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At least 361 records · Page 20

Projecting the Thermal Response in a HTGR-Type System during Conduction Cooldown Using Graph-Laplacian Based Machine Learning

Accurate prediction of an off-normal event in a nuclear reactor is dependent upon the availability of sensory data, reactor core physical condition, and understanding of the underlying phenomenon. This work presents a method to project the data from some discrete sensory locations to the overall reactor domain during conduction cooldown scenarios similar to High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors (HTGRs). The existing models for conductive cooldown in a heterogeneous multi-body system, such as an assembly of prismatic blocks or pebble beds relies on knowledge of the thermal contact conductance, requiring significant knowledge of local thermal contacts and heat transport possibilities across those contacts. With a priori knowledge of bulk geometry features and some discrete sensors, a machine learning approach was devised. The presented work uses an experimental facility to mimic conduction cooldown with an assembly of 68 cylindrical rods initially heated to 1200 K. High-fidelity temperature data were collected using an infrared (IR) camera to provide training data to the model and validate the predicted temperature data. The machine learning approach used here first converts the macroscopic bulk geometry information into Graph-Laplacian, and then uses the eigenvectors of the Graph-Laplacian to develop Kernel functions. Support vector regression (SVR) was implemented on the obtained Kernels and used to predict the thermal response in a packed rod assembly during a conduction cooldown experiment. The usage of SVR modeling differs from most models today because of its representation of thermal coupling between rods in the core. When trained with thermographic data, the average normalized error is less than 2% over 400 s, during which temperatures of the assembly have dropped by more than 500 K. The rod temperature prediction performance was significantly better for rods in the interior of the assembly compared to those near the exterior, likely due to the model simplification of the surroundings.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

A Rapid Compression Machine Study of 2-Phenylethanol Autoignition at Low-To-Intermediate Temperatures

To meet the increasing anti-knocking quality demand of boosted spark-ignition engines, fuel additives are considered an effective approach to tailor fuel properties for satisfying the performance requirements. Thus, screening/developing bio-derived fuel additives that are best-suited for advanced spark-ignition engines has become a significant task. 2-Phenylethanol (2-PE) is an attractive candidate that features high research octane number, high octane sensitivity, low vapor pressure, and high energy density. Recognizing that the low temperature autoignition chemistry of 2-PE is not well understood and the need for fundamental experimental data at engine-relevant conditions, rapid compression machine (RCM) experiments are therefore conducted herein to measure ignition delay times (IDTs) of 2-PE in air over a wide range of conditions to fill this fundamental void. These newly acquired IDT data at low-to-intermediated temperatures, equivalence ratios of 0.35–1.5, and compressed pressures of 10–40 bar are then used to validate the 2-PE model developed by Shankar et al. (2017). It is found that this literature model greatly overpredicts the current RCM data. The comparison of experimental and simulated results also provides insights into 2-PE autoignition behaviors at varying conditions. Further chemical kinetic analyses demonstrate that the absence of the O2-addition pathway of β-R. radical in the 2-PE model of Shankar et al. (2017) could account for the model discrepancies observed at low-to-intermediated temperatures.

Fang, Ruozhou (ORCID:0000000348315100)↗

De-noising drift chambers in CLAS12 using convolutional auto encoders

Modern Nuclear Physics experimental setups run experiments with higher beam intensity resulting in increased noise in detector components used for particle track reconstruction. Increased uncorrelated signals (noise) result in decreased particle reconstruction efficiency. In this paper, we investigate the usage of Machine Learning, specifically Convolutional Neural Network Auto-Encoders (CAE), for de-noising raw hits from drift chambers in the CLAS12 detector. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time CAE is employed to perform such an operation in this field. During the de-noising phase, it is important to remove as much noise as possible while retaining the valid hits to avoid losing crucial information about the experiment. Here, we show that using CAE, it is possible to remove noise hits while retaining up to 94% of valid tracks for a beam current of 110nA while for lower beam currents (45-55nA), we get up to 98% efficiency. Studies on experimental conditions with increasing noise show that CAE performs better than conventional tracking algorithms in isolating hits belonging to tracks. Specifically, the de-noising algorithm results in tracking efficiency improvements greater than 15%, in real data production procedures with nominal conditions, and up to two times better efficiency in synthetically generated data with high luminosity conditions (90-110nA), indicating that machine learning can lead to significantly shorter times for conducting physics experiments.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

