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At least 361 records · Page 20
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Solar Field Layout and Aimpoint Strategy Optimization

The existing methods that determine heliostat aiming strategies for concentrating solar power (CSP) central receiver plants typically use heuristics and/or are computationally expensive, and they lack flexibility for different desired flux profiles and receiver geometries. Because of the interaction between layout and aimpoint strategy, considering the former without accounting for the latter may yield solutions with superfluous heliostats that cannot be used efficiently without compromising receiver flux constraints. To that end, we develop a software decision tool that uses innovative optimization methods to both optimize aimpoint strategies and improve candidate layouts for the solar collection field of a CSP central receiver plant. A CSP plant’s effectiveness relies on the optical efficiency of the solar field, which may be limited by losses due to (i) the cosine effect, (ii) atmospheric attenuation, (iii) interference (i.e., shading and blocking) between heliostats, (iv) spillage as a result of heliostat positioning and geometry, and (iv) some heliostats’ inability to direct irradiance to the receiver without damage due to excessive thermal flux. The goal of this work is to obtain optimized aiming strategies and improved solar field layouts that reduce capital cost and increase field optical efficiency and utilization, while meeting the power requirements of a given CSP receiver design. We formulate the aimpoint optimization problem as a mixed-integer linear programming model, which we then decompose into submodels that we solve in parallel. The decomposition subdivides the solar field into sections, and aimpoint strategies for each section are obtained independently of the others. To improve existing layouts, we develop a utilization-weighted efficiency metric that we use to relocate heliostats to sections of the solar field with similar efficiency and higher utilization. Finally, to connect our software to high-fidelity flux models, we develop a Python application programming interface for SolarPILOT, a mature software package that characterizes solar field performance and generates the heliostat layouts and flux maps that serve as input to our models.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Crosslink V.0.11.x User Manual

CrossLink is a novel two-dimensional and three-dimensional geometry and mesh generation software package developed by the Simulation Tools team at Los Alamos National Laboratory. This software represents the third generation of topology-based mesh generation technology developed by the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy with a special focus on complex multi-material hydrodynamic applications, mesh scalability, and high-order element mesh generation. The topology-based meshing approach offered by CrossLink enables users to quickly and easily mesh complex geometries in a repeatable and robust manner. CrossLink’s topology-based meshing approach is well-suited for parametric design studies, parametric design optimization, damage scenario assessment, and iterative design modification (i.e. feature addition and/or removal). CrossLink’s python API allows workflow scripting of the geometry creation and mesh generation process for traceability, repeatability, data provenance, and version control. CrossLink consists of three main components: a graphical user interface (GUI), a geometry creation and mesh generation engine, and a python API that provides a workflow scripting interface to the geometry and meshing functions.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2016

2016 Research Outreach Program report

This paper is the research activity report for 4 weeks in LANL. Under the guidance of Dr. Lee, who performs nuclear physics research at LANSCE, LANL, I studied the Low Energy NZ (LENZ) setup and how to use the LENZ. First, I studied the LENZ chamber and Si detectors, and worked on detector calibrations, using the computer software, ROOT (CERN developed data analysis tool) and EXCEL (Microsoft office software). I also performed the calibration experiments that measure alpha particles emitted from a Th-229 source by using a S1-type detector (Si detector). And with Dr. Lee, we checked the result.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
NASA NTRS2012

