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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 991 records · Page 55
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Bridging Control and Deployment: A Cross-Layer Analysis of Scalable Building Cluster Control

Building cluster control has emerged as a promising approach for enabling flexible and coordinated operation of distributed building systems, yet its transition from pilot demonstrations to routine grid-interactive operation remains limited. This paper argues that this gap cannot be explained by control algorithms alone. Instead, it arises from interacting barriers in communication infrastructure, data and semantic interoperability, uncertainty management, stakeholder participation, market design, and policy support. Accordingly, the paper reviews both technical and non-technical barriers to building cluster control. Technical challenges include heterogeneous devices and protocols, communication latency and reliability, distributed decision-making, and uncertainty propagation across aggregated loads. Non-technical barriers include user participation, stakeholder coordination, incentive allocation, and data governance. Existing solution approaches are synthesized, including semantic interoperability frameworks, edge and hierarchical communication architectures, distributed and transactive control strategies, uncertainty-aware optimization, policy mechanisms, and market reforms. Based on this analysis, two research directions are identified: testing infrastructures that can evaluate control performance under realistic multi-building conditions, and abstraction methods that allow building clusters to interact with other energy sectors through standardized flexibility representations. Overall, the paper provides a structured review of how building cluster control can move from isolated demonstrations toward reproducible, market-compatible, and grid-relevant implementation.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2018

Towards a Robust System-of-Systems Control Architecture for Robotics - 18359

This paper presents the methodology and results of developing and implementing a system-of-systems architecture for controlling many robotic systems within the context of industrial facilities, where the life of the facility will be far longer than the life of the robotics, due to software updates and accelerated digital obsolescence. The use cases are the JET and ITER fusion research reactors. Remote maintenance is both device defining and mission critical for a future fusion reactor and we foresee the need to utilise a considerable number of robotic devices within an overall digital control architecture. The paper will explore the challenges of long term management of digital complexity using the real experience of JET over the last 20 years. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2020

An Edge-Cloud Integrated Solution for Buildings Demand Response Using Reinforcement Learning

Buildings, as major energy consumers, can provide great untapped demand response (DR) resources for grid services. However, their participation remains low in real-life. One major impediment for popularizing DR in buildings is the lack of cost-effective automation systems that can be widely adopted. Existing optimization-based smart building control algorithms suffer from high costs on both building-specific modeling and on-demand computing resources. To tackle these issues, this paper proposes a cost-effective edge-cloud integrated solution using reinforcement learning (RL). Beside RL’s ability to solve sequential optimal decision-making problems, its adaptability to easy-to-obtain building models and the off-line learning feature are likely to reduce the controller’s implementation cost. Using a surrogate building model learned automatically from building operation data, an RL agent learns an optimal control policy on cloud infrastructure, and the policy is then distributed to edge devices for execution. Simulation results demonstrate the control efficacy and the learning efficiency in buildings of different sizes. A preliminary cost analysis on a 4-zone commercial building shows the annual cost for optimal policy training is only 2.25% of the DR incentive received. Results of this study show a possible approach with higher return on investment for buildings to participate in DR programs.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Developing Smart Building Technology Modules to Enhance Workforce Preparedness: A Case for AI-Driven Academic and Professional Education

Smart building technologies are resources that improve building energy efficiency and resilience, reduce carbon emissions, and provide load flexibility to the grid. However, in both academic curricula and building professionals’ continuing education, there is a lack of systematic instruction on methods to integrate multiple energy systems including distributed energy resources (DER), smart building technologies, AI (Artificial Intelligence) tools and key concepts, components, and controls, including “Internet of Things” (IoT) devices. In today’s dynamic workforce, this major gap in smart building technology education prevents stakeholders from being able to attract talent with an understanding and preparation to adopt smart building technologies in building design and operations. A federally funded project included a partnership between Slipstream and Texas A&M University (TAMU) to develop a semester-long smart building curriculum for engineering college students with the ability to adapt the contents for workforce development of professionals in building services. The final product consists of 16 training videos adapted for building professionals and the public. The educational content and training materials cover the benefits of building energy systems, the latest sensor technologies and IoT devices, all with a focus on smart building technologies. The key drivers are on topics related to smart building controls (i.e., energy management information systems), smart building control platforms, cybersecurity, grid-interactive-efficient buildings (GEBs), smart building control methods, and occupant-centric control. Although not explicitly included the technologies nod to the need for AI driven technologies to prepare engineers and industry professionals to be future ready. This paper describes the project approach, provides outlines of the training materials, and identifies lessons learned in creating the content for this course. The authors suggest ways to scale the instruction of smart building concepts to empower the workforce to accelerate the adoption of smart building technologies and AI-based teaching and learning in higher education and building sector.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2016

