Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “power efficiency”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 667 records · Page 37
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Encoding integers and rationals on neuromorphic computers using virtual neuron

Abstract Neuromorphic computers emulate the human brain while being extremely power efficient for computing tasks. In fact, they are poised to be critical for energy-efficient computing in the future. Neuromorphic computers are primarily used in spiking neural network–based machine learning applications. However, they are known to be Turing-complete, and in theory can perform all general-purpose computation. One of the biggest bottlenecks in realizing general-purpose computations on neuromorphic computers today is the inability to efficiently encode data on the neuromorphic computers. To fully realize the potential of neuromorphic computers for energy-efficient general-purpose computing, efficient mechanisms must be devised for encoding numbers. Current encoding mechanisms (e.g., binning, rate-based encoding, and time-based encoding) have limited applicability and are not suited for general-purpose computation. In this paper, we present the virtual neuron abstraction as a mechanism for encoding and adding integers and rational numbers by using spiking neural network primitives. We evaluate the performance of the virtual neuron on physical and simulated neuromorphic hardware. We estimate that the virtual neuron could perform an addition operation using just 23 nJ of energy on average with a mixed-signal, memristor-based neuromorphic processor. We also demonstrate the utility of the virtual neuron by using it in some of the μ -recursive functions, which are the building blocks of general-purpose computation.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2026

Explainable machine learning for incipient anomaly detection in compact molten salt heat exchanger with overlapping feature distributions

High-temperature molten salt-cooled reactors (MSCRs) are a promising next-generation nuclear technology option, offering efficient power conversion and inherent safety features. However, the reliability of these systems depends on the robust operation of heat exchangers (HXs), which are susceptible to failure due to temperature gradients and channel plugging caused by fluid freezing. Conventional monitoring methods, relying on inlet and outlet measurements, lack the spatial resolution needed to detect early-stage faults. We propose a novel design of a compact salt-to-salt matrix-type HX design consisting of interleaved arrays of parallel tubes, with integrated synthetic fiber optic distributed temperature sensing (DTS) to enable localized detection of incipient faults. To evaluate performance of this design, we generate high-fidelity synthetic data using heat transfer computational modeling to simulate channel plugging, and introduce sensor noise for realistic modeling of measurements. The dataset comprises of 97% normal operation and 3% anomaly cases, with each anomaly class representing 1% of the data. These early anomalies result in overlapping temperature profiles between normal and faulty channels, producing a non-separable dataset that challenges traditional classification techniques. We benchmark eight supervised machine learning (ML) models and demonstrate that XGBoost achieves the highest performance. To improve transparency, we develop an explainability framework combining Shapley values and partially ordered sets (POSETs) to quantify and structurally analyze feature importance. This approach identifies both dominant predictors and ambiguous feature relationships, enhancing trust and interpretability. Our results highlight the potential of combining DTS and explainable ML with intelligent feature selection to improve predictive maintenance and ensure operational resilience in advanced nuclear systems.

Prantikos, Konstantinos [Argonne National Laborato↗
DOE OSTI2020

Neuromorphic spintronics

Neuromorphic computing uses brain-inspired principles to design circuits that can perform computational tasks with superior power efficiency to conventional computers. Approaches that use traditional electronic devices to create artificial neurons and synapses are, however, currently limited by the energy and area requirements of these components. Spintronic nanodevices, which exploit both the magnetic and electrical properties of electrons, can increase the energy efficiency and decrease the area of these circuits, and magnetic tunnel junctions are of particular interest as neuromorphic computing elements because they are compatible with standard integrated circuits and can support multiple functionalities. Here, we review the development of spintronic devices for neuromorphic computing. We examine how magnetic tunnel junctions can serve as synapses and neurons, and how magnetic textures, such as domain walls and skyrmions, can function as neurons. We also explore spintronics-based implementations of neuromorphic computing tasks, such as pattern recognition in an associative memory, and discuss the challenges that exist in scaling up these systems.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2011

Ion Source Development For The Proposed FNAL 750 keV Injector Upgrade

Currently there is a Proposed FNAL 750 keV Injector Upgrade for the replacement of the 40 year old Fermi National Laboratory (FNAL) Cockcroft-Walton accelerators with a new ion source and 200 MHz Radio Frequency Quadruple (RFQ). The slit type magnetron being used now will be replaced with a round aperture magnetron similar to the one used at Brookhaven National Lab (BNL). Operational experience from BNL has shown that this type of source is more reliable with a longer lifetime due to better power efficiency. The current source development effort is to produce a reliable source with >60 mA of H{sup -} beam current, 15 Hz rep-rate, 100 {mu}s pulse width, and a duty factor of 0.15%. The source will be based on the BNL design along with development done at FNAL for the High Intensity Neutrino Source (HINS).

