Performance Analysis and Optimization of the RAMPAGE Metal Alloy Potential Generation Software
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Roth, Philip↗
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Results for “Performance optimization”
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A comparison of GaAs and Si hybrid solar power systems
Five different hybrid solar power systems using silicon solar cells to produce thermal and electric power are modeled and compared with a hybrid system using a GaAs cell. Among the indices determined are capital cost per unit electric power plus mechanical power, annual cost per unit electric energy, and annual cost per unit electric plus mechanical work. Current costs are taken to be $35,000/sq m for GaAs cells with an efficiency of 15% and $1000/sq m for Si cells with an efficiency of 10%. It is shown that hybrid systems can be competitive with existing methods of practical energy conversion. Limiting values for annual costs of Si and GaAs cells are calculated to be 10.3 cents/kWh and 6.8 cents/kWh, respectively. Results for both systems indicate that for a given flow rate there is an optimal operating condition for minimum cost photovoltaic output. For Si cell costs of $50/sq m optimal performance can be achieved at concentrations of about 10; for GaAs cells costing 1000/sq m, optimal performance can be obtained at concentrations of around 100. High concentration hybrid systems offer a distinct cost advantage over flat systems.
Heinbockel, J. H.↗
Optimization and performance of Space Station Freedom solar cells
High efficiency, large area and low cost solar cells are the drivers for Space Station solar array designs. The manufacturing throughput, process complexity, yield of the cells, and array manufacturing technique determine the economics of the solar array design. The cell efficiency optimization of large area (8 x 8 m), dielectric wrapthrough contact solar cells are described. The results of the optimization are reported and the solar cell performance of limited production runs is reported.
Khemthong, S.↗
A computational technique for the design of a specific optimal controller.
Parametric input/output relation of approximate controller with optimized performance index, obtaining specific optimal control designed in regard to worst initial state
OPTIMAL CONTROL↗
Human Engineering Operations and Habitability Assessment: A Process for Advanced Life Support Ground Facility Testbeds
Design and Human Engineering (HE) processes strive to ensure that the human-machine interface is designed for optimal performance throughout the system life cycle. Each component can be tested and assessed independently to assure optimal performance, but it is not until full integration that the system and the inherent interactions between the system components can be assessed as a whole. HE processes (which are defining/app lying requirements for human interaction with missions/systems) are included in space flight activities, but also need to be included in ground activities and specifically, ground facility testbeds such as Bio-Plex. A unique aspect of the Bio-Plex Facility is the integral issue of Habitability which includes qualities of the environment that allow humans to work and live. HE is a process by which Habitability and system performance can be assessed.
Connolly, Janis H.↗
Robust stabilization, robust performance, and disturbance attenuation for uncertain linear systems
This paper presents a linear quadratic regulator approach to the robust stabilization, robust performance, and disturbance attenuation of uncertain linear systems. The state-feedback designed systems provide both the robust stability with optimal performance and the disturbance attenuation with H-infinity-norm bounds. The proposed approach can be applied to matched and/or mismatched uncertain linear systems. For a matched uncertain linear system, it is shown that the disturbance attenuation robust-stabilizing controllers with or without optimal performance always exist and can be easily determined without searching; whereas, for a mismatched uncertain linear system, the introduced tuning parameters greatly enhance the flexibility of finding the disturbance-attenuation robust-stabilizing controllers.
Wang, Yeih J.↗
Design and performance of optimal detectors for guided wave structural health monitoring
Ultrasonic guided wave measurements in a long term structural health monitoring system are affected by measurement noise, environmental conditions, transducer aging and malfunction. This results in measurement variability which affects detection performance, especially in complex structures where baseline data comparison is required. This paper derives the optimal detector structure, within the framework of detection theory, where a guided wave signal at the sensor is represented by a single feature value that can be used for comparison with a threshold. Three different types of detectors are derived depending on the underlying structure’s complexity: (i) Simple structures where defect reflections can be identified without the need for baseline data; (ii) Simple structures that require baseline data due to overlap of defect scatter with scatter from structural features; (iii) Complex structure with dense structural features that require baseline data. The detectors are derived by modeling the effects of variabilities and uncertainties as random processes. Analytical solutions for the performance of detectors in terms of the probability of detection and false alarm are derived. A finite element model is used to generate guided wave signals and the performance results of a Monte-Carlo simulation are compared with the theoretical performance. initial results demonstrate that the problems of signal complexity and environmental variability can in fact be exploited to improve detection performance.