The Way Point Planning Tool: Real Time Flight Planning for Airborne Science

Airborne real time observation are a major component of NASA's Earth Science research and satellite ground validation studies. For mission scientist, planning a research aircraft mission within the context of meeting the science objective is a complex task because it requires real time situational awareness of the weather conditions that affect the aircraft track. Multiple aircraft are often involved in the NASA field campaigns the coordination of the aircraft with satellite overpasses, other airplanes and the constantly evolving dynamic weather conditions often determine the success of the campaign. A flight planning tool is needed to provide situational awareness information to the mission scientist and help them plan and modify the flight tracks successfully. Scientists at the University of Alabama Huntsville and the NASA Marshal Space Flight Center developed the Waypoint Planning Tool (WPT), an interactive software tool that enables scientist to develop their own flight plans (also known as waypoints), with point and click mouse capabilities on a digital map filled with time raster and vector data. The development of this Waypoint Planning Tool demonstrates the significance of mission support in responding to the challenges presented during NASA field campaigns. Analyses during and after each campaign helped identify both issues and new requirements, initiating the next wave of development. Currently the Waypoint Planning Tool has gone through three rounds of development and analysis processes. The development of this waypoint tool is directly affected by the technology advances on GIS/Mapping technologies. From the standalone Google Earth application and simple KML functionalities to the Google Earth Plugin and Java Web Start/Applet on web platform, as well as to the rising open source GIS tools with new JavaScript frameworks, the Waypoint planning Tool has entered its third phase of technology advancement. The newly innovated, cross-platform, modular designed JavaScript-controled Waypoint tool is planned to be integrated with the NASA Airborne Science Mission Tool Suite. Adapting new technologies for the Waypoint Planning Tool ensures its success in helping scientist reach their mission objectives. This presentation will discuss the development process of the Waypoint Planning Tool in responding to field campaign challenges, identifying new information technologies, and describing the capabilities and features of the Waypoint Planning Tool with the real time aspect, interactive nature, and the resultant benefits to the airborne science community.

He, Yubin↗
NASA NTRS2016

Using Cloud-Based Storage Technologies for Earth Science Data

Cloud based infrastructure may offer several key benefits of scalability, built in redundancy and reduced total cost of ownership as compared with a traditional data center approach. However, most of the tools and software systems developed for NASA data repositories were not developed with a cloud based infrastructure in mind and do not fully take advantage of commonly available cloud-based technologies. Object storage services are provided through all the leading public (Amazon Web Service, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, etc.) and private (Open Stack) clouds, and may provide a more cost-effective means of storing large data collections online. We describe a system that utilizes object storage rather than traditional file system based storage to vend earth science data. The system described is not only cost effective, but shows superior performance for running many different analytics tasks in the cloud. To enable compatibility with existing tools and applications, we outline client libraries that are API compatible with existing libraries for HDF5 and NetCDF4. Performance of the system is demonstrated using clouds services running on Amazon Web Services.

Data↗
NASA NTRS1995

AstroNet: A Tool Set for Simultaneous, Multi-Site Observations of Astronomical Objects

Earth-based, fully automatic "robotic" telescopes have been in routine operation for a number of years. As their number grows and their distribution becomes global, increasing attention is being given to forming networks of various sorts that will allow them, as a group, to make observations 24 hours a day in both hemispheres. We have suggested that telescopes based in space be part of this network. We further suggested that any telescope on this network be capable of asking, almost in real time, that other robotic telescopes perform support observations for them. When a target of opportunity required support observations, the system would determine which telescope(s) in the network would be most appropriate to make the observations and formulate a request to do so. Because the network would be comprised of telescopes located in widely distributed regions, this system would guarantee continuity of observations This report summarizes our efforts under this contract. We proposed to develop a set of data collection and display tools to aid simultaneous observation of astronomical targets from a number of observing sites. We planned to demonstrate the usefulness of this toolset for simultaneous multi-site observation of astronomical targets. Possible candidates or the proposed demonstration included the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE), International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE), and ALEXIS, sounding rocket experiments. Ground-based observatories operated by the University of California, Berkeley, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Fairborn Observatory in Mesa, Arizona were to be used to demonstrate the proposed concept. Although the demonstration was to have involved astronomical investigations, the tools were to have been applicable to a large number of scientific disciplines. The software tools and systems developed as a result of the work were to have been made available to the scientific community.

Chakrabarti, Supriya↗
DOE OSTI2022

Analysis of Data Fusion Between Waveform Events and Radionuclide Detections Reported in 2021 by the International Data Centre

During this project, we assessed the percentage of events reported by the International Data Centre (IDC) that are candidates for evaluation using data fusion methods. We calculated the percentage of waveform (seismic, hydroacoustic, infrasound, SHI) events that may be associated with radionuclide (RN) detections and vice versa. For this task, data fusion means identifying RN detections that may be associated with SHI events. The task of producing a fused SHI and RN bulletin is included in the IDC operational manual. As of 2022, the production of a fused event bulletin remains incomplete, largely because methods for producing the bulletin are under development. Nonetheless, simple methods for data fusion have been developed and preliminary software tools are available at the IDC to associate SHI events and RN detections. This report is a first look at the percentage of SHI events that may be candidates for fusion with RN detections or bulletins. One year of IDC bulletin data (2021) is considered in this report. It is important to note that there were no known nuclear explosions during this time period. Hence, we expect that events during this time period would generate SHI and RN signals. If many SHI events are candidates for fusion with RN data, greater priority should be placed on establishing screening procedures before and/or during the fusion process. By contrast, if the number of candidate events is diminishingly small, then data fusion is not a driver for further development of event or detection screening at the IDC. LLNL reviewed the events reported in the Standard Event Bulletin (SEB) and determined which events are candidates for fusion with the Reviewed Radionuclide Reports (RRR). Much of the work involves establishing a metric or metrics for determining whether a Reviewed Event Bulletin (REB) event is a candidate for data fusion.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

