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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 505 records · Page 28

High-order algorithmic developments and optimizations for large-scale GPU-accelerated simulations (Milestone CEED-MS36)

The goal of this milestone was to improve the high-order software ecosystem for CEED-enabled ECP applications by making progress on efficient matrix-free kernels targeting forthcoming ECP architectures. These kernels included matrix-free preconditioning and the development of new set of CEED solver bake-off problems. As part of this milestone, we also released the next version of the CEED software stack, CEED-4.0, reported on results from several application collaborations, and documented the efforts of porting to AMD GPUs for Frontier and other modern architectures, such as Fugaku. The specific tasks addressed in this milestone were: (1) Port and run CEED benchmarks/miniapps on Frontier EA systems; (2) Demonstrate performant libCEED integration in MFEM, Nek and applications; (3) Matrix-free preconditioning of high-order operators; (4) Benchmark problems for fast high-order solvers on GPU platforms; and (5) Public release of CEED-4.0. The artifacts delivered include the next version of the CEED software stack, CEED-4.0, the next libCEED release, libCEED-0.8, and a number of developments integrated within applications to improve their GPU and CPU performance and capabilities. See the CEED website, https://ceed.exascaleproject.org and the CEED GitHub organization, https://github.com/ceed for more details.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Support CEED-enabled ECP applications in their preparation for Aurora/Frontier

The goal of this milestone was to help CEED-enabled ECP applications (particularly ExaSMR, MARBL, ExaAM, ExaWind and E3SM) in their preparations for the Aurora and Frontier architectures. This work included collaboration with ECP vendors and porting and optimization of CEED’s benchmarks and miniapps to early access hardware. As part of this milestone, we also made the best bake-off problems and bake-off kernel implementation from Nek, MFEM, libParanumal and the external community available in the latest libCEED release, libCEED-0.7. During the milestone period we also organized, in virtual form, the fourth CEED Annual meeting (CEED4AM) which included representatives from ECP applications, vendors and software technology projects. The specific tasks addressed in this milestone were to: (1) Work with vendors to port and run CEED benchmarks on early access systems for Aurora and Frontier; (2) Make the best BP/BK implementations from Nek, MFEM, libParanumal and external community available in libCEED; (3) Organize the next CEED Annual meeting (CEED4AM); and (4) Optimize CEED applications and miniapps for Aurora and Frontier architectures. The artifacts delivered include the next libCEED release, libCEED-0.7, and a number of developments integrated within applications to improve their GPU performance and capabilities. See the CEED website, http://ceed.exascaleproject.org and the CEED GitHub organization, http://github.com/ceed for more details.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Preheating of Cold, High Moisture Particulate Biomaterials to Reduce Drying Time

Forest Concepts led a two-year project to reduce fossil fuel consumption and improve the energy efficiency of dryers through the application of radio frequency (RF) energy impartation to preheat cold-wet bulk particulate biomass materials. A comprehensive biomass heating and drying mathematical model was developed that enables simulation of drying systems for biomass as well as most other bulk porous particulate materials. Experimental and modeling results conclude that energy consumption for both RF preheating and hot-air preheating are essentially equal for cold, high-moisture feedstocks that are above fiber saturation and therefore not economically beneficial for those conditions. Further results suggest that RF heating may have a direct energy consumption benefit in the late stages of drying and in case of preheating biomass that has a moisture content below fiber saturation. This work was funded in part by the US Department of Energy under contact DE-EE0009130.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Enabling Efficient Water Splitting with Advanced Materials Designed for High pH Membrane Interface

This project was focused on developing the durable, high-performance materials and interfaces for advanced water splitting, enabling a clear pathway for achieving <$2/Kg H2 (on scale) with efficiency of 43 kWh/kg H 2 via anion exchange membrane (AEM)-based electrolysis. We aimed to advance these final goals via an improved fundamental understanding of both hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions (HER/OER) leading to novel platinum group metal (PGM)-free catalyst materials in conjunction with critical improvements in membrane and ionomers and gas evolution electrodes with corresponding characterization and testing. Northeastern University (NU) lead this effort focusing on catalyst development and characterization (both in situ and ex situ) while project partners lead improvements in ionomer and membrane materials and will aid in the development of specialized electrode and membrane electrode assemblies. In addition, close collaboration occured with the HydroGEN Energy Materials Network (EMN) National Laboratory consortium including efforts related to use of advanced ionomers, durability protocols and validation of electrolyzer materials (e.g. NREL), multiscale modeling and computation (e.g. LBNL), and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the membrane catalyst interface (e.g. SNL). The interactions with HydroGEN included exchange of data and materials as needed to facilitate project success.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Application of Quantum Machine Learning to High Energy Physics Analysis at LHC using IBM Quantum Computer Simulators and IBM Quantum Computer Hardware

