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At least 577 records · Page 32

Efficient 3-D velocity model building using joint inline and crossline plane-wave wave-equation migration velocity analyses

SUMMARY Wave-equation migration velocity analysis (WEMVA) is an image-domain inversion method for velocity model building. Automatic plane-wave WEMVA (PWEMVA) calculates the moveouts of plane-wave common-image gathers (CIGs) by searching a best-fitting parabola with semblance analysis and backprojects residual CIG moveouts into wavefield wave paths with a reflection tomographic kernel. However, 3-D PWEMVA is very computationally expensive because 3-D reflection tomographic inversion requires at least five 3-D reverse-time migrations per iteration and stores two types of source wavefields at model boundaries. We develop a joint inline and crossline PWEMVA method for efficient 3-D velocity model building. We alternatively implement the inline and crossline PWEMVAs with a constraint for each other, in which we iteratively construct the 3-D velocity model update through 1-D spline interpolation of 2-D gradients. The inline and crossline joint inversion is practical since PWEMVA only inverts for low-wavenumber velocity perturbations along wave paths, and the method can take less than 1 per cent of the computational cost of full 3-D PWEMVA. To construct unaliased plane waves for our joint inline and crossline PWEMVA, we develop a 3-D data interpolation method in the frequency–wavenumber (FK) domain to recover regularly and randomly missing traces. The method minimizes the misfit on sufficiently localized data subsets with iterative optimal step lengths and a gradient preconditioner that iteratively selects dominant dips along different azimuths. In numerical experiments, we use a 3-D synthetic seismic data set and a land 3-D field seismic data set acquired at the Farnsworth CO2-EOR (enhanced oil recovery) field to demonstrate the efficacy of our velocity model building and data interpolation methods.

Liu, Xuejian↗

PFLOTRAN-SIP: A PFLOTRAN Module for Simulating Spectral-Induced Polarization of Electrical Impedance Data

Spectral induced polarization (SIP) is a non-intrusive geophysical method that collects chargeability information (the ability of a material to retain charge) in the time domain or its phase shift in the frequency domain. Although SIP is a temporal method, it cannot measure the dynamics of flow and solute/species transport in the subsurface over long times (i.e., 10–100 s of years). Data collected with the SIP technique need to be coupled with fluid flow and reactive-transport models in order to capture long-term dynamics. To address this challenge, PFLOTRAN-SIP was built to couple SIP data to fluid flow and solute transport processes. Specifically, this framework couples the subsurface flow and transport simulator PFLOTRAN and geoelectrical simulator E4D without sacrificing computational performance. PFLOTRAN solves the coupled flow and solute-transport process models in order to estimate solute concentrations, which were used in Archie’s model to compute bulk electrical conductivities at near-zero frequency. These bulk electrical conductivities were modified while using the Cole–Cole model to account for frequency dependence. Using the estimated frequency-dependent bulk conductivities, E4D simulated the real and complex electrical potential signals for selected frequencies for SIP. These frequency-dependent bulk conductivities contain information that is relevant to geochemical changes in the system. This study demonstrated that the PFLOTRAN-SIP framework is able to detect the presence of a tracer in the subsurface. SIP offers a significant benefit over ERT in the form of greater information content. It provided multiple datasets at different frequencies that better constrained the tracer distribution in the subsurface. Consequently, this framework allows for practitioners of environmental hydrogeophysics and biogeophysics to monitor the subsurface with improved resolution.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Multi-decade high-resolution regional hindcasts for wave energy resource characterization in U.S. coastal waters

