SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “numerical optimal control”

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.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

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

At least 829 records · Page 46

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS1987

DYCAST: A finite element program for the crash analysis of structures

DYCAST is a nonlinear structural dynamic finite element computer code developed for crash simulation. The element library contains stringers, beams, membrane skin triangles, plate bending triangles and spring elements. Changing stiffnesses in the structure are accounted for by plasticity and very large deflections. Material nonlinearities are accommodated by one of three options: elastic-perfectly plastic, elastic-linear hardening plastic, or elastic-nonlinear hardening plastic of the Ramberg-Osgood type. Geometric nonlinearities are handled in an updated Lagrangian formulation by reforming the structure into its deformed shape after small time increments while accumulating deformations, strains, and forces. The nonlinearities due to combined loadings are maintained, and stiffness variation due to structural failures are computed. Numerical time integrators available are fixed-step central difference, modified Adams, Newmark-beta, and Wilson-theta. The last three have a variable time step capability, which is controlled internally by a solution convergence error measure. Other features include: multiple time-load history tables to subject the structure to time dependent loading; gravity loading; initial pitch, roll, yaw, and translation of the structural model with respect to the global system; a bandwidth optimizer as a pre-processor; and deformed plots and graphics as post-processors.

Pifko, A. B.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Drag reduction strategies

previously a description was given of an active control scheme using wall transpiration that leads to a 15% reduction in surface skin friction beneath a turbulent boundary layer, according to direct numerical simulation. In this research brief further details of that scheme and its variants are given together with some suggestions as to how sensor/actuator arrays could be configured to reduce surface drag. The research which is summarized here was performed during the first half of 1994. This research is motivated by the need to understand better how the dynamics of near-wall turbulent flow can be modified so that skin friction is reduced. The reduction of turbulent skin friction is highly desirable in many engineering applications. Experiments and direct numerical simulations have led to an increased understanding of the cycle of turbulence production and transport in the boundary layer and raised awareness of the possibility of disrupting the process with a subsequent reduction in turbulent skin friction. The implementation of active feedback control in a computational setting is a viable approach for the investigation of the modifications to the flow physics that can be achieved. Bewley et al. and Hill describe how ideas from optimal control theory are employed to give 'sub-optimal' drag reduction schemes. The objectives of the work reported here is to investigate in greater detail the assumptions implicit within such schemes and their limitations. It is also our objective to describe how an array of sensors and actuators could be arranged and interconnected to form a 'smart' surface which has low skin friction.

Hill, D. Christopher↗

NASA NTRS2008

Single-Mode WGM Resonators Fabricated by Diamond Turning

A diamond turning process has made possible a significant advance in the art of whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) optical resonators. By use of this process, it is possible to fashion crystalline materials into WGM resonators that have ultrahigh resonance quality factors (high Q values), are compact (ranging in size from millimeters down to tens of microns), and support single electromagnetic modes. This development combines and extends the developments reported in "Few- Mode Whispering-Gallery-Mode Resonators" (NPO-41256), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 30, No. 1 (January 2006), page 16a and "Fabrication of Submillimeter Axisymmetric Optical Components" (NPO-42056), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 31, No. 5 (May 2007), page 10a. To recapitulate from the first cited prior article: A WGM resonator of this special type consists of a rod, made of a suitable transparent material, from which protrudes a thin circumferential belt of the same material. The belt is integral with the rest of the rod and acts as a circumferential waveguide. If the depth and width of the belt are made appropriately small, then the belt acts as though it were the core of a single-mode optical fiber: the belt and the rod material adjacent to it support a single, circumferentially propagating mode or family of modes. To recapitulate from the second cited prior article: A major step in the fabrication of a WGM resonator of this special type is diamond turning or computer numerically controlled machining of a rod of a suitable transparent crystalline material on an ultrahigh-precision lathe. During the rotation of a spindle in which the rod is mounted, a diamond tool is used to cut the rod. A computer program is used to control stepping motors that move the diamond tool, thereby controlling the shape cut by the tool. Because the shape can be controlled via software, it is possible to choose a shape designed to optimize a resonator spectrum, including, if desired, to limit the resonator to supporting a single mode. After diamond turning, a resonator can be polished to increase its Q. By virtue of its largely automated, computer-controlled nature, the process is suitable for mass production of nominally identical single-mode WGM resonators. In a demonstration of the capabilities afforded by this development, a number of WGM resonators of various designs were fabricated side by side on the surface of a single CaF2 rod (see figure).