The Marine and Hydrokinetic ToolKit (MHKiT) for Data Quality Control and Analysis [Slides]

The ability to collect, ingest, condition, reduce, quality control, process, visualize, and store data in a standardized way is critical at all stages of Marine Energy (ME) research and technology/project development. MHKiT is an open-source, standardized suite of ME data processing functions that provides the ability to ingest, condition, reduce, quality control, process, visualize and store ME data. MHKiT is developed in both Python and Matlab.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

EVSE Characterization

NextGen Profiles' EVSE characterization efforts explored performance variability in production EVSE through the use of EV emulation equipment and assessed how different operational conditions influence charging behavior. Data were collected at a frequency of 10 Hz from both the EV emulator and EVSE during each charge session and stored in a time-series database for further analysis. As part of the NextGen Profiles project, characterization of high-power EVSE was performed on both conductive and wireless charging infrastructure; however, only conductive charging data are currently included in this repository. This EVSE characterization was performed over a range of DC output currents and voltages, covering both nominal and off-nominal test conditions. This EVSE characterization dataset includes high-power charging data from two types of 350-kW-capable EVSE using liquid-cooled Combined Charging System-1 (CCS1, North American version) cables and connectors. To protect confidentiality, all EVSE metadata are anonymized, and the publicly released datasets are metered at 10-Hz frequency.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Adaptive Data-Driven Model Predictive Control for Heat Pipe Microreactors

To establish a technical basis for self-regulating microreactors, a model predictive control (MPC) system is investigated to proactively respond to anomalies and disturbances in anticipation of potential deviations from operating setpoints. Due to the difficulty of developing a physics-based surrogate model that can accurately match plant data in various operating conditions, machine learning algorithms are used in MPC, which allow for learning from both simulation and operation data, thus efficiently describing the targeted transient with arbitrary accuracy. However, one of the biggest concerns in applying ML algorithms like artificial neural networks (ANNs) is that the predictive capabilities of ANN are limited by training data. If there are gaps between the training and target domain, the accuracy of an ANN can degrade significantly when it is used to predict unseen data. To improve the predictive capability of ANN and enable a confident use of data-driven MPCs outside the training data, this study proposes an adaptive data-driven MPC framework. The system will monitor the discrepancy between plant responses and surrogate predictions, fine-tune the ANN-based surrogate when a large discrepancy is detected, and continue MPC operation with updated surrogates. The framework is demonstrated on a point kinetic model for microreactors. The hyperparameters of the update strategy, including layers to update, error thresholds, learning rate discount, and number of data points used for fine-tuning, are optimized so the simulated microreactor is able to follow changes in setpoint with the smallest of deviations.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Adaptable Data Driven Model Predictive Control for Heat Pipe Microreactors

To establish a technical basis for self-regulating microreactors, a model predictive control (MPC) system is investigated to proactively respond to anomalies and disturbances in anticipation of potential deviations from operating setpoints. Due to the difficulty of developing a physics-based surrogate model that can accurately match plant data in various operating conditions, machine learning algorithms are used in MPC, which allow for learning from both simulation and operation data, thus efficiently describing the targeted transient with arbitrary accuracy. However, one of the biggest concerns in applying ML algorithms like artificial neural networks (ANNs) is that the predictive capabilities of ANN are limited by training data. If there are gaps between the training and target domain, the accuracy of an ANN can degrade significantly when it is used to predict unseen data. To improve the predictive capability of ANN and enable a confident use of data-driven MPCs outside the training data, this study proposes an adaptive data-driven MPC framework. The system will monitor the discrepancy between plant responses and surrogate predictions, fine-tune the ANN-based surrogate when a large discrepancy is detected, and continue MPC operation with updated surrogates. The framework is demonstrated on a point kinetic model for microreactors. The hyperparameters of the update strategy, including layers to update, error thresholds, learning rate discount, and number of data points used for fine-tuning, are optimized so the simulated microreactor is able to follow changes in setpoint with the smallest of deviations.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Volatile Organic Compounds and Meteorological Conditions in the Missouri Ozark AmeriFlux (MOFLUX) Site, 2023

