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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.

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At least 415 records · Page 23
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Multibody for Everybody (M4E): A Symbolic Dynamics Modeling Tool with Applications in Simulation, Control, and Optimization

Developing the analytical model of a multibody system is often the initial step in control and optimization. The analytical model (equations of motion) describes a system’s time evolution under specified forcing conditions. Although developing these equations is easy for simple systems, this process becomes more complex for systems composed of multiple bodies. Deriving equations of motion for complex multibody systems requires specialized expertise in multibody dynamics, is time-consuming, and is susceptible to error. To address this issue, this paper presents an open-source, easy-to-use, systematic framework to derive symbolic equations of motion in both Python and MATLAB using the joint coordinate formulation. This formulation results in a set of ordinary differential equations that use the minimum set of coordinates needed to model a system. The symbolic representation provides better insight into the influence of design parameters on system performance, facilitates sensitivity analysis and parameter studies, and supports direct implementation of control and optimization routines. The tool enables numerical simulation for specified parameter sets, is modular for straightforward integration with other tools and libraries, and allows incorporation of hydrodynamics, mooring, and other external forces. The result is a reproducible, extensible pipeline for modeling, simulation, and design of complex multibody systems. The proposed tool is versatile and can be applied to domains such as robotics, control, and design. In addition, we integrated external libraries that provide capabilities for modeling offshore systems such as underwater robots and marine energy converters.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2026

Numerical-heating effects in atmospheric pressure streamer discharges simulated with a PIC code

Artificial heating in plasma simulations is a well-known phenomenon which occurs when, among other things, the Debye length is poorly resolved by the simulation mesh. Here, in this work, the degree to which numerical-heating occurs during a simulation of a nanosecond atmospheric pressure streamer discharge is examined. The streamer is simulated using a two-dimensional finite-element, particle-in-cell code Empire, which uses direct simulation Monte Carlo for binary particle interactions. Initially, an estimate of the numerical-heating rate applied to Empire is performed using a simple plasma model. Second, a positive atmospheric pressure streamer discharge simulation is performed to study the effects of numerical heating on plasma density, electron temperature, and streamer velocity. The nominal Debye length is approximately 1 μm and the amount of numerical heating introduced in the simulation is varied by using mesh sizes ranging from 2 μm to 20 μm. A measurable numerical heating quantity is proposed that can be used to estimate the appropriate element size and quantify the numerical-heating that can be expected over the simulation time for an atmospheric pressure streamer. In conclusion while Δx/λ D violations can be an issue it is not likely to be an issue with streamer discharges that are temporally short and occur in environments where collision frequencies are high. This result validates the rationale of grid size choices for a large amount of previously published works where Δx/λ D violation was not clearly addressed. Primary finding of this work is that numerical heating is of minor concern for plasma simulations where electron–neutral collisions are numerous such that multiple collisions can occur within a single plasma period.

Nikic, Dejan [University of New Mexico, Albuquerqu↗
DOE OSTI2023

A Mixed integer linear programming‐based distributed energy management for networked microgrids considering network operational objectives and constraints

Abstract Mixed integer linear programming (MILP)–based distributed energy management for networked microgrids embedded modern distribution systems is proposed. Considering the diverse ownership of microgrids, distributed energy resources (DERs) that interface directly with utilities and responsive loads, an alternating direction method of multipliers–based distributed framework was formulated for the scheduling of networked microgrids embedded modern distribution systems by adjusting nodal price signals iteratively. In addition, to make the formulated optimization problems resolvable through more accessible and popular MILP solvers, different linearisation techniques were employed to transform the nonlinear terms into linear or mixed integer linear formats. The proposed MILP‐based distributed method preserves all participants' autonomy (e.g., microgrids, DERs that interface directly with utilities and responsive loads), while incentivising them to actively participate in the distribution system operation with price signals. The proposed method is validated with results of numerical simulation using a modern distribution system consisting of multiple networked microgrids, DERs that interface directly with utilities, as well as responsive loads.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2023

The influence of permeability anisotropy in the upper ocean crust on advective heat transport by a ridge-flank hydrothermal system

