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At least 667 records · Page 37

Floating photovoltaic power plants: A review of energy yield, reliability, and operation and maintenance

Photovoltaic (PV) systems are essential for the transition to sustainable energy, reducing fossil fuel dependence and mitigating climate change. Although PV requires minimal land area — PV can meet the European Union's energy needs using only 0.26% of its land — space for deployment is often scarce in densely populated regions. Floating photovoltaics (FPV) offer an effective solution to land-use challenges by installing PV systems on floating structures in water bodies. FPV is a growing niche within PV with a cumulative installed capacity reaching 7.7 GW globally by 2023. Almost 90% of the installed FPV capacity is in Asia, with close to 50% of in China alone, while the Netherlands and France are the largest markets outside Asia. FPV shows strong potential to support climate targets, but still faces challenges like regulatory barriers, cost competitiveness compared to ground-based PV (GPV), and uncertainties about environmental impacts and system reliability. FPV systems are currently installed mainly on sheltered inland waters, such as quarry lakes, irrigation ponds and reservoirs. FPV technical standards are still being developed. Guidelines have been published by the World Bank, DNV, and Solar Power Europe, and emerging national standards from South Korea, China, and Singapore address design, components, and safety. The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is working on formal standards for floats, mooring systems, and electrical connectors. However, the published best practices lack quantitative guidance for yield modelling and reliability, which this report aims to address. It provides data-driven insights, models, and parameters essential for accurate energy yield, reliability, and maintenance predictions over FPV systems' lifetimes.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

P-model v1.0: an optimality-based light use efficiency model for simulating ecosystem gross primary production

Terrestrial photosynthesis is the basis for vegetation growth and drives the land carbon cycle. Accurately simulating gross primary production (GPP, ecosystem-level apparent photosynthesis) is key for satellite monitoring and Earth system model predictions under climate change. While robust models exist for describing leaf-level photosynthesis, predictions diverge due to uncertain photosynthetic traits and parameters which vary on multiple spatial and temporal scales. Here, we describe and evaluate a GPP (photosynthesis per unit ground area) model, the P-model, that combines the Farquhar–von Caemmerer–Berry model for C 3 photosynthesis with an optimality principle for the carbon assimilation–transpiration trade-off, and predicts a multi-day average light use efficiency (LUE) for any climate and C 3 vegetation type. The model builds on the theory developed in Prentice et al. (2014) and Wang et al. (2017a) and is extended to include low temperature effects on the intrinsic quantum yield and an empirical soil moisture stress factor. The model is forced with site-level data of the fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (fAPAR) and meteorological data and is evaluated against GPP estimates from a globally distributed network of ecosystem flux measurements. Although the P-model requires relatively few inputs, the R 2 for predicted versus observed GPP based on the full model setup is 0.75 (8 d mean, 126 sites) – similar to comparable satellite-data-driven GPP models but without predefined vegetation-type-specific parameters. The R 2 is reduced to 0.70 when not accounting for the reduction in quantum yield at low temperatures and effects of low soil moisture on LUE. The R 2 for the P-model-predicted LUE is 0.32 (means by site) and 0.48 (means by vegetation type). Applying this model for global-scale simulations yields a total global GPP of 106–122 Pg C yr –1 (mean of 2001–2011), depending on the fAPAR forcing data. The P-model provides a simple but powerful method for predicting – rather than prescribing – light use efficiency and simulating terrestrial photosynthesis across a wide range of conditions. The model is available as an R package (rpmodel).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Data-Driven Voltage Regulation of Distribution Grid Using Nonlinear Autoregressive Model with Exogenous Inputs (NARX)

This article proposes data-driven control via a nonlinear autoregressive model with exogenous inputs (NARX) for real-time voltage regulation of a modified feeder using reactive power sources. Traditional voltage control strategies rely on rule-based heuristics or optimization techniques, which often require detailed system models and extensive computational resources. The NARX-based controller learns system dynamics from historical data and predicts optimal reactive power dispatch in real-time for voltage correction. The proposed approach is evaluated on a power system feeder model under varying load and network conditions. Simulation results demonstrate that the NARX-based controller achieves improved voltage regulation, offering higher adaptability to system fluctuations. This study highlights the potential of data-driven control for enhancing the reliability of power distribution networks.

