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At least 631 records · Page 35

IRIS-DMEM: Efficient Memory Management for Heterogeneous Computing

This paper proposes an efficient data memory management approach for the Intelligent RuntIme System (IRIS) heterogeneous computing framework along with new data transfer policies. IRIS provides a task-based programming model for extreme heterogeneous computing (e.g., CPU, GPU, DSP, FPGA) with support for today's most important programming languages (e.g., OpenMP, OpenCL, CUDA, HIP, OpenACC). However, the IRIS framework either forces the programmer to introduce data transfer commands for each task or relies on suboptimal memory management for automatic and transparent data transfers. The work described here extends IRIS with novel heterogeneous memory handling and introduces novel data transfer policies by employing the Distributed data MEMory handler (DMEM) for efficient and optimal movement of data among the various computing resources. The proposed approach achieves performance gains of up to 7× for tiled LU factorization and tiled DGEMM (i.e., matrix multiplication) benchmarks. Moreover, this approach also reduces data transfers by up to 71% when compared to previous IRIS heterogeneous memory management handlers. This work compares the performance results of the IRIS framework's novel DMEM with the StarPU runtime and MAGMA math library for GPUs. Experiments show a performance gain of up to 1.95× over StarPU and 2.1× over MAGMA.

Miniskar, Narasinga Rao↗

Resource Allocation for Single Carrier Massive MIMO Systems

Resource allocation in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems is performed through allocating blocks of subcarriers to each user. Even though OFDM is the primary waveform for 5G NR systems, research reports have noted that single carrier modulation (SCM) offers several advantages over OFDM in massive multiple input multiple output (MIMO) systems, making it a preferred candidate for some future applications such as massive machine type communications (mMTC). This paper presents a method for SCM resource allocation and the relevant information recovery algorithms at the receiver. Our emphasis is on cyclic prefixed SCM, where highly flexible and efficient frequency domain detection algorithms enable the operation of many simultaneous users in a massive MIMO uplink scenario. The proposed resource allocation method allows the number of users to exceed the number of antennas at the base station (BS). Each single carrier transmission is partitioned into L interleaved streams, and each user is allocated a number of such streams. One major benefit of SCM is that each data symbol is spread over the entire bandwidth. As such, the receiver performance is dictated by the average channel gain across the transmission band rather than the channel gain at a given frequency bin or a small group of frequencies. In the proposed setup, each stream may be thought of as a resource block in SCM, analogous to resource blocks in OFDM. Hence, in the context of this paper, the terms resource blocks and streams may be used interchangeably.

5G and Beyond Communications↗

Hierarchical Control and Stability Analysis for a Nonisolated Grid-Tied DC Energy Router Integrating Energy Storage and Partial Distributed Generation

This article proposes a nonisolated dc converter-based energy router (dc-ER) and its operating strategy. Here, the intent is to integrate energy storage (ES), distributed generation (DG), local load, and dc power grid in an autonomous and more efficient way. The ES/DG power ports are coupled with each other in partial-type connections, which obtains higher voltage supply gain and direct input–output power transmission. High-voltage supply gain allows a wide solar power tracking range and the possibility of optimal battery charging/discharging. Direct input–output power transmission improves the energy conversion efficiency. In this article, the operating modes of dc-ER are first analyzed, followed by the optimal hardware design counting the DG current ripple minimization and the limitation caused by the power flow direction. Second, the mathematical model of dc-ER is deduced. The hierarchical control is then proposed to manage port energy in a flexible manner. The stability is analyzed by using impedance modeling. Finally, experimental and simulation results verify the superiorities of the proposed topology in terms of flexible operating mode transition and high-power conversion efficiency.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

A 0.2–2 GHz Time-Interleaved Multistage Switched-Capacitor Delay Element Achieving 2.55–448.6 ns Programmable Delay Range and 330 ns/mm 2 Area Efficiency

