Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Iterative”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 325 records · Page 18

Numerical error analysis of SOLPS-ITER simulations of EAST

Abstract Plasma edge simulations with codes like SOLPS-ITER are widely employed to interpret fusion experiments. However, numerical errors appearing in such simulations are rarely investigated, despite their potential large impact on simulation results. These errors consist of the statistical error and the bias, both resulting from the finite number of employed EIRENE Monte Carlo particles and incomplete convergence, and the discretization error due to the finite resolution of the computational grids. In this contribution, the resulting numerical errors on simulations of pure deuterium and neon seeded H-mode EAST discharges are examined. The statistical error can be kept small compared to other numerical error contributions by averaging the plasma profiles. This allows investigating the bias and discretization errors using Richardson extrapolation. It is shown that grid refinement and the number of employed Monte Carlo particles have the largest influence on the result, in agreement with similar studies of an ITER deuterium case. For the first time, numerical error bars on the entire simulated target profiles are determined showing that the largest numerical error is 17.9%, mainly due to the plasma grid discretization. On top, also numerical errors on simulated neutral pressures are investigated in detail, for which the statistical error is dominant. The analysis demonstrates which setup is needed to keep numerical errors limited: the SOLPS-ITER averaging procedure should be employed including enough EIRENE particles, and the involved grids should be sufficiently refined to reduce discretization errors.

Boeyaert, Dieter (ORCID:0000000309208660)↗

Overview of T and D–T results in JET with ITER-like wall

In 2021 JET exploited its unique capabilities to operate with T and D–T fuel with an ITER-like Be/W wall (JET-ILW). This second major JET D–T campaign (DTE2), after DTE1 in 1997, represented the culmination of a series of JET enhancements—new fusion diagnostics, new T injection capabilities, refurbishment of the T plant, increased auxiliary heating, in-vessel calibration of 14 MeV neutron yield monitors—as well as significant advances in plasma theory and modelling in the fusion community. DTE2 was complemented by a sequence of isotope physics campaigns encompassing operation in pure tritium at high T-NBI power. Carefully conducted for safe operation with tritium, the new T and D–T experiments used 1 kg of T (vs 100 g in DTE1), yielding the most fusion reactor relevant D–T plasmas to date and expanding our understanding of isotopes and D–T mixture physics. Furthermore, since the JET T and DTE2 campaigns occurred almost 25 years after the last major D–T tokamak experiment, it was also a strategic goal of the European fusion programme to refresh operational experience of a nuclear tokamak to prepare staff for ITER operation. The key physics results of the JET T and DTE2 experiments, carried out within the EUROfusion JET1 work package, are reported in this paper. Progress in the technological exploitation of JET D–T operations, development and validation of nuclear codes, neutronic tools and techniques for ITER operations carried out by EUROfusion (started within the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme and continuing under the Horizon Europe FP) are reported in (Litaudon et al Nucl. Fusion accepted), while JET experience on T and D–T operations is presented in (King et al Nucl. Fusion submitted).

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Divertor-safe nonlinear burn control based on a SOLPS parameterized core-edge model for ITER

Abstract For ITER operations, the range of desirable burning-plasma regimes with high fusion power output will be restricted by various operational constraints. These constraints include the saturation of ITER’s various heating and fueling actuators such as the neutral beam injectors, the ion and electron cyclotron heating systems, the gas puffing system, and the deuterium–tritium pellet injectors. In addition to these actuator constraints, the H-mode power threshold, divertor detachment, and the heat load on the divertor targets may apply limitations to ITER’s operational space. In this work, Plasma Operation Contour (POPCON) plots that map the aforementioned constraints to the temperature-density space are used to investigate which constraints are most limiting towards accessing regimes with high fusion power output. The presented POPCON plots are based on a control-oriented core-edge model that couples the nonlinear density and energy response models for the core-plasma region with SOLPS4.3 parameterizations for conditions in the edge-plasma regions (scrape-off-layer and divertor). Using this control-oriented core-edge model, a nonlinear burn controller, which aims to regulate the plasma temperature and density in the core-plasma region, is constructed in this work. This controller is augmented with an online optimization scheme that governs the control references such that the plasma can be guided towards regimes with high fusion powers while protecting the divertor targets from dangerously high heat loads. A closed-loop simulation study illustrates the capability of this burn control scheme.