Donge, Vrushabh [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000306062803)↗

Development of Solar Wind Model Driven by Empirical Heat Flux and Pressure Terms

We are developing a time stationary self-consistent 2D MHD model of the solar corona and solar wind as suggested by Sittler et al. (2003). Sittler & Guhathakurta (1999) developed a semiempirical steady state model (SG model) of the solar wind in a multipole 3-streamer structure, with the model constrained by Skylab observations. Guhathakurta et al. (2006) presented a more recent version of their initial work. Sittler et al. (2003) modified the SG model by investigating time dependent MHD, ad hoc heating term with heat conduction and empirical heating solutions. Next step of development of 2D MHD models was performed by Sittler & Ofman (2006). They derived effective temperature and effective heat flux from the data-driven SG model and fit smooth analytical functions to be used in MHD calculations. Improvements of the Sittler & Ofman (2006) results now show a convergence of the 3-streamer topology into a single equatorial streamer at altitudes > 2 R(sub S). This is a new result and shows we are now able to reproduce observations of an equatorially confined streamer belt. In order to allow our solutions to be applied to more general applications, we extend that model by using magnetogram data and PFSS model as a boundary condition. Initial results were presented by Selwa et al. (2008). We choose solar minimum magnetogram data since during solar maximum the boundary conditions are more complex and the coronal magnetic field may not be described correctly by PFSS model. As the first step we studied the simplest 2D MHD case with variable heat conduction, and with empirical heat input combined with empirical momentum addition for the fast solar wind. We use realistic magnetic field data based on NSO/GONG data, and plan to extend the study to 3D. This study represents the first attempt of fully self-consistent realistic model based on real data and including semi-empirical heat flux and semi-empirical effective pressure terms.

Sittler, Edward C., Jr.↗

Incorporation of market signals for the optimal design of post combustion carbon capture systems

Recent studies have shown that fossil generators equipped with post-combustion carbon capture (PCC) systems are needed to reduce the cost of deep decarbonization. Such generators need to be flexible and responsive to grid conditions, particularly in a high variable renewable energy (VRE) environment. In this work, we evaluate the net present value (NPV) of retrofitting an existing natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) unit with a flexible PCC system while incorporating market signals from a high VRE grid. We use our industrial partner’s NGCC configuration as representative of existing NGCC units and Svante’s rapid-temperature swing adsorption (TSA) for PCC. Because of its ability to rapidly startup/shutdown and ramp-up/ramp-down, the chosen capture technology is very attractive for load-following operations. For a given set of market signals, we formulate a two-stage stochastic multi-period optimization problem, under the price-taker assumption, to simultaneously optimize the design of the capture system and operation of the entire plant. Rigorous models for the NGCC unit, PCC system, and compression system are developed using commercial process simulators and validated with either plant or vendor data. For computational tractability, we develop surrogate/reduced-order models for use in the optimization problem. The surrogate model for the NGCC plant is constructed by linearizing the rigorous dynamic model at 75% load, while data-driven nonlinear surrogate models for the capture and compression systems are constructed using simulation data from the rigorous models. The optimization problem, formulated as a mixed integer bilinear program, is implemented in the IDAES® integrated platform and solved to global optimality using Gurobi 9.5. Using this formulation, we determine the profitability of retrofitting an existing NGCC unit with the chosen capture system for multiple regions in the U.S. under two scenarios with different carbon prices. Importantly, the results show that the optimal decision strongly depends on the region and on the carbon price, thereby demonstrating the importance of the inclusion of market signals in the design process.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Data-Driven Day-Ahead PV Estimation Using Autoencoder-LSTM and Persistence Model

Inherent variability in photovoltaic (PV) and associated impacts on power systems is a challenging problem for both the PV owners and the grid operators. Existing statistical and machine learning algorithms typically work well for weather conditions similar to historical data. Furthermore, uncertain weather conditions pose a great challenge to the estimation accuracy of the estimation models. With the enhanced integration of intelligent electronic devices and the realization of associated automation in the power grid, renewable energy data is becoming more accessible, which can be utilized by deep learning models and improve the PV power generation estimation accuracy. In this paper, a hybrid deep learning model driven by external weather data is proposed to do day-ahead PV output forecasting at 15-minute-interval. The proposed model is motivated by the recent advancement of Long-Short-Term-Memory (LSTM) networks and AutoEncoder (AE), which estimates uncertainties in sequence while making the prediction for complex weather conditions. Meanwhile, the persistence model (PM) is used to predict continuous sunny weather conditions. The forecasting result is validated with data from multiple locations