This data set contains measurements of atmospheric components and meteorological conditions of central Missouri, United States during the summer of 2023. Data serve to examine the impact of meteorological conditions relevant to future climate on the emission and transformation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). During the field campaign, researchers were also able to incorporate opportunistic analyses of the long-range transport of smoke plumes generated from extreme forest fire activities in Canada. VOC measurements were conducted at the Missouri Ozark AmeriFlux (MOFLUX) site (latitude 38.7441, longitude −92.2000) using a proton transfer reaction time of flight mass spectrometer (PTR-ToF-MS 6000 X2). The sampling campaign was conducted during the summer of 2023 (2023-06-25 to 2023-08-12) with measurements being taken at high temporal resolution (1 hour). Particular VOCs analyzed include: Methanol, Acetonitrile, Acetone, Isoprene, Methylvinyl ketone (MVK) and methacrolein (MACr), Benzene, Toluene, Catechol, and Monoterpene. Meteorological parameters included in this dataset were collected from a nearby Columbia Regional Airport (~10 km). Global solar radiation data were measured at a weather site in Ashland, MO, 5.22 km from the MOFLUX tower. The data were accessed using the MesoWest online website (https://mesowest.utah.edu/) provided by the Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Utah. Discussion of the data providers, database, and dissemination were highlighted in prior studies (Horel et al., 2002a; Horel et al., 2002b) . Smoke mixing ratios (in mg m−3) were estimated from the High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) 3 km weather model for Missouri at 6-hour intervals (Dowell et al., 2022). This dataset contains three data files in comma separate (*.csv) format. Additional metadata are provided: three data dictionaries and a file-level metadata file in comma separate (*.csv) format and a user guide in PDF (*.pdf) format.

Acetone↗

Utah FORGE: GES Well 16A(78)-32 and Well 16B(78)-32 Stimulation Seismic Event Catalogs

This dataset contains seismic event catalogs from the hydraulic stimulation of wells 16A(78)-32 and 16B(78)-32 at the Utah FORGE site in April 2024. The data was collected by Geo Energy Suisse (GES) using a variety of seismic monitoring technologies, including 3-component (3C) geophones and distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) systems. These technologies were deployed across several locations, including wells 16A, 16B, and Delano-1, with sensor arrays at multiple depths to capture microseismic activity during the stimulations. The catalogs provide both real-time and manually checked seismic event locations, with detailed parameters such as trigger conditions, velocity models, and data acquisition settings. The dataset includes information on the stimulation stages, event rates, and hydraulic injection conditions for each well, with a report detailing the data acquisition configuration and seismic event location methodologies. Users will need to reference the included report for a complete understanding of the sensor network, data processing techniques, and accuracy considerations.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

EXPERIMENTAL AND COMPUTATIONAL STUDY OF DIRECT CONTACT MEMBRANE DISTILLATION

Experimental and computational studies of direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) are conducted. The permeate flux is measured in a module containing a flat sheet membrane. Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) hydrophobic membrane (Membrane Solutions, FPB045A16) with a nominal pore size of 0.45 μm, the thickness of 179~239 μm, the porosity of 80% is used in the experiments. The feed solution is a binary mixture of water and NaCl. The inlet feed temperature is fixed at 70°C, and the feed Reynolds number is varied between 500 and 2000. Two inlet feed concentrations, 0 and 35g/L, are considered. The permeate flow rate was kept constant at Re of 1300 and temperature of 20°C. Three-dimensional steady-state computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are performed using the laminar model. The Navier’s Stokes, energy, and mass transport equations in each channel coupled with flux boundary conditions imposed at the membrane surface are solved. The predicted module-averaged flux is compared to measured data for all operating conditions. Measured and predicted flux agrees well; validating both experiments and model, Temperature polarization in the feed and permeate channel and concentration polarization in the feed channel are characterized by validated CFD simulations.

