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At least 865 records · Page 48

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS1994

Ordering design tasks based on coupling strengths

The design process associated with large engineering systems requires an initial decomposition of the complex system into modules of design tasks which are coupled through the transference of output data. In analyzing or optimizing such a coupled system, it is essential to be able to determine which interactions figure prominently enough to significantly affect the accuracy of the system solution. Many decomposition approaches assume the capability is available to determine what design tasks and interactions exist and what order of execution will be imposed during the analysis process. Unfortunately, this is often a complex problem and beyond the capabilities of a human design manager. A new feature for DeMAID (Design Manager's Aid for Intelligent Decomposition) will allow the design manager to use coupling strength information to find a proper sequence for ordering the design tasks. In addition, these coupling strengths aid in deciding if certain tasks or couplings could be removed (or temporarily suspended) from consideration to achieve computational savings without a significant loss of system accuracy. New rules are presented and two small test cases are used to show the effects of using coupling strengths in this manner.

Rogers, James L., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Ordering Design Tasks Based on Coupling Strengths

Rogers, J. L.↗

NASA NTRS1998

A Microsoft Project-Based Planning, Tracking, and Management Tool for the National Transonic Facility's Model Changeover Process

The removal and installation of sting-mounted wind tunnel models in the National Transonic Facility (NTF) is a multi-task process having a large impact on the annual throughput of the facility. Approximately ten model removal and installation cycles occur annually at the NTF with each cycle requiring slightly over five days to complete. The various tasks of the model changeover process were modeled in Microsoft Project as a template to provide a planning, tracking, and management tool. The template can also be used as a tool to evaluate improvements to this process. This document describes the development of the template and provides step-by-step instructions on its use and as a planning and tracking tool. A secondary role of this document is to provide an overview of the model changeover process and briefly describe the tasks associated with it.

Vairo, Daniel M.↗

DOE OSTI2014

MO-E-9A-01: Risk Based Quality Management: TG100 In Action

One of the goals of quality management in radiation therapy is to gain high confidence that patients will receive the prescribed treatment correctly. To accomplish these goals professional societies such as the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) has published many quality assurance (QA), quality control (QC), and quality management (QM) guidance documents. In general, the recommendations provided in these documents have emphasized on performing device-specific QA at the expense of process flow and protection of the patient against catastrophic errors. Analyses of radiation therapy incidents find that they are most often caused by flaws in the overall therapy process, from initial consult through final treatment, than by isolated hardware or computer failures detectable by traditional physics QA. This challenge is shared by many intrinsically hazardous industries. Risk assessment tools and analysis techniques have been developed to define, identify, and eliminate known and/or potential failures, problems, or errors, from a system, process and/or service before they reach the customer. These include, but are not limited to, process mapping, failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), fault tree analysis (FTA), and establishment of a quality management program that best avoids the faults and risks that have been identified in the overall process. These tools can be easily adapted to radiation therapy practices because of their simplicity and effectiveness to provide efficient ways to enhance the safety and quality of treatment processes. Task group 100 (TG100) of AAPM has developed a risk-based quality management program that uses these tools. This session will be devoted to a discussion of these tools and how these tools can be used in a given radiotherapy clinic to develop a risk based QM program. Learning Objectives: Learn how to design a process map for a radiotherapy process. Learn how to perform a FMEA analysis for a given process. Learn what Fault tree analysis is all about. Learn how to design a quality management program based upon the information obtained from process mapping, FMEA and FTA.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2015

Fuel Thermo-physical Characterization Project: Evaluation of Models to Calculate Thermal Diffusivity of Layered Composites

The Office of Material Management and Minimization Fuel Thermo-physical Characterization Project at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is tasked with using PNNL facilities and processes to receive irradiated low enriched uranium-molybdenum fuel plate samples and perform analyses in support of the Office of Material Management and Minimization Reactor Conversion Program. This work is in support of the Fuel Development Pillar that is managed by Idaho National Laboratory. A key portion of the scope associated with this project was to measure the thermal properties of fuel segments harvested from plates that were irradiated in the Advanced Test Reactor. Thermal diffusivity of samples prepared from the fuel segments was measured using laser flash analysis. Two models, one developed by PNNL and the other developed by the Technische Universität München (TUM), were evaluated to extract the thermal diffusivity of the uranium-molybdenum alloy from measurements made on the irradiated, layered composites. The experimental data of the “TC” irradiated fuel segment was evaluated using both models considering a three-layer and five-layer system. Both models are in acceptable agreement with one another and indicate that the zirconium diffusion barrier has a minimal impact on the overall thermal diffusivity of the monolithic U-Mo fuel.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