Grudinin, Ivan↗

NASA NTRS2017

An Analysis of the Optimal Control Modification Method Applied to Flutter Suppression

Unlike basic Model Reference Adaptive Control (MRAC)l, Optimal Control Modification (OCM) has been shown to be a promising MRAC modification with robustness and analytical properties not present in other adaptive control methods. This paper presents an analysis of the OCM method, and how the asymptotic property of OCM is useful for analyzing and tuning the controller. We begin with a Lyapunov stability proof of an OCM controller having two adaptive gain terms, then the less conservative and easily analyzed OCM asymptotic property is presented. Two numerical examples are used to show how this property can accurately predict steady state stability and quantitative robustness in the presence of time delay, and relative to linear plant perturbations, and nominal Loop Transfer Recovery (LTR) tuning. The asymptotic property of the OCM controller is then used as an aid in tuning the controller applied to a large scale aeroservoelastic longitudinal aircraft model for flutter suppression. Control with OCM adaptive augmentation is shown to improve performance over that of the nominal non-adaptive controller when significant disparities exist between the controller/observer model and the true plant model.

aeroservoelasti↗

DOE OSTI2026

An Adaptive Multiparameter Penalty Selection Method for Multiconstraint and Multiblock ADMM

This work presents a new method for online selection of multiple penalty parameters for the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) algorithm applied to optimization problems with multiple constraints or functions with block matrix components. ADMM is widely used for solving constrained optimization problems in a variety of fields, including signal and image processing. Implementations of ADMM often utilize a single hyperparameter, referred to as the penalty parameter, which needs to be tuned to control the rate of convergence. However, in problems with multiple constraints, ADMM may demonstrate slow convergence regardless of penalty parameter selection due to scale differences between constraints. Accounting for scale differences between constraints to improve convergence in these cases requires introducing a penalty parameter for each constraint. The proposed method is able to adaptively account for differences in scale between constraints, providing robustness with respect to problem transformations and initial selection of penalty parameters. It is also simple to understand and implement. Our numerical experiments demonstrate that the proposed method performs favorably compared to a variety of existing penalty parameter selection methods.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

NASA NTRS1972

Application of numerical methods to extend capabilities for optimal rocket guidance: report on reentry guidance of shuttle orbiter

Analytical models are presented for optimal trajectories and reentry guidance of the space shuttle orbiter. Major emphasis is placed on the development of a "footprint', which refers to a set of reachable destination positions attainable by the shuttle at a specified terminal altitude. An unconstrained reentry footprint was calculated for a shuttle vehicle which enters the earth's atmosphere at 93 km initial altitude after a deboost from a near earth orbit. The method of computation is briefly described, and graphs are presented which illustrate the footprint and the variation of state and control variables along it. The effects of constraints and of variations in initial state upon the footprint are discussed.