WOW Technology's Innovative Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment - 16128

WOW presents its revolutionary technology and equipment for liquid radioactive waste treatment: outperforming ultimate water decontamination and purification process, enhanced sludge concentration, no secondary waste nor consumables, fully automated, remote controlled and self-decontaminating device. The WOW's technology is based upon a never before observed discovery of fluid dynamics science: the possibility of performing a molecular separation between solute and suspended elements and the solvent. The combination of such a molecular separation process with a standard vacuum evaporation improves the abatement performances by thousands of times, with respect to those of the state of the art vacuum evaporators. In addition to this, no secondary waste is produced during the process, as no filters, membranes, resins or additives are used. WOW equipment, automated and remote controlled, self decontaminates after use and can be designed and constructed either tailored to the application needs or with a modular approach for enhanced transportability and application flexibility. After the preliminary verification by CNR, the Italian National Research Center, WOW Technology's decontamination device was tested c/o LENA, the Laboratory of Applied Nuclear Energy of the University of Pavia, Italy with a simulated solution 6000 times more contaminated than the nuclear reactor's cooling water of Fukushima-Daiichi NPP. In addition to that, WOW's technology was also used in a real case at the Radiochemistry laboratory of the Pavia's University Chemistry department. Both the above mentioned contaminated fluids have been successfully decontaminated without production of additional or secondary waste. WOW's technology has already performed on industrial scale c/o the Nuclear Repository of S.S.M. in Saluggia, Italy: 45000 liters of acid radioactive solution have been successfully decontaminated to a Decontamination Factor (DF) of 335000 for Cs-137 by one single evaporation step and without using any additional tool to control steam. [Performances independently certified by: National Physics Laboratory (UK) and Pavia University Radiochemistry Laboratory, Chemistry Department (Italy)]. The high decontamination factors and the high volume reduction of the sludge make this technology suitable for the ultimate treatment of highly contaminated liquid waste such as the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear reactor's cooling water. The WOW's technology addresses as well to interventions in both, operating and decommissioning nuclear power plants and any other nuclear and radioactive facility whose produced and/or stored radioactive liquid solutions, including acid liquid solutions, can be successfully treated, the waste volume reduced and no secondary waste produced. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2017

Deterministic and robust room-temperature exchange coupling in monodomain multiferroic BiFeO 3 heterostructures

Exploiting multiferroic BiFeO 3 thin films in spintronic devices requires deterministic and robust control of both internal magnetoelectric coupling in BiFeO 3 , as well as exchange coupling of its antiferromagnetic order to a ferromagnetic overlayer. Previous reports utilized approaches based on multi-step ferroelectric switching with multiple ferroelectric domains. Because domain walls can be responsible for fatigue, contain localized charges intrinsically or via defects, and present problems for device reproducibility and scaling, an alternative approach using a monodomain magnetoelectric state with single-step switching is desirable. Here we demonstrate room temperature, deterministic and robust, exchange coupling between monodomain BiFeO 3 films and Co overlayer that is intrinsic (i.e., not dependent on domain walls). Direct coupling between BiFeO 3 antiferromagnetic order and Co magnetization is observed, with ~90° in-plane Co moment rotation upon single-step switching that is reproducible for hundreds of cycles. Finally, this has important consequences for practical, low power non-volatile magnetoelectric devices utilizing BiFeO 3 .