Long-term, high-resolution, regional wave hindcast datasets were generated using unstructured-grid Simulating WAves Nearshore (SWAN) models for the U.S. coastal waters to support nearshore wave energy development in the U.S. including those bordering U.S. territorial islands. The model domains resolved the entire U.S. exclusive economic zones, with a spatial resolution of approximately 200 m nearshore. The regional SWAN models were driven by the global WAVEWATCH III® model outputs and run for a 42-year period from 1979 to 2020. Extensive model validations were performed using buoy observations and altimeter data. Regional resource characterization was performed based on hindcast data points at 2 km from shore and along the 100 m isobath. Aggregations of wave resource parameters were produced, and spatial and seasonal variations were analyzed for all the regions. Wave resource metrics recommended by international standards, including a 3-hour time series of six resource parameters, hourly frequency- and directionally resolved wave spectra at selected “virtual buoy” locations, and average-annual values of omni-directional wave power, significant wave height, and energy period are publicly disseminated through an Amazon Web Service and a Marine Energy Atlas web application tool to facilitate wave energy research and a wide range of coastal ocean applications.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

An MPMD approach coupling electromagnetic continuum mechanics approximations in ALEGRA

In this work, two complementary approximations for describing aspects of continuum electromagnetics in moving media are discussed: electroquasistatic and magnetoquasistatic. Each has been implemented in the finite element shock code ALEGRA for modeling dynamic electromechanical phenomena on typical engineering time scales, with fully integrated circuit coupling. The approximations can be obtained by consistent asymptotic balancing of Maxwell’s equations relative to timescales associated with magnetic diffusion, charge relaxation, and electromagnetic wave propagation. In ALEGRA, the electroquasistatic approximation is used for ferroelectric (FE) modeling, while the magnetoquasistatic approximation is used for magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modeling. In this paper we introduce for the first time a detailed derivation of a useful quasi-steady “low-R m ” variant of the MHD approximation applicable for cases, such as with detonators, where the thermodynamic pressure arising from Joule heating dominates over magnetic forces. An additional purpose of this paper is to present a coupling mode using Multiple Program-Multiple Data (MPMD) message passing communication that allows the user to run 3D FE problems together with 2D and/or 3D MHD problems with the respective simulation domains coupled through a common circuit equation. The MPMD coupling capability is used here to model the dynamic coupling of a notional ferroelectric generator with an RP-87 exploding bridgewire detonator. The simulated bridgewire heats up and bursts under current generated by simulated depoling of the ferroelectric generator, as a demonstration of the MPMD capability.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Multi-physics Preconditioning for Thermally Activated Batteries

Thermal batteries, also known as molten-salt batteries, are single-use reserve power systems activated by pyrotechnic heat generation, which transitions the solid electrolyte into a molten state. The simulation of these batteries relies on multiphysics modeling to evaluate performance and behavior under various conditions. This paper presents advancements in scalable preconditioning strategies for the Thermally Activated Battery Simulator (TABS) tool, enabling efficient solutions to the coupled electrochemical systems that dominate computational costs in thermal battery simulations. We propose a hierarchical block Gauss-Seidel preconditioner implemented through the Teko package in Trilinos, which effectively addresses the challenges posed by tightly coupled physics, including charge transport, porous flow, and species diffusion. The preconditioner leverages scalable subblock solvers, including smoothed aggregation algebraic multigrid (SA-AMG) methods and domain-decomposition techniques, to achieve robust convergence and parallel scalability. Strong and weak scaling studies demonstrate the solver’s ability to handle problem sizes up to 51.3 million degrees of freedom on 2048 processors, achieving near sub-second setup and solve times for the end-to-end electrochemical solve. These advancements significantly improve the computational efficiency and turnaround time of thermal battery simulations, paving the way for higher-resolution models and enabling the transition from 2D axisymmetric to full 3D simulations.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Mechanisms of Ti 3 Al precipitation in hcp α -Ti