OTEC Cold Water Pipe-Platform Subsystem Dynamic Interaction Validation

A commercial floating 100-megawatt (MW) ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) power plant will require a cold water pipe (CWP) with a diameter of 10-meter (m) and length of up to 1,000 m. The mass of the cold water pipe, including entrained water, can exceed the mass of the platform supporting it. The offshore industry uses software-modeling tools to develop platform and riser (pipe) designs to survive the offshore environment. These tools are typically validated by scale model tests in facilities able to replicate real at-sea meteorological and ocean (metocean) conditions to provide the understanding and confidence to proceed to final design and full-scale fabrication. However, today’s offshore platforms (similar to and usually larger than those needed for OTEC applications) incorporate risers (or pipes) with diameters well under one meter. Secondly, the preferred construction method for large diameter OTEC CWPs is the use of composite materials, primarily a form of fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP). The use of these material results in relatively low pipe stiffness and large strains compared to steel construction. These factors suggest the need for further validation of offshore industry software tools. The purpose of this project was to validate the ability to model numerically the dynamic interaction between a large cold water-filled fiberglass pipe and a floating OTEC platform excited by metocean weather conditions using measurements from a scale model tested in an ocean basin test facility.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1992

Software Management Environment (SME) concepts and architecture, revision 1

This document presents the concepts and architecture of the Software Management Environment (SME), developed for the Software Engineering Branch of the Flight Dynamic Division (FDD) of GSFC. The SME provides an integrated set of experience-based management tools that can assist software development managers in managing and planning flight dynamics software development projects. This document provides a high-level description of the types of information required to implement such an automated management tool.

Hendrick, Robert↗
DOE OSTI2022

Guiding the choice of informatics software and tools for lipidomics research applications

Progress in mass spectrometry lipidomics has led to a rapid proliferation of studies across biology and biomedicine. These generate extremely large raw datasets requiring sophisticated solutions to support automated data processing. To address this, numerous software tools have been developed and tailored for specific tasks. However, for researchers, deciding which approach best suits their application relies on ad hoc testing, which is inefficient and time consuming. Here we first review the data processing pipeline, summarizing the scope of available tools. Next, to support researchers, LIPID MAPS provides an interactive online portal listing open-access tools with a graphical user interface. This guides users towards appropriate solutions within major areas in data processing, including (1) lipid-oriented databases, (2) mass spectrometry data repositories, (3) analysis of targeted lipidomics datasets, (4) lipid identification and (5) quantification from untargeted lipidomics datasets, (6) statistical analysis and visualization, and (7) data integration solutions. Detailed descriptions of functions and requirements are provided to guide customized data analysis workflows.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1989

Annotated bibliography of software engineering laboratory literature

An annotated bibliography is presented of technical papers, documents, and memorandums produced by or related to the Software Engineering Laboratory. The bibliography was updated and reorganized substantially since the original version (SEL-82-006, November 1982). All materials were grouped into eight general subject areas for easy reference: (1) The Software Engineering Laboratory; (2) The Software Engineering Laboratory: Software Development Documents; (3) Software Tools; (4) Software Models; (5) Software Measurement; (6) Technology Evaluations; (7) Ada Technology; and (8) Data Collection. Subject and author indexes further classify these documents by specific topic and individual author.

Buhler, Melanie↗
NASA NTRS1990

Parallel machine architecture and compiler design facilities

The objective is to provide an integrated simulation environment for studying and evaluating various issues in designing parallel systems, including machine architectures, parallelizing compiler techniques, and parallel algorithms. The status of Delta project (which objective is to provide a facility to allow rapid prototyping of parallelized compilers that can target toward different machine architectures) is summarized. Included are the surveys of the program manipulation tools developed, the environmental software supporting Delta, and the compiler research projects in which Delta has played a role.