Physics↗

Progress in ITER ECE diagnostic design and integration

The ITER electron cyclotron emission (ECE) diagnostic system has primary roles in providing measurements of the core electron temperature profile and the electron temperature fluctuation associated with the neoclassical tearing modes. The ITER ECE system includes a radial and oblique line-of-sight. Four 43-meter long low-loss transmission lines (TLs) are designed to transmit millimeter wave power in the frequency range of 70–1000 GHz in both X- and O-mode polarization from the port plug to the ECE instrumentation room in the diagnostic building. The measurement instrumentation includes two Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) systems and two radiometer systems. The Indian Domestic Agency (IN-DA) and United States Domestic Agency share the responsibility. The IN-DA scope excluding instrumentation and control has passed its preliminary design review and is progressing towards the final design review (FDR). In parallel, the diagnostic integration in different areas is ongoing. Furthermore, several captive components for the TLs have passed FDR and will be manufactured for installation in the tokamak building soon. A peer review meeting has been held on the prototype hot calibration source, and its integration and new thermal analysis in the diagnostic shield module are continuing. A prototype TL is being tested. A prototype polarizing Martin-Puplett type FTS, operating in the frequency range 70–1000 GHz, features an in-vacuo fast scanning mechanism and a cryo-cooled dual-channel THz detector system. Its performance has been assessed in detail against ITER requirements.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

tomoCAM : fast model-based iterative reconstruction via GPU acceleration and non-uniform fast Fourier transforms

X-ray-based computed tomography is a well established technique for determining the three-dimensional structure of an object from its two-dimensional projections. In the past few decades, there have been significant advancements in the brightness and detector technology of tomography instruments at synchrotron sources. These advancements have led to the emergence of new observations and discoveries, with improved capabilities such as faster frame rates, larger fields of view, higher resolution and higher dimensionality. These advancements have enabled the material science community to expand the scope of tomographic measurements towards increasingly in situ and in operando measurements. In these new experiments, samples can be rapidly evolving, have complex geometries and restrictions on the field of view, limiting the number of projections that can be collected. In such cases, standard filtered back-projection often results in poor quality reconstructions. Iterative reconstruction algorithms, such as model-based iterative reconstructions (MBIR), have demonstrated considerable success in producing high-quality reconstructions under such restrictions, but typically require high-performance computing resources with hundreds of compute nodes to solve the problem in a reasonable time. Here, tomoCAM , is introduced, a new GPU-accelerated implementation of model-based iterative reconstruction that leverages non-uniform fast Fourier transforms to efficiently compute Radon and back-projection operators and asynchronous memory transfers to maximize the throughput to the GPU memory. The resulting code is significantly faster than traditional MBIR codes and delivers the reconstructive improvement offered by MBIR with affordable computing time and resources. tomoCAM has a Python front-end, allowing access from Jupyter -based frameworks, providing straightforward integration into existing workflows at synchrotron facilities.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Optimal Iterative Method for Network Utility Maximization with Intertemporal Constraints

Network utility maximization (NUM) has been widely used to solve the optimal resource allocation problem in wireless network and power systems. The network planner aims to allocate generation and demand over producers and consumers such that social welfare is maximized while supply and demand are balanced, and network constraints such as branch capacity constraints are satisfied. However, when taking into account dynamics of agents, such as ramp rate constraints on power output for suppliers and impact of cumulative prior consumption on current demand for consumers, a single-period formulation is not sufficient. We propose an iterative method for the multi-period NUM with intertemporal constraints based on dual decomposition. It features a price iteration scheme that achieves optimal social welfare, and the algorithm is guaranteed to converge if proper concavity condition holds. We illustrate the iterative algorithm by power system examples. It is shown that similar to locational marginal price (LMP) in power systems, time-varying congestion prices arise when there exists binding branch constraints. Simulation results also demonstrate that there is increase in social welfare compared to a single-period formulation.