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Surface plasma source with saddle antenna radio frequency plasma generator

A prototype RF H{sup -} surface plasma source (SPS) with saddle (SA) RF antenna is developed which will provide better power efficiency for high pulsed and average current, higher brightness with longer lifetime and higher reliability. Several versions of new plasma generators with small AlN discharge chambers and different antennas and magnetic field configurations were tested in the plasma source test stand. A prototype SA SPS was installed in the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) ion source test stand with a larger, normal-sized SNS AlN chamber that achieved unanalyzed peak currents of up to 67 mA with an apparent efficiency up to 1.6 mA/kW. Control experiments with H{sup -} beam produced by SNS SPS with internal and external antennas were conducted. A new version of the RF triggering plasma gun has been designed. A saddle antenna SPS with water cooling is fabricated for high duty factor testing.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2012

Brightness enhancement of plasma ion source by utilizing anode spot for nano applications

Anode spots are known as additional discharges on positively biased electrode immersed in plasmas. The anode spot plasma ion source (ASPIS) has been investigated as a high brightness ion source for nano applications such as focused ion beam (FIB) and nano medium energy ion scattering (nano-MEIS). The generation of anode spot is found to enhance brightness of ion beam since the anode spot increases plasma density near the extraction aperture. Brightness of the ASPIS has been estimated from measurement of emittance for total ion beam extracted through sub-mm aperture. The ASPIS is installed to the FIB system. Currents and diameters of the focused beams with/without anode spot are measured and compared. As the anode spot is turned on, the enhancement of beam current is observed at fixed diameter of the focused ion beam. Consequently, the brightness of the focused ion beam is enhanced as well. For argon ion beam, the maximum normalized brightness of 12 300 A/m{sup 2} SrV is acquired. The ASPIS is applied to nano-MEIS as well. The ASPIS is found to increase the beam current density and the power efficiency of the ion source for nano-MEIS. From the present study, it is shown that the ASPIS can enhance the performance of devices for nano applications.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Extracted ion current density in close-coupling multi-antenna type radio frequency driven ion source: CC-MATIS

Positive ions are extracted by using a small extractor from the Close-Coupling Multi-Antenna Type radio frequency driven Ion Source. Two types of RF antenna are used. The maximum extracted ion current density reaches 0.106 A/cm{sup 2}. The RF net power efficiency of the extracted ion current density under standard condition is 11.6 mA/cm{sup 2}/kW. The efficiency corresponds to the level of previous beam experiments on elementary designs of multi-antenna sources, and also to the efficiency level of a plasma driven by a filament in the same chamber. The multi-antenna type RF plasma source is promising for all metal high density ion sources in a large volume chamber.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Investigation of hole injection enhancement by MoO{sub 3} buffer layer in organic light emitting diodes

An MoO{sub 3} buffer layer prepared by thermal evaporation as hole injection layer was investigated in organic light emitting diodes. The MoO{sub 3} film inserted between the anode and hole transport layer decreased the operating voltage and enhanced power efficiency. Introduction of 1 nm MoO{sub 3} film, which was found to be the optimum layer thickness, resulted in 45% increase in efficiency compared with traditional ITO anode. Results from atomic force microscopy and photoemission spectroscopy showed that smooth surface morphology and suitable energy level alignment of ITO/MoO{sub 3} interface facilitated hole injection and transport. The hole injection and transport mechanism at the ITO/MoO{sub 3} interface in thin and thick buffer layers were analyzed.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

A semiconductor metasurface with multiple functionalities: A polarizing beam splitter with simultaneous focusing ability

We propose a semiconductor metasurface that simultaneously performs two independent functions: focusing and polarization filtering. The wavefronts of the reflected and transmitted light distributions are precisely manipulated by spatial parametric variation of a subwavelength thin-film Si grating, which inherently possesses polarization filtering properties. We design a 12-μm-wide metasurface containing only nineteen Si grating ridges. Under a 10-μm-wide unpolarized Gaussian beam incidence at wavelength of 1.55 μm, the resulting device shows promising theoretical performance with high power efficiency exceeding 80% and polarization extinction ratio of ∼10 dB with focal spot diameters near 1–2 μm.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Wavelength-selective plasmonics for enhanced cultivation of microalgae

