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At least 73 records · Page 4

Helium refrigeration considerations for cryomodule design

Many of the present day accelerators are based on superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities, packaged in cryo-modules (CM), which depend on helium refrigeration at sub-atmospheric pressures, nominally 2 K. These specialized helium refrigeration systems are quite cost intensive to produce and operate. Particularly as there is typically no work extraction below the 4.5-K supply, it is important that the exergy loss between this temperature level and the CM load temperature(s) be minimized by the process configuration choices. This paper will present, compare and discuss several possible helium distribution process arrangements to support the CM loads.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Simulation and Optimization of Volatile Fatty Acid Upgrading Strategies for Sustainable Transportation Fuel Production

Underutilized wet waste is a promising feedstock for production of carbon-neutral or carbon-negative liquid transportation fuels. Arrested methanogenesis of wet wastes by microbes, which produces mixtures of C2-C8 carboxylic acids (volatile fatty acids, VFAs), is practiced industrially at a pilot scale and the VFA products can be catalytically upgraded to molecules suitable for use as transportation fuels (alcohols and alkanes) via sequential ketonization and hydrogenation, both steps of which have been demonstrated with high (>90%) yield at the lab scale. We present in this work a simulation-based decision-making framework which evaluates upgrading strategies of VFAs to alcohol- and hydrocarbon-based neat and blended diesel, jet, and gasoline fuels. The processes utilize sequential upgrading steps (ketonization and hydrogenation) accompanied by one distillation step (either separating VFAs before ketonization or alcohols after ketone hydrogenation) to form two liquid streams: a light alcohol stream best suited as a light-duty fuel and a heavy alcohol or hydrocarbon stream best suited as a diesel or jet fuel. Suitability of the liquid products as transportation fuels and maximum blending levels with petrofuels comes from simulation of critical fuel properties (boiling point, flash point, lower heating value, viscosity, melting point, water solubility, and cetane/octane number). Catalytic upgrading steps and fuel property mixing models used by the simulation are experimentally validated. We demonstrate the flexibility of the decision-making algorithm by evaluating processing scenarios for experimentally-observed VFA profiles with varied carbon chain length distributions. Processing scenarios are optimized for either maximum total renewable carbon utilization or production of heavy-duty (jet or diesel) fuels. We evaluate the economic viability and CO2 emissions of each proposed upgrading scenario using techno-economic and life cycle analyses. The decision-making framework developed in this work can also be used to down-select promising strategies for upgrading of other bio-based feedstocks to sustainable fuels and chemicals.

aviation fuel↗

CONSTRAINTS OF THE PHYSICS OF LOW-MASS AGB STARS FROM CH AND CEMP STARS

We analyze a set of published elemental abundances from a sample of CH stars which are based on high resolution spectral analysis of ELODIE and SUBARU/HDS spectra. All the elemental abundances were derived from local thermodynamic equilibrium analysis using model atmospheres, and thus they represent the largest homogeneous abundance data available for CH stars to date. For this reason, we can use the set to constrain the physics and the nucleosynthesis occurring in low mass asymptotic giant branch (AGB) s.tars. CH stars have been polluted in the past from an already extinct AGB companion and thus show s-process enriched surfaces. We discuss the effects induced on the surface AGB s-process distributions by different prescriptions for convection and rotation. Our reference theoretical FRUITY set fits only part of the observations. Moreover, the s-process observational spread for a fixed metallicity cannot be reproduced. At [Fe/H] > −1, a good fit is found when rotation and a different treatment of the inner border of the convective envelope are simultaneously taken into account. In order to increase the statistics at low metallicities, we include in our analysis a selected number of CEMP stars and, therefore, we compute additional AGB models down to [Fe/H] = −2.85. Our theoretical models are unable to attain the large [hs/ls] ratios characterizing the surfaces of those objects. We speculate on the reasons for such a discrepancy, discussing the possibility that the observed distribution is a result of a proton mixing episode leading to a very high neutron density (the so-called i-process).

