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Requirements Description of DASSH-F

This report reviews the modeling and simulation capabilities of Argonne National Laboratory’s DASSH code that is used in present reactor analysis activities. These capabilities will be used to establish the set of verification tasks necessary to verify DASSH for use on commercial projects. A similar approach was taken for the PERSENT, REBUS and DIF3D software packages. The DASSH program is a thermal analysis code designed to rapidly allow a reactor design engineer to obtain flow rates requirements that satisfy peak temperature constraints in the domain. DASSH is a follow-on development to the SE2-ANL software and SUPERENERGY-2 software that it is based upon. DASSH was designed to account for both neutron and gamma heating and is inherently connected to the GAMSOR part of the ARC suite of fast reactor analysis software. SE2-ANL is a developed piece of software from the 1980s while DASSH is a modern implementation with notable improvements in geometry handling. The most important upgrade of DASSH relative to SE2-ANL is that it can analyze multiple time points in a single run where SE2-ANL can only treat a single time point. This allows the user to understand the impact of and search the flow distribution for the entire operational period of a reactor design considering pressure drop, peak coolant and fuel temperatures, and thermal striping. DASSH has three input paths that have to be verified. The first input path builds the geometry and power distribution based upon the DIF3D model but ignores the gamma heating aspects of the problem. The second input path also builds the geometry from the DIF3D model but it takes the neutron and gamma heating distributions from GAMSOR. The third input path is to take the geometry and power distribution directly from user input (i.e. not coupled to DIF3D or GAMSOR). DASSH also has many built in correlations for material properties along with a user defined specification of the fuel, structure, and coolant properties. There are correlations for flow split, mixing, pressure drop, and heat transfer coefficients (subchannel rather than a direct methodology). In total, verification of DASSH will require an extensive testing to cover all possible user features of the software.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Renewable Energy Potential Model: Priority Geothermal Leasing Areas ReEDs Results

This dataset contains the results of a study conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to identify potential future priority geothermal leasing areas on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and United States Forest Service (USFS) lands. The analysis uses the Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) model to evaluate geothermal resource potential under different scenarios of resource depth and technology combinations through the year 2050. The study considers geothermal resource potential, natural resource conflicts, and transmission access to categorize areas into near, mid, and far deployment priorities. The dataset includes outputs from the ReEDS model, such as geothermal capacity, generation, system costs, and emissions under various economic and technical scenarios. Favorability site data with geographic coordinates and site-specific attributes (e.g., resource favorability, land type) are also provided. Supporting resources include a technical report detailing methodologies and assumptions, along with a link to the ReEDS model GitHub repository, which requires GAMS and Python software for execution.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

The XMM Cluster Survey: automating the estimation of hydrostatic mass for large samples of galaxy clusters – I. Methodology, validation, and application to the SDSSRM-XCS sample

ABSTRACT We describe features of the X-ray: Generate and Analyse (xga) open-source software package that have been developed to facilitate automated hydrostatic mass ($M_{\rm hydro}$) measurements from XMM X-ray observations of clusters of galaxies. This includes describing how xga measures global, and radial, X-ray properties of galaxy clusters. We then demonstrate the reliability of xga by comparing simple X-ray properties, namely the X-ray temperature and gas mass, with published values presented by the XMM Cluster Survey (XCS), the Ultimate XMM eXtragaLactic survey project (XXL), and the Local Cluster Substructure Survey (LoCuSS). xga measured values for temperature are, on average, within 1 per cent of the values reported in the literature for each sample. xga gas masses for XXL clusters are shown to be ${\sim }$10 per cent lower than previous measurements (though the difference is only significant at the $\sim 1.8\sigma$ level), LoCuSS $R_{2500}$ and $R_{500}$ gas mass re-measurements are 3 per cent and 7 per cent lower, respectively (representing 1.5$\sigma$ and 3.5$\sigma$ differences). Like-for-like comparisons of hydrostatic mass are made to LoCuSS results, which show that our measurements are $10{\pm }3~{{\rm per\ cent}}$ ($19{\pm }7~{{\rm per\ cent}}$) higher for $R_{2500}$ ($R_{500}$). The comparison between $R_{500}$ masses shows significant scatter. Finally, we present new $M_{\rm hydro}$ measurements for 104 clusters from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) DR8 redMaPPer XCS sample (SDSSRM-XCS). Our SDSSRM-XCS hydrostatic mass measurements are in good agreement with multiple literature estimates, and represent one of the largest samples of consistently measured hydrostatic masses. We have demonstrated that xga is a powerful tool for X-ray analysis of clusters; it will render complex-to-measure X-ray properties accessible to non-specialists.