Oztekin, Alparslan↗

Grain growth kinetics of the gamma phase metallic uranium

We report metallic uranium is a leading fuel form for sodium cooled fast reactors as an enabling technology of future nuclear energy systems. Mechanistic understanding of fuel behaviors and kinetics under thermodynamic equilibrium and highly non-equilibrium conditions are essential for evaluating fuel performance. It is important to understand and predict the grain and pore evolutions of metallic fuels under thermal and irradiation conditions. However, very limited data are available on the grain growth kinetics and mechanisms of pure gamma phase uranium. In this paper, the pure gamma uranium pellets with different grain structures were fabricated by combining high-energy ball milling and spark plasma sintering. Isothermal annealing tests were performed to investigate the grain growth behavior of the pure gamma phase uranium with different initial grain sizes. A parabolic relationship in grain growth with time was identified for the submicron-sized (374 nm) sample. In contrast, for the nano-sized (137 nm) sample, the grain growth shows a linear relationship with time. The activation energies of grain growth were determined as 199.5 KJ/mol and 80.6 KJ/mol for nano-sized and submicron-sized grain structures, respectively. For the nano-sized sample, the rate-control step of grain growth is dominated by the triple-junction migration, in which the grain boundary triple junction drags the grain growth, leading to a higher activation energy than the bulk diffusion. The dominating mechanism for the submicron-sized sample is grain boundary diffusion. The mechanistic understanding and critical data obtained on the kinetics of pure uranium phases will be useful to evaluate fuel behavior under thermodynamic equilibrium conditions and develop a high fidelity model to predict fuel performance.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Predictive Modeling of NOx Emissions from Lean Direct Injection of Hydrogen and Hydrogen/Natural Gas Blends Using Flame Imaging and Machine Learning

This research paper explores the use of machine learning to relate images of flame structure and luminosity to measured NOx emissions. Images of reactions produced by 16 aero-engine derived injectors for a ground-based turbine operated on a range of fuel compositions, air pressure drops, preheat temperatures and adiabatic flame temperatures were captured and postprocessed. The experimental investigations were conducted under atmospheric conditions, capturing CO, NO and NOx emissions data and OH* chemiluminescence images from 27 test conditions. The injector geometry and test conditions were based on a statistically designed test plan. These results were first analyzed using the traditional analysis approach of analysis of variance (ANOVA). The statistically based test plan yielded 432 data points, leading to a correlation for NOx emissions as a function of injector geometry, test conditions and imaging responses, with 70.2% accuracy. As an alternative approach to predicting emissions using imaging diagnostics as well as injector geometry and test conditions, a random forest machine learning algorithm was also applied to the data and was able to achieve an accuracy of 82.6%. This study offers insights into the factors influencing emissions in ground-based turbines while emphasizing the potential of machine learning algorithms in constructing predictive models for complex systems.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Observed Relationships Between Cloud Droplet Effective Radius and Biogenic Gas Concentrations in Summertime Marine Stratocumulus Over the Eastern North Atlantic

Abstract Biogenic gases are a prominent component of the summertime marine boundary layer (MBL) over the Eastern North Atlantic. One of these gases, dimethyl sulfide (DMS), can produce sulfate cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) that, in theory, can brighten clouds through photolysis, and produces a reaction product, methane sulfonic acid (MSA). It is also possible that DMS can interact with sea‐salt or other marine aerosols changing their CCN activation spectrum, which could also modify cloud microphysical structure. Data collected aboard the G1 aircraft during the Aerosol Cloud Experiment Eastern North Atlantic (ACE‐ENA) in well‐mixed and decoupled marine boundary layers (MBLs) were used to examine relationships between the cloud droplet effective radii, , and the concentrations of DMS and MSA in constant cloud liquid water content (LWC) bins. A weak but statistically significant negative correlation was observed between CCN concentration and in most LWC bins, regardless of the source of the CCN, while a weak but statistically significant positive correlation between and DMS was observed. No correlation between the cloud droplet number concentration and DMS was found. The presence of MSA indicated that DMS‐to‐sulfate photolysis was likely occurring, but data sparsity prevented a statistically significant conclusion regarding the relationship between MSA and . Data sparsity in decoupled conditions also prevented statistically significant conclusions. To properly address biogenic gas impacts on cloud microphysics, it is recommended that aircraft data be supplemented by long‐term biogenic gas measurements at the surface in marine locations with appropriate remote and in‐situ cloud sensing capabilities, and the analysis limited to well‐mixed MBL's.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Digital Tools for the Preventive Conservation of Built Heritage: The Church of Santa Ana in Seville