60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
Optimization of Dish Solar Collectors with and without Secondary Concentrators
Methods for optimizing parabolic dish solar collectors and the consequent effects of various optical, thermal, mechanical, and cost variables are examined. The most important performance optimization is adjusting the receiver aperture to maximize collector efficiency. Other parameters that can be adjusted to optimize efficiency include focal length, and, if a heat engine is used, the receiver temperature. The efficiency maxima associated with focal length and receiver temperature are relatively broad; it may, accordingly, be desirable to design somewhat away from the maxima. Performance optimization is sensitive to the slope and specularity errors of the concentrator. Other optical and thermal variables affecting optimization are the reflectance and blocking factor of the concentrator, the absorptance and losses of the receiver, and, if a heat engine is used, the shape of the engine efficiency versus temperature curve. Performance may sometimes be improved by use of an additional optical element (a secondary concentrator) or a receiver window if the errors of the primary concentrator are large or the receiver temperature is high.
Jaffe, L. D.↗
Optimization of dish solar collectors
Methods for optimizing parabolic dish solar collectors and the consequent effects of various optical, thermal, mechanical, and cost variables are examined. The most important performance optimization is adjusting the receiver aperture to maximize collector efficiency. Other parameters that can be adjusted to optimize efficiency include focal length, and, if a heat engine is used, the receiver temperature. The efficiency maxima associated with focal length and receiver temperature are relatively broad; it may, accordingly, be desirable to design somewhat away from the maxima. Performance optimization is sensitive to the slope and specularity errors of the concentrator. Other optical and thermal variables affecting optimization are the reflectance and blocking factor of the concentrator, the absorptance and losses of the receiver, and, if a heat engine is used, the shape of the engine efficiency versus temperature curve. Performance may sometimes be improved by use of an additional optical element (a secondary concentrator) or a receiver window if the errors of the primary concentrator are large or the receiver temperature is high. Previously announced in STAR as N83-19224
Jaffe, L. D.↗
BISON fuel performance modeling optimization for experiment X447 and X447A using axial swelling and cladding strain measurements
With the recent need to qualify new reactor designs such as the Versatile Test Reactor (VTR), fuel performance calculations need to be performed to determine safety criteria of the proposed designs. In order to validate the fuel performance results obtained by a fuel performance code, BISON, for new reactor designs, legacy fuel from EBR-II and FFTF MFF with Post -Irradiation Examination (PIE) data need to be used as validation cases to benchmark models. Here in this work, BISON has been paired with the Fuels Irradiation & Physics Database (FIPD) and IFR Materials Information System (IMIS) to supply PIE data for comparison with simulations of EBR-II experiments X447/X447A. X447/X447A were assessed by implementing models for Fuel Cladding Chemical Interaction (FCCI) within BISON and optimizing the friction coefficient between the fuel surface and the cladding, the anisotropic swelling factor, and the HT9 first thermal creep scalar (which scales the first term in the HT9 creep equation) to best match the PIE axial fuel swelling height and cladding profilometry for all pins in X447/X447A. The optimal values were found using a generic algorithm developed to select different values for the three parameters until end criteria was met and error couldn’t be reduced further. The BISON-simulated cladding profilometry was evaluated using Standard Error of the Estimate (SEE) to account for the profile shape of the cladding profilometry. Optimal values for the friction coefficient, anisotropic fuel swelling factor, and HT9 first thermal creep scalar were found to best fit the BISON simulation results to the PIE measurements found in IMIS and FIPD. Improvements to current models are suggested to account for the underprediction of fuel swelling at low burnups and the overprediction of fuel swelling at higher burnups observed for the axial fuel swelling height. Although two pins in EBR-II X447/X447A (DP70 and DP75) were known to fail due to FCCI, none of the pins simulated in BISON reached a cumulative damage fraction (CDF) above 0.008 with FCCI correlations coupled in the BISON simulations. The error estimate generated for all pins in X447/X447A using optimal values was 209 µm, which is deemed acceptable.