Turner, D. J. (ORCID:0000000196581396)↗

Fiscal Year 2025 Software Quality Assurance Activities for the ARC Software

The continued goal of the ARC SQA project in the Advanced Reactor Technologies program of DOE is to resolve the QA gaps for the ARC software that limit, or prevent, commercialization of the software for industry users. This project started in earnest in fiscal year 2023 which saw the entire code system moved from a SVN repository to a GitLab repository and an associated software quality assurance plan (SQAP) developed and ratified. Most of the QA gaps in the ARC software were identified in collaboration with industry partners and work begin in fiscal year 2023 and continued through 2024 and 2025. The continuous integration testing was extended to RCT, DASSH, and SE2ANL. Minor changes were required to the original continuous integration methodology to make this happen. When full confidence in the methodology is complete, a report will be created to detail the automated regression testing methodology and minor reports will be created to detail the tolerance settings that have been applied to the output for each ARC code. The primary documentation that is missing includes user manuals, user guides, software verification reports, and code coverage assessments. The DASSH, SE2ANL, and SE2RCT manuals were completed this fiscal year. A review of the SE2ANL software identified that it is unrealistic to include updated correlations or different geometry models and it was scheduled for deprecation in favor of DASSH. The SE2ANL manual is essential for SE2RCT as they are similar but quite different in purpose. The only piece of software missing a manual consistent with the source code is NUBOW-3D which is a focus of the coming year. The code coverage report for DIF3D was updated and code coverage reports were created for REBUS, RCT, PERSENT, GAMSRC, and DASSH. Minor coverage issues were identified for all of these pieces of software which did not prevent the work done to transition them to the OneAPI compiler. Because SE2ANL was scheduled for deprecation, it was not transitioned, but it was successfully tested with the OneAPI compiler. This leaves SE2RCT and NUBOW-3D as the only pieces of software not transitioned to OneAPI and further work is required to get SE2RCT to work properly. The SE2RCT software transition will begin early next year while the NUBOW-3D software requires a manual before it can begin. Software verification work has been completed for DIF3D, REBUS, GAMSOR, GAMSRC, VARPOW, EvaluateFlux, and SUMMAR. The PERSENT software verification work was completed this year which was somewhat delayed because of unexpected bugs in the software. The PERSENT manual was updated to detail some of the issues and discuss the bowing reactivity worth feature added in the previous fiscal year. The RCT, DASSH, SE2RCT, and NUBOW-3D software are the only maintained pieces of software without verification reports. The software verification work for DASSH will be a focus in the upcoming fiscal year and it is hoped that some of the test cases created can serve as verification tests for SE2RCT. The NUBOW-3D work will begin when the manual and requirements report are completed. Only minor industry partner software development funds were provided this year. The DASSH software was updated to handle general axial geometry for each assembly and the NUBOW-3D software was updated to incorporate a new input format and better output. Overall progress on resolving the QA gaps has been good this year.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Fiscal Year 2025 Software Quality Assurance Activities for the ARC Software