Historic Building Information Modelling (HBIM) plays a pivotal role in heritage conservation endeavours, offering a robust framework for digitally documenting existing structures and supporting conservation practices. However, HBIM’s efficacy hinges upon the implementation of case-specific approaches to address the requirements and resources of each individual asset and context. This paper defines a flexible and generalisable workflow that encompasses various aspects (i.e., documentation, surveying, vulnerability assessment) to support risk-informed decision making in heritage management tailored to the peculiar conservation needs of the structure. This methodology includes an initial investigation covering historical data collection, metric and condition surveys and non-destructive testing. The second stage includes Finite Element Method (FEM) modelling and structural analysis. All data generated and processed are managed in a multi-purpose HBIM model. The methodology is tested on a relevant case study, namely, the church of Santa Ana in Seville, chosen for its historical significance, intricacy and susceptibility to seismic action. The defined level of detail of the HBIM model is sufficient to inform the structural analysis, being balanced by a more accurate representation of the alterations, through linked orthophotos and a comprehensive list of alphanumerical parameters. This ensures an adequate level of information, optimising the trade-off between model complexity, investigation time requirements, computational burden and reliability in the decision-making process. Field testing and FEM analysis provide valuable insight into the main sources of vulnerability in the building, including the connection between the tower and nave and the slenderness of the columns.

Chaves, Estefanía↗

3D Deep Learning Joint Inversion of Active Seismic Full Waveform and Passive Seismic Traveltime Data for Reservoir Imaging and Uncertainty Quantification

Here, we present deep learning (DL) networks for three-dimensional (3D) joint inversion of active seismic full waveform and passive seismic traveltime data to image reservoirs and their properties and quantify imaging uncertainties. Active seismic full-waveform data can provide high-resolution monitoring images but are collected only intermittently because of their high acquisition cost. In contrast, passive seismic data can be gathered at relatively low cost between regular active surveys, although their imaging quality can be compromised by factors such as low signal-to-noise ratios and limited ray coverage of the target. Although these datasets are routinely acquired together at CO 2 storage sites, their combined inversion within a 3D DL framework has not been previously demonstrated. To our knowledge, this is the first study to address this gap, combining the strength of both data types. For efficient data storage and DL training with large 3D seismic datasets, we use a 3D data matrix in which a random number of passive seismic traveltime data are stored as parabolic envelopes using one-hot encoding and a 3D full-waveform data matrix in which multiple shot gathers are summed. Two network architectures are evaluated: a single-encoder U-Net for single-data type inversion and a dual-encoder U-Net for joint inversion of active and passive seismic data. We also evaluate the single-encoder U-Net for joint inversion by concatenating full-waveform data and traveltime data. We propose a systematic approach for selecting an optimal dropout rate that balances regularization during training and Monte Carlo dropout-based uncertainty quantification during prediction by examining the correlation coefficient between standard deviation and prediction error, along with the training misfit, across a range of dropout rates. 3D DL inversion experiments include five different network configurations, with evaluations under ideal, noisy and dropout-enabled conditions. Both model and data uncertainties are assessed, as well as their combined effects. Across all conditions, the networks consistently predict accurate CO 2 saturation models with low prediction errors, such as a structural similarity index of 0.993 and CO 2 difference of 1.1%. Uncertainty estimates show strong spatial correlation with prediction errors, confirming the effectiveness of the proposed dropout selection approach. The results demonstrate that our DL approach, utilizing compact data representations and appropriate uncertainty quantification, yields accurate subsurface images under various inversion conditions and provides valuable insights into the reliability of predictions.