42 ENGINEERING↗

A Robust Machine Learning Schema for Developing, Maintaining, and Disseminating Machine Learning Models

Recent advances in the development of machine learning (ML) algorithms have enabled the creation of predictive models that can improve decision making, decrease computational cost, and improve efficiency in a variety of fields. As an organization begins to develop and implement such models, the data used in the training, validation, and testing of ML models, the model parameters, and the use cases or limitations of the models must be properly stored to ensure models are both fully traceable and used correctly. In the context of predicting material behavior, advances in computationally intense, physics-based modeling of material behavior at various length scales and the emergence of Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) have driven the need for developing data-driven surrogate models of the physics-based simulation tools using ML techniques. Surrogate model development allows for accurate material behavior prediction at a fraction of the cost of its physics-based counterpart, allowing for multiscale simulations of real-world applications, further enabling the ability to design fit-for-purpose materials for a reasonable computational investment. However, training such models requires extensive data, and thus, effective data management is necessary to reach the full potential that ML can offer to material design and ICME. This paper proposes a generalized, robust schema that allows organizations to store both real (experimental) and virtual (simulation) data used to train ML models and the defining model parameters and architectures within the Granta MI Platform. The developed schema allows for various types of data inputs and outputs, including single point values, time-series data, and images that can be used in the prediction of material behavior, while following outlined best practices for effective data management. An effective schema for ML data and models can help prevent the recreation of virtual/real training data and surrogate models, help reduce the time to create new models similar to existing ones by offering a starting point in the hyperparameter determination stages, minimize resources devoted to verification and validation (V&V) and certification of models, and ensure that data and surrogate models are not misused due to full traceability of both the data and ML model. It also allows organizations access to models that have already been developed, such that they can be used in the design of new materials, enabling the overall goals of ICME.

Brandon L. Hearley↗

Predicting Fiber Failure of Plain Weave Fabric with Recursive Multiscale Micromechanics

Recent advances in the development of machine learning (ML) algorithms have enabled the creation of predictive models that can improve decision making, decrease computational cost, and improve efficiency in a variety of fields. As an organization begins to develop and implement such models, the data used in the training, validation, and testing of machine learning models, the model parameters, and the use cases or limitations of the models must be properly stored to ensure models are both fully traceable and used correctly. In the context of predicting material behavior, advances in computationally intense, physics-based, modeling of material behavior at various length scales, and the emergence of Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) have driven the need for developing data-driven surrogate models of the physics-based simulation tools using machine learning (ML) techniques. Surrogate model development allows for accurate material behavior prediction at a fraction of the cost of its physics-based counterpart, allowing for multiscale simulations of real-world applications, further enabling the ability to design fit-for-purpose materials for a reasonable computational investment. However, training such models requires extensive data, and thus effective data management is necessary to reach the full potential that ML can offer to material design and ICME. This paper proposes a generalized, robust schema that allows organizations to store both real (experimental) and virtual (simulation) data used to train machine learning models and the defining model parameters and architectures. The developed schema allows for various types of data inputs and outputs, including single point values, time-series data, and images that can be used in for various types of machine learning models while following outlined best practices for effective data management. An effective schema for machine learning data and models can help prevent the recreation of virtual/real training data and surrogate models, can help reduce the time to create new models similar to existing ones by offering a starting point in the hyperparameter determination stages, minimize resources devoted to verification and validation (V&V) and certification of models, and ensure that data and surrogate models are not misused due to full traceability of both the data and ML model. It also allows organizations access to models that have already been developed, such that they can be used in the design of new materials, enabling the overall goals of ICME.

Failure↗

SAM-ML: Integrating data-driven closure with nuclear system code SAM for improved modeling capability