The continued goal of the ARC SQA project in the Advanced Reactor Technologies program of DOE is to resolve the QA gaps for the ARC software that limit, or prevent, commercialization of the software for industry users. This project started in earnest in fiscal year 2023 which saw the entire code system moved from a SVN repository to a GitLab repository and an associated software quality assurance plan (SQAP) developed and ratified. Most of the QA gaps in the ARC software were identified in collaboration with industry partners and work begin in fiscal year 2023 and continued through 2024 and 2025. The continuous integration testing was extended to RCT, DASSH, and SE2ANL. Minor changes were required to the original continuous integration methodology to make this happen. When full confidence in the methodology is complete, a report will be created to detail the automated regression testing methodology and minor reports will be created to detail the tolerance settings that have been applied to the output for each ARC code. The primary documentation that is missing includes user manuals, user guides, software verification reports, and code coverage assessments. The DASSH, SE2ANL, and SE2RCT manuals were completed this fiscal year. A review of the SE2ANL software identified that it is unrealistic to include updated correlations or different geometry models and it was scheduled for deprecation in favor of DASSH. The SE2ANL manual is essential for SE2RCT as they are similar but quite different in purpose. The only piece of software missing a manual consistent with the source code is NUBOW-3D which is a focus of the coming year. The code coverage report for DIF3D was updated and code coverage reports were created for REBUS, RCT, PERSENT, GAMSRC, and DASSH. Minor coverage issues were identified for all of these pieces of software which did not prevent the work done to transition them to the OneAPI compiler. Because SE2ANL was scheduled for deprecation, it was not transitioned, but it was successfully tested with the OneAPI compiler. This leaves SE2RCT and NUBOW-3D as the only pieces of software not transitioned to OneAPI and further work is required to get SE2RCT to work properly. The SE2RCT software transition will begin early next year while the NUBOW-3D software requires a manual before it can begin. Software verification work has been completed for DIF3D, REBUS, GAMSOR, GAMSRC, VARPOW, EvaluateFlux, and SUMMAR. The PERSENT software verification work was completed this year which was somewhat delayed because of unexpected bugs in the software. The PERSENT manual was updated to detail some of the issues and discuss the bowing reactivity worth feature added in the previous fiscal year. The RCT, DASSH, SE2RCT, and NUBOW-3D software are the only maintained pieces of software without verification reports. The software verification work for DASSH will be a focus in the upcoming fiscal year and it is hoped that some of the test cases created can serve as verification tests for SE2RCT. The NUBOW-3D work will begin when the manual and requirements report are completed. Only minor industry partner software development funds were provided this year. The DASSH software was updated to handle general axial geometry for each assembly and the NUBOW-3D software was updated to incorporate a new input format and better output. Overall progress on resolving the QA gaps has been good this year.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Alternative Method for Performing As-Built, As-Irradiated Neutronics Analyses

Neutronics analyses have been used to assist in the design, development, and qualification of miniature fuel (MiniFuel) experiments irradiated in the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) since their conception almost a decade ago. In recent years, upon completion of a MiniFuel target’s irradiation, neutronics analyses that reflect the as-built, as-irradiated conditions of an experiment have also been performed to validate postirradiation examination (PIE) efforts. Several radiation transport and depletion/activation software wrapper programs have been developed to increase the fidelity of these calculations; at ORNL, a program called HFIRCON is the primary software method employed. However, the utilization of these wrapper programs comes at a cost. To produce accurate results, the radiation transport portion of these analyses requires significant time and resources to execute. Therefore, this report discusses an alternative methodology for calculating some of the desired output for PIE validation—specifically, the output used in evaluating the experiment’s fuel burnup—without complete reliance on ORNL’s wrapper program. The alternative method is not a new software but rather a procedure for utilizing the depletion/activation software, SCALE, in conjunction with limited input data and reasonable assumptions to bypass most of the radiation transport calculations and thereby reduce the time required for the completion of a standard analysis.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Efficient training of physics-informed neural networks

Open-source software package designed for the efficient training of Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINNs) and their variants, integrating advanced methodologies such as adaptive weighting and adaptive sampling