Ma, Ke↗

Assessment of the dose reduction potential of a model-based iterative reconstruction algorithm using a task-based performance metrology

Purpose: Different computed tomography (CT) reconstruction techniques offer different image quality attributes of resolution and noise, challenging the ability to compare their dose reduction potential against each other. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the task-based imaging performance of CT systems to enable the assessment of the dose performance of a model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) to that of an adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) and a filtered back projection (FBP) technique. Methods: The ACR CT phantom (model 464) was imaged across a wide range of mA setting on a 64-slice CT scanner (GE Discovery CT750 HD, Waukesha, WI). Based on previous work, the resolution was evaluated in terms of a task-based modulation transfer function (MTF) using a circular-edge technique and images from the contrast inserts located in the ACR phantom. Noise performance was assessed in terms of the noise-power spectrum (NPS) measured from the uniform section of the phantom. The task-based MTF and NPS were combined with a task function to yield a task-based estimate of imaging performance, the detectability index (d′). The detectability index was computed as a function of dose for two imaging tasks corresponding to the detection of a relatively small and a relatively large feature (1.5 and 25 mm, respectively). The performance of MBIR in terms of the d′ was compared with that of ASIR and FBP to assess its dose reduction potential. Results: Results indicated that MBIR exhibits a variability spatial resolution with respect to object contrast and noise while significantly reducing image noise. The NPS measurements for MBIR indicated a noise texture with a low-pass quality compared to the typical midpass noise found in FBP-based CT images. At comparable dose, the d′ for MBIR was higher than those of FBP and ASIR by at least 61% and 19% for the small feature and the large feature tasks, respectively. Compared to FBP and ASIR, MBIR indicated a 46%–84% dose reduction potential, depending on task, without compromising the modeled detection performance. Conclusions: The presented methodology based on ACR phantom measurements extends current possibilities for the assessment of CT image quality under the complex resolution and noise characteristics exhibited with statistical and iterative reconstruction algorithms. The findings further suggest that MBIR can potentially make better use of the projections data to reduce CT dose by approximately a factor of 2. Alternatively, if the dose held unchanged, it can improve image quality by different levels for different tasks.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Soft syndrome iterative decoding of quantum LDPC codes and hardware architectures

In practical quantum error correction implementations, the measurement of syndrome information is an unreliable step—typically modeled as a binary measurement outcome flipped with some probability. However, the measured syndrome is in fact a discretized value of the continuous voltage or current values obtained in the physical implementation of the syndrome extraction. In this paper, we use this “soft” or analog information to benefit iterative decoders for decoding quantum low-density parity-check (QLDPC) codes. Syndrome-based iterative belief propagation decoders are modified to utilize the soft syndrome to correct both data and syndrome errors simultaneously. We demonstrate the advantages of the proposed scheme not only in terms of comparison of thresholds and logical error rates for quasi-cyclic lifted-product QLDPC code families but also with faster convergence of iterative decoders. Additionally, we derive hardware (FPGA) architectures of these soft syndrome decoders and obtain similar performance in terms of error correction to the ideal models even with reduced precision in the soft information. The total latency of the hardware architectures is about 600 ns (for the QLDPC codes considered) in a 20 nm CMOS process FPGA device, and the area overhead is almost constant—less than 50% compared to min-sum decoders with noisy syndromes.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Ranger-based Iterative Random Forest

Iterative Random Forest (iRF) is an improvement upon the classic Random Forest, using weighted iterations to distill the forests. Ranger is a C++ implementation of random forest or recursive partitioning, particularly suited for high dimensional data. Ranger-Based iRF uses Ranger as a base Random Forest codebase upon which iterative and scalability aspects have been added.

Jacobson, DanielA↗

RISE: robust iterative surface extension for sub-nanometer X-ray mirror fabrication

Precision optics have been widely required in many advanced technological applications. X-ray mirrors, as an example, serve as the key optical components at synchrotron radiation and free electron laser facilities. They are rectangular silicon or glass substrates where a rectangular Clear Aperture (CA) needs to be polished to sub-nanometer Root Mean Squared (RMS) to keep the imaging capability of the incoming X-ray wavefront at the diffraction limit. The convolutional polishing model requires a CA to be extended with extra data, from which the dwell time is calculated via deconvolution. However, since deconvolution is very sensitive to boundary errors and noise, the existing surface extension methods can hardly fulfill the sub-nanometer requirement. On one hand, the figure errors in a CA were improperly modeled during the extension, leading to continuity issues along the boundary. On the other hand, uncorrectable high-frequency errors and noise were also extended. In this study, we propose a novel Robust Iterative Surface Extension (RISE) method that resolves these problems with a data fitting strategy. RISE models the figure errors in a CA with orthogonal polynomials and ensures that only correctable errors are fit and extended. Combined with boundary conditions, an iterative refinement of dwell time is then proposed to compensate the errors brought by the extension and deconvolution, which drastically reduces the estimated figure error residuals in a CA while the increase of total dwell time is negligible. To our best knowledge, RISE is the first data fitting-based surface extension method and is the first to optimize dwell time based on iterative extension. An experimental verification of RISE is given by fabricating two elliptic cylinders (10 mm × 80 mm CAs) starting from a sphere with a radius of curvature around 173 m using ion beam figuring. The figure errors in the two CAs greatly improved from 204.96 nm RMS and 190.28 nm RMS to 0.62 nm RMS and 0.71 nm RMS, respectively, which proves that RISE is an effective method for sub-nanometer level X-ray mirror fabrication.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Eliminating Signal Bias Caused by Vacuum System Backstreaming in the Diagnostic Residual Gas Analyzer of ITER

