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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.

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At least 757 records · Page 42

IEA Wind TCP Task 37: Systems Engineering in Wind Energy - WP2.1 Reference Wind Turbines

This report describes two wind turbine models developed within the second work package (WP2) of IEA Wind Task 37 on Wind Energy Systems Engineering: Integrated RD&D. The wind turbine models aim at acting as references for future research projects on wind energy, representing a modern land-based wind turbine and a next generation offshore wind turbine. The land-based design is a class IIIA geared configuration with a rated electrical power of 3.4-megawatts, a rotor diameter of 130 meters (m), and a hub height of 110 m. The offshore design is a class IA configuration with a rated electrical power of 10.0 megawatts, a rotor diameter of 198 m, and a hub height of 119 m. The offshore turbine adopts a direct-drive generator.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Direct and system effects of water ingestion into jet engine compresors

Water ingestion into aircraft-installed jet engines can arise both during take-off and flight through rain storms, resulting in engine operation with nearly saturated air-water droplet mixture flow. Each of the components of the engine and the system as a whole are affected by water ingestion, aero-thermally and mechanically. The greatest effects arise probably in turbo-machinery. Experimental and model-based results (of relevance to 'immediate' aerothermal changes) in compressors have been obtained to show the effects of film formation on material surfaces, centrifugal redistribution of water droplets, and interphase heat and mass transfer. Changes in the compressor performance affect the operation of the other components including the control and hence the system. The effects on the engine as a whole are obtained through engine simulation with specified water ingestion. The interest is in thrust, specific fuel consumption, surge margin and rotational speeds. Finally two significant aspects of performance changes, scalability and controllability, are discussed in terms of characteristic scales and functional relations.

Murthy, S. N. B.↗

Validation of Photovoltaic Modeling Tool HelioScope Against Measured Data

HelioScope is a cloud-based solar design software developed by Folsom Labs to model arrays based on physical design. Folsom Labs received a grant from the Department of Energy for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to validate the performance of HelioScope's simulation engine against measured PV system performance. This study builds upon previous validation work by NREL of multiple other PV modeling tools, using the same fixed-tilt systems with available system specifications. HelioScope designs were set up using the same system specifications and concurrent weather data as were used in previous studies. The predicted performance results from the simulations were compared with measured data and to performance predictions by other PV modeling tools.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

IVHM Related Research at NASA Glenn

The presentation summarizes Glenn Research center work in IVHM related areas. The focus is on the model-based engine control and diagnostics work being done at the Controls and Dynamics Branch.

System Health Management↗

Uncertainty Reduction using Bayesian Inference and Sensitivity Analysis: A Sequential Approach to the NASA Langley Uncertainty Quantification Challenge

This paper presents a computational framework for uncertainty characterization and propagation, and sensitivity analysis under the presence of aleatory and epistemic un- certainty, and develops a rigorous methodology for efficient refinement of epistemic un- certainty by identifying important epistemic variables that significantly affect the overall performance of an engineering system. The proposed methodology is illustrated using the NASA Langley Uncertainty Quantification Challenge (NASA-LUQC) problem that deals with uncertainty analysis of a generic transport model (GTM). First, Bayesian inference is used to infer subsystem-level epistemic quantities using the subsystem-level model and corresponding data. Second, tools of variance-based global sensitivity analysis are used to identify four important epistemic variables (this limitation specified in the NASA-LUQC is reflective of practical engineering situations where not all epistemic variables can be refined due to time/budget constraints) that significantly affect system-level performance. The most significant contribution of this paper is the development of the sequential refine- ment methodology, where epistemic variables for refinement are not identified all-at-once. Instead, only one variable is first identified, and then, Bayesian inference and global sensi- tivity calculations are repeated to identify the next important variable. This procedure is continued until all 4 variables are identified and the refinement in the system-level perfor- mance is computed. The advantages of the proposed sequential refinement methodology over the all-at-once uncertainty refinement approach are explained, and then applied to the NASA Langley Uncertainty Quantification Challenge problem.

Uncertainty↗

Centrifugal and Axial Pump Design and Off-Design Performance Prediction

A meanline pump-flow modeling method has been developed to provide a fast capability for modeling pumps of cryogenic rocket engines. Based on this method, a meanline pump-flow code PUMPA was written that can predict the performance of pumps at off-design operating conditions, given the loss of the diffusion system at the design point. The design-point rotor efficiency and slip factors are obtained from empirical correlations to rotor-specific speed and geometry. The pump code can model axial, inducer, mixed-flow, and centrifugal pumps and can model multistage pumps in series. The rapid input setup and computer run time for this meanline pump flow code make it an effective analysis and conceptual design tool. The map-generation capabilities of the code provide the information needed for interfacing with a rocket engine system modeling code. The off-design and multistage modeling capabilities of PUMPA permit the user to do parametric design space exploration of candidate pump configurations and to provide head-flow maps for engine system evaluation.