NASA NTRS1988

Design of automation tools for management of descent traffic

The design of an automated air traffic control system based on a hierarchy of advisory tools for controllers is described. Compatibility of the tools with the human controller, a key objective of the design, is achieved by a judicious selection of tasks to be automated and careful attention to the design of the controller system interface. The design comprises three interconnected subsystems referred to as the Traffic Management Advisor, the Descent Advisor, and the Final Approach Spacing Tool. Each of these subsystems provides a collection of tools for specific controller positions and tasks. This paper focuses primarily on the Descent Advisor which provides automation tools for managing descent traffic. The algorithms, automation modes, and graphical interfaces incorporated in the design are described. Information generated by the Descent Advisor tools is integrated into a plan view traffic display consisting of a high-resolution color monitor. Estimated arrival times of aircraft are presented graphically on a time line, which is also used interactively in combination with a mouse input device to select and schedule arrival times. Other graphical markers indicate the location of the fuel-optimum top-of-descent point and the predicted separation distances of aircraft at a designated time-control point. Computer generated advisories provide speed and descent clearances which the controller can issue to aircraft to help them arrive at the feeder gate at the scheduled times or with specified separation distances. Two types of horizontal guidance modes, selectable by the controller, provide markers for managing the horizontal flightpaths of aircraft under various conditions. The entire system consisting of descent advisor algorithm, a library of aircraft performance models, national airspace system data bases, and interactive display software has been implemented on a workstation made by Sun Microsystems, Inc. It is planned to use this configuration in operational evaluations at an en route center.

Erzberger, Heinz↗

NASA NTRS2005

Managed Development Environment Successes for MSFC's VIPA Team

This paper outlines the best practices of the Vehicle Design Team for VIPA. VIPA is the Vehicle Integrated Performance Analysis Team at MSFC. This team was created to reconnect the individual engineering disciplines to be able to perform system level technical assessments in support of program decisions. The functions of the VIPA Vehicle Design (VVD) discipline team are to maintain the controlled reference geometry and provide linked, simplified geometry for each of the other discipline analyses. The core of the VVD work, and the approach for VVD s first task of controlling the reference geometry, involves systems engineering, top-down, layout-based CAD modeling within a Product Data Manager (PDM) development environment. The topdown approach allcws for simple contrnl of very large, integrated assemblies and greatly enhances the ability to generate trade configurations and reuse data. The second W D task, model simplification for analysis, is handled within the managed environment through application of the master model concept. In this approach, there is a single controlling, or master, product definition dataset. Connected to this master model are reference datasets with live geometric and expression links. The referenced models can be for drawings, manufacturing, visualization, embedded analysis, or analysis simplification. A discussion of web based interaction, including visualization, between the design and other disciplines is included. Demonstrated examples are cited, including the Space Launch Initiative development cycle, the Saturn V systems integration and verification cycle, an Orbital Space Plane study, and NASA Exploration Office studies of Shuttle derived and clean sheet launch vehicles. The VIPA Team has brought an immense amount of detailed data to bear on program issues. A central piece of that success has been the Managed Development Environment and the VVD Team approach to modeling.

Finckenor, Jeff↗

DOE OSTI2022

STNS01-44 BEE – FY22-1: Enhanced BEE Client [Slide]

BEE provides a portable, modular, HPC-focused workflow engine capable of managing containerized applications at scale. In FY22 BEE is completing enhancements and refinements that will complete the major development work of the workflow system. The first major milestone is the development of a graphical client. The second milestone will be the ability for BEE to automatically restart checkpointed tasks. The final milestone for FY22 will be the ability to launch and manage multiple simultaneous workflows.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

NASA NTRS2013

Distributed Prognostics and Health Management with a Wireless Network Architecture

