SEARCH · Engineering Papers
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.
This is a tutorial article about language and architecture approaches for highly concurrent computer systems based on the functional style of programming. The discussion concentrates on the basic aspects of functional languages, and sequencing models such as data-flow, demand-driven and reduction which are essential at the machine organization level. Several examples of highly concurrent machines are described.
A software simulator capability of simulating execution of an algorithm graph on a given system under the Algorithm to Architecture Mapping Model (ATAMM) rules is presented. ATAMM is capable of modeling the execution of large-grained algorithms on distributed data flow architectures. Investigating the behavior and determining the performance of an ATAMM based system requires the aid of software tools. The ATAMM Simulator presented is capable of determining the performance of a system without having to build a hardware prototype. Case studies are performed on four algorithms to demonstrate the capabilities of the ATAMM Simulator. Simulated results are shown to be comparable to the experimental results of the Advanced Development Model System.
A comparative study is made between the Algorithm to Architecture Mapping Model (ATAMM) and three other related multiprocessing models from the published literature. The primary focus of all four models is the non-preemptive scheduling of large-grain iterative data flow graphs as required in real-time systems, control applications, signal processing, and pipelined computations. Important characteristics of the models such as injection control, dynamic assignment, multiple node instantiations, static optimum unfolding, range-chart guided scheduling, and mathematical optimization are identified. The models from the literature are compared with the ATAMM for performance, scheduling methods, memory requirements, and complexity of scheduling and design procedures.
A key input in modeling population distribution and flows following conflict events is the inclusion of Internally Displaced Person (IDP) flows between administrative units within a country. These flows are critical for capturing population movement and redistribution driven by current events, particularly conflict. In some cases, IDP destination data are available while origin data is incomplete or unavailable. This creates a gap in understanding where displacement is occurring, limiting the ability to model population redistribution accurately. Without origin data, it is not possible to reallocate population flows or accurately represent where displacement is occurring within the country. This report evaluates whether Armed Conflict Location Event Data (ACLED) political violence event data can be used to estimate IDP origin distributions when direct origin data are unavailable. The approach is validated using historical IDP flow data from Lebanon, where both origins and destinations are observed. Results show that ACLED event distributions strongly correspond to observed IDP-origin patterns, particularly when using cumulative 60-day event windows. The method is most reliable for identifying major origin districts and approximating proportional origin shares. However, it is not intended to reconstruct exact individual displacement flows, but rather to provide a probabilistic spatial allocation of displacement origins.
This is Part 3 of a report on the excitability of heated jets under the influence of acoustic excitation. The effects of upstream internal acoustic excitation on jet mixing were described in Part 1. Part 2 described the effects of external excitation on flow mixing. Part 3 contains quantitative results from the measurements of mean Mach number and temperature and consists of radial profiles and centerline distributions measured at selected jet operating conditions for internally excited and unexcited jets. The mean flow data are presented in both graphical and tabulated forms. For the sake of completeness, this part contains temperature probe calibration curves also.
A major problem in employing networks of microcomputers for the real-time simulation of complex systems is to allocate computational tasks to the various microcomputers in such a way that idle time and time lost in interprocess communication is minimized. The research reported in this paper is directed to the development of a software interface between a higher-level simulation language and a network of microcomputers. A CSSL-IV source program is translated to a data flow graph. This graph is then analyzed automatically so as to allocate computing tasks to the various processors.
The 40 Fuel Cycle Data Packages (FCDPs) to be used for the 2013 Evaluation and Screening (E&S) of Fuel Cycle Options have been developed using assumptions for the thermal efficiencies of the reactors in the different stages of the representative fuel cycle options for the 40 Evaluation Groups (EGs). Due to considerations about the potential for these different thermal efficiencies to bias the E&S results and maybe misinform readers, it has been requested to re-normalize mass flow data using the uniform thermal efficiency values for two additional sensitivity study cases.
The electric grid is becoming increasingly cyber-physical with the addition of smart technologies, new communication interfaces, and automated grid-support functions. Because of this, it is no longer sufficient to only study the physical system dynamics, but the cyber system must also be monitored as well to examine cyber-physical interactions and effects on the overall system. To address this gap for both operational and security needs, cyber-physical situational awareness is needed to monitor the system to detect any faults or malicious activity. Techniques and models to understand the physical system (the power system operation) exist, but methods to study the cyber system are needed, which can assist in understanding how the network traffic and changes to network conditions affect applications such as data analysis, intrusion detection systems (IDS), and anomaly detection. In this paper, we examine and develop models of data flows in communication networks of cyber-physical systems (CPSs) and explore how network calculus can be utilized to develop those models for CPSs, with a focus on anomaly and intrusion detection. This provides a foundation for methods to examine how changes to behavior in the CPS can be modeled and for investigating cyber effects in CPSs in anomaly detection applications.
