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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 91 records · Page 5
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2005

Advanced Weather Awareness and Reporting Enhancements

AWARE (Aviation Weather Awareness and Reporting Enhancements) was a NASA Cooperative Research and Development program conducted jointly by Rockwell Scientific, Rockwell Collins, and NASA. The effort culminated in an enhanced weather briefing and reporting tool prototype designed to integrate graphical and text-based aviation weather data to provide clear situational awareness in the context of a specific pilot, flight and equipment profile. The initial implementation of AWARE was as a web-based preflight planning tool, specifically for general aviation pilots, who do not have access to support such as the dispatchers available for commercial airlines. Initial usability tests showed that for VFR (Visual Flight Rules) pilots, AWARE provided faster and more effective weather evaluation. In a subsequent formal usability test for IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) pilots, all users finished the AWARE tests faster than the parallel DUAT tests, and all subjects graded AWARE higher for effectiveness, efficiency, and usability. The decision analysis basis of AWARE differentiates it from other aviation safety programs, providing analysis of context-sensitive data in a personalized graphical format to aid pilots/dispatchers in their complex flight requirements.

Busquets, Anthony M.↗
NASA NTRS2025

Habitability and Human Factors Assessment (iSHORT, SHAQ, and SHU)

BACKGROUND As long-duration off-planet habitats become a reality, a consideration of habitability and human factors (HF) is crucial. The habitat is more than just a place to live and work. It is also the crew’s perception of the space, and the psychological impacts of size, layout, and usage over time; all of which can support or strain behavioral health and performance (BHP). A previous International Space Station (ISS) habitability study used the iSHORT (Space Habitability Observation Reporting Tool) to collect detailed data about habitability and human factors and inform NASA Standards. Of the previous iSHORT study, only one of the six ISS subjects had a duration of one year; all other ISS and ground analog subjects had shorter mission durations from one week to six months. It is necessary to collect new data with a focus on long-duration exploration missions of > 6 months and on planetary surface habitat design. New data is also needed to compare the iSHORT to other habitability measures. One measure, the SHAQ (Subjective Habitability and Acceptability Questionnaire), assesses the intersection of psychology and habitability. Another complementary measure, the Scale for Habitat Usability (SHU), is a brief subjective scale that captures how habitat design impacts perceived usability of the built environment in relation to task performance. OBJECTIVE Our study aims to (1) understand how individual well-being and team dynamics may relate to HF concerns over time, (2) capture how habitability and HF change over time, (3) compare the three habitability measures (iSHORT, SHAQ, SHU), (4) assess habitats to capture HF design concerns and related BHP impacts of a planetary habitat, and (5) inform future standards for HF design. METHOD Data are being collected on crews living and working in long-duration spaceflight analogs. Individual-level data collections are repeated at regular intervals throughout the missions on several habitat areas, activities, and key equipment (i.e., points of interest). These points of interest (POIs) include the kitchen/galley, crew quarters, and other work and living areas. Assessments include evaluations of privacy, comfort, convenience, control, efficiency, and social density through the lens of subsequent outcomes like sleep, individual performance, group activities performance, stress, mood, and social interactions. Pre- and post-mission evaluations will also allow comparison with homes, pre- and post-mission hotels, and a retrospective reflection of living and working in a long-duration analog. INITIAL DATA COLLECTIONS In this poster, we will describe the measures and data yield. Since the research protocol was designed, the study team has collected iSHORT Standalone four times, nine collections of SHAQ, and three collections of iSHORT with SHAQ. Data collection is ongoing. SUMMARY A novel assessment suite has been developed to further aid the comparison and complementary understanding of the habitability and human factors measures, which will allow for efficient deployment of these measures in analogs and/or spaceflight in near-term research as well as support well-being and performance through design.

J C W Miller↗
DOE OSTI2021

Demonstrating SolarPILOT's Python API Through Heliostat Optimal Aimpoint Strategy Use Case: Preprint