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Signatures of hypermassive neutron star lifetimes on r-process nucleosynthesis in the disc ejecta from neutron star mergers

We investigate the nucleosynthesis of heavy elements in the winds ejected by accretion discs formed in neutron star mergers. We compute the element formation in disc outflows from hypermassive neutron star (HMNS) remnants of variable lifetime, including the effect of angular momentum transport in the disc evolution. We employ long-term axisymmetric hydrodynamic disc simulations to model the ejecta, and compute r-process nucleosynthesis with tracer particles using a nuclear reaction network containing ~8000 species. We find that the previously known strong correlation between HMNS lifetime, ejected mass and average electron fraction in the outflow is directly related to the amount of neutrino irradiation on the disc, which dominates mass ejection at early times in the form of a neutrino-driven wind. Production of lanthanides and actinides saturates at short HMNS lifetimes (≲10 ms), with additional ejecta contributing to a blue optical kilonova component for longer-lived HMNSs. We find good agreement between the abundances from the disc outflow alone and the solar r-process distribution only for short HMNS lifetimes (≲10 ms). For longer lifetimes, the rare-earth and third r-process peaks are significantly underproduced compared to the solar pattern, requiring additional contributions from the dynamical ejecta. The nucleosynthesis signature from a spinning black hole (BH) can only overlap with that from an HMNS of moderate lifetime (≲60 ms). Finally, we show that angular momentum transport not only contributes with a late-time outflow component, but that it also enhances the neutrino-driven component by moving material to shallower regions of the gravitational potential, in addition to providing additional heating.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Evaluating the Role of Pre-Application Reports in Improving Distributed Generation Interconnection Processes

Several tools have emerged in recent years to increase data exchange and transparency in the distributed generation interconnection process with the goal of reducing interconnection costs. One example is pre-application reports. These reports are generated by a utility at the request of prospective interconnection applicants to provide technical information about a specific point of interconnection. Formal pre-application report processes have been established in 12 states at the distribution system level as well as at the transmission level by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. These reports are a relatively low-cost method of informing applicants of grid conditions and potential interconnection limitations early in the interconnection process. Thus, this information may encourage interconnection in locations with little to no detrimental impact to the grid and low interconnection costs. Increasing transparency of these grid conditions may also enable applicants to better plan for interconnection costs and requirements, such as system modifications and complex engineering studies. By providing these benefits, pre-application reports are expected to reduce the number of canceled interconnection applications. This report evaluates this hypothesis by quantifying the impact pre-application report processes have on application approval rate. To evaluate this hypothesis this analysis uses utility-reported distributed generation interconnection data from four utilities in Massachusetts. The analysis considers a four-year time period before and a five-year period after pre-application report process were implemented. The results indicate that once pre-application reports were required for projects 500 kilowatts and larger the approval rate of applications increased by 24%. This suggests that pre-application reports may decrease the percentage of canceled projects. However, due to data and other limitations, these results do not necessarily connote causation. This analysis is an important first step and a prerequisite for future analyses regarding the impact of pre-application reports. Other potential impacts also recognized during this analysis included reducing sunk costs and reducing the number of projects requiring a complex review. Collection of additional data would allow for forming more robust conclusions about these impacts in the future. Such data include circuit-level data, interconnection cost data, policy and regulatory background, national-level data, and utility and developer attributes. These data provide necessary context to account for interrelated factors while evaluating pre-application reports. Filling such knowledge gaps ultimately aids regulators in applying best practices within the industry. As more and more distributed energy resources are interconnected, these best practices will become an integral aspect of efficiently transitioning to an electric grid capable of meeting the needs of the 21st century.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Inclusive and differential cross section measurements of $ \textrm{t}\overline{\textrm{t}}\textrm{b}\overline{\textrm{b}} $ production in the lepton+jets channel at $ \sqrt{s} $ = 13 TeV