Here, in this study, we highlight the importance of permeability anisotropy on the hydrogeological regime of a ridge-flank hydrothermal system. Our study site, North Pond, is a marine sediment pond on ~8 Ma seafloor in the North Atlantic, and represents a low-temperature, end-member ridge-flank hydrothermal system. Previous simulations of North Pond elucidated long-standing hypotheses concerning hydrothermal fluid and heat transport in the upper volcanic crust but failed to fully explain observed patterns of seafloor heat flux in this area. Here we use variography, a geostatistical method, to quantify relations between seafloor heat-flux measurements, and coupled numerical simulations of fluid and heat flow to simulate the hydrogeologic regime. Directional variography shows that heat-flux observations are correlated along-strike of the regional crustal fabric. Three-dimensional simulations that include permeability anisotropy are able to replicate seafloor heat-flux patterns across North Pond. The simulations that result in the best match to thermal data incorporate permeability anisotropy in the horizontal plane. We find that the feedback between permeability anisotropy and the asymmetric geometry of North Pond combine to promote advective removal of heat and mass within the crustal aquifer. These findings suggest that permeability anisotropy in the oceanic crust may influence ridge-flank hydrothermal circulation more broadly.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Evaluation of Turbulence and Dispersion in Multiscale Atmospheric Simulations over Complex Urban Terrain during the Joint Urban 2003 Field Campaign

Abstract This paper evaluates the representation of turbulence and its effect on transport and dispersion within multiscale and microscale-only simulations in an urban environment. These simulations, run using the Weather Research and Forecasting Model with the addition of an immersed boundary method, predict transport and mixing during a controlled tracer release from the Joint Urban 2003 field campaign in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. This work extends the results of a recent study through analysis of turbulence kinetic energy and turbulence spectra and their role in accurately simulating wind speed, direction, and tracer concentration. The significance and role of surface heat fluxes and use of the cell perturbation method in the numerical simulation setup are also examined. Our previous study detailed the model development necessary for our multiscale simulations, examined model skill at predicting wind speeds and tracer concentrations, and demonstrated that dynamic downscaling from mesoscale to microscale through a sequence of nested simulations can improve predictions of transport and dispersion relative to a microscale-only simulation forced by idealized meteorology. Here, predictions are compared with observations to assess qualitative agreement and statistical model skill at predicting wind speed, wind direction, tracer concentration, and turbulent kinetic energy at locations throughout the city. We also investigate the scale distribution of turbulence and the associated impact on model skill, particularly for predictions of transport and dispersion. Our results show that downscaled large-scale turbulence, which is unique to the multiscale simulations, significantly improves predictions of tracer concentrations in this complex urban environment. Significance Statement Simulations of atmospheric transport and mixing in urban environments have many applications, including pollution modeling for urban planning or informing emergency response following a hazardous release. These applications include phenomena with spatial scales spanning from millimeters to kilometers. Most simulations resolve flow only within the urban area of interest, omitting larger scales of turbulence and regional influences. This study examines a method that resolves both the small and large-scale flow features. We evaluate simulation accuracy by comparing predictions with observations from an experiment involving the release of a tracer gas in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with emphasis on correctly modeling turbulent fluctuations. Our results demonstrate the importance of resolving large-scale flow features when predicting transport and dispersion in urban environments.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Effect of ionization waves on dust chain formation in a DC discharge

An interesting aspect of complex plasma is its ability to self-organize into a variety of structural configurations and undergo transitions between these states. A striking phenomenon is the isotropic-to-string transition observed in electrorheological complex plasma under the influence of a symmetric ion wake field. Such transitions have been investigated using the Plasma Kristall-4 (PK-4) microgravity laboratory on the International Space Station. Recent experiments and numerical simulations have shown that, under PK-4-relevant discharge conditions, the seemingly homogeneous direct current discharge column is highly inhomogeneous, with large axial electric field oscillations associated with ionization waves occurring on microsecond time scales. here, a multi-scale numerical model of the dust–plasma interactions is employed to investigate the role of the electric field in the charge of individual dust grains, the ion wake field and the order of string-like structures. Results are compared with those for dust strings formed in similar conditions in the PK-4 experiment.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Existence of a robust optimal control process for efficient measurements in a two-qubit system

The verification of quantum entanglement is essential for quality control in quantum communication. In this work we propose an efficient protocol to directly verify the two-qubit entanglement of a known target state through a single-expectation-value measurement. Our method provides exact entanglement quantification using the concurrence measure without performing quantum state tomography. We prove the existence of a unitary transformation that drives a known initial state of a two-qubit system to a designated final state, where the trace over a chosen observable directly yields the concurrence of the initial state. Furthermore, we implement an optimal control process of that transformation and demonstrate its effectiveness through numerical simulations. We also show that this process is robust to environmental noise. Our approach offers advantages in directly verifying entanglement with low circuit depth, making it suitable for industrial-scale quality control of entanglement generation. Our results presented here provide mathematical justification for our earlier computational experiments.