SolarPILOT is a software package that generates heliostat field layouts and characterizes the optical performance of concentrating solar power (CSP) tower systems. SolarPILOT was developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) as a stand-alone desktop application but has also been incorporated into NREL's System Advisor Model (SAM) in a simplified format. Prior means for user interaction with SolarPILOT have included the application's graphical interface, the SAM routines with limited configurability, and through a built-in scripting language called "LK." This paper presents a new, full-featured Python-based application programmable interface (API) for SolarPILOT, which we hereafter refer to as CoPylot. CoPylot provides access to all SolarPILOT's capabilities to generate and characterize power tower CSP systems seamlessly through Python. Supported capabilities include (i) creating and destroying a model instances with message reporting tools; (ii) accessing and setting any SolarPILOT variable including custom land boundaries for field layout; (iii) programmatically managing receiver and heliostat objects with varied attributes for systems with multiple receiver or heliostat types; (iv) generating, assigning, and modifying heliostat field layouts including the ability to set individual heliostat locations, aimpoints, soiling rates, and reflectivity levels; (v) simulating heliostat field performance; (vi) returning detailed results describing performance of individual heliostats, the aggregate field, and receiver flux; and, (vii) exporting Python-based model instances to multiple file formats. CoPylot enables Python users to perform detailed tower CSP analysis utilizing either the Hermite expansion technique (analytical) or the SolTrace ray-tracing engine. In addition to CoPylot's functionality, Python users have access to the over 100,000 open-source libraries to develop, analyze, optimize, and visualize CSP tower research.

41 EE - Solar Energy Technologies Office (EE-4S)↗
DOE OSTI2018

Experimental Validation of UO 2 Microstructural Evolutions for NEAMS Tool MARMOT (Final Report)

The project was aimed at experimentally validating the NEAMS tool MARMOT for predicting the GB migration and pore and GB interaction in UO 2 oxide fuel under the driving forces of high temperatures and large temperature gradient anticipated in a LWR fuels. By performing the well-aligned experiments and simulations simultaneously using precisely defined initial conditions, the high-quality experiment data will provide a direct benchmarking of the MARMOT code by evaluating the fidelity of physics, materials science principles and models, and the coupling of multi-physics solutions. A bottom up approach will be used by studying each specific behavior while the code will be statistically validated again the overall structural evolution. The GB energy, specific GB mobility, grain growth kinetic, GB interaction with pores, and effects of large temperature gradients will be specifically studied using experiments. The isothermal grain growth, grain growth under large temperature gradient, and pore and GB interactions will be modeled using 2-D or 3-D simulations. Four questions will be answered at the conclusion of this project: Is the anisotropic grain boundary energy model able to better represent a real view the grain property and would it have a significant impact on the grain growth behavior? Is the classical Zener pinning model in MARMOT sufficient for representing the retarding effect on grain gain boundary migration from pores? Does the temperature gradient have a minimum impact on the average grain growth behavior at varied average temperatures and temperature gradients? Does the pore migrate towards the high temperature domain at the velocities predicted by MARMOT code?

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Data Transfer Tool (HPC Annual Report V.3.1)

Sandia has been developing and supporting data transfer tools for over 20 years and has the expertise to take DOE into the Extreme Scale era. In looking at Exascale and beyond (Extreme Scale Computing), data sets can be thousands of 500TBs in size, a single file can be in the 100TB range, and billions of files are expected. Huge bursts of data need to be transferred, even today. While data archiving is often not thought about, it is an integral part of the full data management path when data is generated on HPC systems. In order to move generated data to its final resting place (data archive) or to transfer between file systems, a capable data transfer tool is required.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2026

Watching the Watchers with Verified Formal-Assurance Tools (Abbreviated Final Report)

The “Watching the Watchers” project studied the problem of establishing assurance cases for tools that are used to assure other things. Specifically, we were interested in understanding the tools and techniques one could apply to software to build an assurance case to evaluate their applicability, difficulty, level of assurance provided, and scalability. To do so we chose a set of use cases of relevance to LLNL and our various DOE and non-DOE partners and developed demonstrators to perform this evaluation. Our key focal point was around additive manufacturing problems and assurance gaps that we identified in the additive manufacturing workflow from start to completion. We also explored other areas related to AI, data analysis, and concurrent programming. Follow-on research is planned to take our prototypes from this project and adapt and mature them to fit LLNL mission applications.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2019

Washington State Highway Bridge Seismic Screening Tool (BSST) (Technical Report)

