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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 595 records · Page 33

Characterizing and Modeling the Cost of Rework in a Library of Reusable Software Components

In this paper we characterize and model the cost of rework in a Component Factory (CF) organization. A CF is responsible for developing and packaging reusable software components. Data was collected on corrective maintenance activities for the Generalized Support Software reuse asset library located at the Flight Dynamics Division of NASA's GSFC. We then constructed a predictive model of the cost of rework using the C4.5 system for generating a logical classification model. The predictor variables for the model are measures of internal software product attributes. The model demonstrates good prediction accuracy, and can be used by managers to allocate resources for corrective maintenance activities. Furthermore, we used the model to generate proscriptive coding guidelines to improve programming, practices so that the cost of rework can be reduced in the future. The general approach we have used is applicable to other environments.

Basili, Victor R.↗

Method of discrete modeling and its application to estimation of TF30 engine variables

A method of discrete modeling is presented that effectively isolates steady state model accuracy from dynamic model accuracy. The steady state model may be generated from the engine design equations with any desired degree of accuracy. The dynamic model is generated by applying a step disturbance of a manipulated variable to an open loop engine simulation. The sampled response of the variable is combined with the steady state model's response to form a set of weighting factors. These weighting factors are then used to weight past values of the manipulated variable, thus forming the dynamic model. The method is used to estimate various TF30-P-3 engine variables. A dynamic trim function is developed to compensate for the dynamic nonlinearities of the variables as well as for inaccuracies in dynamic definition. The trim function is shown to be realted to the square root of the sum of the squares of the weighting factors obtained at various engine operating conditions. Finally, the estimation of variables without dynamic modeling is discussed.

Arpasi, D. J.↗

Incompressible Navier-Stokes and parabolized Navier-Stokes formulations and computational techniques

The differential formulations and computational techniques currently used for the incompressible Navier-Stokes (NS) and parabolic Navier-Stokes (PNS) equations are reviewed. In particular, attention is given to problems associated with the choice of difference equations, the method of solution and the choice of algorithm, the coupling of dependent variables and discretized equations, the application of boundary conditions, and grid generation. A new composite velocity NS and PNS formulation in (u,v,p) variables is presented, and the applicability of a 'forward' difference global pressure iteration for the (u,v,p) PNS system is demonstrated.

Rubin, S. G.↗

Variables to be considered for further human exploration of space

Now embarked on its fourth decade of space exploration, the United States is turning from singular forays to long-term, evolutionary exploration and utilization of space. But while the goals of U.S. space exploration have changed, the many technical variables which exist for mission planners are essentially the same ones an earlier generation faced at the beginning of the Space Age. How these variables are defined and then answered will determine when and in what form future U.S. expeditions will depart for the moon and Mars. This paper discusses both the emerging rationales for a more robust space program, and the many variables such efforts will entail, with the goal of providing a starting point for the many choices space planners will encounter in the future.

Cohen, Aaron↗

Chaotic neural dynamics facilitate probabilistic computations through sampling

Cortical neurons exhibit highly variable responses over trials and time. Theoretical works posit that this variability arises potentially from chaotic network dynamics of recurrently connected neurons. Here, we demonstrate that chaotic neural dynamics, formed through synaptic learning, allow networks to perform sensory cue integration in a sampling-based implementation. We show that the emergent chaotic dynamics provide neural substrates for generating samples not only of a static variable but also of a dynamical trajectory, where generic recurrent networks acquire these abilities with a biologically plausible learning rule through trial and error. Furthermore, the networks generalize their experience in the stimulus-evoked samples to the inference without partial or all sensory information, which suggests a computational role of spontaneous activity as a representation of the priors as well as a tractable biological computation for marginal distributions. These findings suggest that chaotic neural dynamics may serve for the brain function as a Bayesian generative model.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Synchrotron X-ray diffraction analysis of constituent phases in transition joint between nickel alloy 738LC and a MnFeCoNiCu alloy