Veres, Joseph P.↗

Digital Twin for Hydropower System Object Modeling: Alder Dam (FY2023)

Hydropower is the world's largest source of renewable electricity, and hydropower plants are distributed all over the world. Typical major components of a hydropower plant are the governor, excitation, generator, thrust bearing, hydraulic turbine, transformer, the main lead, metering and control, tailwater depression, and dissolved oxygen. For each component, various measures are taken. The measurements are acquired by various heterogeneous systems, including standalone sensors, programmable logic controllers (PLC), Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), Internet of Things (IoT), and data acquisition and integration platforms such as OSI/PI. The measured data are often archived within the plant by a data management platform, and many institutions have cloud-based archive systems, such as Hydropower Research Institution (HRI), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and Columbia River Data Access in Real Time (DART). Object Modeling is a general framework for designing information systems. It focuses on objects, the actions they perform, and the messages they send to one another to cause those actions to be taken. The major differences among object modeling, network modeling, data modeling, and process modeling are that in the first we focus on the actions in response to information, objects which form the system, the actions they perform, and how they pass information to one another, while in the second we concentrate on where, when and how much information is moved, while in the third we focus on what information is moved and where it is moved, while in the last we focus on how it is moved and when it is moved. Object modeling was developed basically as a method to develop object-oriented systems and to support object-oriented programming. It describes the static structure of the system. The object Modeling Technique is easy to draw and use. That is why we choose object modeling to connect physical hydropower plants to Digital Twin. It recognizes the objects and the relationship between them. It identifies the attributes and functions of each class. Dynamic Modeling: It explains how objects respond to events. Functional Modeling indicates the processes executed in an object and how data changes when it moves to objects. It has been used in many applications like telecommunication, transportation, etc.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗

PANNA: Properties from Artificial Neural Network Architectures

We report prediction of material properties from first principles is often a computationally expensive task. Recently, artificial neural networks and other machine learning approaches have been successfully employed to obtain accurate models at a low computational cost by leveraging existing example data. Here, we present a software package “Properties from Artificial Neural Network Architectures” (PANNA) that provides a comprehensive toolkit for creating neural network models for atomistic systems following the Behler–Parrinello topology. Besides the core routines for neural network training, it includes data parser, descriptor builder for Behler–Parrinello class of symmetry functions and force-field generator suitable for integration within molecular dynamics packages. PANNA offers a variety of activation and cost functions, regularization methods, as well as the possibility of using fully-connected networks with custom size for each atomic species. PANNA benefits from the optimization and hardware-flexibility of the underlying TensorFlow engine which allows it to be used on multiple CPU/GPU/TPU systems, making it possible to develop and optimize neural network models based on large datasets.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

A Darcy‐Brinkman‐Biot Approach to Modeling the Hydrology and Mechanics of Porous Media Containing Macropores and Deformable Microporous Regions

Abstract The coupled hydrology and mechanics of soft porous materials (such as clays, hydrogels, membranes, and biofilms) is an important research area in several fields, including water and energy technologies as well as biomedical engineering. Well‐established models based on poromechanics theory exist for describing these coupled properties, but these models are not adapted to describe systems with more than one characteristic length scale, that is, systems that contain both macropores and micropores. In this paper, we expand upon the well‐known Darcy‐Brinkman formulation of fluid flow in two‐scale porous media to develop a “Darcy‐Brinkman‐Biot” formulation: a general coupled system of equations that approximates the Navier‐Stokes equations in fluid‐filled macropores and resembles the equations for poroelasticity in microporous regions. We parameterized and validated our model for systems that contain either plastic (swelling clay) or elastic microporous regions. In particular, we used our model to predict the permeability of an idealized siliciclastic sedimentary rock as a function of pore water salinity and clay content. Predicted permeability values are well described by a single parametric relation between permeability and clay volume fraction that agrees with existing experimental data sets. Our novel formulation captures the coupled hydro‐chemo‐mechanical properties of sedimentary rocks and other deformable porous media in a manner that can be readily implemented within the framework of Digital Rock Physics.

