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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 451 records · Page 25
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

Multi-Megawatt-Scale Power-Hardware-in-the-Loop Interface for Testing Ancillary Grid Services by Converter-Coupled Generation

Power-hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) is a simulation tool that can support electrical systems engineers in the development and experimental validation of novel, advanced control schemes that ensure the robustness and resiliency of electrical grids that have high penetrations of low-inertia variable renewable resources. With PHIL, the impact of the device under test on a generation or distribution system can be analyzed using a real-time simulator (RTS). PHIL allows for the interconnection of the RTS with a 7 megavolt ampere (MVA) power amplifier to test multi-megawatt renewable assets available at the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC). This paper addresses issues related to the development of a PHIL interface that allows testing hardware devices at actual scale. In particular, the novel PHIL interface algorithm and high-speed digital interface, which minimize the critical loop delay, are discussed.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2019

Residential (Secondary-Use) Energy Storage System with Modular Software and Hardware Power Electronic Interfaces

Secondary-use energy storage systems (ESS) are a potential low-cost energy storage system for the electric grid. These systems propose a low-cost solution to the challenge, what to do with electric vehicle batteries once EV end-of-life has been reached. However, the development of an ESS is complex by nature. Typically, the bidirectional power electronics conversion (PEC) system has hardware which includes power stages, auxiliary circuits, protection circuits, and the control interfaces all embedded and integrated as a system. This leads to interoperability challenges and vendor dependencies that increase balance of system costs. This paper proposes a modular approach of software and hardware interfaces to reduce the costs of an ESS.

Starke, Michael↗
DOE OSTI2023

Controller Hardware-in-the-Loop Modeling and Operation of a High-Power DC Charging Hub

High-power charging (HPC) concept will be a critical enabler for the wide-scale adoption and integration of electric vehicles (EVs). HPC hubs will have a significant impact on achieving this goal, particularly when considering the charging requirements of next-generation medium and heavy-duty vehicles (MD/HD) used in various vocational scenarios. This emphasizes the significance of evaluating and confirming the technical planning and multi-level operation of HPC hubs through modeling, protocol implementation, and simulation before hardware demonstration. The focus of this study is to develop the architecture, modeling, communication, and real-time controller hardware-in-the-loop (C-HIL) simulation of HPC hubs using the DC distribution system approach. Specifically, this work demonstrates the practical implementation of a custom Smart Energy Management System (SEMS) for a real-time C-HIL HPC hub simulation using the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) for communication. OCPP is implemented on the Node-Red framework and the custom controller is executed in Python. We developed a rule-based controller to demonstrate the proposed approach.

ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Performance Evaluation of a Single-Phase Grid-Forming Inverter Through Hardware Experiments

This study conducts hardware experiments to assess the performance of a commercial single-phase grid-forming (GFM) inverter using a purely hardware-based approach. We adhere to a testing protocol for the GFM inverter and enhance it by exploring the transient performance of GFM inverters across various grid dynamic events. Quantifiable performance metrics are established for each testing scenario to gain insights into the performance of the single-phase GFM inverters. Based on the comprehensive tests, the following observations are summarized: 1) The performance of the single-phase GFM inverter is satisfactory, and it is capable of being the islanding master for residence homes when the main grid is gone. 2) For frequency response, the inverter is able to stay connected but cannot inject the needed active power to support the grid. This may be improved by the manufacturer by using droop control. 3) The GFM inverter exhibits harmful transients in voltage and frequency during islanding operation, which can be enhanced by maintaining the same operating points before and after the breaker is open.

black start↗
DOE OSTI2012

Modeling and Predicting Performance of High Performance Computing Applications on Hardware Accelerators

