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At least 991 records · Page 55

Oxide Interfaces: emergent structure and dynamics

This Final Report describes the scientific accomplishments that have been achieved with support from grant DE-FG02-06ER46273 during the period 6/1/2012– 5/31/2016. The overall goals of this program were focused on the behavior of epitaxial oxide heterostructures at atomic length scales (Ångstroms), and correspondingly short time-scales (fs -ns). The results contributed fundamentally to one of the currently most active frontiers in condensed matter physics research, namely to better understand the intricate relationship between charge, lattice, orbital and spin degrees of freedom that are exhibited by complex oxide heterostructures. The findings also contributed towards an important technological goal which was to achieve a better basic understanding of structural and electronic correlations so that the unusual properties of complex oxides can be exploited for energy-critical applications. Specific research directions included: probing the microscopic behavior of epitaxial interfaces and buried layers; novel materials structures that emerge from ionic and electronic reconfiguration at epitaxial interfaces; ultrahigh-resolution mapping of the atomic structure of heterointerfaces using synchrotron-based x-ray surface scattering, including direct methods of phase retrieval; using ultrafast lasers to study the effects of transient strain on coherent manipulation of multi-ferroic order parameters; and investigating structural ordering and relaxation processes in real-time.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Performance Portability of the Aeras Atmosphere Model to Next Generation Architectures using Kokkos

The subject of this report is the performance portability of the Aeras global atmosphere dynamical core (implemented within the Albany multi-physics code) to new and emerging architecture machines using the Kokkos library and programming model. We describe the process of refactoring the finite element assembly process for the 3D hydrostatic model in Aeras and highlight common issues associated with development on GPU architectures. After giving detailed build and execute instructions for Aeras with MPI, OpenMP and CUDA on the Shannon cluster at Sandia National Laboratories and the Titan supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, we evaluate the per- formance of the code on a canonical test case known as the baroclinic instability problem. We show a speedup of up to 4 times on 8 OpenMP threads, but we were unable to achieve a speedup on the GPU due to memory constraints. We conclude by providing methods for improving the performance of the code for future optimization.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Physical Sciences Vistas (Issue 3 2020)

In this issue, highlights of our outstanding R&D supporting the Laboratory’s nuclear security mission include the following. 1. The essential nuclear materials science contributions of MST’s Materials Properties Team to a range of Lab missions, operations, and initiatives. 2. Work in the Sigma Complex supporting NNSA’s Advanced Manufacturing Development milestones by members of Sigma Division and colleagues across the Laboratory and other NNSA sites. 3. Greg Dale’s role in the Lab’s molybdenum program and today as a technical lead on the Scorpius project. 4. Measurements that reveal the role thermal interfaces play in dynamic compression experiments. 5. The first-ever synthesis of an actinide framework, which offers opportunities for understanding these structures as potential radioactive waste forms and provides new models of actinide species transport in the environment. This issue also showcases, as part of our commitment to simultaneous excellence in mission operations and community relations, the successful high-hazard repair of the LANSCE accelerator, which resulted in a large team Laboratory Distinguished Performance Award, and a virtual Summer Physics Camp for Young Women that brought together participants from around the world, even as COVID kept them socially distant in their homes.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Steady-State Microbunching using Optical Stochastic Cooling

Optical Stochastic Cooling (OSC) is a state-of-the-art beam cooling technology first demonstrated in 2021 at the IOTA storage ring at Fermilab's FAST facility. A second phase of the research program is planned to run in 2026 and will incorporate an optical amplifier to enable significantly increased cooling rates and greater operational flexibility. In addition to beam cooling, an OSC system can be configured to enable advanced control over the phase space of the beam. An example operational mode could enable crystallization, where the particles in a bunch are locked into a self-reinforcing, regular microstructure at the OSC fundamental wavelength; we refer to this as Optical Stochastic Crystallization (OSX). OSX represents a new path toward Steady-State Microbunching (SSMB), which may enable light sources combining the high brightness of a free-electron laser with the high repetition rate of a storage ring. Such a source has applications from the terahertz to the extreme ultraviolet (EUV), including high-power EUV generation for semiconductor lithography. This contribution will discuss the integration of OSX development as part of the OSC program at IOTA. The design of an accelerator lattice to enable the mechanism and associated high fidelity simulations demonstrating the beam dynamics will be shown, and a path to realizing an experimental demonstration will be discussed.