Rodriguez, Ricardo [McPherson Coll.] (ORCID:000000↗
DOE OSTI2023

Modeling the interfacial failure and resulting mechanical properties of z-pinned additively manufactured composites

The mechanical properties of Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) parts are limited in the build direction, albeit advantages such as design flexibility and in-house customization. Here, in this paper, a novel z-pinning approach that enhances mechanical properties in the build direction by depositing material across multiple layers within the part was investigated through numerical simulations and validated experimentally. A finite element model for z-pinned composite structures was developed by assigning fiber-orientation dependent material properties obtained using a micromechanics approach to beads and pins. The bead-to-bead and pin-to-pin adhesions within the z-pinned structures were modeled using a cohesive traction separation law. The properties of cohesive elements for carbon fiber-reinforced polylactic acid (CF-PLA) z-pinned composites were calibrated using tensile experiments. The elastic modulus and tensile strength of CF-PLA z-pinned composites in the build direction were predicted with the developed numerical model. The numerical investigation on various geometrical parameters revealed that the largest pin volume increases the stiffness and tensile strength by 40% and thus, has the greatest influence on the mechanical properties of the z-pinned composites. The effect of z-pin geometrical parameters on the mechanical properties was summarized to aid in the design of z-pinned additively manufactured composite structures.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Resolution requirements for numerical modeling of neutrino quantum kinetics

Neutrino quantum kinetics is a rapidly evolving field in computational astrophysics, with a primary focus on collective neutrino oscillations in core-collapse supernovae and postmerger phases of binary neutron star mergers. In recent years, there has been considerable debate concerning resolution dependence in numerical simulations. In this paper, we conduct a comprehensive resolution study in both angular- and spatial directions by using two independent schemes of quantum kinetic neutrino transport: finite volume and pseudospectral methods. We complement our discussion by linear stability analysis including inhomogeneous modes. Our result suggests that decreasing spatial resolutions underestimates the growth of flavor instability, and then leads to wrong asymptotic states of flavor conversions, which potentially has a critical impact on astrophysical consequences. We further delve into numerical results of low resolution simulations, that reveals the underlying mechanism responsible for numerical artifacts caused by insufficient resolutions. Finally, this study settles the debate on requirements of resolutions and serves as a guideline for numerical modeling of quantum kinetic neutrino transport.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Monitoring of corrosion effects in pipes with multi-mode acoustic signals

Current commercial long-range guided wave inspection and monitoring technologies for pipes usually require establishment of certain specific acoustic modes for wave propagation and use a large number of sensors in a certain geometric arrangement (for example, uniformly-spaced arrays of sensors on a collar, placed around a pipe). This paper, in contrast, presents a long-range corrosion detection method in pipes based on multi-mode guided acoustic waves, generated and received using simple, single-element sensors. In this technique, available guided wave modes in any interrogated zone of the structure are automatically down-selected by the medium, and changes in energy distribution over the selected modes are analyzed through signal processing to monitor material loss or addition. Here, to investigate the feasibility of the proposed method, we have performed both experimental and numerical simulation studies on 50.8-mm (2-in)-diameter schedule-40 carbon steel pipes. In these studies, a linear chirp signal is injected in compression mode, perpendicular to the surface of the pipe, generating multi-mode, multi-directional guided waves that travel within the pipe wall. Corrosion effects in the pipes are simulated numerically and experimentally. To reduce errors in the measurement technique due to changes in the local or global temperature of the measured media, a universal temperature compensation algorithm is introduced. The experimental results show good agreement with simulation results, indicating that the proposed multi-mode wave generation and detection in a pipe could be used for long-range detection and monitoring of corrosion effects, such as pipe wall losses or solid material deposits.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Additive friction stir deposition induced stress ripples in aluminum alloy

In additive manufacturing, modification of the viscosity of softened or molten metal plays a significant role in the development of mechanical properties distribution. Similar to soft polymers, molten or softened metal usually exhibits vastly different viscoelastic properties. During scratching tests, viscoelastic polymers undergo spatiotemporal stress development and relaxation, causing stress ripples to form on their surfaces. Here, it is observed that friction stir-based solid-state manufacturing can yield similar stress ripples on softened aluminum alloys due to the linear motion of the deposition tool. Softened aluminum alloys exhibit viscoelastic and viscoplastic responses similar to polymeric material during the solid-state deposition process. In the final product, residual stress ripples appear on the surface of the metal alloy due to periodic residual stress relaxation, leading to oscillatory behavior from the bulk mechanical properties of the material. The orientation of the in-built stress pattern formed in the bulk of the additively manufactured metal alloy underneath the visually evident onion ring-like surface pattern formation is diametrically in the opposite direction. The experimentally observed results are consistent with analytical calculation and numerical simulations in terms of behaviors.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Sensitivity of Precipitation Displacement of a Simulated MCS to Changes in Land Surface Conditions