A heterogeneous set of system components monitored by a varied suite of sensors and a particle-filtering (PF) framework, with the power and the flexibility to adapt to the different diagnostic and prognostic needs, has been developed. Both the diagnostic and prognostic tasks are formulated as a particle-filtering problem in order to explicitly represent and manage uncertainties in state estimation and remaining life estimation. Current state-of-the-art prognostic health management (PHM) systems are mostly centralized in nature, where all the processing is reliant on a single processor. This can lead to a loss in functionality in case of a crash of the central processor or monitor. Furthermore, with increases in the volume of sensor data as well as the complexity of algorithms, traditional centralized systems become for a number of reasons somewhat ungainly for successful deployment, and efficient distributed architectures can be more beneficial. The distributed health management architecture is comprised of a network of smart sensor devices. These devices monitor the health of various subsystems or modules. They perform diagnostics operations and trigger prognostics operations based on user-defined thresholds and rules. The sensor devices, called computing elements (CEs), consist of a sensor, or set of sensors, and a communication device (i.e., a wireless transceiver beside an embedded processing element). The CE runs in either a diagnostic or prognostic operating mode. The diagnostic mode is the default mode where a CE monitors a given subsystem or component through a low-weight diagnostic algorithm. If a CE detects a critical condition during monitoring, it raises a flag. Depending on availability of resources, a networked local cluster of CEs is formed that then carries out prognostics and fault mitigation by efficient distribution of the tasks. It should be noted that the CEs are expected not to suspend their previous tasks in the prognostic mode. When the prognostics task is over, and after appropriate actions have been taken, all CEs return to their original default configuration. Wireless technology-based implementation would ensure more flexibility in terms of sensor placement. It would also allow more sensors to be deployed because the overhead related to weights of wired systems is not present. Distributed architectures are furthermore generally robust with regard to recovery from node failures.

Goebel, Kai↗

DOE OSTI2019

Porting Adaptive Ensemble Molecular Dynamics Workflows to the Summit Supercomputer

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations must take very small (femtosecond) integration steps in simulation-time to avoid numerical errors. Efficient use of parallel programming models and accelerators in state-of-the art MD programs now is pushing Moore’s limit for time-per-MD step. As a result, directly simulating timescales beyond milliseconds will not be attainable directly, even at exascale. However, concepts from statistical physics can be used to combine many parallel simulations to provide information about longer timescales and to adequately sample the simulation space, while preserving details about the dynamics of the system. Implementing such an approach requires a workflow program that allows adaptable steering of task assignments based on extensive statistical analysis of intermediate results. Here we report the implementation of such an adaptable workflow program to drive simulations on the Summit IBM Power System AC922, a pre-exascale supercomputer at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF). We compare to experiences on Titan, Summit’s predecessor, report the performance of the workflow and its components, and describe the porting process. We find that using a workflow program managed by a Mongo database can provide the fault tolerance, scalable performance, task dispatch rate, and reconfigurability required for robust and portable implementation of ensemble simulations such as are used in enhanced-sampling molecular dynamics. This type of workflow generator can also be used to provide adaptive steering of ensemble simulations for other applications in addition to MD.

Ossyra, John R.↗

DOE OSTI2020

Acquisition and Implementation of a Comprehensive Environmental Permits Linking Tool at Savannah River Site - 20234

Historically, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions LLC (SRNS) tracked environmental regulatory commitments and the requirements from hundreds of permits at the Savannah River Site (SRS) using several separate methods, making integrated compliance assurance cumbersome and labor-intensive. When SRNS experienced an increase in environmental issues in 2017, SRNS management and U.S. Department of Energy - Savannah River (DOE-SR) management decided a single, proactive approach was needed to capture environmental permit information (including regulations, Consent Orders, DOE Orders, and any other state or federally issued statement of requirements), track the tasks necessary to ensure compliance with these requirements, and thereby mitigate the risk of noncompliance. SRNS developed a list of mandatory objectives that the tool must meet to function as a Comprehensive Environmental Permits Linking Tool (CEPLT). A key requirement was the ability to map Site permits to their governed locations and display the associated requirements at the compliance point (e.g., outfall, stack, waste unit, etc.). Several options included modifying existing onsite resources, building a custom onsite solution, purchasing an off-the-shelf solution, and contracting an offsite developer to build a custom solution. SRNS concluded an off-the-shelf solution with configuration and customization options would provide the flexibility to fit the unique needs of Savannah River Site (SRS) while taking advantage of industry-tested software and providing a reduced deployment timeline. SRNS chose Gensuite{sup R} a, a cloud-based solution that offers numerous a la carte applications in the environmental, health, and safety arenas, as the best candidate. SRNS selected three (3) integrated applications (Compliance Calendar, Permit Manager, and Mapper) to function as the CEPLT. The Compliance Calendar module allows for creation and tracking of regulatory commitment tasks assigned to responsible environmental professionals. Permit Manager organizes permits and other requirement documents, linking the commitments in each to Compliance Calendar tasks and/or implementing procedures. Mapper provides GIS capability for mapping the data from the other two modules to their physical onsite locations. The CEPLT was configured to allow for other SRS Site Tenants to eventually utilize the applications. Additionally, DOE-SR uses the CEPLT to provide an overview of contractor environmental compliance activities and to organize DOE-specific documents and tasks. The CEPLT fulfilled the requirement of meeting current compliance needs as well as providing the ability to grow as new organizations are incorporated and functionality is expanded. SRNS now uses the CEPLT to more effectively manage permit requirements, improve knowledge transfer, and increase the Site's overall protection of the environment, the Site worker, and the public. Possible future uses of the system include integration of mobile applications for timely communication of potential non-compliant conditions and DOE complex-wide deployment allowing for enhanced DOE site and Head Quarters oversight. Implementation of CEPLT will result in cost savings, both in terms of dollars and man-hours. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