With an ever-increasing presence in space, there is also an increasing burden on existing communications infrastructure. We are heading towards an inflection point where the traditional approach of scheduled, single-path communications for space will no longer be viable. One answer is Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN), which takes the once disparate system of point-to-point links and unifies them in a networked architecture, thereby making communications more scalable. However, much work remains for discovering and harnessing the underlying theory of DTN. For example, in the terrestrial setting the interplay between routing domains is well-understood, however this is not the case in DTNs. In this paper, we build up the fundamental foundations of DTN, with an emphasis on modeling time varying networks and data flows across them, with examples of cross-domain routing in a DTN. A lofty goal of DTN is to enable the so-called Solar System Internet (SSI), which implies a standardized and robust suite of protocols. These protocols include routing across disconnected networks using store, carry, and forward mechanisms, which is necessary due to the disconnections, delays, and mobility intrinsic to space networks. Due to these factors, each of which generalize traditional networking, there is a deep and rich theory of DTNs. Here we build off of past successes to broaden this theory while striving to keep actionable results a goal for future implementations and operations. The approach includes modeling the unicast, broadcast, and multicast communications using the language of hypergraphs, which capture the geometric properties of such networked communications algebraically. Also inherent to these networks is their time-varying nature, particularly given mobility, and hence we also cultivate modeling techniques that respect this time dependence. This leads us to develop models using tools from category theory and algebraic geometry, which provide a language well-suited to describing synchronization and optimization over such networks. We also introduce and study a novel generalization of curvature applicable to time-evolving networks, which provides quantitative controls on diffusion processes on the network. Because an interplanetary network would feature links with propagation delays the preclude discovery (feedback) mechanisms, they will always feature a scheduled component. However, it is beneficial to support discovery where possible. While DTNs do not yet have strong definitions for their analogues of autonomous systems or network areas, we show how to join dynamic and schedule-based routing domains, using the language of sheaves, which marks progress towards such definitions. We conclude with a discussion of the progress made, as well as suggestions for future work.
Emerging Complex Event Processing (CEP) applications in cyber physical systems like SmartPower Grids present novel challenges for end-to-end analysis over events, flowing from heterogeneous information sources to persistent knowledge repositories. CEP for these applications must support two distinctive features - easy specification patterns over diverse information streams, and integrated pattern detection over realtime and historical events. Existing work on CEP has been limited to relational query patterns, and engines that match events arriving after the query has been registered. We propose SCEPter, a semantic complex event processing framework which uniformly processes queries over continuous and archived events. SCEPteris built around an existing CEP engine with innovative support for semantic event pattern specification and allows their seamless detection over past, present and future events. Specifically, we describe a unified semantic query model that can operate over data flowing through event streams to event repositories. Compile-time and runtime semantic patterns are distinguished and addressed separately for efficiency. Query rewriting is examined and analyzed in the context of temporal boundaries that exist between event streams and their repository to avoid duplicate or missing results. The design and prototype implementation of SCEPterare analyzed using latency and throughput metrics for scenarios from the Smart Grid domain.
Extensive flow rate, pressure, and temperature data available for validating computer models of liquid-oxygen transfer systems. Data on "waterhammer" pressure spikes included.
This paper will present the results of an oil flow investigation on an airbreathing missile model. This oil flow study examined the flow around the model, which can be configured with both axisymmetric and two-dimensional inlets. Flow visualization analyses were conducted for both types of geometries by examining the surface flow patterns made visible by the oil flows for Mach numbers of 2.5 and 3.95. The analysis has shown the extent of flow spillage around the inlet which has helped explain the force and moment data collected during previous testing of the model. The oil flow data has also been used to develop guidelines for modeling the location of the crossflow separation line along inlet fairings. Finally, the oil flow analysis has been used to identify unique features of the boattail flow. These boattail flow characteristics have been correlated with previous oil flow analysis of noncircular body models. This paper demonstrates the use of this type of oil flow analysis in developing missile flow field analysis and aerodynamic predictions ranging from impact angle methods through Navier-Stokes methods.
