue of $H$ is simple and apply a power iteration of $e^{-H}$ with the eigenvector represented in a compact way as a translational invariant infinite Tensor Ring (iTR). Hence, the infinite dimensional eigenvector can be represented by a finite number of iTR cores of finite rank. In order to implement this power iteration, we use a small parameter $t$ so that the infinite matrix-vector operation $e^{-Ht}x$ can efficiently be approximated by the Lie product formula, also known as Suzuki--Trotter splitting, and we employ a low rank approximation through a truncated singular value decomposition on the iTR cores in order to keep the cost of subsequent power iterations bounded. We also use an efficient way for computing the iTR Rayleigh quotient and introduce a finite size iTR residual which is used to monitor the convergence of the Rayleigh quotient and to modify the timestep $t$. In this paper, we discuss 2 different implementations of the flexible power algorithm and illustrate the automatic timestep adaption approach for several numerical examples.

Beeumen, Roel Van↗

High Power MPD Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP) for Artificial Gravity HOPE Missions to Callisto

This documents the results of a one-year multi-center NASA study on the prospect of sending humans to Jupiter's moon, Callisto, using an all Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP) space transportation system architecture with magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thrusters. The fission reactor system utilizes high temperature uranium dioxide (UO2) in tungsten (W) metal matrix cermet fuel and electricity is generated using advanced dynamic Brayton power conversion technology. The mission timeframe assumes on-going human Moon and Mars missions and existing space infrastructure to support launch of cargo and crewed spacecraft to Jupiter in 2041 and 2045, respectively.

McGuire, Melissa L.↗

Characterization of Precipitation-Induced Radon Progeny Deposition Events Using a City-Scale Sensor Network

Networks of radiation detectors provide a platform for real-time radioactive source detection and identification in urban environments. Detection algorithms in these systems must adapt to naturally-occurring changes in background, which requires well-characterized relationships between precipitation events and their corresponding radiological signature. Here, we present a quantitative and qualitative description of rain-induced radon progeny deposition events occurring in Chicago from September 2023 to February 2024. We measure ambient gamma radiation levels, precipitation rate, temperature, pressure, and relative humidity in a network of sensor nodes. For each identified precipitation period, we decompose spectra into static- and radon-associated components as defined by a non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) algorithm. We find a consistent power-law relationship between a precipitation-dependent peak of the radon progeny proxy (RPP) and the peak strength of the radon-associated NMF component for most precipitation events. We conduct a case study of a rainfall period with abnormally high levels of implied radon progeny concentration and describe its temporal and spatial evolution. We hypothesize that this phenomenon is due to the air mass path that intersects a uranium-rich region of Wyoming. Finally, we cluster precipitation events into three distinct categories. One category roughly corresponds to events with deep low-pressure systems and high relative radon concentration, while another is characteristic of light stratiform rain with slightly higher temperatures and intermediate relative radon concentration. The third category appears to contain weak-gradient or lake breeze convection showers with intermittent precipitation and low relative radon concentration. These findings suggest that radiological anomaly detection could be improved by training unique background models corresponding to each category of meteorological event.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Adaptive identification and control for manipulators without using joint accelerations

The authors present a new scheme for the adaptive control of mechanical manipulators along with proof of convergence. Difficulties encountered in the input-error type adaptive controller are remedied by combining an explicit identifier with discrete time updates of the parameter values along with a computed torque type control law. The new scheme requires no matrix inversion with its consequent drain on the computational power of the controller. A discussion is presented of the dynamic model of a manipulator, a computed torque adaptive scheme, an input error identifier, and a hybrid identifier.

Hsu, Ping↗

Creep behavior of tungsten fiber reinforced niobium metal matrix composites

Tungsten fiber reinforced niobium metal matrix composites were evaluated for use in space nuclear power conversion systems. The composite panels were fabricated using the arc-spray monotape technique at the NASA Lewis Research Center. The creep behavior of W/Nb composite material was determined at 1400 and 1500 K in vacuum over a wide range of applied loads. The time to reach 1 percent strain, the time to rupture, and the minimum creep rate were measured. The W/Nb composites exceeded the properties of monolithic niobium alloys significantly even when compared on a strength to density basis. The effect of fiber orientation on the creep strength also was evaluated. Kirkendall void formation was observed at the fiber/matrix interface; the void distribution differed depending on the fiber orientation relative to the stress axis. A relationship was found between the fiber orientation and the creep strength.

Grobstein, T. L.↗