Advanced reactors often involve complicated thermal-fluid (T-F) phenomena. Modeling such phenomena with the traditional one-dimensional (1-D) system code is a challenging task. The System Analysis Module (SAM), a modern nuclear system code, has developed a coarse mesh multi-dimensional (multi-D) flow model to capture the spatial effect of T-F phenomena in advanced reactors. As a coarse mesh solver, constitutive relations are required for SAM's multi-D model for unresolved fine-scale physics, such as turbulence. Here this work presents a novel approach that integrates neural networks as data-driven closure for SAM's multi-D flow model. The data-driven closure is trained with fine-resolution data to ensure its accuracy while maintaining a coarse mesh setup to ensure its efficiency and consistency with SAM. We demonstrate the applicability of this SAM-ML capability in an open volume thermal stratification problem, where a neural network model serves as the eddy viscosity closure. A customized interface between the neural network and SAM is developed to ensure flexible and efficient data exchange. The SAM-ML results demonstrate superior performance compared to SAM's built-in zero-equation eddy viscosity closure. The case study shows that although the generalization capability of the data-driven closure still needs to be improved for different transient case or different geometric setup, SAM -ML demonstrates good potential for challenging simulation problems with improved accuracy and computational efficiency.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

A Combined Computational, Experimental, and Technology Development Approach to In-Space Laser Manufacturing Maturation at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

In-space manufacturing (ISM) is emerging as a field vital to continued access and capabilities in the space environment. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is advancing the frontier of in-space laser manufacturing (ISLM) techniques through work initially focused on maturing laser beam welding (LBW) and laser forming (LF) for use in space. Such techniques proffer the ability to assemble and join structures in space from sheet metal or other stock – extant satellites, in situ resource utilization of Lunar regolith, etc. – by forming to desired shapes and then joining via in-space welding (ISW). ISLM processes are useful for assembly, joining, modification, and repair of structures in free space and on the Lunar surface such as large observatories, antennas, trusses, blast/thermal/radiation shields, pressure vessels, and more. However, these techniques are not yet qualified & certified (Q&C) for regular application in space. It would be prohibitively expensive, laborious, and time-consuming to perform Q&C via traditional experimental approaches as data collection & experimentation in space is resource-intensive. As such, benchmark experiments and focused, properly instrumented technology demonstration efforts in space can collect sufficient data that – when combined with verified computational models in an integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) approach – can validate ICME tools capable of translating more readily obtained ground data to in-space, in situ, computationally informed Q&C of ISLM techniques. Several ISLM projects at MSFC are obtaining the data required to validate ICME tools through both ground and flight experiments. A parabolic flight experiment of LBW under vacuum is manifested for August 2024, including both microgravity and Lunar gravity profiles. This collaboration with the Ohio State University is investigating common aerospace alloys such as 316L stainless steel, 2219 aluminum alloy, and Ti64 titanium alloy. In situ data collection includes videography, thermography, and reference thermocouples to build a thermal model of the welds. This will elucidate the relevant physics when combined with post-flight microstructural examination and mechanical testing. MSFC is also progressing towards a suborbital flight experiment of LBW under vacuum, which could provide reams of data on ISW during sustained, high-quality reduced gravity. The effect of combined thermal (cryogenic and high-temperature) and vacuum exposure on both LBW (NASA-funded) and LF (DARPA-funded) is being investigated through ground experiments. In addition to the copious data collected during these ground experiments, ruggedization of LBW hardware will also be pursued. The datasets from these experiments will be used to validate computational models which will inform future ISLM efforts in an ICME framework. A variety of techniques across lengths scales, from CALPHAD-driven thermodynamics & kinetics to phase field modeling of solidification to kinetic Monte Carlo simulations of grain evolution at the mesoscale, will be employed to accelerate the infusion and eventual Q&C of LBW and LF for use in space. The development of data-driven surrogate models to bridge ground to flight experiments and thereby reduce the need for resource-intensive experiments in space will also be investigated. These ICME techniques, surrogate models, and datasets from ground testing can also be employed to advance manufacturing in terrestrial environments.

in-space welding↗

Comparison of time-frequency-analysis techniques applied in building energy data noise cancellation for building load forecasting: A real-building case study

Time-frequency analysis that disaggregates a signal in both time and frequency domain is an important supporting technique for building energy analysis such as noise cancellation in data-driven building load forecasting. There is a gap in the literature related to comparing various time–frequency-analysis techniques, especially discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and empirical mode decomposition (EMD), to guide the selection and tuning of time–frequency-analysis techniques in data-driven building load forecasting. This article provides a framework to conduct a comprehensive comparison among thirteen DWT/EMD techniques with various parameters in a load forecasting modeling task. A real campus building is used as a case study for illustration. The DWT and EMD techniques are also compared under various data-driven modeling algorithms for building load forecasting. The results in the case study show that the load forecasting models trained with noise-cancelled energy data have increased their accuracy to 9.6% on average tested under unseen data. This study also shows that the effectiveness of DWT/EMD techniques depends on the data-driven algorithms used for load forecasting modeling and the training data. Hence, DWT/EMD-based noise cancellation needs customized selection and tuning to optimize their performance for data-driven building load forecasting modeling.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Extremum-Seeking-Based Ultra-local Model Predictive Control and Its Application to Electric Motor Speed Regulation