In fusion neutral gas analysis, such as with the Diagnostic Residual Gas Analyzer (DRGA) for ITER, the primary measurement range of interest comprises the low-amu species (1 to 6), especially deuterium and helium. The challenge in successfully obtaining accurate measurements is two-fold. First, the sensitivity of the method must be sufficient to resolve trace amounts accurately; typically, one percent or less. Second, the gas signal from the fusion processes must be free of bias caused by the latent presence (from system outgassing and/or vacuum backstreaming) of these gases to enable accurate interpretation of the measured signal. This latter criterion can be problematic for the lightest gases since there is a propensity for some fraction of the pumped gas load to undergo a phenomenon known as backstreaming. This behavior is manifested in pumping systems for gas properties related to relative atomic weight (lightest) and size (smallest). Backstreaming results in a significant amount of the pumped gas undertaking a reverse flow and re-entering the measurement region; thus, contaminating the forward, real-time measurement. To fully eliminate this adverse effect, a conductance-limiting device – or orifice – has been installed in the high-vacuum pumping system of the present ITER DRGA prototype. The system was already equipped with a secondary turbomolecular pump (TMP), but with limited effectiveness against backstreaming in the inter-pump volume (IPV). This orifice is placed within the suction inlet coupling of the secondary TMP, which is downstream of the IPV. Its objective is to eliminate the backstreaming phenomenon by increasing the back pressure in the IPV. However, the orifice sizing must take into consideration other factors, such as the diagnostic measurement objectives. For example, in the ITER DRGA, one of the measurement requirements is a dynamic response time of ~1s. Fortunately, an added benefit of the pumping restriction created by the orifice is that the upstream pressure increase is beneficial for the DRGA’s optical gas analysis (OGA) sensors. These sensors are attached to the IPV in the present design. The glow discharges, when used as an OGA light source, will typically have a brighter light emission with increasing plasma cell pressure. In addition to the fusion machine research sector, there are other potential applications of this pumping technique where the monitoring of lighter gas concentrations is essential, such as the photolithography process for the semiconductor fabrication of integrated circuits. This presentation will describe the vacuum system used to demonstrate a process to eliminate backstreaming as well as show test results to verify the accomplishment of this critical objective.

Marcus, Chris↗

Asynchronous Iterative Solvers for Extreme-Scale Computing (Final Report)

This is the final report for the project: Asynchronous Iterative Solvers for Extreme-Scale Computing. This was a collaborative project. This report only covers the activities specific to Georgia Institute of Technology. The project investigated and developed iterative solvers that operate asynchronously, thereby avoiding the high cost of synchronization that is apparent when using standard, synchronous iterative solvers at extreme levels of parallelism.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Halo currents and vertical displacements after ITER disruptions

Axisymmetric control of the vertical position of highly shaped tokamaks, such as ITER, requires active feedback. In ITER, this control will be lost during the period in which the plasma current decays following a thermal quench of a disruption; the decay is sufficiently rapid that the surrounding walls in ITER can be approximated as perfect conductors. When axisymmetric feedback control was required before the disruption, it is shown that the edge safety factor tends to drop as the plasma current decays following a thermal quench. When the q = 2 surface approaches the plasma edge, a strong nonaxisymmetric halo current is expected to arise, which could occur when the plasma current has decayed less than 20% from the predisruption magnitude.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Pellet Injection Technology and Application to Mitigate Transient Events on ITER

The technology to form and accelerate cryogenically solidified pellets of hydrogen isotopes has long been under development for fueling fusion plasmas. Injectors are being designed to provide this capability for fueling ITER with DT pellets injected from the inner wall. In addition to this fueling application, the pellet technology is being further developed for ITER to mitigate transient heat fluxes and energetic particle impacts from disruptions and edge localized modes (ELMs). Large shattered impurity pellets have been found to effectively mitigate disruptions and small pellets of deuterium have been used to trigger on demand rapid small ELMs to limit the transient heat flux damage from otherwise large naturally occurring ELMs. Both of these technologies are being implemented for ITER.