Here, nucleation and growth of Ti3Al α( 2 ) ordered domains in alpha-Ti-Al-X alloys were characterised using a combination of transmission electron microscopy, atom probe tomography and small angle X-ray scattering. Model alloys based on Ti-7Al (wt.%) and containing O, V and Mo were aged at 550 °C for times up to 120d and the resulting precipitate dispersions were observed at intermediate points. Precipitates grew to around 30nm in size, with a volume fraction of 6-10% depending on tertiary solutes. Interstitial O was found to increase the equilibrium volume fraction of α 2 , while V and Mo showed relatively little influence. Addition of any of the solutes in this study, but most prominently Mo, was found to increase nucleation density and decrease precipitate size and possibly coarsening rate. Coarsening can be described by the Lifshitz-Slyozov-Wagner model, suggesting a matrix diffusion-controlled coarsening mechanism (rather than control by interfacial coherency). Solutionising temperature was found to affect nucleation number density with an activation energy of E f = 1.5 +/- 0.4 eV, supporting the hypothesis that vacancy concentration affects α 2 nucleation. The observation that all solutes increase nucleation number density is also consistent with a vacancy-controlled nucleation mechanism.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Monitoring of mechanical changes in a pipe assembly with complex geometry using multi-mode acoustic signals

Guided wave ultrasonic testing has been widely used for nondestructive and long-range evaluation of diverse mechanical structures, such as pipes and plates. In general, a large number of guided wave modes exist even in the simplest geometries, and they exhibit highly dispersive characteristics. Thus, sophisticated excitation methods and elaborate modal analyses need to be implemented to excite, acquire, and process well-defined pure modes as part of such a measurement method. If the interrogated structure has complex geometry, for example, with cross-sectional variations or multiple joints, the utilization of pure modes becomes significantly more difficult. To overcome this difficulty, this paper proposes the use of multi-mode, multi-frequency guided waves for long-range inspection of structures with arbitrarily complex geometries. Furthermore, using broadband chirp signals and multi-mode time–frequency analysis in a prototypical complex pipe assembly that includes multiple pipe diameters, elbows, and flange connections, we experimentally show sensitive detection of mechanical changes (both material addition and loss). In addition, we demonstrate that the complexity of the structure can be modeled in the digital domain with sufficient detail to allow accurate numerical simulation of the acoustic response using this method.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Dissolution of periodic arrays of grains: Upscaling of pore-scale simulations with fast reactions

Upscaling methods are frequently used to derive transport equations at the macroscopic scale from more fundamental equations formulated at the pore scale. These methods typically give a suitable structure for the macroscopic equations and can also provide explicit expressions for the constitutive parameters, such as permeability and dispersion coefficients. Introducing chemical reactions complicates upscaling in at least two important ways. First, the interplay between chemical reactions and transport processes introduces a new length scale, which can be much smaller than the convective or dispersive length scales. A small reactive length scale breaks one of the key assumptions in upscaling; that there is a significant separation in length between the pore-scale and macro-scale processes. The second complication is that if reactions take place at mineral surfaces (dissolution or precipitation) then the pore space itself is evolving in time. In this paper we suggest ways in which these difficulties can be approached, based on analysis of pore-scale simulation data. First, we noticed that the concentration field in successive unit cells has an almost identical spatial variation, with a single scaling factor for each unit cell that is proportional to the incoming reactant flux. Using pore-scale simulations to determine the mass transfer coefficient in a few unit cells, we can calculate the concentration field in the whole domain, even when dissolution is entirely transport limited. Second, we have noticed a time-dependent mapping of the grain shapes from different unit cells. From these observations, we can deduce constitutive relations where the only time-varying parameter is the porosity. Here, we show that a model based on these ideas can quantitatively account for the pore-scale simulation data.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Thermal-striping analysis methodology for sodium-cooled reactor design

Computational fluid dynamics simulations have been performed to study the applicability of engineering CFD methods for thermals striping analysis. Thermal striping is the fluctuating temperature profile in a solid caused by fluctuating fluid temperature, and the resulting fluctuating thermal stresses cause high cycle fatigue and eventual material failure. Here this study presents the methodology for thermal striping analysis that including a transient conjugate heat transfer RANS model and benchmark the results against a sodium triple jet experiment. The multiphysics calculations are implemented to analyze the thermal stresses in the solid domain caused by the coupled heat transfer between the fluid and solid domains. Validation data from a liquid sodium triple jet experiment include time-averaged temperature measurements and power spectra of the temperature signal. The numerical results agree well with these experimental measures, demonstrating key features such as the dominant frequency of temperature fluctuations. The applicability of a low-cost wall treatment method is demonstrated, enabling key computational savings. Finally, the performance of two finite element stress analysis software packages is compared, and the validity of the lower-cost method is confirmed. These results demonstrate the applicability of engineering methods for computational thermal striping calculations, enabling thermal striping estimations in large fluid systems such as the core of a Sodium-cooled nuclear reactor.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