Our group pioneers the use of Quantum Machine Learning (QML) on High Energy Physics analysis at LHC. We have successfully employed several QML classification algorithms in the ttH (Higgs production in association with a top quark pair) and Higgs to two muons (Higgs coupling to second generation fermions), two recent LHC flagship physics analysis, on gate-model quantum computer simulators and hardware. The simulation studies have been performed with the IBM Quantum Framework, Google Tensorflow Quantum Framework, and Amazon Braket Framework, and we have achieved good classification performance that is similar to the performances of the classical machine learning methods currently used in LHC physics analyses, classical SVM, classical BDT, and classical deep neural network for example. We have also performed our studies using IBM superconducting quantum computer hardware and the performance is promising and is approaching the performance from IBM quantum simulators. Moreover, we extend our studies to other QML areas such as quantum anomaly detection and quantum generative adversarial, and some preliminary results have been obtained. Also, we have overcome the challenges of intensive computing resources in the cases of large qubits (25 qubits or more) and large numbers of events using NVIDIA cuQuantum with NERSC Perlmutter HPC. Our studies give an example that Quantum Machine Learning performs as well as its classical counterpart for realistic High Energy Physics analysis datasets. Furthermore, our result on noisy quantum hardware provides important validation for the result on noiseless quantum simulators.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Summary of Biomass Scale Cubical Triaxial Tester Results

Hoppers are widely used biomass handling devices that channel bulk biomass from storage to subsequent handling equipment. Jenike’s longstanding approach, based on the Mohr-Coulomb model, has been successfully used to design hoppers handling cohesionless granular materials such as grains and other agricultural produces. However, designing a hopper to ensure reliable non-grain biomass flow is found to be challenging due to cohesion, irregular particle shape, and bulk material elastoplasticity. Forest Concepts developed a Cubical Triaxial Tester (CTT) to collect data necessary to determine constitutive model coefficients appropriate for particulate biomass materials. Over the course of three years, including hundreds of data sets with a focus on low-pressure ranges relevant to gravity hopper flow of biomass feedstocks, the Forest Concepts’ CTT has proven to be a reliable method to generate data that is otherwise difficult to obtain. Coefficients for three widely used constitutive material models, i.e., Mohr-Coulomb model, modified Cam-Clay model, and Drucker-Prager/Cap model, are reported. This work was supported in part by the US Department of Energy under contract DE-EE0008254.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Evaluation of Hopper Flow Prediction based on Cubical Triaxial Tester Data and FEM

A cubical triaxial tester (CTT) laboratory device was used to collect key bulk flow characteristics of Crumbles® 6mm rotary sheared woody biomass and Crumbles® 2mm rotary sheard corn stover. The flow properties and a CAD model of a hopper and conveyor system to predict the consistency of flow of material from the hopper. Prediction included the likeliness of jamming, bridging, or ratholing. Each material was then loaded into the hopper and the actual bulk flow was measured. Measured flow closely matched the predicted flow.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Analysis of Cutter Blade Wear in Rotary Shear Mills

Following development of an analytical abrasive wear model to predict wear of components in a rotary shear mill, the team used a finite element analysis (FEA) approach to calculate forces and loads acting on particles responsible for abrasive wear. The analytical model related critical rotary shear process parameters (shear geometry and rotational speed) to critical material attributes of inorganic mineral species in feedstock (density, size, and aspect ratio) and substrate (hardness and elastic modulus) that enabled us to model the wear of shear cutters in a rotary shear milling system developed by Forest Concepts. With proper knowledge of the forces acting between abrasive particles and cutter components built into it, the model can accurately predict wear of the cutters and provides a quality by design (QbD) approach to predict component reliability based on scientific engineering principles in lieu of trial-and-error approaches. During this reporting period, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory applied an FEA package to simulate the local stresses and forces between an abrasive silica particle and two rotary shear cutters as the distance between the cutters decreases. The output of the FEA was used to provide more accurate projections of the loads applied to the particles in the analytical wear model. Comparison of the FEA force calculations are in good agreement with the loads assumed in the analytical predictions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Improved biomass feedstock materials handling and feeding engineering data sets, design methods, and modeling/simulation tools