NASA NTRS2003

The Logical Extension

The same software controlling autonomous and crew-assisted operations for the International Space Station (ISS) is enabling commercial enterprises to integrate and automate manual operations, also known as decision logic, in real time across complex and disparate networked applications, databases, servers, and other devices, all with quantifiable business benefits. Auspice Corporation, of Framingham, Massachusetts, developed the Auspice TLX (The Logical Extension) software platform to effectively mimic the human decision-making process. Auspice TLX automates operations across extended enterprise systems, where any given infrastructure can include thousands of computers, servers, switches, and modems that are connected, and therefore, dependent upon each other. The concept behind the Auspice software spawned from a computer program originally developed in 1981 by Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Draper Laboratory for simulating tasks performed by astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle. At the time, the Space Shuttle Program was dependent upon paper-based procedures for its manned space missions, which typically averaged 2 weeks in duration. As the Shuttle Program progressed, NASA began increasing the length of manned missions in preparation for a more permanent space habitat. Acknowledging the need to relinquish paper-based procedures in favor of an electronic processing format to properly monitor and manage the complexities of these longer missions, NASA realized that Draper's task simulation software could be applied to its vision of year-round space occupancy. In 1992, Draper was awarded a NASA contract to build User Interface Language software to enable autonomous operations of a multitude of functions on Space Station Freedom (the station was redesigned in 1993 and converted into the international venture known today as the ISS)

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2018

Evaluation of Usability and Workload with Paper Strips as Compared to Virtual Flight Strips Used for Ramp Operations

This paper describes an experiment designed to compare the use of paper strips with the use of a new user interface, the Ramp Traffic Console (RTC), designed for use by ramp controllers to be used in place of paper strips. A Human-In-the-Loop (HITL) experiment was performed as the fifth study in a series of six HITL simulation experiments designed to evaluate a concept that provided advisories to the users. The RTC was designed to be used as a Decision Support Tool (DST) that provided advisories to ramp controllers regarding metering or pushback such that most of the delay was taken at the gate to save fuel and emissions. In addition to being a DST, an added benefit of the RTC is that it can provide real-time updates of flight data, airport and airspace status to the controller including Traffic Management Initiatives (TMI). The RTC was designed as new user interface that displays virtual strips on a terminal map drawn on a 27-inch touch screen monitor. The RTC was used in some conditions of the experiment by ramp controllers in place of paper strips and paper maps in the HITL environment. In other conditions the controllers were given paper strips and paper maps similar to what they currently use at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT). The study described here, evaluated the use of the virtual strips displayed on the RTC as compared to the use of paper strips and paper map, using current ramp tower controllers at CLT as participants. The research question being asked was - How does management of ramp traffic affect user workload and usability ratings while using RTC to manage traffic in the ramp verses using paper strips? Workload for our purposes is defined by four components of the NASA-TLX (Task Load Index). Usability was assessed with two sets of usability questions - One set of usability questions addressed traffic management performance and the other set addressed issues of resources and efficiency. Both Post Run and Post Study questionnaire responses were gathered and the results were analyzed to assess controller workload and usability ratings under both conditions, virtual strips shown on RTC and Paper Strips. The results indicate that controllers perceived lower workload while using virtual strips displayed on RTC to manage ramp traffic. Usability ratings for Traffic management performance questions are lower in the virtual strip/RTC condition than in the paper strip condition showing a preference for RTC over Paper. Usability ratings for Resources and efficiency questions show mixed results. Additionally, the Post Study Questions show preference for RTC over paper strips. Results of this data analysis will be presented in this paper. This DST evaluation was an important step in researching and improving the tool, which was planned to be deployed in the field.