Electric vehicle (EV) market is rapidly expanding. As a critical component of EV, an electric motor needs to accurately follow a reference speed signal while respecting the electrical current constraint for safety. Those requirements are usually formulated as a model predictive control (MPC) problem. However, the performance of traditional model-based MPC depends on the accuracy of the system model, which may not always be guaranteed in reality. Therefore, we utilize a data-driven, model-free predictive control strategy, called ultra-local MPC (ULMPC), to control the speed of an electric motor. To further enhance the control performance of ULMPC, we employ the extremum-seeking control (ESC) to tune the control gain of the ULMPC online. Simulation and hardware experiments demonstrate the enhancement of the extremum-seeking-based ULMPC over a constant-gain ULMPC.

Zhou, Yujing↗

Statistical Estimation of Orbital Debris Populations with a Spectrum of Object Size

Orbital debris is a real concern for the safe operations of satellites. In general, the hazard of debris impact is a function of the size and spatial distributions of the debris populations. To describe and characterize the debris environment as reliably as possible, the current NASA Orbital Debris Engineering Model (ORDEM2000) is being upgraded to a new version based on new and better quality data. The data-driven ORDEM model covers a wide range of object sizes from 10 microns to greater than 1 meter. This paper reviews the statistical process for the estimation of the debris populations in the new ORDEM upgrade, and discusses the representation of large-size (greater than or equal to 1 m and greater than or equal to 10 cm) populations by SSN catalog objects and the validation of the statistical approach. Also, it presents results for the populations with sizes of greater than or equal to 3.3 cm, greater than or equal to 1 cm, greater than or equal to 100 micrometers, and greater than or equal to 10 micrometers. The orbital debris populations used in the new version of ORDEM are inferred from data based upon appropriate reference (or benchmark) populations instead of the binning of the multi-dimensional orbital-element space. This paper describes all of the major steps used in the population-inference procedure for each size-range. Detailed discussions on data analysis, parameter definition, the correlation between parameters and data, and uncertainty assessment are included.

Xu, Y. -l↗

Novel artificial neural network model for instantaneous power losses and operational efficiency mapping of MW-scale vanadium redox flow battery for improved technoeconomic analysis

A novel data-driven, machine-learning-based method for modeling the instantaneous power losses of a distribution-sited 2 MW/8MWh vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB), a grid-scale electrochemical storage technology, is introduced and compared against benchmark empirical modeling approaches, including symmetric and asymmetric models, as well as a recent convex hull modeling approach. The novel loss modeling method introduces several advantages over the benchmark models and over simplistic efficiency estimates, the most significant of which is that the model can accurately reflect the stepwise and non-linear parasitic losses associated with the duty cycles of mechanical auxiliary systems like pump motor drives and blower fans. Residuals of the models are compared; the proposed data driven model features significantly improved accuracy over the benchmark models. The model's coefficient of determination is also improved relative to that of the benchmark models. Furthermore, a novel method for visualization of operational efficiency of the grid-scale storage technology is introduced. To demonstrate the benefits of the novel data-driven method for modeling the VRFB, the benchmark models and the proposed models are embedded into an Open DSS distribution network model to study two applications of the grid-scale electrical storage system: load leveling for grid support and energy arbitrage. This article demonstrates that the accuracy of the instantaneous power loss model significantly impacts the understanding of the state of charge of the VRFB. In turn, the accuracy of the efficiency modeling of the VRFB impacts the understanding of the potential economic value and technical benefits to the distribution network operators. In conclusion, the presented power loss modeling approach is, therefore, highly relevant for utility-stakeholders, battery asset owners, system engineers, system designers, and financial planners interested in evaluating or optimizing the operation of grid-scale VRFBs.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

COVID-19 dynamics across the US: A deep learning study of human mobility and social behavior