Optimal photon management is a key challenge for photobioreactor design, since light gradients and varying spectral sensitivities between organisms result in uneven illumination and unused photons. This paper demonstrates wavelength specific scattering from plasmonic nano-patterned surfaces as a means of addressing the challenge of photon management in photobioreactors. Modular photobioreactors were constructed with different reflective substrates including arrays of plasmonic nanodisks, broadband reflectors, and untreated glass. It was found that the growth rate of cyanobacterium S. elongatus in photobioreactors equipped with a plasmonic substrate (R{sub 623 nm} ∼ 35%) was enhanced by 6.5% compared to photobioreactors equipped with untreated glass. Furthermore, plasmonic reflectors showed a normalized power efficiency improvement of 52% over broadband reflectors. Wavelength-specific reflection from plasmonic reflectors increases the flux of useful light to cultures without sacrificing the full spectrum.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Novel chemical species of Santilli’s magnegas in hadronic chemistry

In this paper we have reviewed the novel chemical species, the magnecules, synthesized by Santilli that comprises of individual atoms, radicals and ordinary molecules bonded through the magnetic attractive forces originating out of toroidal polarization of the orbitals of atomic electrons under strong magnetic fields. The main focus of this paper is to review the fabulous applications of Santill’s magnegas. The novel magnecular species of hydrogen and oxygen find their place in fuel industry especially in fuel cells with the increase in its power, efficiency and total output. In this account we have also considered the flame temperature report of the new magnecular species of gases. We emphasize the importance of this new field.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

A CW radiofrequency ion source for production of negative hydrogen ion beams for cyclotrons

A CW 13.56 MHz radiofrequency-driven ion source RADIS for production of H{sup −} and D{sup −} beams is under development for replacing the filament-driven ion source of the MCC30/15 cyclotron. The RF ion source has a 16-pole multicusp plasma chamber, an electromagnet-based magnetic filter and an external planar spiral RF antenna behind an AlN window. The extraction is a 5-electrode system with an adjustable puller electrode voltage for optimizing the beam formation, a water-cooled electron dump electrode and an accelerating einzel lens. At 2650 W of RF power, the source produces 1 mA of H{sup −} (2.6 mA/cm{sup 2}), which is the intensity needed at injection for production of 200 µA H{sup +} with the filament-driven ion source. A simple pepperpot device has been developed for characterizing the beam emittance. Plans for improving the power efficiency with the use of a new permanent magnet front plate is discussed.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2016

A structure of CdS/Cu{sub x}S quantum dots sensitized solar cells

This work introduces a type of CdS/Cu{sub x}S quantum dots (QDs) as sensitizers in quantum dot sensitized solar cells by in-situ cationic exchange reaction method where CdS photoanode is directly immersed in CuCl{sub 2} methanol solution to replace Cd{sup 2+} by Cu{sup 2+}. The p-type Cu{sub x}S layer on the surface of the CdS QDs can be considered as hole transport material, which not only enhances the light harvesting of photoanode but also boosts the charge separation after photo-excitation. Therefore, both the electron collection efficiency and power conversion efficiency of the solar cell are improved from 80% to 92% and from 1.21% to 2.78%, respectively.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2016

High performance p-type NiO{sub x} thin-film transistor by Sn doping

Major obstacles towards power efficient complementary electronics employing oxide thin-film transistors (TFTs) lie in the lack of equivalent well performing p-channel devices. Here, we report a significant performance enhancement of solution-processed p-type nickel oxide (NiO{sub x}) TFTs by introducing Sn dopant. The Sn-doped NiO{sub x} (Sn-NiO{sub x}) TFTs annealed at 280 °C demonstrate substantially improved electrical performances with the increase in the on/off current ratio (I{sub on}/I{sub off}) by ∼100 times, field-effect mobility (μ{sub lin}) by ∼3 times, and the decrease in subthreshold swing by half, comparing with those of pristine NiO{sub x} TFTs. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction results confirm that Sn atoms tend to substitute Ni sites and induce more amorphous phase. A decrease in density of states in the gap of NiO{sub x} by Sn doping and the shift of Fermi level (E{sub F}) into the midgap lead to the improvements of TFT performances. As a result, Sn-NiO{sub x} can be a promising material for the next-generation, oxide-based electronics.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

An experimental study on the performance of closed loop pulsating heat pipe (CLPHP) with methanol as a working fluid