Computers with hardware accelerators, also referred to as hybrid-core systems, speedup applications by offloading certain compute operations that can run faster on accelerators. Thus, it is not surprising that many of top500 supercomputers use accelerators. However, in addition to procurement cost, significant programming and porting effort is required to realize the potential benefit of such accelerators. Hence, before building such a system it is prudent to answer the question 'what is the projected performance benefit from accelerators for the workloads of interest?'. We address this question by way of a performance-modeling framework that predicts realizable application performance on accelerators rapidly and accurately without going to the considerable effort of porting and tuning. The modeling framework first automatically identifies commonly found compute patterns in scientific applications which we term idioms, which may benefit by accelerator technology. Next the framework models the predicted speedup of those idioms if they were to be ported to and run on hardware accelerators. As a proof of concept we characterize two kinds of accelerators 1) the FPGA accelerators on a Convey HC-1 system and 2) an NVIDIA FERMI GPU accelerator. We model performance of the idioms gather/scatter and stream and our predictions show that where these occur in two full-scale HPC applications, Milc and HYCOM, gather/scatter speeds up by as much as 15X, and stream by as much as 14X, whereas the overall compute time of Milc improves by 3.4% and HYCOM by 20%.

Computer Science↗
DOE OSTI2017

Network Hardware Virtualization for Application Provisioning in Core Networks

We present that service providers and vendors are moving toward a network virtualized core, whereby multiple applications would be treated on their own merit in programmable hardware. Such a network would have the advantage of being customized for user requirements and allow provisioning of next generation services that are built specifically to meet user needs. In this article, we articulate the impact of network virtualization on networks that provide customized services and how a provider's business can grow with network virtualization. We outline a decision map that allows mapping of applications with technology that is supported in network-virtualization - oriented equipment. Analogies to the world of virtual machines and generic virtualization show that hardware supporting network virtualization will facilitate new customer needs while optimizing the provider network from the cost and performance perspectives. A key conclusion of the article is that growth would yield sizable revenue when providers plan ahead in terms of supporting network-virtualization-oriented technology in their networks. To be precise, providers have to incorporate into their growth plans network elements capable of new service deployments while protecting network neutrality. Finally, a simulation study validates our NV-induced model.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Grid Forming Inverter: Laboratory-Scale Hardware Test Bed Setup and Weak Grid Operation

In recent times, the concept of grid forming inverters has gained popularity. Grid forming inverters have proven to be a promising alternative to the grid following inverters. In this paper, we present the hardware test bed implementation of grid forming inverter in islanding mode as well as in grid connected mode. The control structure includes inverter-level inner current control and outer voltage control, and plant-level P - f and Q - V droop control. The Q - V droop provides the voltage command, whereas P - f droop provides the frequency command and is also key for the synchronization process. While it is straightforward to set up the test bed for the islanded operation, it is a challenging process to set up the grid-forming inverter in the grid-connected mode. We present the key technologies and demonstrate the start-up process and weak grid operation using the hardware experiment results. Results from EMT model developed in MATLAB/SimPowerSystems are also presented for side-by-side comparison.

Mittal, Ratik↗
DOE OSTI2022

Power Hardware-In-the-Loop Hydropower and Ultracapacitor Hybrid Testbed

Widespread deployment of a proof-of-concept technological solution for power system performance improvement can be accelerated through onsite demonstration and pilot projects. Digital real-time simulation with power hardware-in-the-loop in controlled lab environment is the precursor to de-risk the timely and efficient execution of field demonstration and pilot projects. However, the detailed process of development, characterization, and calibration of such high fidelity simulation testbed needs to be documented in a reproducible and publicly accessible manner to leverage across broader research and development communities. This paper presents such a laboratory testbed to study black start capability of a run-of-river hydro + ultracapacitor hybrid system. Beside the high-fidelity model of the islanded grid with hydropower unit, the testbed includes the energy storage, grid following inverter, and grid emulator hardware. Several aspects such as storage characterization, control and various parameter settings necessary to capture frequency transients during load restoration are described in a comprehensive manner, which led to an effective and timely execution of black start field demonstration with an actual hydropower plant.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Black Start with Inverter-Based Resources: Hardware Testing