Forest Concepts led a project to develop a set of tools which enable feedstock handing equipment designers to better understand and model the flowability of bulk particulate biomass materials. The work products included improved flowability mathematical models, data sets used to populate the models, and two new laboratory devices – a biomass-scale true cubical triaxial tester and a biomass-scale gas pycnometer. This work was funded in part by the US Department of Energy under contact DE-EE0008254.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

SBND In 10 Minutes

The Short-Baseline Near Detector (SBND) is one of three Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC) neutrino detectors positioned along the axis of the Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB) at Fermilab, as part of the Short-Baseline Neutrino (SBN) Program. The detector is currently being commissioned and is expected to take neutrino data this year. SBND is characterized by superb imaging capabilities and will record over a million neutrino interactions per year. Thanks to its unique combination of measurement resolution and statistics, SBND will carry out a rich program of neutrino interaction measurements and novel searches for physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM). It will enable the potential of the overall SBN sterile neutrino program by performing a precise characterization of the unoscillated event rate, and constraining BNB flux and neutrino-argon cross-section systematic uncertainties. In this talk, the physics reach, current status, and future prospects of SBND are discussed.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Brochure on the 2024 ASCR Workshop on Energy-Efficient Computing for Science

Large-scale computing has enabled numerous scientific discoveries, including ground-breaking achievements facilitated by the US Department of Energy (DOE) supercomputers and advances in applied mathematics and computer science. While important advances were made in energy efficiency to enable exascale computing, continued efforts are needed to dramatically improve the energy efficiency of the next generation of high-performance computing (HPC) systems and, more broadly, AI data centers. Without substantial improvements in energy efficiency, the energy consumption associated with computing could become a limiting factor for future scientific discovery, national security, and technological advancement.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Report for the 2024 ASCR Workshop on Energy-Efficient Computing for Science

In September 2024, the US Department of Energy’s Advanced Scientific Computing Research pro gram convened a Workshop on Energy-Efficient Computing for Science to address the critical research challenges and opportunities in this field. The workshop brought together experts from academia, government, and industry to explore innovative approaches to improve energy efficiency across the computing stack over the next two decades. Participants identified five priority research directions (PRDs) that emphasize the need for a holistic approach.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

MOSCATO Development and Integration in Fiscal Year 2024

MOSCATO (Molten Salt Chemistry and Transport) is a multiphysics code that provides high-fidelity, coupled simulations of fluid flow, heat transfer, mass transfer, chemistry, electrochemical phenomena, and alloy evolution for molten salt equipment. In FY24, significant developments were made to the code package, enhancing its capabilities in many aspects. The improvements and advancements can be summarized as follows: 1. Implementation of tritium transport capabilities and validation with experimental data: To enable modeling of tritium and other fission gases within MSRs, we implemented gas transport within MOSCATO via inclusion of couple mass transport equations within the salt and structural alloys. Comparisons to experimental data from literature showed good agreement with respect to tritium release rates. 2. Preliminary implementation of two-phase flow models in MOSCATO: To model tritium and other gases above their solubility limits, we implemented preliminary two-phase flow models within MOSCATO to account for bubble transport. The first model adopted was the Level-Set approach, which can handle the high void fraction regime, but with a requirement for high mesh resolution thus high computational expense. In this report, we present a verification of the Level-Set method using a simple benchmark case. We also performed a demonstration of the code as applied to an experimental case involving cover gas flow through salt in an experimental vessel. The second model adopted was the Eulerian-Eulerian dispersed flow model, which is computationally cheaper but limited to low void fraction regimes, such as bubbly flow. Validation and verification have not yet been performed for the Eulerian-Eulerian approach, but a preliminary implementation was completed. 3. Validation with static corrosion experiments: Static corrosion experimental data for stainless steel coupons within molten salts was used to further validate the corrosion model in MOSCATO. To do so, we leveraged the existing models in MOSCATO and simulated the sample mass loss and mass gain phenomena. Several ion species, including Cr 2+ , Fe 2+ and H + , were simulated in salt using the PNP solver, while Cr 0 and Fe 0 were simulated with a diffusion solver in stainless steel. The mass loss of the samples was compared with experimental data, and good agreement was achieved. These combined activities served to further expand the capabilities of MOSCATO and make it more generally applicable to the full range of phenomena that can control chemistry and corrosion in molten salt reactors.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Accelerating transients with NekRS: GPU overlapping domain implementation and multi-rate timestepping