Abstract This study investigates the role of the land surface on the precipitation produced by an elevated mesoscale convective system (MCS) in Iowa between 24–25 June 2015 during the Plains Elevated Convection at Night (PECAN) field campaign. Previous studies have shown a strong effect of low‐level atmospheric moisture on the location of this MCS. A series of semi‐idealized and realistic simulations with irrigation are conducted to understand the effect of moisture perturbations on the MCS precipitation displacement. In general, numerical simulations place the MCS east of the observed location. Adding moisture directly in the low‐level atmosphere in the semi‐idealized experiments reduces this displacement error. However, experiments with perturbed soil moisture result in drying over Iowa induced by moisture flux divergence from cooler low‐level temperatures and higher surface pressure, causing the MCS to move further to the east. The irrigation impact on low‐level moisture is highly dependent on the length of simulation period. Shorter simulations on the order of days generate similar drying over Iowa but the opposite is found for month‐long simulations. Despite the lack of low‐level moistening in the perturbed soil moisture and short‐term irrigation experiments, the sensitivity to low‐level moisture is similar in all runs. More low‐level moisture generates a more convectively unstable environment with less inhibition and a lower level of free convection that leads to more rapid MCS development and a change in MCS location.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Simulating lossy Gaussian boson sampling with matrix-product operators

Gaussian boson sampling, a computational model that is widely believed to admit quantum supremacy, has already been experimentally demonstrated and is claimed to surpass the classical simulation capabilities of even the most powerful supercomputers today. However, whether the current approach limited by photon loss and noise in such experiments prescribes a scalable path to quantum advantage is an open question. Here, to understand the effect of photon loss on the scalability of Gaussian boson sampling, we analytically derive the asymptotic operator entanglement entropy scaling, which relates to the simulation complexity. As a result, we observe that efficient tensor network simulations are likely possible under the N out ∝ √N scaling of the number of surviving photons N out in the number of input photons N. We numerically verify this result using a tensor network algorithm with U⁡(1) symmetry, and we overcome previous challenges due to the large local Hilbert-space dimensions in Gaussian boson sampling with hardware acceleration. Additionally, we observe that increasing the photon number through larger squeezing does not increase the entanglement entropy significantly. Finally, we numerically find the bond dimension necessary for fixed accuracy simulations, providing more direct evidence for the complexity of tensor networks.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2020

Ultra-high aspect ratio pores milled in diamond via laser, ion and electron beam mediated processes

Microfabrication techniques are critical for the rapid prototyping and development of applications for cutting edge materials. Recently diamond has gained considerable interest for quantum photonic, biosensing, inertial confinement fusion and magnetometer applications. In this article, ultra-high aspect ratio milling of diamond micropores by photon, ion and electron based methods is reported. A multiphoton absorption laser ablation approach is revealed to rapidly produce sub-10 μm diameter micropores in diamond with an aspect ratio of 14:1 and a tapered profile at the surface interface. Chemically active, oxygen focused ion beam milling produces high-aspect ratio pores in diamond with an aspect ratio of 65:1 and minimal tapering over the length of the pore, overcoming the physical interaction volume limitations imposed in conventional gallium based focused ion beam milling and laser ablation methods. Oxygen-mediated electron beam induced etching is revealed to negate the limitations imposed by physical sputtering mechanisms utilized in focused ion beam milling via the direct initiation of chemical reactions at the receding surface, producing aspect ratios on the order of 200:1. Numerical simulations reveal the physical basis for the superior aspect-ratio pore milling of the oxygen focused ion beam milling and electron beam induced etching methods. Our results demonstrate direct-write methods for the fabrication of ultra-high aspect micropores in diamond and provide insight into the underlying mechanisms of these physical processes. The three methods demonstrated here can be interchanged for applications based on the desired characteristic aspect ratio and process throughput.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

An Investigation of the Effects of Volume Fraction on Drag Coefficient of Non-Spherical Particles Using PR-DNS