Measurements of inclusive and normalized differential cross sections of the associated production of top quark-antiquark and bottom quark-antiquark pairs, $ \textrm{t}\overline{\textrm{t}}\textrm{b}\overline{\textrm{b}} $, are presented. The results are based on data from proton-proton collisions collected by the CMS detector at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{−1}$. The cross sections are measured in the lepton+jets decay channel of the top quark pair, using events containing exactly one isolated electron or muon and at least five jets. Measurements are made in four fiducial phase space regions, targeting different aspects of the $ \textrm{t}\overline{\textrm{t}}\textrm{b}\overline{\textrm{b}} $ process. Distributions are unfolded to the particle level through maximum likelihood fits, and compared with predictions from several event generators. The inclusive cross section measurements of this process in the fiducial phase space regions are the most precise to date. In most cases, the measured inclusive cross sections exceed the predictions with the chosen generator settings. The only exception is when using a particular choice of dynamic renormalization scale, $ {\mu}_{\textrm{R}}=\frac{1}{2}{\prod}_{i=\textrm{t},\overline{\textrm{t}},\textrm{b},\overline{\textrm{b}}}{m}_{\textrm{T},i}^{1/4} $, where $ {m}_{\textrm{T},i}^2={m}_i^2+{p}_{\textrm{T},i}^2 $ are the transverse masses of top and bottom quarks. The differential cross sections show varying degrees of compatibility with the theoretical predictions, and none of the tested generators with the chosen settings simultaneously describe all the measured distributions.[graphic not available: see fulltext]

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Modeling and Optimal Design of Absorbent Enhanced Ammonia Synthesis

Synthetic ammonia produced from fossil fuels is essential for agriculture. However, the emissions-intensive nature of the Haber–Bosch process, as well as a depleting supply of these fossil fuels have motivated the production of ammonia using renewable sources of energy. Small-scale, distributed processes may better enable the use of renewables, but also result in a loss of economies of scale, so the high capital cost of the Haber–Bosch process may inhibit this paradigm shift. A process that operates at lower pressure and uses absorption rather than condensation to remove ammonia from unreacted nitrogen and hydrogen has been proposed as an alternative. In this work, a dynamic model of this absorbent-enhanced process is proposed and implemented in gPROMS ModelBuilder. This dynamic model is used to determine optimal designs of this process that minimize the 20-year net present cost at small scales of 100 kg/h to 10,000 kg/h when powered by wind energy. The capital cost of this process scales with a 0.77 capacity exponent, and at production scales below 6075 kg/h, it is less expensive than the conventional Haber–Bosch process.

10 SYNTHETIC FUELS↗

Optimizing Transportation Networks for E-Waste Reverse Logistics: A Multi-Modal Cost Allocation and Pricing Strategy

The exponential growth of electronic waste (e-waste) poses critical challenges for sustainable reverse logistics and transportation network optimization. This study develops a dual-channel transportation framework for e-waste logistics that integrates dynamic freight pricing, cost allocation mechanisms, and game-theoretic coordination. The model captures interactions between centralized hubs and distributed processing networks, accounting for freight rate elasticity, volume allocation, and capacity constraints. Using Stackelberg game theory and cost-sharing strategies, the framework optimizes transportation efficiency and profit distribution across logistics channels. Numerical simulations show that the dual-channel structure increases centralized hub profit by 226.8% compared to baseline single-channel operations, while boosting total transported volume by 1.2% and nearly doubling freight collector profit under cost-sharing. Scenario analyses across regional infrastructures reveal that network density, policy incentives, and logistics costs shape routing efficiency and profit allocation. These findings suggest that coordinated strategies combining dynamic pricing, targeted infrastructure investment, and strategic cost allocation are needed to design efficient, resilient, and regionally adaptable e-waste transportation systems.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Computationally efficient and error aware surrogate construction for numerical solutions of subsurface flow through porous media