Source record↗

DOE OSTI2022

Results from the FOCAL Experiment Campaign 1: Turbine Control Co-Design

This paper summarizes the scaling approach and results from the first experimental campaign of the Floating Offshore-wind and Controls Advanced Laboratory (FOCAL) Experimental Program, which is focused on developing public data sets to support the validation of numerical models for floating wind control co-design. A 1:70 Froude-scale performance-matched model of the IEA Wind 15-MW reference turbine was designed, built, and characterized on a fixed base. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Reference Open-Source COntroller (ROSCO) was integrated into the scale testing to examine the impact advanced turbine and generator control strategies have on turbine performance and loads, enabling validation of control strategies for floating wind design optimization.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2021

Expanded Capabilities and Opportunities for Virtual Beamline Code

In the 25 years since LLNL broke ground on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) - a cornerstone of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Stockpile Stewardship Program - the NIF and Photon Science (NIF&PS) Directorate has steadily pushed the boundaries of laser physics, nonlinear optics, and photonics in service of inertial confinement fusion experiments, and advanced photon sources development. Beyond the 192 beamlines of the primary laser facility with its world-record energy and fusion yields, NIF&PS capabilities have expanded to include chirped-pulse amplification, kilojoule petawatt-class short-pulse systems to generate hard x-ray radiographic probes, high-average power lasers as secondary sources for generation or wake field particle acceleration along directed energy applications, and other scientific pursuits. The Computing Directorate partners with NIF&PS on numerous projects and technologies from diagnostic measurements and high performance control systems to data analysis, information technology infrastructure, and scientific simulation code development. “This strong collaboration enables cutting-edge science, particularly with regard to physics-based modeling and simulation,” says physicist Jean-Michel Di Nicola. One crucial capability for NIF&PS is the Virtual Beamline (VBL) laser simulation code. It can model all the major laser physics and technology involved in the design optimization, commissioning, and operations of advanced laser architectures from tabletop to NIF-scale. VBL provides researchers with high-fidelity models and high-resolution calculations of laser performance predictions—including for the entire NIF laser system, the Advanced Radiographic Capability, parts of the High Repetition-Rate Advanced Petawatt Laser System laser delivered to the Czech Republic, and the Optical Science Laser. After more than two decades of experimentally verified physics and computing enhancements, this unique workhorse code is wrapping up another major milestone: migration from Java to C++ with a flurry of user interface and optimization features, as well as laser physics and high-resolution enhancements thanks to parallel execution on Livermore Computing platforms.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

NASA NTRS1991

Optimal discrete-time dynamic output-feedback design - A w-domain approach

An alternative method for optimal digital control design is described in this paper. The method is based on the usage of the w-transform and has many attractive design features. One of these is its immediate connection with frequency loop-shaping techniques that are now popular and effective for multivariable control synthesis in continuous-time domain. Furthermore, any design algorithms originally developed for continuous-time systems can now be immediately extended to the discrete-time domain. The main results presented in this paper are the exact problem formulation and solution of an optimal discrete-time dynamic output-feedback design in the w-domain involving a quadratic performance index to random disturbances. In addition, necessary conditions for optimality are obtained for the numerical solution of the optimal output-feedback compensator design. A numerical example is presented illustrating its application to the design of a low-order dynamic compensator in a stability augmentation system of a commercial transport.

Ha, Cheolkeun↗

NASA NTRS1993

The isolation limits of stochastic vibration

The vibration isolation problem is formulated as a 1D kinematic problem. The geometry of the stochastic wall trajectories arising from the stroke constraint is defined in terms of their significant extrema. An optimal control solution for the minimum acceleration return path determines a lower bound on platform mean square acceleration. This bound is expressed in terms of the probability density function on the significant maxima and the conditional fourth moment of the first passage time inverse. The first of these is found analytically while the second is found using a Monte Carlo simulation. The rms acceleration lower bound as a function of available space is then determined through numerical quadrature.