Chen, Wenqian [Pacific Northwest National Laborato↗

Mass Spectrometer Transient Analysis

This software implements a complete preprocessing pipeline for transient mass spectrometry (MS) data collected during TAP (Temporal Analysis of Products) experiments. It is designed to extract chemically meaningful fluxes from overlapping ion signals by applying a calibrated defragmentation matrix and solving the resulting linear system using non-negative least squares (NNLS) regression. The core script, preprocess_mass_spec.py, performs the following operations: Gain correction: Applies amplifier gain scalars derived from inert-packed calibration pulses to normalize signal intensities across AMUs and acquisition settings. Background subtraction: Removes experiment baselines using user-defined time windows, ensuring compatibility with slow-diffusing species and preventing negative values that would interfere with NNLS. Options to subtract before and after defragmentation. Defragmentation: Constructs a fragmentation matrix A from zeroth moments of calibration pulses (equal molar gas:inert mixtures) and solves Ax=b at each time point, where b is the raw MS signal and x is the estimated species flux. The matrix is normalized to inert signals and accounts for instrument-specific fragmentation behavior. Pulse-mode handling: Supports both averaged and individual pulse modes, enabling statistical treatment of fluxes and calculation of standard deviations. Integration and output: Computes zeroth moments (integrated fluxes) and exports time-resolved and integrated data in CSV format, suitable for downstream kinetic modeling. The software is validated using both virtual TAP simulations (VTAP) and experimental data from propane dehydrogenation (PDH) on CrOx/Al2O3 catalysts. It preserves temporal resolution by applying NNLS point-by-point across the pulse duration (typically 6,000+ time slices per pulse), leveraging the linear superposition principle to reconstruct full flux profiles. The defragmented outputs are compatible with kinetic extraction methods such as the G and Y procedures, which are used to derive rate–concentration relationships from TAP data. The details of these validations are discussed in detail in the supporting manuscript and supporting information. Example data and output files are also included. The methodology is robust to experimental noise and drift, with calibration protocols that account for pulse size effects, MS aging, and inert gas normalization. The software is modular, reproducible, and tailored for high-throughput TAP-MS workflows in catalysis research.

Kristy, Stephen [Idaho National Laboratory (INL), ↗

Bridging the time scale in exascale computing of chemical systems (Final Technical Report)

This report summarizes the work carried out with support of the United States Department of Energy under Award DE-SC0019441. The theme of this project was to develop and apply methods that allowed for the acceleration of atomistic calculations, particularly in challenging areas such as multiphase systems, electrified interfaces, uncertainty estimation, and applications requiring chemical accuracy, which tend to be applications where simulation time is severely bottlenecked by the computational time requirements. Much of the focus was on the application of emerging machine-learning methodologies, although a wide range of methodologies were employed. This report has two major sections. The first focuses on the methodological advances themselves. Within this part, we report a number of major advances, a few examples of which are described here. We report the first machine-learning scheme for the acceleration of electronically grand-canonical calculations (that is, those applicable to electrochemistry). We report new methods of performing transfer learning, in which physics-based priors can be used to provide predictions, often with uncertainty estimates, of images well outside of training sets; we also offer ways to fine-tune these transfer-learning models. We provide a new systematic means to generate and apply minimal training data sets to very large (10,000’s of atoms) systems, with only small training sets appropriate for electronic structure. We developed new methodologies to integrate surface vibrations into surface adsorption calculations. We made advances to the applicability of diffusion Monte Carlo methods to allow (learned) force prediction, finite-size error correction, and force-free means of searching for transition states. We integrated machine-learned atomistic predictions into mechanism generation codes. Additionally, we released new software including AmpTorch, a modernized version of our original atomistic machine-learning code Amp. The second part of this report focuses on the scientific applications that accompanied, and were often enabled by, the methodological advances described earlier. A few examples follow, but full details are in the individual chapters of the report. For example, we developed a general theory of phonon-induced friction on molecular adsorbates. We showed fundamentally how solvent influences the adsorption and desorption process and how it differs from the processes typically involved at the solid–gas interface, making aqueous-phase and electrocatalysis different from traditional thermocatalysis. We examined how metal–insulator and magnetic transitions can be probed, and accelerated exciton dynamics via Frenkel Hamiltonian parameters. We showed that the nearsighted force-training approach, developed within this project, can predict both the stability and reactivity of large nanoparticles, and can also lead to insights on catalyst coverage on binding energies and entropies. These applied studies, which generally integrated with our method development, allowed us to push forward the theoretical understanding of several reaction classes.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Quantifying and Zoning Urban Heat Island Effects Using Unsupervised Machine Learning