Limiting the injection rate to restrict the pressure below a threshold at a critical location can be an important goal of simulations that model the subsurface pressure between injection and extraction wells. The pressure is approximated by the solution of Darcy’s partial differential equation for a given permeability field. The subsurface permeability is modeled as a random field since it is known only up to statistical properties. This induces uncertainty in the computed pressure. Solving the partial differential equation for an ensemble of random permeability simulations enables estimating a probability distribution for the pressure at the critical location. These simulations are computationally expensive, and practitioners often need rapid online guidance for real-time pressure management. An ensemble of numerical partial differential equation solutions is used to construct a Gaussian process regression model that can quickly predict the pressure at the critical location as a function of the extraction rate and permeability realization. The Gaussian process surrogate analyzes the ensemble of numerical pressure solutions at the critical location as noisy observations of the true pressure solution, enabling robust inference using the conditional Gaussian process distribution. Our first novel contribution is to identify a sampling methodology for the random environment and matching kernel technology for which fitting the Gaussian process regression model scales as O ( n log n ) instead of the typical O ( n 3 ) rate in the number of samples n used to fit the surrogate. The surrogate model allows almost instantaneous predictions for the pressure at the critical location as a function of the extraction rate and permeability realization. Our second contribution is a novel algorithm to calibrate the uncertainty in the surrogate model to the discrepancy between the true pressure solution of Darcy’s equation and the numerical solution. Finally, although our method is derived for building a surrogate for the solution of Darcy’s equation with a random permeability field, the framework broadly applies to solutions of other partial differential equations with random coefficients.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

The geometry of signal space: a case study of direct mapping between seismic signals and event distribution

SUMMARY Under favourable circumstances, seismic waveforms corresponding to an ensemble of events related by a common, spatially distributed process collectively exhibit a regular, signal-space geometry. When events in the ensemble have a common, or nearly common, source mechanism, this geometry is a distorted image of the distribution of events in the source region. The signal-space image can be visualized using a relatively simple waveform alignment and projection operation. Ensemble waveform correlation measurements can be inverted to estimate the distribution of the events in the source region, up to an arbitrary rotation, reflection and scaling, with residual distortion. We demonstrate these concepts with synthetic waveforms and with observations of long-wall mining induced seismicity for which substantial ground truth information is available. Our experience with these data has implications for location, correlation detection and machine learning and possible application to studies of repeating events in induced, volcanic and glacial seismicity. Our results place limits on the widely held assumption that waveform correlation is a useful measure of event separation. We suggest that the constraints on event separation need to be evaluated in the context of a population of related events, whose waveforms sample the signal space image of the source region. A better indicator of event separation is the length of the shortest path in signal space along the image.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

LL18-Signal Analysis-NDD2Ad (Final Report)

Under favorable circumstances, seismic waveforms corresponding to an ensemble of events related by a common, spatially-distributed process collectively exhibit a regular, signal-space geometry. When events in the ensemble have a common, or nearly common, source mechanism, this geometry is a distorted image of the distribution of events in the source region. The signal space image can be visualized using a relatively simple waveform alignment and projection operation. Ensemble waveform correlation measurements can be inverted to estimate the distribution of the events in the source region, up to an arbitrary rotation, reflection, and scaling with residual distortion. We demonstrate these concepts with synthetic waveforms and with observations of long-wall mining induced seismicity for which substantial ground truth information is available. Our experience with these data has implications for location, correlation detection and machine learning, and possible application to studies of repeating events in induced, volcanic, and glacial seismicity. Our results place limits on the widely-held assumption that waveform correlation is a useful measure of event separation. We suggest that the constraints on event separation need to be evaluated in the context of a population of related events, whose waveforms sample the signal space image of the source region. A better indicator of event separation is the length of the shortest path in signal space along the image.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Production of the entire range of r -process nuclides by black hole accretion disc outflows from neutron star mergers