Synchrotron x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was performed on transition joints between a single-phase MnFeCoNiCu alloy and Ni-base Alloy 738LC to efficiently identify the constituent phases across the interface, with different levels of material intermixing generated by laser-welding with variable power. Here, the intermixing extent was quantified by postmortem energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy mapping. Diffraction-based analyses on complex composition spaces with limited prior data present significant challenges because elemental substitution in both disordered and ordered phases is more extensive than in conventional alloy spaces, which may effectuate relatively large shifts in the observed lattice parameters that convolute the analysis. Therefore, thermodynamic simulations and crystallographic literature data were employed to construct a system-specific diffraction library of twelve prospective phases for the composition space investigated. Subsequently, for predicted disordered cubic phases, statistical hard-sphere models were established to estimate the lattice parameters and predict diffraction peak positions for inclusion in the library. The library was then employed to analyze diffraction profiles measured from the variably intermixed transition joints, with focus on accounting for both high and low-intensity peaks. 99.0 % of diffraction peaks with relative intensity greater than 0.001 were assigned to phases from the system-specific library, exemplifying rigorous peak accounting and indicating that no unexpected phases were present. Up to six of the twelve library phases were experimentally found in the transition joints. The lattice parameters predicted by the statistical hard-sphere model based upon thermodynamic simulations agree reasonably well with the measured values for the disordered FCC matrix phase.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Untapped Benefits of Porous Liquids for Gas Capture: Low-Energy Regeneration

Current liquid-phase gas capture materials incur high operational costs due to energy-intensive regeneration processes, creating an industrial need for alternative materials that retain engineering benefits while reducing energy requirements. Porous liquids (PLs), liquid-phase materials with permanent internal porosity, have emerged as promising replacements with excellent gas absorption capacity and selectivity. Despite these benefits, evaluation of regeneration in PLs remains rare. In this Perspective, we evaluate the effects of solvent interactions, mass transport, and binding site formation that control PL regeneration. While conventional regeneration methods exist in PLs, the diversity of PL compositions allows for novel regeneration processes including light irradiation via use of photosensitive azobenzene-based cages, isostatic compression to collapse internal pore structures, and localized heating via sonication for gas desorption. In conclusion, the wide variability in porous host materials that generate the internal porosity in PLs facilitates innovative low-energy regeneration pathways, positioning them as a transformative solution in separation technologies.

gas capture↗

Stacking Fault Induced Symmetry Breaking in van der Waals Nanowires

While traditional ferroelectrics are based on polar crystals in bulk or thin film form, two-dimensional and layered materials can support mechanisms for symmetry breaking between centrosymmetric building blocks, e.g., by creating low-symmetry interfaces in van der Waals stacks. Here, we introduce an approach toward symmetry breaking in van der Waals crystals that relies on the spontaneous incorporation of stacking faults in a nonpolar bulk layer sequence. The concept is realized in nanowires consisting of Se-rich group IV monochalcogenide (GeSe 1–x S x ) alloys, obtained by vapor–liquid–solid growth. The single crystalline wires adopt a layered structure in which the nonpolar A-B bulk stacking along the nanowire axis is interrupted by single-layer stacking faults with local A-A' stacking. Density functional theory explains this behavior by a reduced stacking fault formation energy in GeSe (or Se-rich GeSe 1–x S x alloys). Computations demonstrate that, similar to monochalcogenide monolayers, the inserted A-layers should show a spontaneous electric polarization with a switching barrier consistent with a Curie temperature above room temperature. Second-harmonic generation signals are consistent with a variable density of stacking faults along the wires. Here, our results point to possible routes for designing ferroelectrics via the layer stacking in van der Waals crystals.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Emergence of unprecedented climate change in projected future precipitation

The future time of emergence when precipitation changes due to anthropogenic influences begins to continuously exceed the previous maximum value is defined as the ‘tipping year’ Historical experiments and future experiments simulated by state-of-the-art climate models were utilized. A total of 510,000 time series from year 1856 to 2095 were generated by sampling the natural internal variability in precipitation. The time evolutions of internal variability in the whole time period were estimated from the combination of past and future experiments with preindustrial control experiments. A large ensemble size enabled an estimation of the probability density function of the tipping year at each grid point, providing precise information on the uncertainty of the projection. The tipping year of average precipitation emerges earlier in high latitudes than in lower latitudes. In some regions in lower latitudes and mid-latitudes, the tipping year of intense precipitation emerges faster than that of average precipitation. The tipping years of average and intense precipitation are earlier for higher anthropogenic forcing scenarios than for lower scenarios. The global average of the tipping year for intense precipitation might be attributed to the enhancement of the thermodynamic effect (moisture) rather than the dynamic effect (vertical motion).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Generation of scalable genuine multipartite Gaussian entanglement with a parametric amplifier network

