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At least 415 records · Page 23

Toward a smart data transfer node

Scientific computing systems are becoming significantly more complex, with distributed teams and complex workflows spanning resources from telescopes and light sources to fast networks and Internet of Things sensor systems. In such settings, no single, centralized administrative team and software stack can coordinate and manage all resources used by a single application. Indeed, we have reached a critical limit in manageability using current human-in-the-loop techniques. We therefore argue that resources must begin to respond automatically, adapting and tuning their behavior in response to observed properties of scientific workflows. Over time, machine learning methods can be used to identify effective strategies for autonomic, goal-driven management behaviors that can be applied end-to-end across the scientific computing landscape. Using the data transfer nodes that are widely deployed in modern research networks as an example, we explore the architecture, methods, and algorithms needed for a smart data transfer node to support future scientific computing systems that self-tune and self-manage.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Low loss polypropylene-silicon composites for millimetre wave applications

Highlights: • Developed polypropylene-silicon composite. • The composite shows a decrease in loss tangent with increasing frequency. • The composite is useful for high frequency applications such as Internet of Things and 5th Generation wireless communication. - Abstract: Polypropylene-silicon composite laminates were fabricated via hot pressing and their dielectric properties up to 35 GHz were studied. The loss tangent was found to decrease with increasing frequency whereas an increasing trend of loss tangent has previously been reported in the literature for such composites. The decreasing trend of the loss tangent with frequency is due to the decreasing conductor loss of silicon (Si) and indicates the possibility for use in high frequency applications such as the Internet Of Things and 5 t h generation wireless communication. The composite containing 25 vol% of Si had a relative permittivity of 3.5 and a loss tangent of 0.001 at 35 GHz. The coefficient of thermal expansion and the thermal conductivity of 40 vol% Si loaded composites were 51 ppm/{sup o}C and 2.23 W/mK, respectively. The thermal conductivity of the composite increased by 163% and 913% for 25 and 40 vol% Si addition, respectively.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Extending molecular simulation time scales: Parallel in time integrations for high-level quantum chemistry and complex force representations

Parallel in time simulation algorithms are presented and applied to conventional molecular dynamics (MD) and ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) models of realistic complexity. Assuming that a forward time integrator, f (e.g., Verlet algorithm), is available to propagate the system from time t{sub i} (trajectory positions and velocities x{sub i} = (r{sub i}, v{sub i})) to time t{sub i+1} (x{sub i+1}) by x{sub i+1} = f{sub i}(x{sub i}), the dynamics problem spanning an interval from t{sub 0}…t{sub M} can be transformed into a root finding problem, F(X) = [x{sub i} − f(x{sub (i−1})]{sub i} {sub =1,M} = 0, for the trajectory variables. The root finding problem is solved using a variety of root finding techniques, including quasi-Newton and preconditioned quasi-Newton schemes that are all unconditionally convergent. The algorithms are parallelized by assigning a processor to each time-step entry in the columns of F(X). The relation of this approach to other recently proposed parallel in time methods is discussed, and the effectiveness of various approaches to solving the root finding problem is tested. We demonstrate that more efficient dynamical models based on simplified interactions or coarsening time-steps provide preconditioners for the root finding problem. However, for MD and AIMD simulations, such preconditioners are not required to obtain reasonable convergence and their cost must be considered in the performance of the algorithm. The parallel in time algorithms developed are tested by applying them to MD and AIMD simulations of size and complexity similar to those encountered in present day applications. These include a 1000 Si atom MD simulation using Stillinger-Weber potentials, and a HCl + 4H{sub 2}O AIMD simulation at the MP2 level. The maximum speedup ((serial execution time)/(parallel execution time) ) obtained by parallelizing the Stillinger-Weber MD simulation was nearly 3.0. For the AIMD MP2 simulations, the algorithms achieved speedups of up to 14.3. The parallel in time algorithms can be implemented in a distributed computing environment using very slow transmission control protocol/Internet protocol networks. Scripts written in Python that make calls to a precompiled quantum chemistry package (NWChem) are demonstrated to provide an actual speedup of 8.2 for a 2.5 ps AIMD simulation of HCl + 4H{sub 2}O at the MP2/6-31G* level. Implemented in this way these algorithms can be used for long time high-level AIMD simulations at a modest cost using machines connected by very slow networks such as WiFi, or in different time zones connected by the Internet. The algorithms can also be used with programs that are already parallel. Using these algorithms, we are able to reduce the cost of a MP2/6-311++G(2d,2p) simulation that had reached its maximum possible speedup in the parallelization of the electronic structure calculation from 32 s/time step to 6.9 s/time step.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Design and fabrication of non silicon substrate based MEMS energy harvester for arbitrary surface applications