We consider r -process nucleosynthesis in outflows from black hole accretion discs formed in double neutron star and neutron star–black hole mergers. These outflows, powered by angular momentum transport processes and nuclear recombination, represent an important – and in some cases dominant – contribution to the total mass ejected by the merger. Here we calculate the nucleosynthesis yields from disc outflows using thermodynamic trajectories from hydrodynamic simulations, coupled to a nuclear reaction network. We find that outflows produce a robust abundance pattern around the second r -process peak (mass number A ~ 130), independent of model parameters, with significant production of A < 130 nuclei. This implies that dynamical ejecta with high electron fraction may not be required to explain the observed abundances of r -process elements in metal poor stars. Disc outflows reach the third peak (A ~ 195) in most of our simulations, although the amounts produced depend sensitively on the disc viscosity, initial mass or entropy of the torus, and nuclear physics inputs. Some of our models produce an abundance spike at A = 132 that is absent in the Solar system r -process distribution. The spike arises from convection in the disc and depends on the treatment of nuclear heating in the simulations. We conclude that disc outflows provide an important – and perhaps dominant – contribution to the r -process yields of compact binary mergers, and hence must be included when assessing the contribution of these systems to the inventory of r -process elements in the Galaxy.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

General Purpose Graphics Processing Unit Based High-Rate Rice Decompression and Reed-Solomon Decoding

As the volume of data acquired by space-based sensors increases, mission data compression/decompression and forward error correction code processing performance must likewise scale. This competency development effort was explored using the General Purpose Graphics Processing Unit (GPGPU) to accomplish high-rate Rice Decompression and high-rate Reed-Solomon (RS) decoding at the satellite mission ground station. Each algorithm was implemented and benchmarked on a single GPGPU. Distributed processing across one to four GPGPUs was also investigated. The results show that the GPGPU has considerable potential for performing satellite communication Data Signal Processing, with three times or better performance improvements and up to ten times reduction in cost over custom hardware, at least in the case of Rice Decompression and Reed-Solomon Decoding.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Airborne measurements of isoprene and monoterpene emissions from southeastern U.S. forests

Isoprene and monoterpene emission rates are essential inputs for atmospheric chemistry models that simulate atmospheric oxidant and particle distributions. Process studies of the biochemical and physiological mechanisms controlling these emissions are advancing our understanding and the accuracy of model predictions but efforts to quantify regional emissions have been limited by a lack of constraints on regional distributions of ecosystem emission capacities. We used an airborne wavelet-based eddy covariance measurement technique to characterize isoprene and monoterpene fluxes with high spatial resolution during the 2013 SAS (Southeast Atmosphere Study) in the southeastern United States. The fluxes measured by direct eddy covariance were comparable to emissions independently estimated using an indirect inverse modeling approach. Isoprene emission factors based on the aircraft wavelet flux estimates for high isoprene chemotypes (e.g., oaks) were similar to the MEGAN2.1 biogenic emission model estimates for landscapes dominated by oaks. Aircraft flux measurement estimates for landscapes with fewer isoprene emitting trees (e.g., pine plantations), were about a factor of two lower than MEGAN2.1 model estimates. The tendency for high isoprene emitters in these landscapes to occur in the shaded understory, where light dependent isoprene emissions are diminished, may explain the lower than expected emissions. This result demonstrates the importance of accurately representing the vertical profile of isoprene emitting biomass in biogenic emission models. Airborne measurement-based emission factors for high monoterpene chemotypes agreed with MEGAN2.1 in landscapes dominated by pine (high monoterpene chemotype) trees but were more than a factor of three higher than model estimates for landscapes dominated by oak (relatively low monoterpene emitting) trees. This results suggests that unaccounted processes, such as floral emissions or light dependent monoterpene emissions, or vegetation other than high monoterpene emitting trees may be an important source of monoterpene emissions in those landscapes and should be identified and included in biogenic emission models.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