Genuine multipartite entanglement is a valuable resource in quantum information science, as it exhibits inseparability across all possible bipartitions of a multimode quantum state. The large degree of quantum correlations can be exploited in various quantum information protocols, such as teleportation, dense coding, and quantum interferometry. Here, in this study, we propose a scheme to generate scalable genuine multipartite continuous-variable entangled states of light using a parametric amplifier network. We verify the presence of genuine quadripartite, hexapartite, and octapartite entanglement through a violation of the positive partial transpose criteria. Additionally, we use 𝛼-entanglement of formation to demonstrate the scalability of our approach to an arbitrary number of 2⁢𝑁 genuinely entangled parties by taking advantage of the symmetries present in our scheme.

Kim, Saesun [Univ. of Oklahoma, Norman, OK (United↗

Stochastic Model Predictive Control With Gaussian Wind Direction Preview for Wake Steering

This article addresses the problem of wake steering control for wind farms that explicitly consider the tradeoff between farm-level power generation and yaw duty cycle under variable and uncertain wind conditions. A novel stochastic model predictive control (MPC) algorithm is presented, which utilizes a stochastic model of the freestream wind field components in a receding horizon framework to compute optimal yaw set points that maximize the expected value of the farm power while constraining the yaw actuation. Different configurations of the algorithm are evaluated using a steady-state wind farm simulator. The proposed stochastic MPC algorithm can plan control actions over a future prediction horizon based on probabilistic estimates of the incoming wind magnitude and direction.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

A transported Livengood-Wu integral model for knock prediction in CFD simulation

This work describes the development of a transported Livengood-Wu (L-W) integral model for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation to predict auto-ignition and engine knock tendency. The currently employed L-W integral model considers both single-stage and two-stage ignition processes, thus can be generally applied to different fuels such as paraffin, olefin, aromatics and alcohol. The model implementation is first validated in simulations of homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion for three different fuels, showing good accuracy in prediction of auto-ignition timing for fuels with either single-stage or two-stage ignition characteristics. Then, the L-W integral model is coupled with G-equation model to indicate end-gas auto-ignition and knock tendency in CFD simulations of a direct injection spark ignition engine. This modeling approach is about 10 times more efficient than the ones that based on detailed chemistry calculation and pressure oscillation analysis. Two fuels with same Research Octane Number (RON) but different octane sensitivity are studied, namely Co-Optima Alkylate and Co-Optima E30. Feed-forward neural network model in conjunction with multi-variable minimization technique is used to generate fuel surrogates with targets of matched RON, octane sensitivity and ethanol content. The CFD model is validated against experimental data in terms of pressure traces and heat release rate for both fuels under a wide range of operating conditions. The knock tendency indicated by the fuel energy contained in the auto-ignited region of the two fuels at different load conditions correlates well with the experimental results and the fuel octane sensitivity, implying the current knock modeling approach can capture the octane sensitivity effect and can be applied to further investigation on composition of octane sensitivity.

Yue, Zongyu↗

Fabrication-conscious neural network based inverse design of single-material variable-index multilayer films

Multilayer films with continuously varying indices for each layer have attracted great deal of attention due to their superior optical, mechanical, and thermal properties. However, difficulties in fabrication have limited their application and study in scientific literature compared to multilayer films with fixed index layers. In this work we propose a neural network based inverse design technique enabled by a differentiable analytical solver for realistic design and fabrication of single material variable-index multilayer films. This approach generates multilayer films with excellent performance under ideal conditions. We furthermore address the issue of how to translate these ideal designs into practical useful devices which will naturally suffer from growth imperfections. By integrating simulated systematic and random errors just as a deposition tool would into the optimization process, we demonstrated that the same neural network that produced the ideal device can be retrained to produce designs compensating for systematic deposition errors. Furthermore, the proposed approach corrects for systematic errors even in the presence of random fabrication imperfections. The results outlined in this paper provide a practical and experimentally viable approach for the design of single material multilayer film stacks for an extremely wide variety of practical applications with high performance.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Walker Branch Watershed: Daily Stream Metabolism and Organic Carbon Spiraling Metrics in the West Fork of Walker Branch, Tennessee, USA, 2004-2010