Internet of Things (IoT) uses MEMS sensor nodes and actuators to sense and control objects through Internet. IOT deploys millions of chemical battery driven sensors at different locations which are not reliable many times because of frequent requirement of charging & battery replacement in case of underground laying, placement at harsh environmental conditions, huge count and difference between demand (24 % per year) and availability (energy density growing rate 8% per year). Energy harvester fabricated on silicon wafers have been widely used in manufacturing MEMS structures. These devices require complex fabrication processes, costly chemicals & clean room. In addition to this silicon wafer based devices are not suitable for curved surfaces like pipes, human bodies, organisms, or other arbitrary surface like clothes, structure surfaces which does not have flat and smooth surface always. Therefore, devices based on rigid silicon wafers are not suitable for these applications. Flexible structures are the key solution for this problems. Energy transduction mechanism generates power from free surrounding vibrations or impact. Sensor nodes application has been purposefully selected due to discrete power requirement at low duty cycle. Such nodes require an average power budget in the range of about 0.1 microwatt to 1 mW over a period of 3-5 seconds. Energy harvester is the best alternate source in contrast with battery for sensor node application. Novel design of Energy Harvester based on cheapest flexible non silicon substrate i.e. cellulose acetate substrate have been modeled, simulated and analyzed on COMSOL multiphysics and fabricated using sol-gel spin coating setup. Single cantilever based harvester generates 60-75 mV peak electric potential at 22Hz frequency and approximately 22 µW power at 1K-Ohm load. Cantilever array can be employed for generating higher voltage by replicating this structure. This work covers design, optimization, fabrication of harvester and schottky diodes based voltage multiplier.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Security and Trust Metrics for Edge Computing

The present state of edge computing is an environment of different computing capabilities connected via a wide variety of communication paths. The energy grid is relying upon distributed energy devices connected at the edge of the internet. Consider the scenario where each edge device is customer-owned distributed energy resource (DER) that is connected via a trustworthy link to a grid service provider. Each DER keeps a local simple trust record of interactions. Information protection is provided by internet https standards, however, trust must be evaluated throughout operation. This paper presents a model for representing and evaluating trust in general and applied to the energy grid as a key example. Actors on the edge may interact with each other as well as with a central datacenter.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

The Empirical Effect of Fleet Optimization on Synchronization and Rebound Effects in Heat Pump Water Heaters

Demand response is a growing concept in light of the internet of things and an increasing need for grid flexibility. Water heaters are one of the preferred devices for providing demand response for grid services and peak management due to their capability to store energy. The efficient use of water heaters for demand response requires consideration of the associated load effects such as synchronization of device schedules and rebound effect. These effects present a significant challenge. Despite the importance of the mentioned effects for water heater queuing and scheduling, there has been no effort to quantify and empirically validate their impact. This study attempts to address this gap by offering two methods - Ward clustering and Euclidean K-means - to evaluate the extent of synchronization in a fleet of 42 water heaters in Atlanta, GA. Using the aforementioned methods on the measured data, we find evidence of convergence of water heater loads as a result of optimization compared to an idle period and analyzed their impact.

demand response↗

Understanding Impacts of Data Integrity Attacks on Transactive Control Systems

With the rapid growth of internet-connected smart devices capable of exchanging energy price information and adaptively controlling energy consumption of connected loads, the role of transactive control is expected to become more prominent in the modern grid. Transactive control systems integrate the wholesale and retail energy markets, and enable active participation of end users, thereby playing a key role in managing the rising number of distributed assets in the smart grid. The use of internet for the communication of data between the controllers at the building, distribution, and transmission levels makes the system susceptible to cyber-attacks. A skilled adversary can potentially manipulate the exchanged data with the intention of inflicting damage to the system. In this paper, four categories of metrics are put forth for evaluating the performance of the system when under data integrity attacks. A model for scaling-based data integrity attack has been described, and co-simulations have been performed on a 240 bus WECC transmission system model with detailed modeling of distribution systems at specific buses. Our results show that scaling-based data integrity attacks can have non-trivial impacts on the operational, financial, and comfort aspects of the transactive control system.