This paper presents a deep learning framework for epidemiology system identification from noisy and sparse observations with quantified uncertainty. The proposed approach employs an ensemble of deep neural networks to infer the time-dependent reproduction number of an infectious disease by formulating a tensor-based multi-step loss function that allows us to efficiently calibrate the model on multiple observed trajectories. The method is applied to a mobility and social behavior-based SEIR model of COVID-19 spread. The model is trained on Google and Unacast mobility data spanning a period of 66 days, and is able to yield accurate future forecasts of COVID-19 spread in 203 US counties within a time-window of 15 days. Interestingly, a sensitivity analysis that assesses the importance of different mobility and social behavior parameters reveals that attendance of close places, including workplaces, residential, and retail and recreational locations, has the largest impact on the effective reproduction number. Furthermore, the model enables us to rapidly probe and quantify the effects of government interventions, such as lock-down and re-opening strategies. Taken together, the proposed framework provides a robust workflow for data-driven epidemiology model discovery under uncertainty and produces probabilistic forecasts for the evolution of a pandemic that can judiciously provide information for policy and decision making. All codes and data accompanying this manuscript are available at https://github.com/PredictiveIntelligenceLab/DeepCOVID19.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Nonperturbative Guiding Center Model for Magnetized Plasmas

Perturbative guiding center theory adequately describes the slow drift motion of charged particles in the strongly magnetized regime characteristic of thermal particle populations in various magnetic fusion devices. However, it breaks down for particles with large-enough energy. Here, we report on a data-driven method for learning a nonperturbative guiding center model from full-orbit particle simulation data. We show the data-driven model significantly outperforms traditional asymptotic theory in magnetization regimes appropriate for fusion-born α particles in stellarators, thus opening the door to nonperturbative guiding center calculations.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Creating an Advanced Sensor Network to calculate real-time, mass-weighted flue gas composition and air heater leakage of a coal-fired utility boiler under dynamic operating conditions

Utilization of renewable energy sources to minimize the environmental impact of energy production has changed the way utility boilers operate, requiring frequent load cycling between full load and partial loads as low as 30%. Dynamic operation of coal-fired utility boilers significantly reduces boiler efficiency when compared to steady state at full load. Data-driven plant optimization has shown success with coal-fired utility boilers under dynamic operating conditions. The purpose of this work was to create an Advanced Sensor Network (ASN) to provide more extensive real-time data to inform dynamic plant optimization of Net Unit Heat Rate (NUHR). The ASN consists of gas sampling grids in the convective pass of the boiler and downstream of the air heater. These sampling grids allow for quantification of spatial variation of flue gas within the boiler and calculation of mass-weighted composition of flue gas through the combination of composition, velocity, and temperature measurements. The comparison of O 2 between the inlet and outlet of the air heater is used to calculate air leakage in real time. Flue gas composition and air heater leakage are both important factors in boiler efficiency and NUHR. Further, the results of this work support the value of mass-weighted averages for determining flue gas composition accurately. The measurements from the ASN show increased composition stratification during dynamic operation, with an average standard deviation 38% higher than observed during steady-state operation. Air heater leakage was also observed to increase from 2.8% to 5.1% following a load change. Prior to the installation of the ASN, these data would not have been available for dynamic control. These real-time data will be leveraged to calculate and optimize for NUHR during dynamic operation in future work.

42 ENGINEERING↗

A Variable Eddington Factor Model for Thermal Radiative Transfer with Closure Based on Data-Driven Shape Function

Here, a new variable Eddington factor (VEF) model is presented for nonlinear problems of thermal radiative transfer (TRT). The VEF model is data-driven and acts on known (a-priori) radiation-diffusion solutions for material temperatures in the TRT problem. A linear auxiliary problem is constructed for the radiative transfer equation (RTE) whose emission source and opacities are evaluated at these known material temperatures. The solution to this RTE approximates the specific intensity distribution in phase-space and time. It is applied as a shape function to define the Eddington tensor for the presented VEF model. The shape function computed via the auxiliary RTE problem will capture some degree of transport effects within the TRT problem. The VEF moment equations closed with this approximate Eddington tensor will thus carry with them these captured transport effects. In this study, the temperature data comes from multigroup P 1 , P 1/3 , and flux-limited diffusion radiative transfer models. The proposed VEF model can be interpreted as a transport-corrected diffusion reduced-order model. Numerical results are presented on the Fleck-Cummings test problem which models a supersonic wavefront of radiation. The VEF model is shown to improve accuracy by 1–2 orders of magnitude compared to the considered radiation-diffusion model solutions to the TRT problem.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