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
The Influence of Current Density and Magnetic Field Topography in Optimizing the Performance, Divergence, and Plasma Oscillations of High Specific Impulse Hall Thrusters
Recent studies of xenon Hall thrusters have shown peak efficiencies at specific impulses of less than 3000 s. This was a consequence of modern Hall thruster magnetic field topographies, which have been optimized for 300 V discharges. On-going research at the NASA Glenn Research Center is investigating this behavior and methods to enhance thruster performance. To conduct these studies, a laboratory model Hall thruster that uses a pair of trim coils to tailor the magnetic field topography for high specific impulse operation has been developed. The thruster-the NASA-173Mv2 was tested to determine how current density and magnetic field topography affect performance, divergence, and plasma oscillations at voltages up to 1000 V. Test results showed there was a minimum current density and optimum magnetic field topography at which efficiency monotonically increased with voltage. At 1000 V, 10 milligrams per second the total specific impulse was 3390 s and the total efficiency was 60.8%. Plume divergence decreased at 400-1000 V, but increased at 300-400 V as the result of plasma oscillations. The dominant oscillation frequency steadily increased with voltage, from 14.5 kHz at 300 V, to 22 kHz at 1000 V. An additional oscillatory mode in the 80-90 kHz frequency range began to appear above 500 V. The use of trim coils to modify the magnetic field improved performance while decreasing plume divergence and the frequency and magnitude of plasma oscillations.
Hofer, Richard R.↗
Learning concave-convex profiles of data transport over dedicated connections
Dedicated data transport infrastructures are increasingly being deployed to support distributed big-data and high-performance computing scenarios. These infrastructures employ data transfer nodes that use sophisticated software stacks to support network transport among sites, which often house distributed file and storage systems. Throughput measurements collected over such infrastructures for a range of round trip times (RTTs) reflect the underlying complex end-to-end connections, and have revealed dichotomous throughput profiles as functions of RTT. In particular, concave regions of throughput profiles at lower RTTs indicate near-optimal performance, and convex regions at higher RTTs indicate bottlenecks due to factors such as buffer or credit limits. We present a machine learning method that explicitly infers these concave and convex regions and transitions between them using sigmoid functions. We also provide distribution-free confidence estimates for the generalization error of these concave-convex profile estimates. Throughput profiles for data transfers over 10 Gbps connections with 0–366 ms RTT provide important performance insights, including the near optimality of transfers performed with the XDD tool between XFS filesystems, and the performance limits of wide-area Lustre extensions using LNet routers. A direct application of generic machine learning packages does not adequately highlight these critical performance regions or provide as precise confidence estimates.
Rao, Nageswara↗
The influence of non-idealities on the thermoelectric power factor of nanostructured superlattices
Cross-plane superlattices composed of nanoscale layers of alternating potential wells and barriers have attracted great attention for their potential to provide thermoelectric power factor improvements and higher ZT figure of merit. Previous theoretical works have shown that the presence of optimized potential barriers could provide improvements to the Seebeck coefficient through carrier energy filtering, which improves the power factor by up to 40%. However, experimental corroboration of this prediction has been extremely scant. In this work, we employ quantum mechanical electronic transport simulations to outline the detrimental effects of random variation, imperfections, and non-optimal barrier shapes in a superlattice geometry on these predicted power factor improvements. Thus, we aim to assess either the robustness or the fragility of these theoretical gains in the face of the types of variation one would find in real material systems. We show that these power factor improvements are relatively robust against: overly thick barriers, diffusion of barriers into the body of the wells, and random fluctuations in barrier spacing and width. However, notably, we discover that extremely thin barriers and random fluctuation in barrier heights by as little as 10% is sufficient to entirely destroy any power factor benefits of the optimized geometry. Our results could provide performance optimization routes for nanostructured thermoelectrics and elucidate the reasons why significant power factor improvements are not commonly realized in superlattices, despite theoretical predictions.
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
Improving the Hydrodynamic Performance of Diffuser Vanes via Shape Optimization
The performance of a diffuser in a pump stage depends on its configuration and placement within the stage. The influence of vane shape on the hydrodynamic performance of a diffuser has been studied. The goal of this effort has been to improve the performance of a pump stage by optimizing the shape of the diffuser vanes. The shape of the vanes was defined using Bezier curves and circular arcs. Surrogate model based tools were used to identify regions of the vane that have a strong influence on its performance. Optimization of the vane shape, in the absence of manufacturing, and stress constraints, led to a nearly nine percent reduction in the total pressure losses compared to the baseline design by reducing the extent of the base separation.