Kuck, David J.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Software engineering laboratory series: Annotated bibliography of software engineering laboratory literature

This document is an annotated bibliography of technical papers, documents, and memorandums produced by or related to the Software Engineering Laboratory. More than 100 publications are summarized. These publications cover many areas of software engineering and range from research reports to software documentation. This document has been updated and reorganized substantially since the original version (SEL-82-006, November 1982). All materials have been grouped into eight general subject areas for easy reference: (1) the Software Engineering Laboratory; (2) the Software Engineering Laboratory: Software Development Documents; (3) Software Tools; (4) Software Models; (5) Software Measurement; (6) Technology Evaluations; (7) Ada Technology; and (8) Data Collection. This document contains an index of these publications classified by individual author.

Morusiewicz, Linda↗
NASA NTRS1994

Annotated bibliography of software engineering laboratory literature

This document is an annotated bibliography of technical papers, documents, and memorandums produced by or related to the Software Engineering Laboratory. Nearly 200 publications are summarized. These publications cover many areas of software engineering and range from research reports to software documentation. This document has been updated and reorganized substantially since the original version (SEL-82-006, November 1982). All materials have been grouped into eight general subject areas for easy reference: (1) The Software Engineering Laboratory; (2) The Software Engineering Laboratory: Software Development Documents; (3) Software Tools; (4) Software Models; (5) Software Measurement; (6) Technology Evaluations; (7) Ada Technology; and (8) Data Collection. This document contains an index of these publications classified by individual author.

Kistler, David↗
NASA NTRS1996

Design, Construction and Testing of Annular Diffusers for High Speed Civil Transportation Combustor Applications

A theoretical and an experimental design study of subsonic flow through curved-wall annular diffusers has been initiated under this award in order to establish the most pertinent design parameters and hence performance characteristics for such devices, an the implications of their application in the design of engine components in the aerospace industries. The diffusers under this study are expected to contain appreciable regions of stall and the effects of swirl on their performance are being studied. The experimental work involves the application of Computer Aided Design software tool to the development of a suitable annular diffuse geometry and the subsequent downloading of such data to a CNC machine at Central State University (CSU). Two experimental run segments have been completed so far during FY-95 involving flow visualization and diffuser performance evaluation based on Kinetic Energy Dissipation. The method of calculation of the performance of diffusers based on pressure recovery coefficient has been shown to have some shortcomings and so the kinetic energy dissipation approach has been introduced in the run segment two with some success. The application of the discretized, full Navier Stokes and Continuity equations to the numerical study of the problem described above for the time-mean flow is expected to follow. Various models of turbulence are being evaluated for adoption throughout the study and comparisons would be made with experimental data where they exist. Assessment of diffuser performance based on the dissipated mechanical energy would also be made. The result of the investigations are expected to indicate that more cost effective component design of such devices as diffusers which normally contain complex flows can still be achieved.

Okhio, Cyril B.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Software Tools to Support Research on Airport Departure Planning

A simple, portable and useful collection of software tools has been developed for the analysis of airport surface traffic. The tools are based on a flexible and robust traffic-flow model, and include calibration, validation and simulation functionality for this model. Several different interfaces have been developed to help promote usage of these tools, including a portable Matlab(TM) implementation of the basic algorithms; a web-based interface which provides online access to automated analyses of airport traffic based on a database of real-world operations data which covers over 250 U.S. airports over a 5-year period; and an interactive simulation-based tool currently in use as part of a college-level educational module. More advanced applications for airport departure traffic include taxi-time prediction and evaluation of "windowing" congestion control.

Carr, Francis↗
NASA NTRS2003

A New Simulation Framework for Autonomy in Robotic Missions

Autonomy is a key factor in remote robotic exploration and there is significant activity addressing the application of autonomy to remote robots. It has become increasingly important to have simulation tools available to test the autonomy algorithms. While indus1;rial robotics benefits from a variety of high quality simulation tools, researchers developing autonomous software are still dependent primarily on block-world simulations. The Mission Simulation Facility I(MSF) project addresses this shortcoming with a simulation toolkit that will enable developers of autonomous control systems to test their system s performance against a set of integrated, standardized simulations of NASA mission scenarios. MSF provides a distributed architecture that connects the autonomous system to a set of simulated components replacing the robot hardware and its environment.

Flueckiger, Lorenzo↗