Carrillo, Francisco J.↗

Accelerating Traction Motor Optimization Design with AI Surrogate Models

The advancement of artificial intelligence systems enables the use of data-driven physics-based surrogate models to explore design spaces rapidly and deeply for engineering projects. This work presents a surrogate model workflow that accelerates electric traction motor design optimization by replacing finite element analysis (FEA) with an artificial neural network (ANN) and using this model in a genetic algorithm for design optimization. A baseline interior permanent-magnet motor is parameterized and sampled to generate FEA-labeled training data, after which a feed-forward ANN predicts key outputs (e.g., loss components and weight). The validated surrogate enables genetic-algorithm optimization and deep search over the design space without new FEA runs, producing Pareto-optimal trade-offs between weight and losses and set of optimized designs for rapid downselection of manufacturable motor designs.

Ribeiro, Pedro [ORNL] (ORCID:0009000921026641)↗

Interactive Schematic Integration Within the Propellant System Modeling Environment

Task requirements for rocket propulsion test preparations of the test stand facilities drive the need to model the test facility propellant systems prior to constructing physical modifications. The Propellant System Modeling Environment (PSME) is an initiative designed to enable increased efficiency and expanded capabilities to a broader base of NASA engineers in the use of modeling and simulation (M&S) technologies for rocket propulsion test and launch mission requirements. PSME will enable a wider scope of users to utilize M&S of propulsion test and launch facilities for predictive and post-analysis functionality by offering a clean, easy-to-use, high-performance application environment.

Coote, David↗

Acoustic Simulations of Two-stage Fans Behind a Supersonic Inlet

NASA created, validated, and applied a high fidelity simulation toolchain for noise prediction of a fan system for a near-term civilian supersonic aircraft engine. A high fidelity inlet and multistage fan design were acquired as the basis for physics based computational studies. The overall tone noise was computed, which was used to help improve empirical models of fan inlet noise for system analysis purposes. Additional insights were gained during the study of the fan installation details and these are shared in this paper. Both overall amplitudes and variations due to design details should be of interest to engineers tasked with designing quiet fan systems for supersonic commercial aircraft. The outlook for high-fidelity simulations of aft fan noise and installation effects will also be discussed.

fans↗

Acoustic Simulations of Two-stage Fans Behind a Supersonic Inlet

NASA created, validated, and applied a high fidelity simulation toolchain for noise prediction of a fan system for a near-term civilian supersonic aircraft engine. A high fidelity inlet and multistage fan design were acquired as the basis for physics based computational studies. The overall tone noise was computed, which was used to help improve empirical models of fan inlet noise for system analysis purposes. Additional insights were gained during the study of the fan installation details and these are shared in this paper. Both overall amplitudes and variations due to design details should be of interest to engineers tasked with designing quiet fan systems for supersonic commercial aircraft. The outlook for high-fidelity simulations of aft fan noise and installation effects will also be discussed.

fan↗

Quantized Electronic Doping towards Atomically Controlled “Charge-Engineered” Semiconductor Nanocrystals

“Charge engineering” of semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) through so-called electronic impurity doping is a long-standing challenge in colloidal chemistry and holds promise for ground-breaking advancements in many optoelectronic, photonic, and spin-based nanotechnologies. To date, our knowledge is limited to a few paradigmatic studies on a small number of model compounds and doping conditions, with important electronic dopants still unexplored in nanoscale systems. Equally importantly, fine-tuning of charge engineered NCs is hampered by the statistical limitations of traditional approaches. The resulting intrinsic doping inhomogeneity restricts fundamental studies to statistically averaged behaviors and complicates the realization of advanced device concepts based on their advantageous functionalities. We aim to address these issues by realizing the first example of II–VI NCs electronically doped with an exact number of heterovalent gold atoms, a known p-type acceptor impurity in bulk chalcogenides. Single-dopant accuracy across entire NC ensembles is obtained through a novel non-injection synthesis employing ligand-exchanged gold clusters as “quantized” dopant sources to seed the nucleation of CdSe NCs in organic media. Structural, spectroscopic, and magneto-optical investigations trace a comprehensive picture of the physical processes resulting from the exact doping level of the NCs. Gold atoms, doped here for the first time into II–VI NCs, are found to incorporate as nonmagnetic Au + species activating intense size-tunable intragap photoluminescence and artificially offsetting the hole occupancy of valence band states. Fundamentally, the transient conversion of Au + to paramagnetic Au 2+ (5d 9 configuration) under optical excitation results in strong photoinduced magnetism and diluted magnetic semiconductor behavior revealing the contribution of individual paramagnetic impurities to the macroscopic magnetism of the NCs. Altogether, our results demonstrate a new chemical approach toward NCs with physical functionalities tailored to the single impurity level and offer a versatile platform for future investigations and device exploitation of individual and collective impurity processes in quantum confined structures.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

True Concurrent Thermal Engineering Integrating CAD Model Building with Finite Element and Finite Difference Methods