Smart grid, transactive control system, Buildings-↗

Open-Source Framework for Data Storage and Visualization of Real-Time Experiments

Digital real time simulators (DRTS) are increasingly being used for the evaluation of power hardware and controller hardware in the laboratory prior to field deployment. Although DRTS are capable of simulating large models in real-time, it is challenging to visualize the results of large models without overdrawing or confounding the viewer. This paper provides an open-source framework for users to visualize their DRTS-based hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) experimental results in real-time. This proposed framework can be used by experimental test beds that can push data through an internet protocol based network. The proposed framework includes three main components. First, it includes the DRTS that generates and pushes the data to a relay. Second, it includes an application that serves multiple purposes, from data storage, testing, and translation of the data to a publisher/subscriber protocol. Finally, it includes libraries and applications that can be used to visualize the data by subscribing to the relay. This framework is available in open source, and it is tested using the HIL platform developed for testing advanced distribution management systems.

advanced distribution management systems↗

Enhancing Network Anomaly Detection Using Graph Neural Networks

In the world of Internet of Things (IoT) networks, where devices are constantly communicating, keeping them secure from cyber threats is critical. This paper introduces a novel approach to detecting unusual and potentially harmful activities in these networks using graph neural networks (GNNs). We combine two specific types of GNNs-GraphSAGE and graph attention networks (GAT)-to create a model that understands and represents the behaviors and interactions in a network. GraphSAGE creates an embedding of network activities by examining local data interactions, while GAT directs the model's focus to the most critical interactions. By integrating these two methods in a single model that considers different types of interactions (both host and flow nodes), we aim to create a system that accurately represents the current state of a network and can also spot anomalies effectively while reducing false positives and negatives. Our innovative approach has demonstrated promising results, achieving an accuracy of 98% on the UNSW-NB15 dataset, significantly outperforming standalone GraphSAGE and GAT models. This underscores its potential as a robust framework for securing IoT networks against cyber threats and anomalies.

Marfo, William↗

Power and Communications Hardware-in-the-Loop CPS Architecture and Platform for DER Monitoring and Control Applications: Preprint

The rapid growth of distributed energy resources (DERs) has prompted increasing interest in the monitoring and control of DERs through hybrid smart grid communications. The deployment of communications and computation has transformed the traditional physical power grid into a smart cyber-physical system (CPS). To fully understand the interdependency between physical grid and cyber netowrks, this study designed a power and communications hardware-in-the-loop (PCommHIL) CPS architecture, which enables the flexible verification of DER monitoring and control with hybrid communications architectures and Internet protocols. Design, development and case study of a PCommHIL testbed for the DER coordination are discussed in detail, and the proposed platform integrates DER devices, Advanced Metering Infrastructures (AMIs), and a suite of hybrid communications networks for distribution automation applications. Case study on DER situational awareness and Volt-Var control validates the efficacy of this proposed PCommHIL platform with hybrid communications designs. Results show that the HAN communication technologies play a critical role in hybrid designs and it is the bottleneck for DER applications. High performance communication technologies are highly recommended to be applied in the HAN for enhanced monitoring and real-time control of DERs.

AMIs↗

A General Framework for Human-in-the-Loop Cognitive Digital Twins

Modelling and analysis of systems that are equipped with sensors and connected to the Internet are becoming more automated and less human-dependent. However, bringing expert knowledge into the loop along with data obtained from Internet of Thing (IoT) devices minimizes the risk of making poor and unexplainable decisions and helps to assess the impact of different strategies before applying them in reality. While Digital Twins are more of a data-driven simulation of the physical system, Cognitive Digital Twins bring the human dimension into the modelling and simulation. In this paper, we aim to emphasize the crucial role of explainability and the underlying rationale behind automated or interactive decision-making processes. Furthermore, we propose an initial framework that delineates the specific points within the feedback loop of a cognitive digital twin where human involvement can be incorporated.