Wallbank, Michael James [Fermilab]↗

SiC cladding R&D execution plan

To advance the development of accident-tolerant fuel cladding for light-water reactors, the Advanced Fuels Campaign actively addresses the R&D gap between the specialized technological progress in SiC-based composite materials, led by industrial partners, and the fundamental scientific understanding of material behavior under reactor operating conditions. The laboratory activities are systematically organized based on the Development Strategy document, which outlines critical barriers to the use of SiC composites in nuclear energy applications for the coming decade and beyond. To complement the strategy, this execution plan specifies a detailed year-by-year work package and establishes key milestones for assessing progress in technological advancement. This plan has been formulated in collaboration with principal investigators at national laboratories, stakeholders, and industry partners with the goal of closing technology gaps and readying SiC-based cladding technologies for full-scale commercial testing. The research conducted at the national laboratories is categorized into three primary subjects: (1) addressing challenges associated with the performance of SiC cladding under normal operating environments, (2) identifying the failure limits of SiC cladding under accident conditions, and (3) modeling fuel performance for SiC cladding systems. Comprehensive laboratory activities integrate the development of advanced modeling tools for SiC-based cladding systems with experimental validation via integrated testing of multiphysics phenomena. This document lays out the laboratory plan to support the development of SiC-based technologies, which have the potential for significant operational and safety benefits for the U.S. nuclear industry. This plan aligns with industry developer needs, relevant Nuclear Energy University Programs, and Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation Programs to ensure SiC cladding technologies are matured as efficiently as possible and will be maintained and updated to accommodate the dynamically evolving progress of development, capability needs, and resource availability.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

CO–induced roughening of Cu(111): formation and detection of reactive nanoclusters on metal surfaces

The formation of nanoclusters on metal surfaces in the presence of reactive environments is a phenomenon with important implications for catalysis. These nanoclusters are composed of atoms ejected from undercoordinated sites such as step edges, and their presence alters the catalytic properties of solid materials. We perform density functional theory (DFT) and kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulations to investigate the formation and reactivity of copper clusters on Cu(111). Our results indicate a considerably higher reactivity of small copper nanoclusters, with up to seven atoms in size on roughened copper surfaces than on pristine Cu(111) and Cu(211). Regarding the restructuring events that give rise to nanoclusters under CO atmospheres, we determine that the ejection of Cu atoms from step edges and their migration therefrom to adjacent Cu(111) terraces are, by and large, driven by CO coverage effects. By means of KMC simulations, which account for CO–CO lateral interactions and CO–induced surface restructuring, we show that temperature programmed desorption (TPD) holds promise for the detection of highly reactive nanoclusters. Furthermore, our approach showcases how surface restructuring and surface–adsorbate bond breaking can be combined when modeling surface reactions and contributes to the development of an advanced understanding of the nature of active site under reaction conditions.

catalyst dynamic restructuring↗

Sustainable hydrogen manufacturing via renewable-integrated intensified process for refueling stations

The widescale consumer adoption of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (HFCEVs) is currently hindered by the high cost of small-scale hydrogen generation and the lack of extensive hydrogen refueling infrastructure. Natural gas-based hydrogen is cheaper when produced in large volumes but is also associated with high CO 2 emissions. To counter these challenges, we propose a hybrid approach where both natural gas and renewables are integrated in a synergistic manner using a dynamic process intensification technology that can be deployed on-site for meeting local demands of refueling stations. The technology is based on sorption enhanced steam methane reforming (SE-SMR) that utilizes a combination of reaction with in-situ CO 2 adsorption for enhancing process modularity, productivity and efficiency thereby outperforming conventional SMR at small scale. We develop a mixed integer linear programming (MILP)-based optimization framework for simultaneous design and scheduling of the SE-SMR process. The simultaneous optimization provides a synergistic combination whereby the renewables allow sustainable hydrogen manufacturing and the dynamic SE-SMR allows optimal use of the intermittency of the renewables. The U.S. nationwide analysis indicates that for futuristic renewable prices and a hydrogen production capacity of 2 ton/day, hydrogen can be produced at 50% less cost compared to the current cost of small-scale hydrogen generation. Finally, the city-wise analysis with varying hydrogen demand shows that even with just 5% HFCEV market penetration level, hydrogen production cost less than $3/kg can be obtained at small scales across the United States with even cheaper hydrogen for large cities.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Programmed synthesis of mesoporous protein crystals in cellular reactors

Protein crystals are naturally derived mesoporous materials with versatile structures and physicochemical properties. Here we introduce an intracellular synthesis platform that enables controllable and programmable protein crystallization. In live cells, we show that, after initial nucleation, steady protein expression governs crystal growth, yielding predictable, tunable dynamics in live cells. Exploiting this feature, we combined HaloTag and click chemistries to achieve modular, programmable immobilization of diverse guest materials with spatial patterning down to ~100 nm resolution. We further demonstrated the sequential release of immobilized materials in physiologically relevant fluids. As a proof of concept, we programmed particles to carry human fibroblast growth factors in distinct layers, which elicited designed oscillatory Akt signalling patterns in cell culture. Finally, this work outlines a programmable method for producing mesoporous materials, with possible applications in catalysis and biomedicine.