Black start, or grid restoration after a wide-spread power outage, is a critical service on the power system that has historically been provided by transmission-connected synchronous generators. As the power system transitions to rely on more distributed and inverter-based resources it will be critical that these resources can also provide black start services. In this work we investigated battery energy storage and solar photovoltaics technical capabilities and limitations to provide black start services through hardware testing in an experimental microgrid testbed. This hardware demonstration of inverter-based resources providing black start functions can help inform grid operators on how to include these types of resources in their black start plans.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2016

Hardware-in-the-Loop Co-simulation of Distribution Grid for Demand Response

In modern power systems, co-simulation is proposed as an enabler for analyzing the interactions between disparate systems. This paper introduces the co-simulation platform Virtual Grid Integration Laboratory (VirGIL) including Hardware-in-the-Loop testing, and demonstrates its potential to assess demand response strategies. VirGIL is based on a modular architecture using the Functional Mock-up Interface industrial standard to integrate new simulators. VirGIL combines state-of-the-art simulators in power systems, communications, buildings, and control. In this work, VirGIL is extended with a Hardware-in-the-Loop component to control the ventilation system of a real 12-story building in Denmark. VirGIL capabilities are illustrated in three scenarios: load following, primary reserves and load following aggregation. Experimental results show that the system can track one minute changing signals and it can provide primary reserves for up-regulation. Furthermore, the potential of aggregating several ventilation systems is evaluated considering the impact at distribution grid level and the communications protocol effect.

Rotger-Griful, Sergi↗
DOE OSTI2024

Performance Evaluation of Multi-Vendor Grid-Forming Inverters for Grid-Connected Operation Through Hardware Experimentation: Preprint

Existing real-world projects of GFM inverters that operate in parallel to power grids typically are sized between dozens and a few hundreds Megawatt (MW) scale according to a recent NERC GFM inverter white paper. These large systems are often difficult to evaluate prior to deployments because of their large size. The performance of smaller GFM inverters (dozens to a few hundreds MW) that operate parallel with power grids (distribution systems) is even less understood. There is an opportunity to better understand these systems through hardware testing under controlled laboratory conditions. Therefore, this paper presents the functional performance evaluation tests of multiple (three) commercial GFM inverters when they operate in parallel with the grid through hardware experiments. The goal of these tests is to explore the GFM inverters' functionalities and dynamic response when in parallel with power grids to eventually develop universal specifications for GFM inverters. Both steady state (changing the inverter's frequency and voltage droop) and transient (adding step change in grid's frequency/voltage) tests are performed for each GFM inverter with the same testing circuit and testing protocol. The experimental results indicate the bench-marked performance that: 1) the GFM inverters can be dispatched through frequency and voltage droop intercepts to output the target power when paralleled to the grid; 2) the GFM inverters automatically respond to system frequency and voltage events to output the needed power, however, the GFM inverters all show stability issues when absorbing reactive power from the grid.

grid-forming inverters↗
DOE OSTI2022

Real-Time Hardware-in-The-Loop Implementation of Protection and Self-Healing of Microgrids

The design of a reliable protection scheme for microgrids often requires communication between protective devices and microgrid controllers. The authors have developed such a communication assisted scalable protection scheme with a self healing feature to protect a microgrid with 100% Inverter Based Resources (IBRs). The communication assisted scheme must be validated in real time with cyber physical co-simulation for successful demonstration. In this regard, the paper presents a co-simulation platform between a simulated power system model using RTDS and physical protective devices. The primary protection of the scheme is programmed in SEL 421-7 relay and backup protection is programmed in MATLAB on a generic computer acting as a microgrid controller. The IEC 61850 models are used to communicate between SEL-421-7 relay and RTDS, whereas TCP/IP communication connects the microgrid controller to RTDS. The paper’s focus is to demonstrate the co- simulation platform with communication links established using both protocols and validate the proposed scheme in real-time on the IEEE 123 node distribution feeder. The paper explains the configuration of the IEC 61850 and TCP/IP communications as the interface requires proper hardware and software setup. Furthermore, the real time performance indicates the Hardware In the Loop (HIL) framework as a competent testing environment for the developed protection scheme for microgrids.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Detecting Hardware Trojans in PCBs Using Side Channel Loopbacks