A Comparative Study of Physics‐Informed and Data‐Driven Neural Networks for Compound Flood Simulation at River‐Ocean Interfaces: A Case Study of Hurricane Irene

Simulating compound flooding (CF) at the river-ocean interface within large-scale Earth System Models (ESMs) presents significant challenges due to complex interactions between river discharge, storm surge, and tides. This study assesses the comparative advantages of physics-informed and data-driven machine learning (ML) approaches for enhancing local ESM performance. We systematically compare data-driven neural network models (i.e., CNNs, U-Net, Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), Gated Recurrent Unit), and physics-informed neural network (PINN) models, including vanilla PINN and a finite-difference-based PINN (FD-PINN). Specifically, FD-PINN is introduced to enhance computational efficiency, accelerating vanilla PINNs by ∼6.5 times while improving accuracy. To enhance data-driven model training, a new data-generation approach is developed to sample historical fluvial and coastal flood events, which ensures a robust data set for extreme event prediction. The models are evaluated using a realistic one-dimensional river domain extracted from an ESM's river mesh and the Hurricane Irene event as an independent test case. Results show that FD-PINN achieves accurate predictions with significantly reduced computational costs relative to vanilla PINNs. Among data-driven models, the best overall performance is achieved by a CNN-LSTM hybrid, which balances accuracy and efficiency. While a fully connected CNN (CNN-FC) provides the best accuracy, it incurs high computational cost. Architectures lacking strong temporal modeling tend to underperform on unseen events. These findings highlight the importance of sequence-aware designs for robust generalization. This study reveals the trade-offs between physics-informed and data-driven models and proposes an adaptive hybrid framework for integrating ML into ESMs to enhance local flood simulations.

Earth Systems Modeling↗

Direct reconstruction of isolated XUV or soft x-ray attosecond pulses from high-harmonic generation streaking spectra

Characterization of an isolated attosecond pulse (IAP) in the extreme ultraviolet (XUV) or soft x-ray (SXR) region is essential for its applications. Here we propose to retrieve an IAP in the time domain directly through the modulation of high-harmonic generation (HHG) spectra in the presence of a time-delayed intense few-cycle infrared or mid-infrared laser. The retrieval algorithm is derived based on the strong-field approximation and an extended quantitative rescattering model. We show that both isolated XUV pulses with a narrow spectral bandwidth and isolated SXR pulses with a broad bandwidth can be well characterized through the HHG streaking spectra. Such an all-optical method for characterizing the IAP differs from the commonly used approach based on the streaked photoelectron spectra that would require electron spectrometers. We check the robustness of the retrieval method by changing the dressing laser or by adjusting the steps of time delay. We also show that the XUV pulse can be accurately retrieved by treating the HHG streaking spectra calculated from solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation for single atoms as the ‘experimental’ data.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Space-Time Reduced-Order Modeling for Uncertainty Quantification

This work focuses on the space-time reduced-order modeling (ROM) method for solving large-scale uncertainty quantification (UQ) problems with multiple random coefficients. In contrast with the traditional space ROM approach, which performs dimension reduction in the spatial dimension, the space-time ROM approach performs dimension reduction on both the spatial and temporal domains, and thus enables accurate approximate solutions at a low cost. We incorporate the space-time ROM strategy with various classical stochastic UQ propagation methods such as stochastic Galerkin and Monte Carlo. Numerical results demonstrate that our methodology has significant computational advantages compared to state-of-the-art ROM approaches. By testing the approximation errors, we show that there is no obvious loss of simulation accuracy for space-time ROM given its high computational efficiency.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Fluid dynamic simulation and analysis of water-cooling systems for the Electron-Ion Collider