The simulation of nuclear transients using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) presents significant computational challenges due to the inherent complexity and the wide separation in temporal scales between various flow physical phenomena. These disparities lead to high computational costs, often making the simulation of transients impractical without advanced techniques. Consequently, multiple research initiatives are being pursued by the NEAMS thermal-hydraulic area, some driven by academic institutions and some by national laboratories. Overall, they are exploring novel methods to make transient simulations more feasible and efficient. This report delves into recent advancements within the CFD code NekRS, specifically those achieved in Fiscal Year 2024 under the CONNECT effort, aimed at improving the performance and feasibility of transient simulations. The first major advancement involves the porting of NekRS to Aurora, one of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) most powerful supercomputers. Additionally, the report discusses the implementation of an overlapping domain capability within NekRS. This novel GPU-accelerated capability allows different spatial regions of the domain to be solved independently, enhancing the code’s efficiency, particularly when running large-scale simulations in complex domains. The scalability of this approach is demonstrated, highlighting its potential to transform how transients are approached in CFD simulations. Lastly, the report focuses on how this overlapping domain capability specifically accelerates transient simulations through multi-rate timestepping. By decoupling different regions and facilitating faster computations, this method offers a promising pathway to making nuclear transient simulations more computationally feasible, addressing one of the critical bottlenecks in the field. Together, these advancements represent a significant leap forward in transient simulation technology, bringing closer the possibility of handling highly complex nuclear scenarios with greater efficiency and accuracy.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Novel Relativistic Electronic Structure Theories for Actinide-Containing Compounds

Actinides of importance to basic energy sciences contain electrons moving at speed comparable to the speed of light. Reliable computational simulation of these electrons and hence actinide chemistry requires accurate description of relativistic effects. The present project advances computational actinide chemistry with development of new methodologies, algorithms, and computer programs in relativistic quantum chemistry, as well as applications to actinide chemistry and spectroscopy. A new “electrons-only” exact two-component approach has been developed to provide efficient treatments of relativistic effects, while maintaining chemical accuracy. New computational algorithms developed here extend the applicability of relativistic electron-correlation methods to larger molecules. The method-development work in this project also features the first implementation of analytic gradient technique for relativistic electron-correlation methods, which provides significantly enhanced ability to compute properties for molecules containing actinides. The applicability and usefulness of these new methods and computer programs have been demonstrated in calculations of actinide-containing molecules to facilitate understanding of actinide chemistry and spectroscopy.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Self-Healing Cements with Improved Toughness at Casing and Formation Interfaces for Subsurface Applications (CRADA 530)

Over the three-year CRADA, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) advanced a new class of Molecular Velcro™ self-healing wellbore cements designed to improve the long-term integrity of wells used for geothermal energy production and carbon storage. Conventional wellbore cement can crack due to repeated mechanical loading, temperature swings, and exposure to aggressive subsurface fluids. Once cracks form, they can create leakage pathways, drive expensive remediation (“workovers”), and in extreme cases shorten well life. This project addressed that problem by developing polymer-modified cement systems that can autonomously re-seal cracks and better tolerate the extreme conditions experienced in subsurface wells, while remaining compatible with practical cementing operations.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

2025 Advances in NekRS: Supporting improved performance for nuclear applications

This report presents several 2025 advancements in NekRS, a high-fidelity spectral element CFD code developed at Argonne National Laboratory to support the NEAMS thermal-hydraulics program. The forthcoming v25 release consolidates several of these advances, adding new features for portability across heterogeneous GPU architectures, real-time in situ visualization, improved turbulence modeling, and conjugate heat transfer coupling. Over the past year, NekRS has demonstrated strong scalability and performance on DOE’s leading exascale platforms, including Aurora and Frontier, confirming its readiness for some of the largest and most complex simulations attempted to date. These achievements provide a powerful new platform for high-fidelity data generation, which in turn supports the development and validation of advanced closure models critical for reactor safety and design. Significant algorithmic innovations have also been introduced. A new global runtime h-refinement capability simplifies workflows by reducing mesh preparation burdens and enabling coarse-to-fine restarts. Building on this, a novel multigrid strategy was implemented to accelerate pressure and transport solves at scale, addressing long-standing bottlenecks in exascale CFD. Together, these developments improve both the efficiency and accessibility of high-fidelity simulations for reactor-relevant problems. Collectively, these enhancements represent a major step forward in simulation technology, positioning NekRS as a cornerstone of NEAMS efforts to enable accurate, efficient, and scalable high-fidelity analysis of advanced nuclear systems.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