The Regional Resiliency Assessment Program (RRAP) is a cooperative assessment of specific critical infrastructure within a designated geographic area and a regional analysis of the surrounding infrastructure that addresses a range of infrastructure resilience issues that could have regionally and nationally significant consequences. In 2017, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) sponsored the Washington State Transportation Systems RRAP project in coordination with the Washington Emergency Management Division (EMD), Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), and other regional stakeholders. This project is focused on assessing the impacts of a Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) earthquake on state transportation systems and, in particular, how those impacts may affect the ability of emergency response efforts to move supplies into the region. The intended outcome of this analysis is the prioritization of transportation routes and modes for additional planning, investment, hardening, or other activities to enhance their resilience - and therefore, to enhance their ability to support response and recovery efforts following a CSZ earthquake. An important part of this transportation system-level assessment has been to assess the seismic vulnerability of the state highway system. In doing so, the RRAP project team developed a Bridge Seismic Screening Tool (BSST) to assess, at a system-level, the potential impacts that a CSZ earthquake could have on state highway bridges. The first step in the BSST is to assess the seismic vulnerability of highway bridge infrastructure in Washington State following a CSZ earthquake to determine a projected or potential damage state. Damage states are then used to determine approximate reopening times for bridge crossings.2 This document provides details on the methodological development of the BSST, the implementation of that tool to analyze the projected damage incurred in a CSZ earthquake scenario, and the determination of corresponding reopening times of interstate and state highway bridges following such an event. The BSST was implemented programmatically using a Microsoft Excel macro-enabled workbook; instructions on use of this tool are provided in the accompanying report, Washington State Highway Bridge Seismic Screening Tool (BSST) - User Manual.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS2017

Formal Assurance Certifiable Tooling Formal Assurance Certifiable Tooling Strategy Final Report

This is the Final Report of a research project to investigate issues and provide guidance for the qualification of formal methods tools under the DO-330 qualification process. It consisted of three major subtasks spread over two years: 1) an assessment of theoretical soundness issues that may affect qualification for three categories of formal methods tools, 2) a case study simulating the DO-330 qualification of two actual tool sets, and 3) an investigation of risk mitigation strategies that might be applied to chains of such formal methods tools in order to increase confidence in their certification of airborne software.

Bush, Eric↗
DOE OSTI2024

Once-Through Steam Generator Model Analysis Using Python and Advanced Optimization Tools (Summer Internship Report)

This study focuses on the parametric analysis of design parameters for a once-through steam generator (OTSG) model, using python and advanced optimization tools to facilitate applications such as the flowing autoclave steam generator (FASG) test cases. Building on previous research involving another OTSG with a different design, this project aims to enhance our understanding of how steam generators (SGs) behave and how their outputs are influenced by changes in design. The reason for this design change is to allow for more precise modeling and optimization of SG performance, to provide a comparative analysis between the two designs, and to set up the model for integration with the FASG test case. The OTSG python-model is a mathematical representation (including fluid flow and heat transfer equations/models/correlations) of a steam-generating unit in a pressurized water reactor-type small modular reactor system. Design studies involve changing the model’s input design parameters to observe the resulting effects on the output of the system. By using advanced optimization tools, such as the Risk Analysis Virtual Environment (RAVEN) developed at Idaho National Laboratory, detailed design parametric studies and model optimization were performed. Six input parameters—pressure, temperature, and mass flow rate for the inlet of the primary-side (hot fluid) and secondary-side (cold fluid), respectively, of the SG—were randomly perturbed via RAVEN’s Monte Carlo Sampler module, using uniform distributions (i.e., ±1%, ±5% and ±10% relative changes) for 600 samples. The analysis provides valuable insights into SG optimization and can be used for sensor placement optimization to effectively monitor and obtain experimental data in other tests.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Pumped Storage Hydro Model Evaluation Report Task 1: Tool Assessment