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

3D‐Mapping and Manipulation of Photocurrent in an Optoelectronic Diamond Device

Abstract Establishing connections between material impurities and charge transport properties in emerging electronic and quantum materials, such as wide‐bandgap semiconductors, demands new diagnostic methods tailored to these unique systems. Many such materials host optically‐active defect centers which offer a powerful in situ characterization system, but one that typically relies on the weak spin‐electric field coupling to measure electronic phenomena. In this work, charge‐state sensitive optical microscopy is combined with photoelectric detection of an array of nitrogen‐vacancy (NV) centers to directly image the flow of charge carriers inside a diamond optoelectronic device, in 3D and with temporal resolution. Optical control is used to change the charge state of background impurities inside the diamond on‐demand, resulting in drastically different current flow such as filamentary channels nucleating from specific, defective regions of the device. Conducting channels that control carrier flow, key steps toward optically reconfigurable, wide‐bandgap optoelectronics are then engineered using light. This work might be extended to probe other wide‐bandgap semiconductors (SiC, GaN) relevant to present and emerging electronic and quantum technologies.

Wood, Alexander A.↗
DOE OSTI2016

Refrigerator with variable capacity compressor and cycle priming action through capacity control and associated methods

A refrigerator appliance (and associated method) that includes a condenser, evaporator and a multi-capacity compressor. The appliance also includes a pressure reducing device arranged within an evaporator-condenser refrigerant circuit, and a valve system for directing or restricting refrigerant flow through the device. The appliance further includes a controller for operating the compressor upon the initiation of a compressor ON-cycle at a priming capacity above a nominal capacity for a predetermined or calculated duration.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2020

Initial conceptual demonstration of control co-design for WEC optimization

Abstract While some engineering fields have benefited from systematic design optimization studies, wave energy converters have yet to successfully incorporate such analyses into practical engineering workflows. The current iterative approach to wave energy converter design leads to sub-optimal solutions. This short paper presents an open-source MATLAB toolbox for performing design optimization studies on wave energy converters where power take-off behavior and realistic constraints can be easily included. This tool incorporates an adaptable control co-design approach, in that a constrained optimal controller is used to simulate device dynamics and populate an arbitrary objective function of the user’s choosing. A brief explanation of the tool’s structure and underlying theory is presented. To demonstrate the capabilities of the tool, verify its functionality, and begin to explore some basic wave energy converter design relationships, three conceptual case studies are presented. In particular, the importance of considering (and constraining) the magnitudes of device motion and forces in design optimization is shown.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2016

Graphene mediated Stark shifting of quantum dot energy levels

We demonstrate an optoelectronic device comprised of single InAs quantum dots in an n-i-Schottky diode where graphene has been used as the Schottky contact. Deterministic electric field tuning is shown using Stark-shifted micro-photoluminescence from single quantum dots. The extracted dipole moments from the Stark shifts are comparable to conventional devices where the Schottky contact is a semi-transparent metal. Neutral and singly charged excitons are also observed in the well-known Coulomb-blockade plateaus. Our results indicate that graphene is a suitable replacement for metal contacts in quantum dot devices which require electric field control.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2025

Roadmap on thermodynamics and thermal metamaterials

Thermal metamaterials represent a transformative paradigm in modern physics, synergizing thermodynamic principles with metamaterial engineering to master heat flow at will. As next-generation technologies demand multi-scale thermal control, this field urgently requires systematic frameworks to unify its multidisciplinary advances. Curated through a global collaboration involving over 50 specialists across 25 subdisciplines, this review primarily summarizes two decades of advancements, ranging from theoretical breakthroughs to functional implementations. The review reveals groundbreaking innovations in heat manipulation through the exploration of both classical and non-classical transport regimes, topological thermal control mechanisms, and quantum-informed phonon engineering strategies. By bridging physical insights like non-Hermitian thermal dynamics and valleytronic phonon transport with cutting-edge applications, we demonstrate paradigm-shifting capabilities: environment-adaptive thermal cloaks, AI-optimized metamaterials, and nonlinear thermal circuits enabling heat-based computation. Experimental milestones include 3D thermal null media with reconfigurable invisibility and thermal designs breaking classical conductivity limits. Here, this collaborative effort establishes an indispensable roadmap for physicists, highlighting pathways to quantum thermal management, entropy-controlled energy systems, and topological devices. As thermal metamaterials transition from laboratory marvels to technological cornerstones, this work provides the foundational lexicon and design principles for the coming era of intelligent thermal matter.