Aviation Decision Support Tools↗

NASA NTRS1987

Technology requirements for telerobotic satellite servicing in space

Telerobotic servicer technology requirements were identified for typical on-orbit servicing operations, including: automation requirements and automated system utilization in typical servicing missions; key automation technologies used for servicing; evolution concepts; technology development timetable; and servicing technology drivers. Teleoperation, robotics, and artificial intelligence are needed in the servicing missions investigated. Analysis shows that teleoperation will be used more widely than fully robotic systems, at least during the early space station years because of the diversity and unpredictability of many servicing tasks which call for the human operator's skills, resourcefulness, and decision-making ability. There will be heavy dependence on a sophisticated, flexible, readily accessible, high-speed and high-capacity data management system which can provide the expert system support required in diagnosing, troubleshooting, decision making, task scheduling, and mission planning.

Meissinger, Hans F.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Design of automated system for management of arrival traffic

Erzberger, Heinz↗

NASA NTRS2018

Multi-Operator Multi-UAV (MOMU) Control: Exploring the Influence of Sensor Tools and Playbook Task Delegation

New concepts of operations for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) will require a change from the current 2:1 operator to vehicle crew configuration. One particular control paradigm, largely driven by logistics, manpower, and training burdens, as well as the desire to force multiply, involves a single operator simultaneously managing multiple UAVs. This mode of operations has shown to significantly increase cognitive workload and decrease situation awareness, as operators are required to simultaneously attend to multiple sources of information. One potential way to mitigate potential drawbacks of multi-vehicle control by a single operator is to migrate to a multi-operator multi-UAV (MOMU) crew configuration, whereby M operators control N (> M) vehicles. This type of crew configuration can be organized in several ways to dynamically manage cognitive workload, match operator qualifications and skills to mission requirements, increase utilization of available assets, and thereby achieve maximum force multiplication. The present experiment examined task performance in a simulated MOMU environment and evaluated the potential benefits of sensor management aids ("Tools") as well as integrated sensor and flight automation ("Plays") compared to a fully manual condition ("Manual"). Tools support the operator by facilitating rapid understanding and management of sensor information, while the Plays support the operator by offloading/automating subtasks. Six pairs of participants were recruited for this study and tasked with sharing a pool of UAVs in order to conduct reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition (RSTA) missions in adjacent Areas of Operation (AOs). Participants were given four tasks to accomplish, in order of priority: 1) prosecute High Value Targets (HVTs); 2) identify / track targets (military vehicles); 3) identify / mark civilian vehicles; and 4) respond to chat messages. Performance on the mission tasks was measured in terms of accuracy and reaction time. A composite mission score was also calculated using a payoff matrix that weighted each task according to priority. The results indicate that Playbook demonstrated better performance overall with higher accuracy rates and the highest composite score compared to Tools and Manual. The implications of these results to supporting future MOMU concepts of operations is discussed.

Playbook↗

NASA NTRS2012

Electronic Handbooks Simplify Process Management

Getting a multitude of people to work together to manage processes across many organizations for example, flight projects, research, technologies, or data centers and others is not an easy task. Just ask Dr. Barry E. Jacobs, a research computer scientist at Goddard Space Flight Center. He helped NASA develop a process management solution that provided documenting tools for process developers and participants to help them quickly learn, adapt, test, and teach their views. Some of these tools included editable files for subprocess descriptions, document descriptions, role guidelines, manager worksheets, and references. First utilized for NASA's Headquarters Directives Management process, the approach led to the invention of a concept called the Electronic Handbook (EHB). This EHB concept was successfully applied to NASA's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, among other NASA programs. Several Federal agencies showed interest in the concept, so Jacobs and his team visited these agencies to show them how their specific processes could be managed by the methodology, as well as to create mockup versions of the EHBs.

Source record↗

DOE OSTI2016

User-Assisted Store Recycling for Dynamic Task Graph Schedulers

The emergence of the multi-core era has led to increased interest in designing effective yet practical parallel programming models. Models based on task graphs that operate on single-assignment data are attractive in several ways: they can support dynamic applications and precisely represent the available concurrency. However, they also require nuanced algorithms for scheduling and memory management for efficient execution. In this paper, we consider memory-efficient dynamic scheduling of task graphs. Specifically, we present a novel approach for dynamically recycling the memory locations assigned to data items as they are produced by tasks. We develop algorithms to identify memory-efficient store recycling functions by systematically evaluating the validity of a set of (user-provided or automatically generated) alternatives. Because recycling function can be input data-dependent, we have also developed support for continued correct execution of a task graph in the presence of a potentially incorrect store recycling function. Experimental evaluation demonstrates that our approach to automatic store recycling incurs little to no overheads, achieves memory usage comparable to the best manually derived solutions, often produces recycling functions valid across problem sizes and input parameters, and efficiently recovers from an incorrect choice of store recycling functions.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