Simulation of radar returns, full-duplex systems, and signal repeaters require hundreds of ns of programmable broadband radio frequency (RF) delay in the signal path to simulate large distances in the case of radar returns, for signal cancellation in full-duplex, and for isolation from reflections in signal repeaters. However, programmable broadband RF delay has been limited to ones of ns due to challenges in miniaturization with low loss and low power consumption. In this work, we present a 0.2–2 GHz digitally programmable RF delay element based on a time-interleaved multistage switched-capacitor (TIMS-SC) approach. The proposed approach enables hundreds of ns of broadband RF delay by employing sample time expansion in multiple stages of switched-capacitor storage elements. Further, the delay element was implemented in a 45 nm SOI CMOS process and achieves a 2.55–448.6 ns programmable delay range with < 0.12% delay variation across 1.8 GHz of bandwidth at maximum delay, 2.42 ns programmable delay steps, and 330 ns/mm 2 area efficiency. Through the proposed approach, the device shows minimal delay change across a -40 °C to 85 °C temperature range and < 0.25 dB gain variation across delay settings. The device achieves 26 dB gain, 7.4 dB noise figure, and consumes 74 mW from a 1 V supply with an active area of 1.36 mm 2 .

42 ENGINEERING↗

Monolithically Integrated $\varepsilon$-Ge/In x Ga 1-x As Quantum Well Laser Design: Experimental and Theoretical Investigation

Here, we have analyzed the electrical and optical phenomenon occurring in a $\varepsilon$-Ge/In x Ga 1-x -Ge/In x Ga 1-x As quantum well (QW) laser through self-consistent physical solvers calibrated using in-house experimental results. A separate confinement heterostructure QW design is proposed to enable lasing from tensile strained germanium ($\varepsilon$-Ge/In x Ga 1-x -Ge) in the range of 1.55 um to 4 um wavelengths as a function of QW thickness and indium (In) composition. Different recombination mechanisms were analyzed as a function of tensile strain in $\varepsilon$-Ge/In x Ga 1-x -Ge QW. Minority carrier lifetime and band alignment are key attributes of a QW laser, which were measured using microwave photoconductive decay and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (as a function of In composition), respectively. The transition point of Ge to a direct bandgap material is re-affirmed to be at $\varepsilon$-Ge/In x Ga 1-x = 1.6% (In ~24%) and the transition from type I to type II for $\varepsilon$-Ge/In x Ga 1-x -Ge/In x Ga 1-x As QW is found to be at In ~55%. Also, the transition to a TM mode dominant laser is identified at In ~15%. Using a tunable waveguide design to optimize confinement as a function of In composition, strain, wavelength, QW thickness, refractive index, and geometry, the $\varepsilon$-Ge/In x Ga 1-x -Ge QW laser design provided a net material gain of ~2000 cm -1 and a threshold current density of ~5 kA/cm 2 , which is an improvement over existing Ge based lasers. In conclusion, the impact of In composition and QW thickness on the band structure, polarized gain spectra, and various lasing metrics were analyzed to show $\varepsilon$-Ge/In x Ga 1-x -Ge/InGaAs QW lasers as promising for integrated photonics.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Using Synchronization as an Indicator of Controllability in a Fleet of Water Heaters

Peak reduction is an important concern that can help reduce the growing stress on distribution grid and allow to defer investments in new capacity. However, the growing concern for customer privacy and comfort may impact the performance of load control for residential devices. Water heaters represent a convenient way of reducing peak due to their ability to store thermal energy for future use. In this paper, we developed a methodology to help utilities gain more insight with respect to the impact of load control efforts for shaving peak with no necessary information about the water heaters except the device status (on/off). To this end, we use a fleet of water heaters in a controlled residential neighborhood in Atlanta, GA. Our findings show that convergence in device status can serve as a proxy for peak shifting during hours of the evening peak.

demand response↗

Novel Cascaded Ring Oscillator Vernier based TDC Architecture with a Feedthrough Reference Oscillator