Yang, Hongru [Johns Hopkins Univ., Baltimore, MD (↗

Rotating Detonation Combustion for Gas Turbines: Modeling and System Synthesis to Exceed 65% Efficiency Goal (Phase II)

As of May 2019, all RDE test hardware and test operations were completed for this program. Over 700 hot fire tests were conducted at 4 facilities with 7 RDE assemblies, with the data available for future analysis. In particular, measured static and dynamic pressure and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) provided basis for pressure gain combustion (PGC) analysis of the Engineering Scale RDE. It was demonstrated via measurements and CFD that a carefully designed diffuser can recover some total pressure of the highly oscillatory RDE exhaust. In general, the isolator/injector is largest contributor of pressure losses; however a low loss design was demonstrated that improves significantly on previous natural-gas/air RDEs. Also, a tailored injector and mixing technique was demonstrated that allowed NG-air RDE operation with overall equivalence ratio of less than 0.6. CFD models by AR, the UofM and Purdue University were extensively used throughout the program to refine diffuser design for improved pressure recovery, to simulate injection and mixing, to estimate turbine interaction, to estimate combustor pressure gain anchored with test data and to provide input to other design and analytical tasks. CFD analyses were completed for many of the configurations tested at Purdue with the 13.4” RDE including the shark fin and low area ratio isolators. Results were compared favorably to available hot fire test particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements and wave speeds. The results of these CFD analyses suggest a modest pressure gain of 33% with a sufficiently low area ratio isolator. A thermodynamic power plant system model was set up which utilizes an RDE combustor. The performance of the RDE combustor module was scaled based on measurements from the Engineering Scale RDE tests with low loss injector and tailored fuel flow. This combined model indicates potential for significant plant efficiency improvement. The successful tailored fuel injection test result with lower than .6 equivalence ratio has implication that a power plant can use a RDE combustor configuration where all the air flows through the combustion zone thereby not requiring a bypass mixer. In this configuration, the results of the natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) plant system indicate net efficiency of 66.4%.

02 PETROLEUM↗

An integrated integral projection model ( IPM 2 ) to disentangle size‐structured harvest and natural mortality

Abstract Body size is one of the most important traits governing individual‐level demographic rates and modulating population‐level processes. Multiple size‐dependent demographic rates can simultaneously change population structure, so distinguishing their individual contributions to overall population dynamics remains a challenge. Disentangling size‐dependent harvest rates from other demographic rates is critical for assessing the impact of removal on populations of invasive species. Inference about invasive populations can be difficult, however, as observations are often collected opportunistically as part of removal programs, rather than experimentally designed. Yet accurate inference is essential for understanding the feasibility of population suppression and optimising management decisions. We develop an integrated integral projection model (IPM 2 ) that leverages the strengths of the integrated population model and integral projection model to enable inference about complex, size‐structured demographic rates from imperfect observations. We apply the IPM 2 in the context of invasive European green crab ( Carcinus maenas ), a species for which individual body size strongly regulates both the observation‐generating process and latent, population dynamics. The IPM 2 facilitates the distinct estimation of green crab size‐structured harvest and natural mortality rates, parameters for which no explicit data is collected and that are unidentifiable in component datasets of the integrated population model. The model represents how the green crab population changes over time, providing the first estimates of size‐structured abundance of this high‐priority species. By forecasting the stable size distribution and equilibrium population size under varying removal efforts, we demonstrate that extremely high levels of removal effort can reduce the equilibrium green crab population size. Yet these high mortality rates also shift the stable size distribution and increase the equilibrium abundance of smaller crabs, since size‐selective removal alters intraspecific interactions. The ecological outcome of this shift in size structure will be variable, as green crab size modulates only some of its interactions with other species. These results highlight the value of the IPM 2 framework for inferring complex population dynamics with information needs that outpace information in individual observational datasets, providing a path forward for accurate assessment of conservation programs.

Keller, Abigail G. [Department of Environment Scie↗

Can the Impact of Aerosols on Deep Convection be Isolated from Meteorological Effects in Atmospheric Observations?