Thermal control is an important topic for thermal management of small electrical and electronic devices. Closed loop pulsating heat pipe (CLPHP) arises as the best solution for thermal control. The aim of this experimental study is to search a CLPHP of better thermal performance for cooling different electrical and electronic devices. In this experiment, methanol is used as working fluid. The effect of using methanol as a working fluid is studied on thermal performance in different filling ratios and angles of inclination. A copper capillary tube is used where the inner diameter is 2 mm,outer diameter is 2.5 mm and 250 mm long. The CLPHP has 8 loops where the evaporation section is 50 mm, adiabatic section is 120 mm and condensation section is 80 mm. The experiment is done using FR of 40%-70% with 10% of interval and angles of inclination 0° (vertical), 30°, 45°, 60° varying heat input. The results are compared on the basis of evaporator temperature, condenser temperature and their differences, thermal resistance, heat transfer co-efficient, power input and pulsating time. The results demonstrate the effect of methanol in different filling ratios and angles of inclination. M ethanol shows better performance at 30° inclination with 40% FR.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2019

Ultra-wide-bandgap AlGaN homojunction tunnel diodes with negative differential resistance

The power efficiencies of state-of-the-art Al x Ga 1-x N deep-ultraviolet (UV) emitters operating in the <300 nm wavelength region are currently limited to a few percent in part due to limitations in the series and contact resistance which result in excessive drive voltages. Al x Ga 1-x N tunnel contacts and tunnel junctions in deep-UV devices are a promising route toward increasing these efficiencies by improving the contact resistances, hole injection, and reducing optical absorption by removing undesirable p-GaN contact layers. However, due to doping inefficiencies, standalone tunnel diodes have not been realized in the form of homojunction Al x Ga 1-x N. In this work, Al x Ga 1-x N (0.19 ≤ x ≤ 0.58) homojunction tunnel diodes are fabricated with high reverse bias current densities, and one device with x = 0.19 demonstrates a negative differential resistance at ~2.4 V. Al x Ga 1-x N p++/n++/n tunnel diodes are compared to reference p++/i/n diodes to provide clarity about the role of tunneling conduction vs leakage conduction. Transmission electron microscopy verifies that heavy doping does not result in visible defects such as Mg precipitates and allows for subsequent epitaxy, critical for buried tunnel junction structures. Increasing the bandgap energy of Al x Ga 1-x N for higher Al content tunnel junctions decreases the tunnel current, but still allows sufficient conduction necessary for future improvements in deep UV emitter efficiencies.

Nitrides↗
DOE OSTI2020

Photonic integration for UV to IR applications

Photonic integration opens the potential to reduce size, power, and cost of applications normally relegated to table- and rack-sized systems. Today, a wide range of precision, high-end, ultra-sensitive, communication and computation, and measurement and scientific applications, including atomic clocks, quantum communications, processing, and high resolution spectroscopy, are ready to make the leap from the lab to the chip. However, many of these applications operate at wavelengths not accessible to the silicon on insulator-based silicon photonics integration platform due to absorption, power handling, unwanted nonlinearities, and other factors. Next generation photonic integration will require ultra-wideband photonic circuit platforms that scale from the ultraviolet to the infrared and that offer a rich set of linear and nonlinear circuit functions as well as low loss and high power handling capabilities. This article provides an assessment of the field in ultra-wideband photonic waveguides to bring power efficient, ultra-high performance systems to the chip-scale and enable compact transformative precision measurement, signal processing, computation, and communication techniques.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2021

Superconducting neural networks with disordered Josephson junction array synaptic networks and leaky integrate-and-fire loop neurons

Fully coupled randomly disordered recurrent superconducting networks with additional open-ended channels for inputs and outputs are considered the basis to introduce a new architecture to neuromorphic computing in this work. Various building blocks of such a network are designed around disordered array synaptic networks using superconducting devices and circuits as an example, while emphasizing that a similar architectural approach may be compatible with several other materials and devices. A multiply coupled (interconnected) disordered array of superconducting loops containing Josephson junctions [equivalent to superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs)] forms the aforementioned collective synaptic network that forms a fully recurrent network together with compatible neuron-like elements and feedback loops, enabling unsupervised learning. This approach aims to take advantage of superior power efficiency, propagation speed, and synchronizability of a small world or a random network over an ordered/regular network. Additionally, it offers a significant factor of increase in scalability. Here, a compatible leaky integrate-and-fire neuron made of superconducting loops with Josephson junctions is presented, along with circuit components for feedback loops as needed to complete the recurrent network. Several of these individual disordered array neural networks can further be coupled together in a similarly disordered way to form a hierarchical architecture of recurrent neural networks that is often suggested as similar to a biological brain.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