Prediction of the drag coefficient is required in gas-particle multiphase flow modeling and simulation. Experimental data and correlations on the fixed-bed system of spherical particles with high volume fractions for various possible arrangements are available in the literature. However, the effect of volume fraction on the drag coefficient of non-spherical particles is not well studied. In solving the momentum equation, the volume fraction plays a vital role in determining the flow resistances. In this paper, we study the impact of volume fraction in the range of 0.069 to 0.65 on the drag coefficient using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of air for Reynold number in the range of 10 to 10000 using particle resolved direct numerical solution (PR-DNS). Regular non-spherical particles such as a cube, tetrahedron, and spheroids are used in this study since their single particle’s drag coefficient data are available in the literature for comparison. For this work, the simulations are carried out in the Ansys Fluent using polyhedral mesh, which consumes significantly less computational time and power. The study showed the sphericity and volume fraction have significant impact on the bed pressure drop and average drag coefficient of the particles in the bed especially in high Reynolds number regime. The bed of the spheroid experiences the lowest drag being the most streamlined particle, and the particles with the edges result in a large drag coefficient due to flow separation at the discontinuity. The vector plots verify this behavior where large wake regions are observed behind the tetrahedron particle.

Mahyawansi, Pratik↗
DOE OSTI2020

A Digital Twin Approach to Study Additive Manufacturing Processing Using Embedded Optical Fiber Sensors and Numerical Modeling

One of the major challenges for metal-powder-based additive manufacturing is measuring and mitigating residual strain induced during the manufacturing processes. This article reports distributed fiber optic sensors embedded in Inconel alloy components as experimental means to validate numerical models of additive manufacturing process. Electroplating was used to deposit a metal protective jacket onto standard telecom single-mode fibers for strain measurements, Fiber sensors were embedded in an Inconel alloy substrate using the laser engineered net shaping (LENS) process. Here by using a Rayleigh-scattering optical frequency domain reflectometer (OFDR), temperature changes, and residual strain in the metal substrate were monitored with 5 mm spatial resolution during the LENS process. Using finite element analysis, temperature and strain profiles induced by the LENS deposition processes were also numerically studied. Discrepancies between the simulated temperature and strain profiles and those measured directly were less than 10%. Results presented in this article demonstrates a digital twin approach to fuse modeling results with distributed fiber sensor measurement data to study additive manufacturing process toward design and fabrication process optimization.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

On the Use of Smart Meter Data to Estimate the Voltage Magnitude on the Primary Side of Distribution Service Transformers

This paper develops a novel method to estimate the voltage magnitude on the primary side of distribution service transformers. The proposed method relies exclusively on smart meters, and therefore it is fully data-driven. This is an important feature because electric utilities have detailed models of only the primary network - that is, the network between the distribution substation and the primary side of service transformers that are installed closer to end-customer sites. The network that connects the secondary side of service transformers to end-customer sites, referred to as the secondary network, is simply represented by a lumped load. For each secondary network, the proposed method uses data acquired from only 2 smart meters: the closest and the farthest-in the sense of electrical distance - from the service transformer. As a reference to this feature, the proposed method is named SM2Vp. To our knowledge, this is the first time a method is shown to provide actionable information for realtime operation and control of power distribution grids using only two smart meters per secondary network. This is important because utilities have experienced barriers in managing and using large data sets for real-time operation and control. SM2Vp is primarily intended to provide pseudo-measurements for distribution system state estimation, but it can also be used directly for voltage control schemes. The performance of SM2Vp is demonstrated by numerical simulations carried out on three secondary network synthetic models and by using field data provided by a utility partner serving customers in southwestern California. A maximum relative error of approximately 3.9% or less is observed for the primary voltage magnitude estimates in all numerical experiments.

distribution service transformer↗
DOE OSTI2023

Reliable Devices Yield Stable Quantum Computations

Stable quantum computation requires noisy results to remain bounded even in the presence of noise fluctuations. Yet non-stationary noise processes lead to drift in the varying characteristics of a quantum device that can greatly influence the circuit outcomes. Here we address how temporal and spatial variations in noise relate device reliability to quantum computing stability. First, our approach quantifies the differences in statistical distributions of characterization metrics collected at different times and locations using Hellinger distance. We then validate an analytical bound that relates this distance directly to the stability of a computed expectation value. Our demonstration uses numerical simulations with models informed by the washington superconducting transmon device. We find that the stability metric is consistently bounded from above by the corresponding Hellinger distance, which can be cast as a specified tolerance level. These results underscore the significance of reliable quantum computing devices and the impact for stable quantum computation.

Dasgupta, Samudra↗