Models for the thermal evolution of oceanic lithosphere are primarily constrained by variations in seafloor depth and heat flow with age. These models have been largely based on data from the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean basins. We construct seafloor age relations for the Indian Ocean which we combine with bathymetric, sediment isopach and heat flow data to derive curves for depth and heat flow versus age. Comparison of these curves with predictions from three thermal models shows that they are better fit by the shallower depths and higher heat flow for the GDH1 model, which is characterized by a thinner and hotter lithosphere than previous models.
The purpose of the NASA Juncture Flow experiment is to acquire high-quality flowfield details deep in the corner of a wing-body junction specifically for the purpose of CFD validation. A second phase of testing was recently completed, which includes both laser doppler velocimetry and particle image velocimetry measurements. This paper describes the recent experiment and its results. It also makes detailed comparisons between the experimental data and a new version of a widely-used CFD turbulence model for Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes, which was recently developed to improve separated corner flow predictions. The CFD results generally produce very good qualitative agreement with the experiment, although they are less accurate inside of the separation region, as expected.
Sap flow was monitored at three Panamanian sites: Parque Natural Metropolitano (PNM), Barro Colorado Island (BCI), and Bosque Protector San Lorenzo (SLZ), using a total of 54 G-20mm sap flow sensors. Raw output from the data logger connected to 54 sap flow sensors are converted from xxx.dat. to xxx.csv. files. The metadata file (E-field log_v1-1_PNM_BCI_SLZ_sapflow_2022.xls) has information on locations where the sensors were installed, and other installation/maintenance details. No data processing or QA/QC was done on the raw datasets except conversion of dat. files to csv. files. Processed datasets have been uploaded separately. Contact mizanur.rahman@pnnl.gov or nate.mcdowell@pnnl.gov if you need to use this dataset for additional information.
This paper documents the workflow and supporting technologies that a large system dynamics model, the biomass scenario model, employs to streamline the data preparation, simulation, quality control, and analysis process at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The workflow centers on automation of routine aspects of the flow of data between data stores, simulations, and visualizations. It enforces quality checks on data, reproducibility of computations, and traceability of results, while maintaining complete archives of modeling and analysis artifacts. The resulting frictionless simulation/analysis environment supports large-scale sensitivity analysis, interactive creation of ensembles of simulations, and rapid visualization-based exploration of simulation results.
Liquid nitrogen mass flow rate, pressure drop, and temperature drop data were obtained for a series of multiple orifice Joule-Thomson devices, known as Visco Jets, over a wide range of flow resistance. The test rig used to acquire the data was designed to minimize heat transfer so that fluid expansion through the Visco Jets would be isenthalpic. The data include a range of fluid inlet pressures from 30 to 60 psia, fluid inlet temperatures from 118 to 164 R, outlet pressures from 2.8 to 55.8 psia, outlet temperatures from 117 to 162 R and flow rate from 0.04 to 4.0 lbm/hr of nitrogen. A flow rate equation supplied by the manufacturer was found to accurately predict single-phase (noncavitating) liquid nitrogen flow through the Visco Jets. For cavitating flow, the manufacturer's equation was found to be inaccurate. Greatly improved results were achieved with a modified version of the single-phase equation. The modification consists of a multiplication factor to the manufacturer's equation equal to one minus the downstream quality on an isenthalpic expansion of the fluid across the Visco Jet. For a range of flow resistances represented by Visco Jet Lohm ratings between 17,600 and 80,000, 100 percent of the single-phase data and 85 percent of the two-phase data fall within + or - 10 percent of predicted values.
The BOREAS TE-7 team collected data sets in support of its efforts to characterize and interpret information on the sap flow of boreal vegetation. The heat pulse method was used to monitor sap flow and to estimate rates of transpiration from aspen, black spruce, and mixed wood forests at the SSAOA, MIX, SSA-OBS. and Batoche sites in Saskatchewan, Canada. Measurements were made at the various sites from May to October 1994, May to October 1995, and April to October 1996. A scaling procedure was used to estimate canopy transpiration rates from the sap flow measurements. The data were stored in tabular ASCII files. Analyses to date show a tendency for sap flow in aspen to remain remarkably constant over a wide range of environmental conditions VPD from 1.0 to 4.8 kPa and solar radiation less than 400 W/sq m). For forests with high aerodynamic conductance, the results would indicate an inverse relationship between stomatal conductance and VPD, for VPD greater than 1 kPa. A possible interpretation is that stomata are operating to maintain leaf water potentials above a critical minimum value, which in turn places a maximum value on the rate of sap flow that can be sustained by the tree. The data files are available on a CD-ROM (see document number 20010000884), or from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Distrobuted Activity Archive Center (DAAC).