This work explores the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effects in Maricopa County, Arizona, employing a simulation-based approach that combines large-scale building energy modeling with advanced spatial analysis. Utilizing the Automatic Building Energy Modeling (AutoBEM) software suite, we simulated the energy consumption for approximately 1.35 million buildings based on the Model America version 1.0 (MAv1) dataset. Our methodology incorporated spatial analysis at multiple scales, including individual buildings, clusters of zones determined by K-means clustering, and geographical level evaluation based on Zip codes. The results revealed significant variations in energy consumption and heat emissions across different building types and urban zones. High-emission hotspots identified through clustering pointed to areas most contributing to the UHI effects. Zip code-based area analysis further contextualized these findings, offering an urban context-based perspective on emission distribution and informing potential urban energy policies for mitigating UHI effects.

Chowdhury, Shovan [ORNL]↗

Promoting regulatory acceptance of combined ion and neutron irradiation testing of nuclear reactor materials: Modeling and software considerations

As the needs for the nuclear energy industry continue to evolve in the 21st century, timely adoption of new technological solutions acceptable to regulatory agencies is critical. Quantitative prediction of radiation damage in materials and its impact on mechanical properties is a key component of licensing and regulatory decisions regarding nuclear power plants. Accelerated testing methodologies such as combined ion and neutron irradiation data sets are crucial for the development and deployment of new materials and new manufacturing methods (e.g., additive manufacturing). However, regulatory acceptance of accelerated testing methodologies is necessary for their adoption. Further, the present work discusses the fundamental basis for comparing ion- and neutron-induced material microstructures, the theory behind interpreting radiation damage across length and time scales and radiation types, and the codes, standards, and quality assurance concerns surrounding different modeling methods and software. In particular, recommendations are given as to the path forward that will enable national laboratories, academia, and industry to develop the modeling and software basis for regulatory acceptance of the combined use of ion and neutron irradiation for material performance evaluation.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Software Verification of VARPOW

The VARPOW program is a post-processing utility program for DIF3D, specifically DIF3DVARIANT, and it was developed to provide interface files for the thermal analysis program DASSH. The basic methodology of VARPOW is to take the neutron and gamma flux (moments) calculated by DIF3D (or GAMSOR) and combine them with the heating (coefficient) cross sections to calculate the spatial power distributions using the DIF3DVARIANT spatial basis. VARPOW can use the output from GAMSOR (both steady state neutron and gamma flux calculations) or standard DIF3D/REBUS calculations (neutron flux only). The correct approach for defining the power distribution is to use GAMSOR as its purpose was to properly compute the gamma heating throughout the modeled domain. The power densities calculated by VARPOW are broken into fuel, cladding and coolant terms for which isotope-wise categorization is needed. VARPOW has built in options the user can select for the isotope categorization or VARPOW can import a file that details the isotope categorization. VARPOW can export the solution in the polynomial basis of DIF3D-VARIANT or the monomial basis of DIF3D-VARIANT. The purpose of this work is to verify the power distribution results calculated by VARPOW from both the GAMSOR and DIF3D input options and verify that the input and output options are consistent with the manual. Hand calculation and independent numerical calculation are used for this verification work.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Software Verification of VARPOW