Influence of pollution on dynamics of deep convection continues to be a controversial topic. Arguably, only carefully designed numerical simulations can clearly separate the impact of aerosols from the effects of meteorological factors that affect moist convection. This paper argues that such a separation is virtually impossible using observations because of the insufficient accuracy of atmospheric measurements and the fundamental nature of the interaction between deep convection and its environment. To support this conjecture, results from numerical simulations are presented that apply modeling methodology previously developed by the author. The simulations consider small modifications, difficult to detect in observations, of the initial sounding, surface fluxes, and large-scale forcing tendencies. All these represent variations of meteorological conditions that affect deep convective dynamics independently of aerosols. The setup follows the case of daytime convective development over land based on observations during the Large-Scale Biosphere–Atmosphere (LBA) field project in Amazonia. The simulated observable macroscopic changes of convection, such as the surface precipitation and upper-tropospheric cloudiness, are similar to or larger than those resulting from changes of cloud condensation nuclei from pristine to polluted conditions studied previously using the same modeling case. Observations from Phase III of the Global Atmospheric Research Program Atlantic Tropical Experiment (GATE) are also used to support the argument concerning the impact of the large-scale forcing. The simulations suggest that the aerosol impacts on dynamics of deep convection cannot be isolated from meteorological effects, at least for the daytime development of unorganized deep convection considered in this study.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Increasing the Number of Installed Residential Heat Pump Water Heaters in the USA Through Improved Technology and Utility Programs

Heat pump water heaters (HPWHs) offer an efficient alternative to electric resistance water heaters, but they suffer from limited market penetration. This paper reviews the current state of HPWHs in the USA, focusing on technology developments and programs to increase adoption. What technological improvements are needed to make HPWHs a good fit in more homes? Additionally, what are the best ways of promoting HPWHs to consumers? Improved communication and controls will allow HPWHs to provide demand response and follow dynamic utility rates. To enable fuel-switching, HPWHs are being developed that only need a standard 120V outlet. Split HPWHs can alleviate the cooling and noise that limit the use of HPWHs in small homes, multifamily buildings, and cold climates. Additionally, new utility programs aim to train installers and provide incentives to distributors to increase the number of HPWHs installed. Some utilities offer novel incentive programs that have led to increased customer uptake. Those advances, coupled with improved controls for load shifting and new products such as split HPWHs and HPWHs that can run on 120V power, may finally move the market forward.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Computational Mechanics Research and Support for Aerodynamics and Hydraulics at TFHRC, Year 2 Quarter 4 Progress Report

The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and computational structural mechanics (CSM) focus areas at Argonne’s Transportation Research and Analysis Computing Center (TRACC) initiated a project to support and compliment the experimental programs at the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC) with high performance computing based analysis capabilities in August 2010. The project was established with a new interagency agreement between the Department of Energy and the Department of Transportation to provide collaborative research, development, and benchmarking of advanced three-dimensional computational mechanics analysis methods to the aerodynamics and hydraulics laboratories at TFHRC for a period of five years, beginning in October 2010. The analysis methods employ well benchmarked and supported commercial computational mechanics software. Computational mechanics encompasses the areas of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Computational Wind Engineering (CWE), Computational Structural Mechanics (CSM), and Computational Multiphysics Mechanics (CMM) applied in Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) problems. The major areas of focus of the project are wind and water effects on bridges — superstructure, deck, cables, and substructure (including soil), primarily during storms and flood events — and the risks that these loads pose to structural failure. For flood events at bridges, another major focus of the work is assessment of the risk to bridges caused by scour of stream and riverbed material away from the foundations of a bridge. Other areas of current research include modeling of the salt spray transport into bridge girders to address suitability of using weathering steel in bridges, CFD analysis of the operation of the wind tunnel in the TFHRC wind engineering laboratory, and coupling of CFD and CSM software to solve fluid structure interaction problems, primarily analysis of bridge cables in wind. This quarterly report documents technical progress on the project tasks for the period of July through September 2012.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Computational Mechanics Research and Support for Aerodynamics and Hydraulics at TFHRC (Year 3 Quarter 2 Progress Report)

The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and computational structural mechanics (CSM) focus areas at Argonne’s Transportation Research and Analysis Computing Center (TRACC) initiated a project to support and compliment the experimental programs at the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC) with high performance computing based analysis capabilities in August 2010. The project was established with a new interagency agreement between the Department of Energy and the Department of Transportation to provide collaborative research, development, and benchmarking of advanced three-dimensional computational mechanics analysis methods to the aerodynamics and hydraulics laboratories at TFHRC for a period of five years, beginning in October 2010. The analysis methods employ well benchmarked and supported commercial computational mechanics software. Computational mechanics encompasses the areas of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Computational Wind Engineering (CWE), Computational Structural Mechanics (CSM), and Computational Multiphysics Mechanics (CMM) applied in Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) problems. The major areas of focus of the project are wind and water effects on bridges — superstructure, deck, cables, and substructure (including soil), primarily during storms and flood events — and the risks that these loads pose to structural failure. For flood events at bridges, another major focus of the work is assessment of the risk to bridges caused by scour of stream and riverbed material away from the foundations of a bridge. Other areas of current research include modeling of the salt spray transport into bridge girders to address suitability of using weathering steel in bridges, CFD analysis of the operation of the wind tunnel in the TFHRC wind engineering laboratory, and coupling of CFD and CSM software to solve fluid structure interaction problems, primarily analysis of bridge cables in wind. This quarterly report documents technical progress on the project tasks for the period of January through March 2013.