This dataset contains daily metabolism estimates of gross primary production (GPP), ecosystem respiration (ER), and net ecosystem production (NEP), in addition to organic carbon spiraling length (SOC) and mineralization velocity (VfOC) estimates at the West Fork of Walker Branch, a small headwater stream, in the Walker Branch Watershed, Tennessee, USA. Observations were made from 2004-2010 (2004-01-01 to 2010-12-31). These data were generated to assess seasonal and interannual variability in metabolism and organic carbon spiraling and to explore potential driver variables, as analyses of intra- and interannual variability in metabolism and organic carbon spiraling are currently limited, leaving knowledge gaps in the driving mechanisms of and future changes to stream metabolism and carbon processing under climate change. Additionally, measurements of discharge (Q), stream width, stream- and canopy-level photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), water temperature, and precipitation from this time frame are included. This dataset contains one data file in comma separated (*.csv) format.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

American-Made Challenges Round 2 Voucher: Orison Enables Solar

This report documents the technical assistance provided to Orison as part of the American-Made Challenges Round 2 Voucher: Orison Enables Solar project. A testbed was developed and used to demonstrate, using modeling and simulation, the capability of controlled behind-the-meter energy storage to (1) reduce net load variability caused by appliances and distributed generation and (2) enable customers to respond to the time-of-use pricing. We demonstrate that load leveling can shave peak loads or limit solar photovoltaic export and that load shifting enables customers to reduce load during “peak” pricing intervals. In the scenarios that we simulated, load leveling was effective up to the charging and discharging limits of the storage systems and the effectiveness of load shifting was a function of the energy capacity of the storage systems. This report describes the co-simulation testbed and the scenarios simulated, including controller setup and simulation results. Considerations for a multi-objective controller are also discussed.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Development of Renewable Energy Data for Facilitating the Clean Energy Transition in Vietnam

Vietnam is transforming its power system with an increasing share of variable renewable energy (VRE) in the generation mix and plans to achieve 27% VRE by capacity in 2030 and 42% by capacity in 2045, as indicated by the draft Eighth Power Development Plan for 2020–-2045 (PDP8). Further increase in VRE penetration is possible with data-driven analysis where availability of data, specifically VRE data, becomes critical. NREL has worked with various stakeholders in Vietnam to create high-resolution multi-year VRE data publicly available to all. This paper reviews this new VRE data for Vietnam and how different stakeholders can use this data to inform VRE deployment decisions.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

stochprop Documentation (Release 1.0)

Simulations of infrasonic propagation in the atmosphere typically utilize a single atmospheric specification describing the acoustic sound speed, ambient winds, and density as a function of altitude. Due to the dynamic and sparsely sampled nature of the atmosphere, there is a notable amount of uncertainty in the atmospheric state at a given location and time so that a more robust analysis of infrasonic propagation requires inclusion of this uncertainty. This Python library, stochprop, has been implemented using methods developed jointly by infrasound scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and the University of Mississippi’s National Center for Physical Acoustics (NCPA). This software library includes methods to quantify variability in the atmospheric state, identify typical seasonal variability in the atmospheric state and generate suites of representative atmospheric states during a given season, as well as perform uncertainty analysis on a specified atmospheric state given some level of uncertainty. These methods have been designed to interface between propagation modeling capabilities such as InfraGA/GeoAc and NCPAprop and signal analysis methods in the LANL InfraPy tool.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Role of Renewable Energy, Storage, and Demand Response in Karnataka's Power Sector Future

Karnataka ranks fourth among Indian states in installed capacity of renewable energy, which accounts for over 50% of its resource mix. The state is positioned to play a leading role in India's energy transition and contribute to meeting national targets for renewable energy thanks, in part, to ambitious state goals to develop Karnataka's abundant zero carbon energy resources and plans to phase out new investments in thermal plants. Power system stakeholders in Karnataka are faced with the challenge of planning a generation portfolio that accounts for the variability of wind and solar resources, meets increasing and shifting electricity demand, and satisfies operational and reliability requirements. The objective of this study is to evaluate least-cost pathways for Karnataka's electric power system through 2050. The capacity expansion model developed for this study identifies power system investment and operational decisions for every year (2020-2050) for all of India, with detailed representation of the state of Karnataka. The study led to five high-level results and provides a framework for recurring planning studies to meet changing system conditions and needs.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