Malicious modifications to printed circuit boards (PCBs) are known as hardware Trojans. These may arise when malafide third parties alter PCBs premanufacturing or postmanufacturing and are a concern in safety-critical applications, such as industrial control systems. In this research, we examine how data-driven detection can be utilized to detect such Trojans at run-time. We develop a flexible and reconfigurable PCB test bed derived from the popular open-source programmable logic controller (PLC) platform “OpenPLC.” We then develop a Trojan detection framework, which utilizes and analyzes multimodal side channels (e.g., timing, magnetic signals, power, and hardware performance counters). We consider defender-configurable input/output (I/O) loopback test, comparison with design-document baselines, and magnetometer-aided monitoring of system behavior under defender-chosen excitations. Our approach can extend to golden-free environments. Golden (known-good) versions of the PCBs are assumed not available, but design information, datasheets, and component-level data are available. We demonstrate the efficacy of our approach on a range of Trojans instantiated in the test bed.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2012

A hybrid electron and photon IMRT planning technique that lowers normal tissue integral patient dose using standard hardware

Purpose: To present a mixed electron and photon IMRT planning technique using electron beams with an energy range of 6-22 MeV and standard hardware that minimizes integral dose to patients for targets as deep as 7.5 cm. Methods: Ten brain cases, two lung, a thyroid, an abdominal, and a parotid case were planned using two planning techniques: a photon-only IMRT (IMRT) versus a mixed modality treatment (E + IMRT) that includes an enface electron beam and a photon IMRT portion that ensures a uniform target coverage. The electron beam is delivered using a regular cutout placed in an electron cone. The electron energy was chosen to provide a good trade-off between minimizing integral dose and generating a uniform, deliverable plan. The authors choose electron energies that cover the deepest part of PTV with the 65%-70% isodose line. The normal tissue integral dose, the dose for ring structures around the PTV, and the volumes of the 75%, 50%, and 25% isosurfaces were used to compare the dose distributions generated by the two planning techniques. Results: The normal tissue integral dose was lowered by about 20% by the E + IMRT plans compared to the photon-only IMRT ones for most studied cases. With the exception of lungs, the dose reduction associated to the E + IMRT plans was more pronounced further away from the target. The average dose ratio delivered to the 0-2 cm and the 2-4 cm ring structures for brain patients for the two planning techniques were 89.6% and 70.8%, respectively. The enhanced dose sparing away from the target for the brain patients can also be observed in the ratio of the 75%, 50%, and 25% isodose line volumes for the two techniques, which decreases from 85.5% to 72.6% and further to 65.1%, respectively. For lungs, the lateral electron beams used in the E + IMRT plans were perpendicular to the mostly anterior/posterior photon beams, generating much more conformal plans. Conclusions: The authors proved that even using the existing electron delivery hardware, a mixed electron/photon planning technique (E + IMRT) can decrease the normal tissue integral dose compared to a photon-only IMRT plan. Different planning approaches can be enabled by the use of an electron beam directed toward organs at risk distal to the target, which are still spared due the rapid dose fall-off of the electron beam. Examples of such cases are the lateral electron beams in the thoracic region that do not irradiate the heart and contralateral lung, electron beams pointed toward kidneys in the abdominal region, or beams treating brain lesions pointed toward the brainstem or optical apparatus. For brain, electron vertex beams can also be used without irradiating the whole body. Since radiation retreatments become more and more common, minimizing the normal tissue integral dose and the dose delivered to tissues surrounding the target, as enabled by E + IMRT type techniques, should receive more attention.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2014

SU-E-CAMPUS-J-05: Quantitative Investigation of Random and Systematic Uncertainties From Hardware and Software Components in the Frameless 6DBrainLAB ExacTrac System