The Electron-Ion Collider is the newest large-scale project at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The collider’s purpose is to provide further advancements in the knowledge of the universe’s origin by accelerating particles near the speed of light. Our project for this 3.8 km ring was to create a thermal hydraulic steady-state simulation design of the water-cooling system to be cost-effective and energy efficient, as envisioned by Charlie Foltz, the EIC Infrastructure Division Director. The system would include a supply and return header, which cools several thousand components of the ring. The water would then be returned and cooled down using a system of cooling towers and plate and frame heat exchangers. Due to the size of the system and the complexity of the network analysis, a fluid dynamic simulation software, AFT Fathom, was used. Since previous methods of maintaining systems relied on building upon smaller real-life models and implementing empirical data, this flow model was unique and first of a kind in the domain of accelerator design, construction and operation. Therefore, our hydraulic team piloted a new method to perform network analysis on a large scale cooling system. We successfully created several test scenarios for system behavior in a shorter time compared to the method of performing hand calculations. Cooling specifications for heat rejection, pressure drop, flow rate, and pipe sizing were changed based on the individual systems of the vacuum, radio frequency (RF), magnet and power supply, and cryogenics sections. Finally, we used DOE guidelines to perform life-cycle cost analysis with net present value and carbon saving analysis on the systems where pipe size could be optimized.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Data-Driven Reduced-Order Modeling of Convective Heat Transfer in Porous Media

This work presents a data-driven Reduced-Order Model (ROM) for parametric convective heat transfer problems in porous media. The intrusive Proper Orthogonal Decomposition aided Reduced-Basis (POD-RB) technique is employed to reduce the porous medium formulation of the incompressible Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations coupled with heat transfer. Instead of resolving the exact flow configuration with high fidelity, the porous medium formulation solves a homogenized flow in which the fluid-structure interactions are captured via volumetric flow resistances with nonlinear, semi-empirical friction correlations. A supremizer approach is implemented for the stabilization of the reduced fluid dynamics equations. The reduced nonlinear flow resistances are treated using the Discrete Empirical Interpolation Method (DEIM), while the turbulent eddy viscosity and diffusivity are approximated by adopting a Radial Basis Function (RBF) interpolation-based approach. The proposed method is tested using a 2D numerical model of the Molten Salt Fast Reactor (MSFR), which involves the simulation of both clean and porous medium regions in the same domain. For the steady-state example, five model parameters are considered to be uncertain: the magnitude of the pumping force, the external coolant temperature, the heat transfer coefficient, the thermal expansion coefficient, and the Prandtl number. For transient scenarios, on the other hand, the coastdown-time of the pump is the only uncertain parameter. The results indicate that the POD-RB-ROMs are suitable for the reduction of similar problems. The relative L2 errors are below 3.34% for every field of interest for all cases analyzed, while the speedup factors vary between 54 (transient) and 40,000 (steady-state).

German, Péter (ORCID:0000000307285283)↗

Amplified Mesoscale and Submesoscale Variability and Increased Concentration of Precipitation under Global Warming over Western North America

Abstract Cold-season precipitation statistics in simulations from the storm-resolving WRF Model at 6-km and 1-h resolution over western North America are analyzed. Pseudo–global warming future simulations for the 2041–80 period, constrained by GCMs under the RCP8.5 scenario, are compared to the 1981–2020 historical simulation. The analysis focuses on the dynamical properties of precipitation time series at subdaily scales and on the morphology of storms. The statistical distribution of precipitation intensities in each pixel of the simulation domain is characterized through nonparametric statistical indicators: frequency of wet hours, mean wet-hour precipitation intensity, and Gini coefficient as a measure of the temporal concentration of the precipitation volume. Additionally, the temporal and spatial Fourier power spectra of precipitation time series and precipitation fields are analyzed. The half-power period (HPP) and half-power wavelength (HPW) are defined as spectral measures of the characteristic scales of precipitation’s temporal and spatial patterns. The results show statistically significant increases in the mean wet-hour precipitation intensity and in the Gini coefficient in 99% of the pixels, indicating that the seasonal precipitation volume becomes more concentrated within a smaller number of hours with higher precipitation intensity. The statistics of change in the frequency of wet hours are more contrasted across the simulation domain. The changes are also reflected in the power spectra, which show the spatial and temporal variability increasing proportionally more with finer spatial and temporal scales and the HPW and HPP decreasing. These projected changes are expected to have consequences, not only in terms of hydrologic impacts but also in terms of the predictability of precipitation patterns. Significance Statement The precipitation characteristics of winter storms over the western United States and southwestern Canada are analyzed in future climate simulations for the 2041–80 period. As compared to present-day climate, the most intense parts of the storms are projected to produce a higher rainfall volume, with increased concentration over smaller areas and shorter time intervals. The propensity of rainfall intensity to vary rapidly over time will be enhanced in the future according to the simulations. These model predictions imply an increased risk of rapid flooding in small basins. They also suggest that predicting several hours ahead the time and location at which a storm will produce maximum rainfall may become more challenging in the future.