Baylor, Larry↗

L-H Transition Dynamics in ITER-Similar Plasmas with Applied n=3 Magnetic Perturbations*

In ITER-similar shape (ISS), low rotation plasmas [1] in DIII-D [ =1.5-5x1019m-3, Bt=1.9-2T, Ip=1.5MA, q95~3.6, balanced neutral beam injection (NBI)], the L-H threshold power PLH with applied n=3 Resonant Magnetic Perturbations (RMP) [2,3] is found to increase strongly with decreasing collisionality. This is a concern for H-mode access in primarily ECH-heated ITER plasmas since RMP may be applied before the L-H transition in ITER to safely suppress the first ELM. The L-H power threshold increase with RMP is determined by initially accessing H-mode via applying balanced NBI and increasing steps in ECH power at high RMP field (applied via the DIII-D I-coil system consisting of six internal coils above and six coils below the outboard tokamak midplane [2]). NBI and ECH power are then removed to let the plasma return to L-mode. A second L-H transition is induced later in the same shot by applying NBI and stepping up ECH power again to obtain the threshold power with no applied RMP as a reference. Using this method to bracket PLH, a scan of PLH vs. RMP perturbation strength is then obtained via stepping down the I-coil current (RMP perturbation strength) at constant beam and ECH power, as shown in Fig. 1.

Schmitz, L.↗

An Easy Method to Accelerate an Iterative Algebraic Solver, part II

This study is a companion to [Yao, Journal of Computational Physics267(2014)]. We provide a compact alternative development of Yao’s method to accelerate to order 2n–1 a fixed-point iterative scheme with an original convergence-rate of ordern. Using this approach, we show how to further improve the order of convergence by increasings, the number of steps per iteration. This scheme extends to arbitrarily high order without extra derivative evaluations per iteration. We discuss the efficiency of the new methods, including s = 2 (Yao’s method), and compare to that of the original method as a function of n; and we consider the efficiency for systems of equations of system-size M. For n = 2 and large M, we find that the multi-step scheme peaks in efficiency at about s ln s ~ M function evaluations, where its computational speed is several times faster than Newton’s method.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Favorable impact of RMP ELM suppression on divertor heat fluxes at ITER-like conditions

Small current modulations in a subset of DIII-D I-coils were used in RMP ELM suppression experiments at ITER-like conditions (shape, collisionality, RMP spectrum) to control position of the divertor particle and heat fluxes. Qualitative agreement was found between measured HFS particle flux striations and modeling of magnetic footprints with and without ideal MHD plasma response. However, the radial separation of the particle flux striations is 4-7x larger than the modeled splitting. Striations are generally not observed in the divertor heat flux to the inner strike point in RMP ELM suppression at ITER-like conditions; this is understood to be due to an increase in the volumetric carbon radiation in the inner divertor which washes out the striations in the heat flux to the inner strike point. This suggests that radiative divertor operations in ITER may avoid striated peaks. The divertor target plate heat flux can be reduced 2–3x, with a 60% radiated power fraction, by establishing a narrow radiating mantle between 0.95 ≤ Ψ N ≤ 1. This is achieved without the loss of ELM suppression by using neon or argon injection into the main chamber. These radiating mantle discharges show for the first time that ELM suppression can be maintained over a wide range of pedestal collisionalities (0.1 < ν$^{&middot;}_e$ < 1.1) with only a modest increase in the line average electron density.

Orlov, D. M.↗

Comparative investigation of iterative solutions of the all-frequency stable formulation and its vector-potential-only variation

An all-frequency stable formulation has been proposed and applied to solve low-frequency and multiscale electromagnetic problems to avoid the low-frequency breakdown catastrophe of the traditional vector wave equation. Based on the potential representation of the fields, this formulation involves vector and scalar potentials, as well as an auxiliary potential to enforce the gauge condition. In this paper, such a formulation is first simplified to involve vector potential only. Their iterative solutions are then sought by using an incomplete LU preconditioner and an iterative solver. The iterative performance of both formulations are investigated in a comparative study.

Mekonnen, Minyechil↗