Thermal engineering has long been left out of the concurrent engineering environment dominated by CAD (computer aided design) and FEM (finite element method) software. Current tools attempt to force the thermal design process into an environment primarily created to support structural analysis, which results in inappropriate thermal models. As a result, many thermal engineers either build models "by hand" or use geometric user interfaces that are separate from and have little useful connection, if any, to CAD and FEM systems. This paper describes the development of a new thermal design environment called the Thermal Desktop. This system, while fully integrated into a neutral, low cost CAD system, and which utilizes both FEM and FD methods, does not compromise the needs of the thermal engineer. Rather, the features needed for concurrent thermal analysis are specifically addressed by combining traditional parametric surface based radiation and FD based conduction modeling with CAD and FEM methods. The use of flexible and familiar temperature solvers such as SINDA/FLUINT (Systems Improved Numerical Differencing Analyzer/Fluid Integrator) is retained.

Panczak, Tim↗

Antenna Calibration and Measurement Equipment

A document describes the Antenna Calibration & Measurement Equipment (ACME) system that will provide the Deep Space Network (DSN) with instrumentation enabling a trained RF engineer at each complex to perform antenna calibration measurements and to generate antenna calibration data. This data includes continuous-scan auto-bore-based data acquisition with all-sky data gathering in support of 4th order pointing model generation requirements. Other data includes antenna subreflector focus, system noise temperature and tipping curves, antenna efficiency, reports system linearity, and instrument calibration. The ACME system design is based on the on-the-fly (OTF) mapping technique and architecture. ACME has contributed to the improved RF performance of the DSN by approximately a factor of two. It improved the pointing performances of the DSN antennas and productivity of its personnel and calibration engineers.

Rochblatt, David J.↗

Modernizing NASA’s Space Flight Safety and Mission Success (S&MS) Assurance Framework In Line With Evolving Acquisition Strategies and Systems Engineering Practices

This paper presents the objectives-driven, case-based safety and mission success (S&MS) assurance framework being developed by the NASA Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA), including its motivations and its implementation via a S&MS Assurance Standard that is under development, supplemented by supporting standards including an S&MS Analysis Management Standard that is also under development. A need to evolve NASA’s S&MS assurance framework has emerged in recent years, resulting from the need to accommodate new acquisition models; the need to accommodate evolving systems engineering (SE) practices; the need to stipulate acceptable levels of S&MS risk; the need for improved integration of S&MS into SE; and the need for clearer risk acceptance accountability. The objectives-driven, case-based S&MS assurance framework proposed here is responsive to that need. Its key features include: • The establishment, by NASA Acquirers, of fundamental S&MS performance objectives that define limits of acceptability for the likelihoods that mission technical objectives will be accomplished and that people, assets, and environments put at risk by the mission will not be adversely affected; • The development and approval of Providers’ S&MS plans for meeting Acquirers’ S&MS performance objectives, including commitments to support Acquirer audit, investigation, and reporting needs; • The development, by Providers, of S&MS assurance cases that argue, supported by evidence, that the Provider has met, or is on track to meeting, the fundamental S&MS objectives; • The evaluation, throughout the program/project life cycle, of Provider S&MS assurance cases as the primary S&MS-related technical basis for Acquirer risk acceptance and the granting to the Provider of authority to proceed through the program/project life cycle. This proposed S&MS assurance framework is notable for its lack of prescription of traditional S&MS requirements and strategies such as defined failure tolerances, margins, or analysis requirements. Instead, Providers are given latitude to propose their own strategies for meeting the fundamental S&MS performance objectives, subject to independent review and Acquirer approval. The result is a framework for S&MS assurance that is at once both rigorous and flexible.

Assurance Case↗

Reinforcement learning for adaptive maintenance policy optimization under imperfect knowledge of the system degradation model and partial observability of system states

Maintenance policy optimization usually is faced with challenges that arise from an imperfect knowledge of system degradation models and from the partial observability of system degradation states. Here, this paper proposes a reinforcement learning method to address these two challenges for a class of maintenance problems with Markov degradation processes. The reinforcement learning approach consists of a learning component and a planning component. Using sequentially collected observations, at each step of decision-making the learning component improves the knowledge of system degradation in terms of the probability distributions of the transition rates based on sequential Bayesian inference. Using the updated transition rates, at each step of decision-making the maintenance policy optimization problem is then formulated as a partially observable Markov decision problem, and the planning component computes the optimal maintenance policy that maximizes the expected cumulative reward. The proposed method is illustrated using a numerical example with repair and inspection maintenance actions. The result shows that as more observations are collected, the learning component progressively learns the true system degradation process, and the planning component adjusts the optimal maintenance policy accordingly as well, which leads to increased reward.

42 ENGINEERING↗