Purpose: To evaluate setup accuracy and quantify individual systematic and random errors for the various hardware and software components of the frameless 6D-BrainLAB ExacTrac system. Methods: 35 patients with cranial lesions, some with multiple isocenters (50 total lesions treated in 1, 3, 5 fractions), were investigated. All patients were simulated with a rigid head-and-neck mask and the BrainLAB localizer. CT images were transferred to the IPLAN treatment planning system where optimized plans were generated using stereotactic reference frame based on the localizer. The patients were setup initially with infrared (IR) positioning ExacTrac system. Stereoscopic X-ray images (XC: X-ray Correction) were registered to their corresponding digitally-reconstructed-radiographs, based on bony anatomy matching, to calculate 6D-translational and rotational (Lateral, Longitudinal, Vertical, Pitch, Roll, Yaw) shifts. XC combines systematic errors of the mask, localizer, image registration, frame, and IR. If shifts were below tolerance (0.7 mm translational and 1 degree rotational), treatment was initiated; otherwise corrections were applied and additional X-rays were acquired to verify patient position (XV: X-ray Verification). Statistical analysis was used to extract systematic and random errors of the different components of the 6D-ExacTrac system and evaluate the cumulative setup accuracy. Results: Mask systematic errors (translational; rotational) were the largest and varied from one patient to another in the range (−15 to 4mm; −2.5 to 2.5degree) obtained from mean of XC for each patient. Setup uncertainty in IR positioning (0.97,2.47,1.62mm;0.65,0.84,0.96degree) was extracted from standard-deviation of XC. Combined systematic errors of the frame and localizer (0.32,−0.42,−1.21mm; −0.27,0.34,0.26degree) was extracted from mean of means of XC distributions. Final patient setup uncertainty was obtained from the standard deviations of XV (0.57,0.77,0.67mm,0.39,0.35,0.30degree). Conclusion: Statistical analysis was used to calculate cumulative and individual systematic errors from the different hardware and software components of the 6D-ExacTrac-system. Patients were treated with cumulative errors (<1mm,<1degree) with XV image guidance.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

WE-DE-206-02: MRI Hardware - Magnet, Gradient, RF Coils

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become an essential part of clinical imaging due to its ability to render high soft tissue contrast. Instead of ionizing radiation, MRI use strong magnetic field, radio frequency waves and field gradients to create diagnostic useful images. It can be used to image the anatomy and also functional and physiological activities within the human body. Knowledge of the basic physical principles underlying MRI acquisition is vitally important to successful image production and proper image interpretation. This lecture will give an overview of the spin physics, imaging principle of MRI, the hardware of the MRI scanner, and various pulse sequences and their applications. It aims to provide a conceptual foundation to understand the image formation process of a clinical MRI scanner. Learning Objectives: Understand the origin of the MR signal and contrast from the spin physics level. Understand the main hardware components of a MRI scanner and their purposes Understand steps for MR image formation including spatial encoding and image reconstruction Understand the main kinds of MR pulse sequences and their characteristics.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Soft syndrome iterative decoding of quantum LDPC codes and hardware architectures

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

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Sparse Hardware Embedding of Spiking Neuron Systems for Community Detection

We study the applicability of spiking neural networks and neuromorphic hardware for solving general optimization problems without the use of adaptive training or learning algorithms. We leverage the dynamics of Hopfield networks and spin-glass systems to construct a fully connected spiking neural system to generate synchronous spike responses indicative of the underlying community structure in an undirected, unweighted graph. Mapping this fully connected system to current generation neuromorphic hardware is done by embedding sparse tree graphs to generate only the leading-order spiking dynamics. Here, we demonstrate that for a chosen set of benchmark graphs, the spike responses generated on a current generation neuromorphic processor can improve the stability of graph partitions and non-overlapping communities can be identified even with the loss of higher-order spiking behavior if the graphs are sufficiently dense. For sparse graphs, the loss of higher-order spiking behavior improves the stability of certain graph partitions but does not retrieve the known community memberships.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