Pumped storage hydro (PSH) projects support various aspects of power system operations. However, determining the value of PSH projects and the many services and contributions to the system they provide can be a challenge. The PSH techno-economic studies being carried out by a 5-lab consortium are defining extensive modeling approaches for evaluating the economic benefits of PSH projects. To enhance the impact of the valuation approach and follow-on techno-economic studies, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) will be developing a set of online tools that industry could adopt and use to advance PSH projects in the US. The problem is that the research team is not entirely clear on the features of the tools that would offer the most significant impact to industry. Thus, year one of this effort is designed to first define the needs of industry before developing the PSH valuation tool. The first step in defining industry needs is to evaluate existing tool packages, including those created by DOE and those by industry groups, to both measure usage levels and define tool attributes that maximize industry impact. The second step in this process will be to hold a workshop designed to elicit direct industry input. Given the breadth and nature of the task, which is to define ideal model attributes, the research team did not constrain the assessment to storage valuation tools. Several tools were assessed, and their characteristics compared against a list of “ideal” attributes that included ease of use, generalizability of results, and analytical flexibility. Information regarding usage and impact were then compared to specific model attributes to define which attributes appear to drive success. The following key lessons and implications can be drawn from the analysis: Models with high ease of use were often the most adopted by industry, though they did not necessarily have high publication reference records, meaning a published article made direct reference to the tool. For example, REScheck TM and COMcheck TM , two tools which share a site, have seen a high amount of web traffic and usage. Similarly, Storage Value Estimate Tool (StorageVET®), an energy storage valuation model, has a large number of organizations using it despite a low publication reference record. A common feature between these models is that they are web-hosted, theoretically making them more easily accessible with graphic user interfaces (GUIs) that are more navigable; Models with higher usage statistics were typically free and/or open source. While it may be unsurprising that this attribute could be considered a draw for users, there is the potential for overestimating the tool's value based on popularity due to the fact that some users may have used the model simply because it was free and not because it is the best model; Models that offer more in-depth analysis and a wide coverage of applications (e.g. VOLTTRON™, GridLAB-D™, and Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVest)) have shown a high number of publication references as well as showing a high number of downloads in the case of GridLAB-D™. It should be noted that the figure below does not include the model with the highest number of publication references (EnergyPlus™) as it has been removed to show clearer distinction between the remaining tools; The most popular model within the evaluation list was EnergyPlus™. This tool has the highest number of publication references (2,034) of all models considered and contains both a high ease of use level as well as broad application flexibility. Its high usage may be correlated, however, with the presumed wider audience conducting energy consumption modeling compared to the audiences for some of the other tools in this list; Models that were low in both general usage and publication reference generally did not exhibit characteristics considered ideal by the research team. Some of these models offered a narrower range of analytical applications or lower generalizability of results. This would automatically restrict the pool of potential users to those who fall within a narrow range of specific technologies or applications. This report also explores two model structures for the PSH tool: decision tree-based, which would guide the user through the valuation methods defined in the PSH techno-economic studies currently being carried out by DOE, and an all-inclusive comprehensive model. The strengths of each were explored and a hybrid approach was defined that would embed a price taker model into the decision tree approach. Such an approach would provide a comprehensive approach for modeling small-scale PSH while recognizing the challenges associated with implementing a price-maker approach in an all-inclusive model. Insight gained in this analysis of other models can aid in narrowing down the list of effective and sought-after attributes, and in defining model structure. Next steps toward developing a model for storage valuation will be to gain direct industry input through workshops.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS2015

Integrated Medical Model (IMM) Project Verification, Validation, and Credibility (VVandC)

The Integrated Medical Model (IMM) Project supports end user requests by employing the Integrated Medical Evidence Database (iMED) and IMM tools as well as subject matter expertise within the Project. The iMED houses data used by the IMM. The IMM is designed to forecast relative changes for a specified set of crew health and mission success risk metrics by using a probabilistic model based on historical data, cohort data, and subject matter expert opinion. A stochastic approach is taken because deterministic results would not appropriately reflect the uncertainty in the IMM inputs. Once the IMM was conceptualized, a plan was needed to rigorously assess input information, framework and code, and output results of the IMM, and ensure that end user requests and requirements were considered during all stages of model development and implementation, as well as lay the foundation for external review and application. METHODS: In 2008, the Project team developed a comprehensive verification and validation (VV) plan, which specified internal and external review criteria encompassing 1) verification of data and IMM structure to ensure proper implementation of the IMM, 2) several validation techniques to confirm that the simulation capability of the IMM appropriately represents occurrences and consequences of medical conditions during space missions, and 3) credibility processes to develop user confidence in the information derived from the IMM. When the NASA-STD-7009 (7009) [1] was published, the Project team updated their verification, validation, and credibility (VVC) project plan to meet 7009 requirements and include 7009 tools in reporting VVC status of the IMM. Construction of these tools included meeting documentation and evidence requirements sufficient to meet external review success criteria. RESULTS: IMM Project VVC updates are compiled recurrently and include updates to the 7009 Compliance and Credibility matrices. Reporting tools have evolved over the lifetime of the IMM Project to better communicate VVC status. This has included refining original 7009 methodology with augmentation from the HRP NASA-STD-7009 Guidance Document working group and the NASA-HDBK-7009 [2]. End user requests and requirements are being satisfied as evidenced by ISS Program acceptance of IMM risk forecasts, transition to an operational model and simulation tool, and completion of service requests from a broad end user consortium including operations, science and technology planning, and exploration planning. IMM v4.0 is slated for operational release in the FY015 and current VVC assessments illustrate the expected VVC status prior to the completion of customer lead external review efforts. CONCLUSIONS: The VVC approach established by the IMM Project of incorporating Project-specific recommended practices and guidelines for implementing the 7009 requirements is comprehensive and includes the involvement of end users at every stage in IMM evolution. Methods and techniques used to quantify the VVC status of the IMM Project represented a critical communication tool in providing clear and concise suitability assessments to IMM customers. These processes have not only received approval from the local NASA community but have also garnered recognition by other federal agencies seeking to develop similar guidelines in the medical modeling community.