The VARPOW program is a post-processing utility program for DIF3D, specifically DIF3DVARIANT, and it was developed to provide interface files for the thermal analysis program DASSH. The basic methodology of VARPOW is to take the neutron and gamma flux (moments) calculated by DIF3D (or GAMSOR) and combine them with the heating (coefficient) cross sections to calculate the spatial power distributions using the DIF3DVARIANT spatial basis. VARPOW can use the output from GAMSOR (both steady state neutron and gamma flux calculations) or standard DIF3D/REBUS calculations (neutron flux only). The correct approach for defining the power distribution is to use GAMSOR as its purpose was to properly compute the gamma heating throughout the modeled domain. The power desnities calculated by VARPOW are broken into fuel, cladding and coolant terms for which isotope-wise categorization is needed. VARPOW has built in options the user can select for the isotope categorization or VARPOW can import a file that details the isotope categorization. VARPOW can export the solution in the polynomial basis of DIF3D-VARIANT or the monomial basis of DIF3D-VARIANT. The purpose of this work is to verify the power distribution results calculated by VARPOW from both the GAMSOR and DIF3D input options and verify that the input and output options are consistent with the manual. Hand calculation and independent numerical calculation are used for this verification work.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Software Verification of VARPOW

The VARPOW program is a post-processing utility program for DIF3D, specifically DIF3DVARIANT, and it was developed to provide interface files for the thermal analysis program DASSH. The basic methodology of VARPOW is to take the neutron and gamma flux (moments) calculated by DIF3D (or GAMSOR) and combine them with the heating (coefficient) cross sections to calculate the spatial power distributions using the DIF3DVARIANT spatial basis. VARPOW can use the output from GAMSOR (both steady state neutron and gamma flux calculations) or standard DIF3D/REBUS calculations (neutron flux only). The correct approach for defining the power distribution is to use GAMSOR as its purpose was to properly compute the gamma heating throughout the modeled domain. The power desnities calculated by VARPOW are broken into fuel, cladding and coolant terms for which isotope-wise categorization is needed. VARPOW has built in options the user can select for the isotope categorization or VARPOW can import a file that details the isotope categorization. VARPOW can export the solution in the polynomial basis of DIF3D-VARIANT or the monomial basis of DIF3D-VARIANT. Recently the clad neutron damage calculation capability was introduced into VARPOW, and it now allows a pathway to get distributions of clad DPA. The purpose of this work is to verify the power distribution, fast neutron flux and clad DPA results calculated by VARPOW from both the GAMSOR and DIF3D input options and verify that the input and output options are consistent with the manual. Hand calculation and independent numerical calculation are used for this verification work.

Zhong, Zhaopeng [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)↗

MemFriend: Understanding Memory Performance with Spatial-Temporal Affinity

In HPC applications, memory access behavior is one of the main factors affecting performance. Improving an application’s memory access behavior involves optimizing data layout and/or restructuring code, and requires studying spatial-temporal data locality. Existing data locality analyses focus on single-location metrics and are restricted to evaluating temporal locality. We introduce spatial-temporal affinity metrics that quantify temporal access proximity, forward access correlation, and nearby access correlation between pairs of memory locations. We describe methods for distinguishing between potential vs. realized affinity and for reasoning about affinity at multiple resolutions (3D, 2D, 1D). Finally, we construct spatial-temporal affinity signatures that classify memory behavior and that be used to reason about changes in software (data relayout, code refactoring) or hardware (caching, prefetching). We describe methods for signature visualization, interpretation, and quantitative comparison of signatures. We evaluate our methodology using applications with variants that contrast data structures, data layouts and algorithms. We show that spatial-temporal affinity analysis provides novel insights and enables predictive reasoning about application performance when contrasted with reuse distance analysis.