heat conduction control↗
DOE OSTI2018

Sequential catalysis controls selectivity in electrochemical CO 2 reduction on Cu

Electrochemical reduction of CO 2 in aqueous media is a strategy for sustainable production of fuels and commodity chemicals. Cu is the only catalyst which converts CO 2 to significant quantities of hydrocarbons and oxygenates. Here we demonstrate that oxygenate products can be favored over hydrocarbons by positioning a local source of CO generated by a CO producing catalyst (Au or Ag) in close proximity to a Cu catalyst. Use of a bimetallic device comprising interdigitated and independently controllable lines of Au and Cu allows the local CO concentration to be modulated. Notably, diffusional simulations show that the saturation concentration of CO can be exceeded locally. Actuating both the Au and Cu lines increases the oxygenate to ethylene ratio compared to actuating Cu only. Increasing the relative area of CO-producing Au relative to Cu also increases this ratio. These insights are translated into a second bimetallic system comprising Cu dots/lines patterned directly onto a Ag substrate, allowing for the distance between Cu and the CO generating metal to be precisely controlled. Controlling the relative areas of Ag and Cu allows for tuning of the oxygenate to ethylene ratio from 0.59 to 2.39 and an increase in oxygenate faradaic efficiency from 21.4% to 41.4%, while maintaining the selectivity to C 2 /C 3 products in the 50–65% range. We attribute this change in selectivity to be due to an increased *CO coverage on Cu. Finally, by utilizing diffusional transport of CO to the Cu, a sequential catalysis pathway is created which allows for the control of oxygenate selectivity in aqueous CO 2 reduction.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2017

Understanding and reducing deleterious defects in the metastable alloy GaAsBi

Technological applications of novel metastable materials are frequently inhibited by abundant defects residing in these materials. Using first-principles methods, we investigate the defect thermodynamics and phase segregation in the technologically important metastable alloy GaAsBi. Our calculations predict defect energy levels in good agreement with those from numerous previous experiments and clarify the defect structures giving rise to these levels. We find that vacancies in some charge states become metastable or unstable with respect to antisite formation, and this instability is a general characteristic of zincblende semiconductors with small ionicity. The dominant point defects that degrade the electronic and optical performances are predicted to be As Ga , Bi Ga , As Ga +Bi As , Bi Ga +Bi As , V Ga and V Ga +Bi As , of which the first four and last two defects are minority-electron and minority-hole traps, respectively. V Ga is also observed to have a critical role in controlling metastable Bi supersaturation by mediating Bi diffusion and clustering. To reduce the influences of these deleterious defects, we suggest shifting the growth away from an As-rich condition and/or using hydrogen passivation to reduce the minority-carrier traps. In conclusion, we expect this work to aid in the applications of GaAsBi for novel electronic and optoelectronic devices and to illuminate the control of deleterious defects in other metastable materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

OPERATING EXPERIENCE AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO EMBEDDED DIGITAL DEVICES IN SAFETY SYSTEMS

Interest in embedded digital devices (EDDs) for monitoring and providing control of components is increasing and the added functionality digital brings such as diagnostics, displays, control functions is welcomed in both the nuclear and other industries. As a result, pure analog-based components continue to disappear from the industrial I&C marketplace. Equipment with EDDs, also known by related terms such as smart devices, intelligent devices, and digital devices of limited functionality, can include sensors, breakers, priority logic modules, time delay relays, pumps, valve actuators, motor control centers, and uninterruptible power supplies. Not only is equipment consisting of analog and older digital technology being replaced with commercial grade products containing EDDs, but EDDs can also be retrofitted to work with existing components. EDDs may be installed physically within a component, such as in a relay. There are also external devices that some would not consider an EDD, but that operate in almost all technical ways identically to one internal to a component such as in a valve controller. In fact, the digital portions may be located hundreds of feet from the actual component.Due to the potential of being used in an identical manner and without alteration from their application in other industries, operating experience (OpE) for EDDs may be much more applicable than in the case of other more system level devices. Clear separation and independence of functionality provided with EDDs may also allow greater applicability of existing OpE from industry for changes that can be shown not to affect its safety function. However, OpE also demonstrates issues with different conditions between other industries and nuclear power plants, such as issues with undeclared changes or undeclared digital devices and the new failure modes they may introduce, issues with the reporting of OpE in industry, and a lack of transparency into OpE for EDDs.Understanding and addressing these issues will be key in the future use of EDDs in nuclear power plants, but failure rate data is difficult to obtain for EDDs, and lessons learned from the use of EDDs are difficult to collect and identify.Key words: embedded digital device, smart device, operating experience, failure modes