Knopse, C. R.↗

DOE OSTI2026

Exact Fock-State Preparation with $n^{1/4}$ Circuit Depth

Efficient, deterministic, and high-fidelity preparation of large Fock states is essential for scaling bosonic quantum technologies and exploring quantum phenomena at large excitation energies. We introduce a deterministic one-parameter (D1p) protocol that maps Fock-state preparation in an infinite-dimensional Hilbert space onto two-dimensional amplitude amplification. Starting from a coherent state with $|α|\simeq\sqrt{n}$, the initial target-state population scales as $n^{-1/2}$, yielding an iteration count and circuit depth of $\mathcal{O}(n^{1/4})$. Phase matching guarantees unit fidelity in the ideal model; remarkably, preparing $|{10^6}\rangle$ requires only 39 iterations. The protocol uses only displacements and number-selective phase operations, requires no numerical optimization, and further extends to state transfer, general superpositions, finite-dimensional systems, and multipartite entangled states. In the large-amplitude regime, its multi-target form prepares $L$-legged cat states with an iteration count determined only by $L$; cats with up to ten legs require only two iterations, independent of the coherent-state amplitude. This framework provides a broadly applicable route to highly excited bosonic states on platforms supporting these elementary controls.

Roy, Tanay [Fermilab] (ORCID:000000019442862X)↗

DOE OSTI2025

Comparative analysis of thermal management systems in electric vehicles at extreme weather conditions: Case study on Nissan Leaf 2019 Plus, Chevrolet Bolt 2020 and Tesla Model 3 2020

With the surge in electric vehicle (EV) adoption and the need for extended driving ranges, optimizing energy efficiency, particularly through thermal management, is critical, especially in extreme weather. Managing the substantial energy needed for cabin climate control and battery temperature regulation can increase energy demands by over 50 %, severely limiting range. This study conducts a comparative analysis of thermal management systems (TMS) in three popular EV vehicles, 2020 Chevrolet Bolt, 2019 Nissan Leaf Plus, and 2020 Tesla Model 3, evaluating their distinct TMS configurations and performance under varied weather conditions. Using both numerical simulations and experimental data collected on a controlled test bench at Argonne National Laboratory, we assess how TMS architecture and operational modes influence energy consumption and range. A comprehensive TMS model was developed, integrating cabin and battery thermal sub-models in the Autonomie software platform, to simulate temperature fluctuations and range impacts. Cabin climate was modeled using a mono-zonal approach, while battery cell temperature distribution was estimated through a 2D nodal structure. Each vehicle's distinct TMS setup was evaluated: the Chevrolet Bolt and Tesla Model 3 use a dual evaporator vapor compression cycle with a PTC heater for the cabin and a coolant loop for battery thermal management; the Nissan Leaf Plus employs a heat pump with a PTC heater for the cabin and air-cooling for the battery. Tests conducted at ambient temperatures of 35°C, 22°C, -7°C, and -18°C reveal significant differences in energy use and range reduction across both configurations and conditions. At 35°C, the Tesla Model 3, Chevrolet Bolt, and Nissan Leaf Plus have a range reduction of 8%, 9%, and 13%, respectively, due to air conditioning. In winter, heating technology is paramount; at -7°C, the Nissan Leaf's heat pump configuration achieves a lower range reduction (19.3%) compared to the Tesla and Chevrolet Bolt PTC heaters, which reduce range by 28.3% and 31%, respectively. Further, this study provides valuable insights for automotive engineers, EV technology researchers, and thermal management system designers aiming to enhance electric vehicle performance by understanding how different weather conditions and TMS architectures impact energy consumption and driving range.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Quantitative Voltammetry Measurements of High-Concentration Actinides in Molten Chloride Fuel Salts

Molten chloride mixtures containing high concentrations of UCl 3 (i.e., >70 wt%) are candidates for next-generation molten salt reactor (MSR) fuel salts that enable new plant optimization and fuel cycle strategies. MSR licensing, however, is contingent on the development of effective material control and accounting (MC&A) practices for these salts. To close this gap, we have developed an electroanalytical approach that enables accurate in situ measurements of uranium concentrations in these highly loaded fuel salts. This methodology uses a multielectrode array voltammetry sensor combined with digital simulations that account for non-idealities such as uncompensated resistance effects. The theory-based numerical simulations of voltammetry responses yielded correction factors that are agnostic of electrochemical cell geometry and produced consistent voltammetry peak current results when correcting for varying amounts of ohmic resistance. In doing so, we have demonstrated accurate concentration measurements for UCl 3 in LiCl-KCl-UCl 3 across a range of mass fractions between 55 and 72.3 wt% at 550 °C.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Innovative Strategies for Long-Term Monitoring of Complex Groundwater Plumes at DOE’s Legacy Sites (Workshop Report)