Niloofar, Parisa↗

Development and Demonstration of a Security Core Component

In recent years, the convergence of a number of trends has resulted in Cyber Security becoming a much greater concern for electric utilities. A short list of these trends includes: · Industrial Control Systems (ICSs) have evolved from depending on proprietary hardware and operating software toward using standard off-the-shelf hardware and operating software. This has meant that these ICSs can no longer depend on “security through obscurity. · Similarly, these same systems have evolved toward using standard communications protocols, further reducing their ability to rely upon obscurity. · The rise of the Internet and the accompanying demand for more data about virtually everything has resulted in formerly isolated ICSs becoming at least partially accessible via Internet-connected networks. · “Cyber crime” has become commonplace, whether it be for industrial espionage, reconnaissance for a possible cyber attack, theft, or because some individual or group “has something to prove.” Electric utility system operators are experts at running the power grid. The reality is, especially at small and mid-sized utilities, these SCADA operators will by default be “on the front line” if and when a cyber attack occurs against their systems. These people are not computer software, networking, or cyber security experts, so they are ill-equipped to deal with a cyber security incident. Cyber Security Manager (CSM) was conceived, designed, and built so that it can be configured to know what a utility’s SCADA/EMS/DMS system looks like under normal conditions. To do this, CSM monitors log messages from any device that uses the syslog standard. It can also monitor a variety of statistics from the computers that make up the SCADA/EMS/DMS: outputs from host-based security tools, intrusion detection systems, SCADA alarms, and real-time SCADA values – even results from a SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) system. When the system deviates from “normal,” CSM can alert the operator in language that they understand that an incident may be occurring, provide actionable intelligence, and informing them what actions to take. These alarms may be viewed on CSM’s built-in user interface, sent to a SCADA alarm list, or communicated via email, phone, pager, or SMS message. In recognition of the fact that “real world” training for cyber security events is impractical, CSM has a built-in Operator Training Simulator capability. This can be used stand alone to create simulated event scenarios for training purposes. It may also be used in conjunction with the recipient’s SCADA/EMS/DMS Operator Training Simulator. In addition to providing cyber security situational awareness for electric utility operators, CSM also provides tools for analysts and support personnel; in fact, the majority of user interface displays are designed for use in analyzing current and past security events. CSM keeps security-related information in long-term storage, as well as writing any decisions it makes to a (syslog) log for use forensic or other post-event analysis.

Turke, Andy↗

The evolving price of household LED lamps: Recent trends and historical comparisons for the US market

In recent years, household LED light bulbs (LED A lamps) have undergone a dramatic price decline. Since late 2011, we have been collecting data, on a weekly basis, for retail offerings of LED A lamps on the Internet. The resulting data set allows us to track the recent price decline in detail. LED A lamp prices declined roughly exponentially with time in 2011-2014, with decline rates of 28percent to 44percent per year depending on lumen output, and with higher-lumen lamps exhibiting more rapid price declines. By combining the Internet price data with publicly available lamp shipments indices for the US market, it is also possible to correlate LED A lamp prices against cumulative production, yielding an experience curve for LED A lamps. In 2012-2013, LED A lamp prices declined by 20-25percent for each doubling in cumulative shipments. Similar analysis of historical data for other lighting technologies reveals that LED prices have fallen significantly more rapidly with cumulative production than did their technological predecessors, which exhibited a historical decline of 14-15percent per doubling of production.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Developing Information-Space Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) between India and Pakistan

The Internet has changed the world in ways hitherto unknown. The international financial system, air, land and maritime transport systems are all digitally linked. Similarly most militaries are fully or partially networked. This has not only sped up the decision making processes at all levels, it has also rendered these systems vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Cyber-warfare is now recognized as the most potent form of non-kinetic war fighting. In order to prevent large scale network-attacks, cyber-powers are simultaneously spending a lot of time, money and effort to erect redundant cyber-defenses and enhancing their offensive cyber capabilities. Difficulties in creating a stable environment in information-space stem from differing national perceptions regarding the freedom of the Internet, application of international law and problems associated with attribution. This paper discusses a range of Confidence Building Measures that can be created between India and Pakistan in information-space to control malicious cyber behavior and avert an inadvertent war.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗

Field Testing of Telemetry for Demand Response Control of Small Loads

The electricity system in California, from generation through loads, must be prepared for high renewable penetration and increased electrification of end uses while providing increased resilience and lower operating cost. California has an aggressive renewable portfolio standard that is complemented by world-leading greenhouse gas goals. The goal of this project was to evaluate methods of enabling fast demand response (DR) signaling to small loads for low-cost site enablement. We used OpenADR 2.0 to meet telemetry requirements for providing ancillary services, and we used a variety of low-cost devices coupled with open-source software to enable an end-to-end fast DR. The devices, architecture, implementation, and testing of the system is discussed in this report. We demonstrate that the emerging Internet of Things (IoT) and Smart Home movements provide an opportunity for diverse small loads to provide fast, low-cost demand response. We used Internet-connected lights, thermostats, load interruption devices, and water heaters to demonstrate an ecosystem of controllable devices. The system demonstrated is capable of providing fast load shed for between 20 dollars and $300 per kilowatt (kW) of available load. The wide range results from some loads may have very low cost but also very little shed capability (a 10 watt [W] LED light can only shed a maximum of 10 W) while some loads (e.g., water heaters or air conditioners) can shed several kilowatts but have a higher initial cost. These costs, however, compare well with other fast demand response costs, with typically are over $100/kilowatt of shed. We contend these loads are even more attractive than their price suggests because many of them will be installed for energy efficiency or non-energy benefits (e.g., improved lighting quality or controllability), and the ability to use them for fast DR is a secondary benefit. Therefore the cost of enabling them for DR may approach zero if a software-only solution can be deployed to enable fast DR after devices are installed for other reasons. We recommend that the DR research community continue to engage with the IoT community to encourage the use of documented and open development interfaces. A library of device drivers and machine-readable interface specifications would significantly reduce the burden on users or system integrators for deploying systems in large numbers of buildings in California.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Facility Cybersecurity Framework Best Practices