Goel, Tushar↗
Application of Semi Active Control Techniques to the Damping Suppression Problem of Solar Sail Booms
Solar sails provide a propellant free form for space propulsion. These are large flat surfaces that generate thrust when they are impacted by light. When attached to a space vehicle, the thrust generated can propel the space vehicle to great distances at significant speeds. For optimal performance the sail must be kept from excessive vibration. Active control techniques can provide the best performance. However, they require an external power-source that may create significant parasitic mass to the solar sail. However, solar sails require low mass for optimal performance. Secondly, active control techniques typically require a good system model to ensure stability and performance. However, the accuracy of solar sail models validated on earth for a space environment is questionable. An alternative approach is passive vibration techniques. These do not require an external power supply, and do not destabilize the system. A third alternative is referred to as semi-active control. This approach tries to get the best of both active and passive control, while avoiding their pitfalls. In semi-active control, an active control law is designed for the system, and passive control techniques are used to implement it. As a result, no external power supply is needed so the system is not destabilize-able. Though it typically underperforms active control techniques, it has been shown to out-perform passive control approaches and can be unobtrusively installed on a solar sail boom. Motivated by this, the objective of this research is to study the suitability of a Piezoelectric (PZT) patch actuator/sensor based semi-active control system for the vibration suppression problem of solar sail booms. Accordingly, we develop a suitable mathematical and computer model for such studies and demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed approach with computer simulations.
Adetona, O.↗
Optimal control with Chebyshev minimax performance index
Optimal control with Chebyshev minimax performance index
CHEBYSHEV APPROXIMATION↗
Gigaflop performance on a CRAY-2: Multitasking a computational fluid dynamics application
The methodology is described for converting a large, long-running applications code that executed on a single processor of a CRAY-2 supercomputer to a version that executed efficiently on multiple processors. Although the conversion of every application is different, a discussion of the types of modification used to achieve gigaflop performance is included to assist others in the parallelization of applications for CRAY computers, especially those that were developed for other computers. An existing application, from the discipline of computational fluid dynamics, that had utilized over 2000 hrs of CPU time on CRAY-2 during the previous year was chosen as a test case to study the effectiveness of multitasking on a CRAY-2. The nature of dominant calculations within the application indicated that a sustained computational rate of 1 billion floating-point operations per second, or 1 gigaflop, might be achieved. The code was first analyzed and modified for optimal performance on a single processor in a batch environment. After optimal performance on a single CPU was achieved, the code was modified to use multiple processors in a dedicated environment. The results of these two efforts were merged into a single code that had a sustained computational rate of over 1 gigaflop on a CRAY-2. Timings and analysis of performance are given for both single- and multiple-processor runs.
Tennille, Geoffrey M.↗
Dynamic remapping decisions in multi-phase parallel computations
The effectiveness of any given mapping of workload to processors in a parallel system is dependent on the stochastic behavior of the workload. Program behavior is often characterized by a sequence of phases, with phase changes occurring unpredictably. During a phase, the behavior is fairly stable, but may become quite different during the next phase. Thus a workload assignment generated for one phase may hinder performance during the next phase. We consider the problem of deciding whether to remap a paralled computation in the face of uncertainty in remapping's utility. Fundamentally, it is necessary to balance the expected remapping performance gain against the delay cost of remapping. This paper treats this problem formally by constructing a probabilistic model of a computation with at most two phases. We use stochastic dynamic programming to show that the remapping decision policy which minimizes the expected running time of the computation has an extremely simple structure: the optimal decision at any step is followed by comparing the probability of remapping gain against a threshold. This theoretical result stresses the importance of detecting a phase change, and assessing the possibility of gain from remapping. We also empirically study the sensitivity of optimal performance to imprecise decision threshold. Under a wide range of model parameter values, we find nearly optimal performance if remapping is chosen simply when the gain probability is high. These results strongly suggest that except in extreme cases, the remapping decision problem is essentially that of dynamically determining whether gain can be achieved by remapping after a phase change; precise quantification of the decision model parameters is not necessary.
Nicol, D. M.↗