Time to digital converters (TDCs) are widely used in particle physics and medical imaging to determine the relative arrival time of photons and other particles. Vernier TDCs are one of the most attractive options due to their power consumption efficiency and their small footprint. We present our newly patented innovative architecture of cascaded-stage Vernier TDCs comprised of a feedthrough reference oscillator. This architecture lead to successive Vernier measurements that result in a lower number of cycles for the same dynamic range to resolution ratio (DRRR), leading to reduced conversion time and lower jitter. To validate this architecture, a test chip was designed in 0.18~μm TSMC technology, integrating four types of cascaded Vernier TDCs with an increasing number of stages. The performance of the chip was assessed using a modular test platform specifically designed for TDCs. For comparison purposes, all TDCs were tested with a LSB of 50~ps and a dynamic range of 20~ns. The experimental results demonstrate the highest gain in performance between 1 stage Vernier and 2 stage Vernier TDCs with the precision improved from 36~ps~rms to 21~ps~rms, the maximum number of turns from 110 to 25 counts and the dead time, from 266.4~ns to 76.5~ns, on average. Adding Vernier stages is only relevant for a higher DRRR. Therefore, the 3-stage and 4-stage Vernier TDCs also show performance gains, but improvements are limited.

Scarpellini, Robin↗

Visual Tool for Assessing Stability of DER Configurations on Three-Phase Radial Networks

Here, we present a method and tool for evaluating the placement of Distributed Energy Resources (DER) on distribution circuits in order to control voltages and power flows. Our previous work described Phasor-Based Control (PBC), a novel control framework where DERs inject real and reactive power to track voltage magnitude and phase angle targets. Here, we employ linearized power flow equations and integral controllers to develop a linear state space model for PBC acting on a three-phase unbalanced network. We use this model to evaluate whether a given inverter-based DER configuration admits a stable set of controller gains, which cannot be done by analyzing controllability nor by using the Lyapunov equation. Instead, we sample over a parameter space to identify a stable set of controller gains. Our stability analysis requires only a line impedance model and does not entail simulating the system or solving an optimization problem. We incorporate this assessment into a publicly available visualization tool and demonstrate three processes for evaluating many control configurations on the IEEE 123-node test feeder (123NF).

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Field-Array Benchmark of Commercial Bifacial PV Technologies with Publicly Available Data

We present results for a 75-kW field array deployed with rows of 5 different commercially available bifacial technologies. Four PERC (multi and mono) and 1 Silicon Heterojunction manufacturers are represented. Reference strings of equivalent monofacial PV modules are also installed in the 10-row field. High accuracy string-level DC monitoring and module-level measurements have been recorded for six months. Analysis indicates performance within expectation, with a cumulative model mean error within +/- 2% for both bifacial and monofacial models and cumulative bifacial energy gain between 6-9%. A custom-module to measure shading loss from the torque-tube was installed. One month data shows up to 6% irradiance non-uniformity. A fixed-tilt test-site with 3 years of bifacial data is also presented, with a bifacial gain of 3%.

41 EE - Solar Energy Technologies Office (EE-4S)↗

Performance Evaluation of Vertical Federated Machine Learning Against Adversarial Threats on Wide-Area Control System: Preprint

Federated machine learning (FL) is gaining significant popularity to develop cybersecurity solutions in power grids because of its advanced capability to support decentralized data handing at local devices, its privacy preservation, and its low-bandwidth requirement. However, the evolving adversarial machine learning (AML) threats raise significant concerns for the cybersecurity of FL architectures. The FL-based split neural network (SplitNN) achieves high performance through the decentralized training of local neural network models while preserving data privacy across multiple entities. In this paper, we propose a methodology for evaluating the performance of a vertical FLbased anomaly detector against different types of AML attacks, including denial-of-service attacks, adversarial data injection attacks, and replay attacks on the trained local models deployed in the grid network. For a case study, we consider the modified IEEE 13-bus system, and we develop SplitNN-based binary and multiclass classification models to detect, locate, and identify different types of data integrity attacks on the volt-watt control with two pooling layers: maximum pooling and AvgPool. Our experimental results, computed through performance metrics, reveal that the severity of these AML attacks varies with the integrated pooling mechanism, the type of classification model, and the nature of the cyberattack. Further, the AML attacks negatively impacted the prediction time per sample for the pretrained SplitNN during the online testing.