Climate change↗

Can classical DEM simultaneously capture compressibility and flowability of milled biomass?

Accurate prediction of the rheological behavior of biomass is essential for the design and operation of hoppers, feeders, and storage systems in biorefineries. This study examines whether the classical, coarse-grained discrete element method (DEM) formulation can simultaneously reproduce the compressibility and flowability of milled herbaceous biomass, using Miscanthus × giganteus as a representative material. The model represents particles as rigid spheres interacting through Hertz-Mindlin elastic-frictional contacts augmented with an area-dependent cohesion term. Laboratory cyclic compression and wedge-shaped hopper discharge experiments were used as calibration benchmarks. Although the model can independently reproduce each behavior by appropriately tuning particle Young's modulus E and cohesion energy density k, an extensive parametric investigation comprising more than 600 simulations reveals that the optimal parameter regions for compression and hopper flow are distinct and non-overlapping in (E, k) space. Surrogate surface analysis further shows that the corresponding objective-function valleys exhibit similar trends but are approximately parallel and spatially offset, precluding a unified calibration within the explored domain. Sensitivity analysis indicates that compressibility is governed predominantly by stiffness and cohesion, whereas the slope of the mass flow rate-opening relation in hopper discharge is primarily controlled by tangential friction. Extensions incorporating particle size distribution and clumped-sphere representations do not eliminate the incompatibility. These results systematically reveal, for the first time, the structural limitation of simplified DEM formulations in representing biomass rheological behavior, underscoring the necessity for models incorporating additional physical mechanisms, such as particle deformability or enhanced interlocking, to achieve unified predictive capability for biomass handling behavior.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Genome-Wide Discovery of G-Quadruplexes in Wheat: Distribution and Putative Functional Roles

G-quadruplexes are nucleic acid secondary structures formed by a stack of square planar G-quartets. G-quadruplexes were implicated in many biological functions including telomere maintenance, replication, transcription, and translation, in many species including humans and plants. For wheat, however, though it is one of the world’s most important staple food, no G-quadruplex studies have been reported to date. Here, we computationally identify putative G4 structures (G4s) in wheat genome for the first time and compare its distribution across the genome against five other genomes (human, maize, Arabidopsis, rice, and sorghum). We identified close to 1 million G4 motifs with a density of 76 G4s/Mb across the whole genome and 93 G4s/Mb over genic regions. Remarkably, G4s were enriched around three regions, two located on the antisense and one on the sense strand at the following positions: 1) the transcription start site (TSS) (antisense), 2) the first coding domain sequence (CDS) (antisense), and 3) the start codon (sense). Functional enrichment analysis revealed that the gene models containing G4 motifs within these peaks were associated with specific gene ontology (GO) terms, such as developmental process, localization, and cellular component organization or biogenesis. We investigated genes encoding MADS-box transcription factors and showed examples of G4 motifs within critical regulatory regions in the VRN-1 genes in wheat. Furthermore, comparison with other plants showed that monocots share a similar distribution of G4s, but Arabidopsis shows a unique G4 distribution. Our study shows for the first time the prevalence and possible functional roles of G4s in wheat.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