A Blockchain-Based Decentralized Data Storage and Access Framework for PingER

The blockchain is an innovative technology which opened doors to new applications for solving numerous problems in distributed environments. In this study, we design a blockchain-based data storage and access framework for PingER (worldwide end-to-end Internet performance measurement project) to remove its total dependence on a centralized repository. We use the permissioned blockchain and Distributed Hash Tables (DHT) for this purpose. In the proposed framework, metadata of the files are stored on the blockchain whereas the actual files are stored off-chain through DHT at multiple locations using a peer-to-peer network of PingER Monitoring Agents. Lastly, this will provide decentralized storage, distributed processing, and efficient lookup capabilities to the PingER framework.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Frequency Domain Detection and Precoding for Massive MIMO With Single Carrier Modulation

Single carrier modulation (SCM) schemes are attractive for uplink (UL) transmissions due to improved power efficiency at the user equipment (UE) transmitter compared with multi-carrier modulation schemes. In a massive MIMO scenario with SCM, the UL detection must mitigate the effects of inter-symbol interference and multiuser interference. This processing is effectively performed in the frequency domain (FD) using a minimum mean squared error (MMSE) detector when the transmission is framed with a cyclic prefix. This paper presents a MMSEbased detector that is compatible with distributed processing in a time-division duplex (TDD) system. The matrix inverses computed for the UL detection are then reused to perform multi-user precoding for the downlink (DL). We find that this scheme yields a tremendous savings in computational complexity compared to commonly used zero-forcing (ZF) precoding without sacrificing any performance. Since MMSE processing introduces a bias to the estimates, we then derive the scalar coefficients necessary to cancel the MMSE bias. The impact of channel estimation errors are analyzed for both the UL and DL cases in conjunction with a power-efficient approach to SCM channel estimation. Moreover, extensive simulations are performed to confirm our theoretical findings.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DEEP CELLULAR RECURRENT NEURAL ARCHITECTURE FOR EFFICIENT MULTIDIMENSIONAL TIME-SERIES DATA PROCESSING

Efficient processing of time series data is a fundamental yet challenging problem in pattern recognition. Though recent developments in machine learning and deep learning have enabled remarkable improvements in processing large scale datasets in many application domains, most are designed and regulated to handle inputs that are static in time. Many real-world data, such as in biomedical, surveillance and security, financial, manufacturing and engineering applications, are rarely static in time, and demand models able to recognize patterns in both space and time. Current machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) models adapted for time series processing tend to grow in complexity and size to accommodate the additional dimensionality of time. Specifically, the biologically inspired learning based models known as artificial neural networks that have shown extraordinary success in pattern recognition, tend to grow prohibitively large and cumbersome in the presence of large scale multi-dimensional time series biomedical data such as EEG. Consequently, this work aims to develop representative ML and DL models for robust and efficient large scale time series processing. First, we design a novel ML pipeline with efficient feature engineering to process a large scale multi-channel scalp EEG dataset for automated detection of epileptic seizures. With the use of a sophisticated yet computationally efficient time-frequency analysis technique known as harmonic wavelet packet transform and an efficient self-similarity computation based on fractal dimension, we achieve state-of-the-art performance for automated seizure detection in EEG data. Subsequently, we investigate the development of a novel efficient deep recurrent learning model for large scale time series processing. For this, we first study the functionality and training of a biologically inspired neural network architecture known as cellular simultaneous recurrent neural network (CSRN). We obtain a generalization of this network for multiple topological image processing tasks and investigate the learning efficacy of the complex cellular architecture using several state-of-the?art training methods. Finally, we develop a novel deep cellular recurrent neural network (CDRNN) architecture based on the biologically inspired distributed processing used in CSRN for processing time series data. The proposed DCRNN leverages the cellular recurrent architecture to promote extensive weight sharing and efficient, individualized, synchronous processing of multi-source time series data. Experiments on a large scale multi-channel scalp EEG, and a machine fault detection dataset show that the proposed DCRNN offers state-of-the-art recognition performance while using substantially fewer trainable recurrent units.

Vidyaratne, Lasitha S.↗