adversarial threats↗

Characterization of Amplification Properties of the Superconducting-Ferromagnetic Transistor

Here we report on the measurement results of the superconducting-ferromagnetic transistors (SFTs). The devices were made at Northwestern University and Hypres (SeeQC), Inc. (Nevirkovets et al., 2014; 2015). SFT is a multiterminal device with the SIS'FIFS (or SFIFS'IS) structure (where S, I, and F denote a superconductor, an insulator, and a ferromagnetic material, respectively) exploiting intense quasiparticle injection in order to modify the nonlinear I-V curve of a superconducting tunnel junction. SFT is capable of providing voltage, current, and power amplification while having good input/output isolation. We characterized the devices using different measurement techniques. We measured S parameters of the single- and double-acceptor devices at frequencies up to 5 MHz. Importantly, we confirmed that the isolation between the input and output of the device is quite good. However, the techniques typically employed to characterize semiconductor devices do not allow for revealing the full potential of our low-resistive SFT devices, especially those having two acceptors. In the latter case, we also tested the devices using the battery-powered current sources with floating grounds. Analyzing double-acceptor I-V curves recorded at different levels of injection currents, for an optimal load, we deduced a small-signal voltage gain of 33 and a power gain of 2.4. We suggest that further improvement of the SFT device parameters is possible in optimized devices, so that the device potentially may serve as a preamplifier for readout of output signals of cryogenic detectors and be useful as an element of other superconductor-based circuits. In addition, we used scanning transmission electron microscopy to identify some problems in the fabrication of the devices without any planarization.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Test of Superconducting Wires and Rutherford Cables With High Specific Heat

High-field accelerator magnets made of state-of-the-art Nb 3 Sn Rutherford cables demonstrate relatively long trainings due to sudden heat depositions originated by thermo-mechanical perturbations in the magnet coils. Coil sensitivity to these perturbations can be reduced by increasing the specific heat, Cp, of major coil components - strands, or whole cable, or epoxy. The R&D on all these three approaches is in progress. This paper studies feasibility of increasing the Cp of Rutherford-type cables by using a thin composite Cu/Gd 2 O 3 tape. The tape can be either wrapped around the cable, placed on the cable wide faces under the insulation, and/or inserted as a core. In this work, Cu/Gd 2 O 3 ribbons with ~30% of Gd 2 O 3 powder and two different thicknesses were produced by Hyper Tech Research, Inc. Wire and cable samples outfitted with these high-Cp ribbons, or tapes, were prepared and tested at FNAL for the Minimum Quench Energy (MQE). At 80%Ic, the MQE gain average over the tested magnetic field range of the NbTi cable with high-Cp tape on both sides was ~1.3. The MQE gain average of the NbTi wire wrapped with the high-Cp ribbon was 3.1.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Characterizing and Modeling the Influence of Geometry on the Performance of Superconducting Nanowire Cryotrons

The scaling of superconducting nanowire detectors to larger arrays is often limited by room-temperature-readout cabling. Cryogenic integrated circuits constructed from nanowire cryotrons, or nanocryotrons, can address this limitation by performing signal processing on chip. In this study, we characterize key performance metrics of the nanocryotron to elucidate its potential as a logical element in cryogenic integrated circuits and develop an electro-thermal model to connect material parameters with device performance. We find that the performance of the nanocryotron depends on the device geometry, and trade-offs are associated with optimizing the gain, jitter, and energy dissipation. Here, we demonstrate that nanocryotrons fabricated on niobium nitride can achieve a grey zone less than 210 nA wide for a 5 ns long input pulse corresponding to a maximum achievable gain of 48 dB, an energy dissipation of less than 20 aJ per operation, and a jitter of less than 60 ps.