Lottes, S. A.↗

Wind Tunnel Model of the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center Aerodynamics Laboratory [TFHRC Project Report]

The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and computational structural mechanics (CSM) focus areas at Argonne’s Transportation Research and Analysis Computing Center (TRACC) initiated a project to support and compliment the experimental programs at the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC) with high performance computing based analysis capabilities in August 2010. The project was established with a new interagency agreement between the Department of Energy and the Department of Transportation to provide collaborative research, development, and benchmarking of advanced three-dimensional computational mechanics analysis methods to the aerodynamics and hydraulics laboratories at TFHRC for a period of five years, beginning in October 2010. The analysis methods employ well benchmarked and supported commercial computational mechanics software. Computational mechanics encompasses the areas of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Computational Wind Engineering (CWE), Computational Structural Mechanics (CSM), and Computational Multiphysics Mechanics (CMM) applied in Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) problems. This report documents one of the tasks in this project. In this task, a detailed CFD model of the wind tunnel laboratory at TFHRC was built and tested to provide a means to assess the air flow uniformity provided by the tunnel to the test zone and assess room geometry effects. Considerable effort went into the construction and testing of the model and various submodels, such as the screens in the wind tunnel. The model is available for use in further studies.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Precision QCD, Hadronic Structure & Forward QCD, Heavy Ions: Report of Energy Frontier Topical Groups 5, 6, 7 submitted to Snowmass 2021

This report was prepared on behalf of three Energy Frontier Topical Groups of the Snowmass 2021 Community Planning Exercise. It summarizes the status and implications of studies of strong interactions in high-energy experiments and QCD theory. We emphasize the rich landscape and broad impact of these studies in the decade ahead. Hadronic interactions play a central role in the high-luminosity Large Hadron Collider (LHC) physics program, and strong synergies exist between the (HL-)LHC and planned or proposed experiments at the U.S. Electron-Ion Collider, CERN forward physics experiments, high-intensity facilities, and future TeV-range lepton and hadron colliders. Prospects for precision determinations of the strong coupling and a variety of nonperturbative distribution and fragmentation functions are examined. We also review the potential of envisioned tests of new dynamical regimes of QCD in high-energy and high-density scattering processes with nucleon, ion, and photon initial states. The important role of the high-energy heavy-ion program in studies of nuclear structure and the nuclear medium, and its connections with QCD involving nucleons are summarized. We address ongoing and future theoretical advancements in multi-loop QCD computations, lattice QCD, jet substructure, and event generators. Cross-cutting connections between experimental measurements, theoretical predictions, large-scale data analysis, and high-performance computing are emphasized.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

The Problem of Package Guidance with Incomplete Information for a Linear Control System with a Delay

The control-package method is applied to solve the problem of constructing guaranteed positional guidance for a linear control dynamical system with a delay under incomplete information about the initial state. The problem is solved for the case when the initial state is contained in a compact functional set. A solvability criterion and a method for the construction of a guidance program package are proposed. The proposed procedure is applied to a particular linear control system of delayed differential equations.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Pressurizer dynamic model and emulated programmable logic controllers for nuclear power plants cybersecurity investigations

This work demonstrates the functionality of the pressurizer using a fast-running three regions, non-equilibrium model and control programs of emulated PLCs. The state variables from an integrated model of primary loop in a representative PWR plant are communicated to the pressurizer’s emulated PLCs using a synchronized data transfer function. In turn, the PLCs communicate back instructions to the pressurizer model to adjust the pressure and water level to remain within preprogramed setpoints. Pressurizer model simultaneously solves the coupled mass and energy conservation equations in the saturated vapor and saturated and subcooled liquid regions using fixed step solver. Results demonstrate the response of the pressurizer model linked to an emulated pressure and water level PLCs in a simulated transient involving surge-in and surge-out events. The 50 ms response delay time for the emulated PLC insignificantly affects operation and predictions of the pressurizer model.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