Most remaining Department of Energy (DOE) sites will require extended periods of institutional control, especially at complex groundwater sites where attenuation-based strategies have been implemented to facilitate closure. The current practice of monitoring—obtaining and analyzing contaminant concentration in groundwater samples at numerous wells—will account for a large portion of the projected life-cycle at these DOE sites unless a new approach is adopted. State-of-the-art technologies are being developed, including in situ sensors, geophysics, radiation mapping, numerical modeling and AI/ML. These technologies can optimize monitoring strategies in space and time, provide spatially extensive information at vulnerable regions and/or provide more continuous monitoring at lower cost. As part of DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM’s) efforts to advance long-term monitoring systems, an in-person/virtual hybrid workshop was hosted by Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) on January 24 and 25, 2023, in Augusta, Georgia. Because DOE-EM’s complex sites will eventually be transferred to DOE’s Office of Legacy Management (DOE-LM), representatives of DOE-LM were important participants in the workshop. The purpose of the workshop was to identify challenges and opportunities for deploying advanced technologies for long-term monitoring at DOE sites. The key questions during the workshop were: 1) the regulatory acceptance of replacing a process that traditionally has used laboratory sampling and analysis of groundwater samples, and 2) the application of this strategy to the southwestern arid sites that include many of the remaining DOE-EM and DOE-LM complex groundwater plumes. Characteristics common to most arid sites present both limitations and opportunities for advanced technologies. DOE-EM has funded a National Laboratory team from SRNL, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to establish the overarching framework of long-term monitoring by systematically combining advanced hardware and software technologies. This project is titled “Advanced Long-Term Environmental Monitoring Systems (ALTEMIS)” and is sponsored by the DOE-EM Technology Development Program. The multi-laboratory team is currently developing and testing innovative monitoring strategies, including the use of in situ groundwater sensors, geophysics, drone/satellite-based remote sensing, reactive transport modeling, and artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML). The project’s demonstration testbed is at the Savannah River Site (SRS) F-Area Seepage Basins, where a well-characterized complex groundwater plume composed of uranium and other radionuclides is in the latter stages of remediation. The workshop included more than 70 participants, presentations, a field visit to F-Area, breakout working groups, and large group discussion. Participants developed recommendations on five topics: in situ sensors, spatially integrative tools, challenges to regulatory acceptance, AI/ML strategies, and transitioning sites to DOE-LM.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

NASA NTRS1971

An analysis and comparison of several trajectory optimization methods

The sensitivities of the convergence characteristics of the methods to initially assumed parameters and trial solution, convergence times, computer logic, and storage requirements are discussed. Numerical comparison of the convergence characteristics is made by considering a minimum time, low thrust, Earth-Mars transfer trajectory. A modified quasi-linearization method reduces convergence time by approximately 70% when compared with the generalized Newton-Raphson method and allows the terminal boundary to be specified by a general function of the problem variables. A uniquely specified and easily determined, time dependent weighting matrix for the gradient techniques accelerates the shaping of the optimal control program and improves the convergence characteristics during the terminal iterations. Convergence envelopes, indicating how sensitive the convergence characteristics are to initially assumed parameters, are plotted for the perturbation and quasi-linearization methods. Several iteration schemes are proposed which increase the size of the convergence envelopes and decrease the sensitivity of the method to initially assumed parameters.