Superconductor↗

SGD-Net: Efficient Model-Based Deep Learning with Theoretical Guarantees

Deep unfolding networks have recently gained popularity for solving imaging inverse problems. However, the computational and memory complexity of data-consistency layers within traditional deep unfolding networks scales with the number of measurements, limiting their applicability to large-scale imaging inverse problems. We propose SGD-Net as a new methodology for improving the efficiency of deep unfolding through stochastic approximations of the data-consistency layers. Our theoretical analysis shows that SGD-Net can be trained to approximate batch deep unfolding networks to an arbitrary precision. Our simulations on intensity diffraction tomography and sparse-view computed tomography show that SGD-Net can match the performance of the traditional batch network at a fraction of training and testing complexity.Deep unfolding networks have recently gained popularity for solving imaging inverse problems. However, the computational and memory complexity of data-consistency layers within traditional deep unfolding networks scales with the number of measurements, limiting their applicability to large-scale imaging inverse problems. We propose SGD-Net as a new methodology for improving the efficiency of deep unfolding through stochastic approximations of the data-consistency layers. Our theoretical analysis shows that SGD-Net can be trained to approximate batch deep unfolding networks to an arbitrary precision. Our simulations on intensity diffraction tomography and sparse-view computed tomography show that SGD-Net can match the performance of the traditional batch network at a fraction of training and testing complexity.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Solar PV and BESS Plant-Level Voltage Control and Interactions: Experiments and Analysis

In real world operation, low-frequency oscillations associated with plant-level voltage control of inverter-based resources (IBRs) have been a concern of grid operators. Here, this research aims to demonstrate and analyze the effect of plant-level voltage control on system stability and potential interactions among IBRs. The experiment results of a 13.2-kV system interconnected with two IBRs—a 1-MW battery energy storage system (BESS) and a 430-kW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant—are presented. Both 0.5-Hz and 3-Hz oscillations become visible at certain conditions. The phenomenon is further explained by use of a feedback system consisting of the plant-level droop control and the effect of reactive power or var injection on voltage. The main components of the block diagram are obtained via frequency scan measurements. The analysis offers an understanding of the main contributors and other influencing factors of the 3-Hz and 0.5-Hz modes. It also reveals the role of the volt-var droop gain, the low-pass filter time constant, and the system impedance in stability.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Development of a High-Rate Front-End ASIC for X-Ray Spectroscopy and Diffraction Applications

We developed a new front-end application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) to upgrade the Maia X-ray microprobe. The ASIC instruments 32 configurable channels that perform either positive or negative charge amplification, pulse shaping, peak amplitude, and time extraction along with buffered analog storage. At a gain of 3.6 V/fC, 1-μs peaking time, and a temperature of 248 K, an electronic resolution of 13 and 10 e- rms was measured with and without a silicon drift detector (SDD) sensor, respectively. A spectral resolution of 170-eV full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) at 5.9 keV was obtained with an 55Fe source. The channel linearity was better than ± 1% with rate capabilities up to 40 kcps. The ASIC was fabricated in a commercial 250-nm process with a footprint of 6.3 mm × 3.9 mm and dissipates 167 mW of static power.

Vernon, Emerson↗

Sensitivity Analysis of a Polyphase Wireless Power Transfer System under Off-Nominal Conditions

Misaligned and/or variable coil airgaps cause coupling coefficient variation in wireless power transfer (WPT) systems, resulting in a decrease in the system’s transmitted power and efficiency. This paper presents sensitivity analyses of a three-phase, Y-Y connected, series-tuned WPT system in the frequency domain in terms of several different electric vehicle wireless charging off-nominal conditions (misalignments in Δ x and Δ y directions, change of airgap Δ z , and the roll Δψ, pitch Δθ, and yaw ΔΦ angles) as specified in Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J2954 Standard. Coil inductance matrices were obtained by measuring the self- and mutual inductances of the primary and secondary coil phase windings at variable airgap classes (from 5 cm to 30 cm) for five different charging positions as identified in SAE J2954. These 6 × 6 inductance matrices were used in sensitivity and Plexim/PLECS simulation analyses. The sensitivity of the WPT system was analyzed analytically using the input impedance and phase angle, voltage gain, current gain, quality factor, and coupling coefficient parameters of the series-tuned WPT system. The results were confirmed experimentally on a 50 kW WPT system.

42 ENGINEERING↗