Walton, M.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Computing tools for effective field theories: SMEFT-Tools 2022 Workshop Report, 14–16th September 2022, Zürich

Abstract In recent years, theoretical and phenomenological studies with effective field theories have become a trending and prolific line of research in the field of high-energy physics. In order to discuss present and future prospects concerning automated tools in this field, the SMEFT-Tools 2022 workshop was held at the University of Zurich from 14th–16th September 2022. The current document collects and summarizes the content of this workshop.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

S4PST: Sustainability for Programming Systems and Tools: May Workshop Report

The US Department of Energy (DOE) Exascale Computing Project (ECP) has fostered and strengthened the use of modern software engineering practices for developing applications and libraries, and this effort has resulted in the coordinated and interoperable E4S1 and xSDK2 ecosystems. Although this approach is cost-effective, it relies on robust programming systems and tools (PST) as the underlying foundation for our HPC software. At present, our primary PST stack consists of traditional high-performance computing (HPC) languages, namely Fortran, C, C++, and the popular Python language for data analysis and AI workflows. These languages support various programming frameworks and run-time abstractions that enable parallelism and concurrency across multiple node architectures and thousands of nodes through a variety of interconnect systems. However, to accommodate users’ diverse needs, certain aspects of the HPC ecosystem are delegated to vendor-specific or third-party implementations that extend beyond a particular scientific domain. This broader scope results in a multitude of specifications and variations, which leads to a complex orchestration of many-ecosystems. Unfortunately, this complexity in the ecosystem imposes additional overhead costs on consumers during the latter stages of the development cycle. In addition to the software ecosystem challenge, the upcoming conclusion of the ECP by December 2023 has raised significant concerns within the HPC programming systems community, from both the economic and social perspectives. The ECP has implemented a management structure for software development and funding decisions across all ECP participants by following a conventional hierarchical and centralized approach. However, this structure has prompted certain considerations within the community, particularly in anticipation of the Software Sustainability initiative by the DOE’s Advanced Scientific Computing Research Program (ASCR). For the success of this new initiative, it is of utmost importance to secure consistent funding and foster close engagement with researchers and core developers of existing programming-system products. This collaboration is vital to maintaining the critical capabilities of the current software during the transition phase while proactively adapting to future technology and workforce trends. The community recognizes the significance of adapting to emerging trends and is aware of the inherent fragility of the HPC software ecosystem, particularly in relation to programming systems that cater to all users. The ability to adapt and evolve is essential to staying relevant and effectively addressing these technical, economic, and social challenges. The S4PST team, which represents one of the six ASCR Software Sustainability seedling projects, is dedicated to tackling these challenges through community-based approaches that go beyond the scope of the DOE. This involves collaboration between national laboratories with academia, non-DOE institutions, hardware and system vendors, and international partners. By fostering these partnerships, we aim to create a robust and sustainable HPC software ecosystem that can effectively meet the needs of the community. This new community effort, driven by the eight DOE labs, will take on the responsibility of guiding funding decisions for programming-systems development and maintenance with transparency and consistency across all decisions. Additionally, the team will offer common technical services to the programming systems community, irrespective of their funding situations, and facilitate community-wide incubation to proactively nurture the software ecosystem. By actively engaging with stakeholders and employing a collaborative approach, we can collectively shape the future of programming systems and ensure a robust and thriving HPC software landscape. On May 11–12, 2023, the S4PST team conducted its inaugural kick-off workshop at the Innovative Computing Laboratory (ICL) in the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, hosted by Hartwig Anzt. The workshop encompassed various sessions dedicated to presentations and discussions, with the aim of comprehending the team members’ perspectives on the vision of software sustainability. Additionally, the workshop aimed to identify the technical, economic, and social requirements for sustaining the programming-systems community in the field of HPC. This report provides a summary of the S4PST effort by highlighting five major thrust areas discussed during the workshop: (i) community, (ii) technical support, (iii) training and diversity, (iv) verification, validation and correctness, and (v) emerging technologies. It also encompasses an overview of the presentations and discussions held throughout the event, our views and potential synergies with other seedling efforts, along with the outcomes and key takeaways from our initial discussions.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2026

S4PST: Stewardship and Advancement for Programming Systems and Tools 2024-2025 Project Report

We present the "Stewardship and Advancement of Programming Systems and Tools" (S4PST) project report for the calendar years 2024 and 2025. S4PST is dedicated to the stewardship and advancement of Programming Systems and Tools (PST) mainly targeting high-performance computing (HPC) for the scientific community. The project is part of the funded software stewardship organizations (SSOs) selected by ASCR as part of the NGSST program, and a member of CASS: the Consortiumfor the Advancement of Scientific Software.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