Lewallen, J. M.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Considerations of open-loop, closed-loop, and adaptive multicyclic control systems

Four different types of self-tuning regulators were studied for multicyclic control of helicopter vibration. A numerical simulation of the helicopter is made, using a multivariable frequency-domain model, in terms of transfer function with six input control harmonics and six output harmonics. The model characteristics vary with flight speed. An off-line identification of model characteristics is made, using the least-squared-error method and using a succession of input and output measurements. The on-line identification of model characteristics is made using the Kalman filter solution. The optimal controls are calculated from the minimization of quadratic performance function based on response and multicyclic inputs. The performance of various regulators or controllers is judged from the stability, transient response, convergence time, and amplitude of the steady state.

Chopra, I.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Optimal orbit transfer suitable for large flexible structures

The problem of continuous low-thrust planar orbit transfer of large flexible structures is formulated as an optimal control problem with terminal state constraints. The dynamics of the spacecraft motion are treated as a point-mass central force field problem; the thrust-acceleration magnitude is treated as an additional state variable; and the rate of change of thrust-acceleration is treated as a control variable. To ensure smooth transfer, essential for flexible structures, an additional quadratic term is appended to the time cost functional. This term penalizes any abrupt change in acceleration. Numerical results are presented for the special case of a planar transfer.

Chatterjee, Alok K.↗

NASA NTRS2000

HTMT-class Latency Tolerant Parallel Architecture for Petaflops Scale Computation

Computational Aero Sciences and other numeric intensive computation disciplines demand computing throughputs substantially greater than the Teraflops scale systems only now becoming available. The related fields of fluids, structures, thermal, combustion, and dynamic controls are among the interdisciplinary areas that in combination with sufficient resolution and advanced adaptive techniques may force performance requirements towards Petaflops. This will be especially true for compute intensive models such as Navier-Stokes are or when such system models are only part of a larger design optimization computation involving many design points. Yet recent experience with conventional MPP configurations comprising commodity processing and memory components has shown that larger scale frequently results in higher programming difficulty and lower system efficiency. While important advances in system software and algorithms techniques have had some impact on efficiency and programmability for certain classes of problems, in general it is unlikely that software alone will resolve the challenges to higher scalability. As in the past, future generations of high-end computers may require a combination of hardware architecture and system software advances to enable efficient operation at a Petaflops level. The NASA led HTMT project has engaged the talents of a broad interdisciplinary team to develop a new strategy in high-end system architecture to deliver petaflops scale computing in the 2004/5 timeframe. The Hybrid-Technology, MultiThreaded parallel computer architecture incorporates several advanced technologies in combination with an innovative dynamic adaptive scheduling mechanism to provide unprecedented performance and efficiency within practical constraints of cost, complexity, and power consumption. The emerging superconductor Rapid Single Flux Quantum electronics can operate at 100 GHz (the record is 770 GHz) and one percent of the power required by convention semiconductor logic. Wave Division Multiplexing optical communications can approach a peak per fiber bandwidth of 1 Tbps and the new Data Vortex network topology employing this technology can connect tens of thousands of ports providing a bi-section bandwidth on the order of a Petabyte per second with latencies well below 100 nanoseconds, even under heavy loads. Processor-in-Memory (PIM) technology combines logic and memory on the same chip exposing the internal bandwidth of the memory row buffers at low latency. And holographic storage photorefractive storage technologies provide high-density memory with access a thousand times faster than conventional disk technologies. Together these technologies enable a new class of shared memory system architecture with a peak performance in the range of a Petaflops but size and power requirements comparable to today's largest Teraflops scale systems. To achieve high-sustained performance, HTMT combines an advanced multithreading processor architecture with a memory-driven coarse-grained latency management strategy called "percolation", yielding high efficiency while reducing the much of the parallel programming burden. This paper will present the basic system architecture characteristics made possible through this series of advanced technologies and then give a detailed description of the new percolation approach to runtime latency management.

Sterling, Thomas↗