Suriyakumar, Yasodhadevi↗

Characterization of Infrasonic Signatures of Earth-Grazing Fireballs as Analogues to Hypersonic Vehicles (Final Report)

Accurate detection, discrimination, and characterization of high-altitude hypersonic events using infrasonic monitoring are critical to planetary defense and global strategic surveillance. This report synthesizes recent advances achieved through rigorous analysis of infrasonic signatures from natural meteoroids, emphasizing shallow entry-angle meteoroids as essentially proxies for artificial hypersonic systems. Meteoroids naturally encompass diverse velocities, trajectories, altitudes, and fragmentation behaviors, enabling systematic validation of empirical period–yield relationships, waveform morphology classifiers, and trajectory-induced back-azimuth deviation models. Integration of adaptive array-processing enhancements within Cardinal software further extends infrasonic detection sensitivity and signal classification reliability. Collectively these advances, based solely on infrasonic signatures or limited optical data, offer robust methodologies for distinguishing natural from artificial hypersonic sources, significantly reducing event geolocation uncertainties and refining source-function determination. The outcomes detailed herein lay foundational groundwork for improved global hypersonic event-surveillance frameworks, supporting improved security preparedness and informing strategic monitoring and defense policies.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Autonomous Coupler Alignment Using Position-Based Visual Servoing in a ROS 2 Framework

As robotic arms are becoming increasingly common alongside humans as collaborative robots, their high precision in motion enables tasks to be performed at significantly higher speeds with reduced disruption in the environment. The Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory is exploring this application by incorporating a UR16e from Universal Robots in a cleanroom setting during assembly of couplers to superconducting radio frequency cavities as part of the PIP-II project. The goal of the robotic assembly process is to precisely position the UR16e robot so that the coupler flange, mounted on the robot’s end-effector, is accurately aligned with and pressed against the cavity flange, requiring only final fastening by a lab technician. This thesis builds upon an initial system in which the robotic process was limited to the alignment phase using position-based visual servoing with an eye-in-hand camera to only align the coupler to the cavity with an offset distance. The objective of this thesis is to further advance autonomous robotic assembly by extending the process. To this end, the entire software framework was reconstructed, as the previous development environment posed significant challenges in modifying the software and adapting to hardware changes. The main contributions of this thesis are as follows: (i) a modular and scalable software framework based on ROS~2 was developed to facilitate performance expansion and interchangeability of software and hardware components; (ii) the desired alignment position for position-based visual servoing was parameterized to enable flexible configuration; and (iii) a methodology was developed to close the offset distance between the coupler and cavity utilizing the internal force-torque sensing capability of the UR16e, as visual feedback is not available during the offset-closing phase. The proposed autonomous robotic assembly reduces assembly time and technician involvement, thereby minimizing the risk of airborne particulate contamination, which is essential in the cleanroom setting. Moreover, the ROS~2-based framework provides a foundation for further expansion and continued advancement of robotic automation in Fermilab.

Giffen, Nickolas [Northern Illinois U.]↗

Comparing modelling approaches for a generic nuclear waste repository in salt

This paper contains a comparison of five modelling approaches for a simplified nuclear waste repository in a domal salt formation. It is the result of a four-year collaboration between five international teams on Task F of the DECOVALEX-2023 project on performance assessment modelling. The primary objectives of Task F are to build confidence in the models, methods, and software used for performance assessment (PA) of deep geologic nuclear waste repositories, and/or to bring to the fore additional research and development needed to improve PA methodologies. This work demonstrates how these objectives are accomplished through staged development and comparison of the models and methods used by participating teams in their PA frameworks. Participating teams made a wide range of model assumptions, ranging from compartmentalized networks to full 3D models of the salt formation and repository. Despite differences in the modelling strategies, all models indicate that salt compaction and diffusion of radionuclides in brine are key processes in the repository. For the isothermal spent nuclear fuel and vitrified waste scenario with multiple early failures considered, all models indicate little of the disposed radionuclides will migrate beyond the repository seal over the 100,000-year simulations. In general, the model output quantities have the largest differences over the short term and near the waste. Disparities between the models are believed to be due to differing simplifications from the conceptual model.

DECOVALEX↗