Um, Evan Schankee [Lawrence Berkeley National Labo↗

The Impact of Wettability on the Co-moving Velocity of Two-Fluid Flow in Porous Media

Abstract The impact of wettability on the co-moving velocity of two-fluid flow in porous media is analyzed herein. The co-moving velocity, developed by Roy et al. (Front Phys 8:4, 2022), is a novel representation of the flow behavior of two fluids through porous media. Our study aims to better understand the behavior of the co-moving velocity by analyzing simulation data under various wetting conditions. We analyzed 46 relative permeability curves based on the Lattice–Boltzmann color fluid model and two experimentally determined relative permeability curves. The analysis of the relative permeability data followed the methodology proposed by Roy et al. (Front Phys 8:4, 2022) to reconstruct a constitutive equation for the co-moving velocity. Surprisingly, the coefficients of the constitutive equation were found to be nearly the same for all wetting conditions. On the basis of these results, a simple approach was proposed to reconstruct the relative permeability of the oil phase using only the co-moving velocity relationship and the relative permeability of the water phase. This proposed method provides new information on the interdependence of the relative permeability curves, which has implications for the history matching of production data and the solution of the associated inverse problem. The research findings contribute to a better understanding of the impact of wettability on fluid flow in porous media and provide a practical approach for estimating relative permeability based on the co-moving velocity relationship, which has never been shown before.

Engineering↗

Probing atomic physics at ultrahigh pressure using laser-driven implosions

Abstract Spectroscopic measurements of dense plasmas at billions of atmospheres provide tests to our fundamental understanding of how matter behaves at extreme conditions. Developing reliable atomic physics models at these conditions, benchmarked by experimental data, is crucial to an improved understanding of radiation transport in both stars and inertial fusion targets. However, detailed spectroscopic measurements at these conditions are rare, and traditional collisional-radiative equilibrium models, based on isolated-atom calculations and ad hoc continuum lowering models, have proved questionable at and beyond solid density. Here we report time-integrated and time-resolved x-ray spectroscopy measurements at several billion atmospheres using laser-driven implosions of Cu-doped targets. We use the imploding shell and its hot core at stagnation to probe the spectral changes of Cu-doped witness layer. These measurements indicate the necessity and viability of modeling dense plasmas with self-consistent methods like density-functional theory, which impact the accuracy of radiation transport simulations used to describe stellar evolution and the design of inertial fusion targets.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Definition of the Stiesdal Offshore TetraSpar Floating Wind System for OC6 Phase IV

The Offshore Code Comparison Collaboration, Continued, with Correlation, and unCertainty (OC6) is an international project focused on verifying and validating modeling tools used in the analysis of floating offshore wind systems. The fourth phase of the project aims to assess the ability of the tools to model a novel floating wind design. The TetraSpar was designed by Stiesdal Offshore Technologies and was selected as the subject platform for the project. The platform is a unique design that features spar-like stability with a very low center of gravity, but does not require rare deep-water ports. This combination is achieved with a system made of two separate steel structures, a hull at the water's surface that supports the wind turbine tower, and a keel that is suspended below the main body. This lower keel has a very high density and drives the total platform's low center of gravity. The TetraSpar, with hull and keel, spar-type stability, and relatively slender components, is unique compared to platforms studied in earlier phases of OC3-OC6 projects, and it offers an opportunity to evaluate the applicability of modeling tools to a novel design, especially unique hydrodynamics and compliant cables. Scaled model tests of the TetraSpar design were performed in 2018-2019 by the University of Maine. The data collected in the model tests provides a detailed description of the response of the platform in various controlled and relatively well understood conditions. Comparison with this data provides a good opportunity for validation of numerical models. The OC6 Phase IV work focuses on the specific parameters used in these scaled model tests. Descriptions of the platform and the test campaign in this document are based on the report written by Allen and Fowler of the University of Maine in 2019.

17 WIND ENERGY↗