Federal facilities are increasingly adopting automation and connecting to the Internet creating an energy-internet-of-things environment that converges operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT). Today's buildings increasingly weave together networked sensors and cyber and physical systems that enable data to be collected, aggregated, exchanged, stored and monetized in new ways. Building technological advances have created new energy technology, services, markets and value creation opportunities (e.g. transactive energy, two-way grid communications, machine learning, and increased use of renewable and distributed energy resources). But as larger data sets are being exchanged at faster speeds between an increasing number of OT systems, it becomes more difficult to protect the security of the data lifecycle and the physical equipment it interacts with. These challenges are especially difficult to overcome because the economic and environmental gain (interoperability, big data, social networks and ubiquitous information sharing) are driving these prominent trends in the digital age. Often cybersecurity is an afterthought. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) funded the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to develop various cybersecurity tools, trainings, and reports to aid federal facility managers – and other building owners and operators – in better applying frameworks and lessons learned from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework (CSF), risk management framework (RMF), DOE’s cybersecurity capability maturity model (C2M2), and a wide variety of industry best practices and guidance documents (i.e., NIST 800 series, Department of Defense United Facilities Criteria). This set of tools, collectively known as the FEMP Facility-Related Control System Cyber Toolkit (FRCS Cyber Toolkit)2, is focused on cybersecurity concerns from facility-related control systems and other operational technology (OT), such as industrial control systems (ICS). The FRCS Cyber Toolkit can be applied across six of the sixteen critical infrastructure sectors designated by the Department of Homeland Security, including government facilities, healthcare and public health, commercial facilities (e.g., public assembly, offices, lodging), financial services (e.g., banking and insurance), emergency services (e.g., fire and police stations), and information technology. With increasingly converged IT and OT systems, it is crucial to address OT cybersecurity considerations and assess how the seam of these two systems could impact the overall cybersecurity posture of a facility. The objective of this report is to provide an overview of the best possible method to use FRCS Cyber Toolkit (section 2.0) and distilled cybersecurity best practices for the federal facilities to address growing non-linear cyber threats (section 3.0). Recommendations in this document are aggregated from several NIST and other documents (see Appendix A for additional details).

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Cyber Secure Sensor Network for Fossil Fuel Power Generation Assets Monitoring

The energy sector is undergoing digital transformation which is to say more and more power generation assets have become automated and connected to the internet. The connected sensors can tap into plants to monitor the health of assets and manage fleets remotely. These are just some of the benefits digitalization is bringing to the power industry. Within a power plant, control systems are no longer concerned with one system or one piece of equipment, but rather whole fleet of assets inter-connected with smart sensors which have the function of continuously monitoring and transmitting real-time operational data to operators. These connected systems will form a part of the industrial internet of things (IIoT). The big data scenarios provide benefits of performing system prognostics and optimization which is a key selling point of power plant digitalization.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗

Efficient and Zero Net Energy-Ready Plug Loads

Plug loads are the devices plugged into common electrical outlets. Modern buildings contain hundreds of these devices which, together, are responsible for at least 25 percent of the energy use in California buildings. Energy consumed by plug loads is increasing because the “Internet of Things” is, to a great extent, the “Internet of Plug Loads.” This project developed technologies that will reduce the energy use of plug loads. Two crosscutting strategies were investigated in detail: (1) technologies to reduce standby power use to near zero, and (2) methods to increase the use of direct current (DC) as a power source. Two new approaches to reduce standby to near zero were developed and have potential applicability to a wide range of devices. Prototype DC appliances were developed to demonstrate energy savings by bypassing power supplies and avoiding other losses. Networks of DC-powered devices can save even more energy and provide other benefits, such as resiliency during power outages. A unique category of energy-using devices was identified that provide life safety, health, and security to building occupants. Their installation or use is dictated by building codes, health providers, insurance companies, and other entities—none of whom would ordinarily prioritize energy efficiency. In the case of ground fault circuit interrupts (GFCIs), savings of 80 percent appear possible, simply by adopting the most efficient designs. Home medical equipment, particularly oxygen concentrators, are a rising category of energy use where significant savings are possible. This report also reviews the codes, standards, and other policies that affect energy use of plug loads.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