Muhlheim, Michael↗
DOE OSTI2017

Technologies for Prolonging Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Longevity

Prolonged longevity of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) is needed not only as a passive response to match the prolonging life expectancy of patient recipients, but will also actively prolong their life expectancy by avoiding/deferring the risks (and costs) associated with device replacement. CIEDs are still exclusively powered by nonrechargeable primary batteries, and energy exhaustion is the dominant and an inevitable cause of device replacement. The longevity of a CIED is thus determined by the attrition rate of its finite energy reserve. The energy available from a battery depends on its capacity (total amount of electric charge), chemistry (anode, cathode, and electrolyte), and internal architecture (stacked plate, folded plate, and spiral wound). The energy uses of a CIED vary and include a background current for running electronic circuitry, periodic radiofrequency telemetry, high‐voltage capacitor reformation, constant ventricular pacing, and sporadic shocks for the cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators. The energy use by a CIED is primarily determined by the patient recipient's clinical needs, but the energy stored in the device battery is entirely under the manufacturer's control. A larger battery capacity generally results in a longer‐lasting device, but improved battery chemistry and architecture may allow more space‐efficient designs. Armed with the necessary technical knowledge, healthcare professionals and purchasers will be empowered to make judicious selection on device models and maximize the utilization of all their energy‐saving features, to prolong device longevity for the benefits of their patients and healthcare systems.

LAU, ERNEST W.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Low latency optical-based mode tracking with machine learning deployed on FPGAs on a tokamak

Active feedback control in magnetic confinement fusion devices is desirable to mitigate plasma instabilities and enable robust operation. Optical high-speed cameras provide a powerful, non-invasive diagnostic and can be suitable for these applications. Here, in this study, we process high-speed camera data, at rates exceeding 100 kfps, on in situ field-programmable gate array (FPGA) hardware to track magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) mode evolution and generate control signals in real time. Our system utilizes a convolutional neural network (CNN) model, which predicts the n = 1 MHD mode amplitude and phase using camera images with better accuracy than other tested non-deep-learning-based methods. By implementing this model directly within the standard FPGA readout hardware of the high-speed camera diagnostic, our mode tracking system achieves a total trigger-to-output latency of 17.6 μs and a throughput of up to 120 kfps. This study at the High Beta Tokamak-Extended Pulse (HBT-EP) experiment demonstrates an FPGA-based high-speed camera data acquisition and processing system, enabling application in real-time machine-learning-based tokamak diagnostic and control as well as potential applications in other scientific domains.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2022

Enhanced Oblique Decision Tree Enabled Policy Extraction for Deep Reinforcement Learning in Power System Emergency Control

Deep reinforcement learning (DRL) algorithms have successfully solved many challenging problems in various power system control scenarios. However, their decision-making process is usually regarded as black-boxes. Furthermore, how DRL models interact with human intelligence remains an open problem. Thus, this paper proposes a policy extraction framework to extract a complex DRL model into an explainable policy. This framework includes three parts: 1) DRL training and data generation. We train an agent for a specific control task and generate data, which contains the control policy of the agent. 2) Policy extraction. We propose an information gain rate based weighted oblique decision tree (IGR-WODT) for DRL policy extraction. 3) Policy evaluation. We define three metrics to evaluate the performance of the proposed approach. A case study for the under-voltage load shedding problem shows that the IGR-WODT presents a performance enhancement compared with DRL, weighted oblique decision tree, and univariate decision tree. The proposed policy extraction method could provide an intuitive explanation of the neural network decision-making process to the dispatchers when making final decisions on power grid operation. Also, the resulted rule-based controller could replace the deep neural network-based controller in many field edge devices with limited computing resources, providing comparable performance.

deep reinforcement learning↗