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All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

DOE OSTI2023

Rapid, Approximate Multi-Axis Vibration Testing [Thesis]

The aerospace industry uses vibration shaker tables to perform component durability testing. In these tests a component, piece of equipment, or entire system is attached to a shaker table where it is subjected to dynamic excitation. The goal is to understand how the article under test will perform in its service environment without having to run it through its entire service life via field testing. In a vibration test, an aerospace system or component is qualified if it is shown to survive a test meant to replicate its lifetime service conditions. The test is designed based on recorded field data. To develop a test, a system is taken through all of its intended environments, e.g., transportation, launch, and reentry. Acceleration data measured from these environments is then brought back to the lab and imported into a shaker table controller. The controller then drives a vibration test intended to mimic the acceleration conditions experienced by the system or specific components of the system in the field. However, it is often difficult to match the measured field response in a lab test. This is largely due to the test’s boundary conditions and excitation methods. In a lab test, a shaker table is the excitation source. The two most common shaker table types, differentiated by their number of independent degrees of freedom, are single-axis and multi-axis shaker tables. Multi-axis shakers have the ability to reproduce service environments more realistically, as real accelerations inevitably produce multiple degrees of freedom of excitation simultaneously. Figure 1 depicts a generic multi-axis testing setup on a three-axis shaker table. Often multi-axis tests use six-degree-of-freedom (6DOF) shaker tables. Yet multi-axis shakers are not yet common in the aerospace industry due in part to their high cost and the difficulty for shaker controllers to handle the added complexity. Single-axis shaker tables are much more common. They are not as expensive to purchase and have a wide range of control software options.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2024

RTDP: Streaming Readout Real-Time Development and Testing Platform

The Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab) has created and is currently working on various tools to facilitate streaming readout (SRO) for upcoming experiments. These include reconstruction frameworks with support for Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, distributed High Throughput Computing (HTC), and heterogeneous computing which all contribute significantly to swift data processing and analysis. Designing SRO systems that combine such components for new experiments would benefit from a platform that would combine both simulation and execution components for simulation, testing, and validation before large investments are made. The Real-Time Development Platform (RTDP) is being developed as part of an LDRD funded project at JLab. RTDP aims to establish a seamless connection between algorithms, facilitating the seamless processing of data from SRO to analysis, as well as enabling the execution of these algorithms in various configurations on compute and data centers. Individual software components simulating specific hardware can be replaced with actual hardware when it is available.

Gyurjyan, Vardan↗

DOE OSTI2025

Evaluating User Errors and Temporal Trends in Marine Fish Communities Using 360-Degree Underwater Photography

The use of environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling has been proposed as a complementary method to monitor fish species in marine environments, offering a non-invasive and potentially more efficient approach to marine species observations. eDNA monitoring could be especially useful in and around sites targeted for marine energy generation as these regions need regular monitoring that would be impractical with traditional techniques. Before we can fully rely upon eDNA, we must first verify its accuracy against other proven methods, such as the use of underwater photography. In this study, I deployed a 360-degree camera in the tidal channel of Sequim Bay once a month during several hours overlapping slack tide. I investigated how having multiple people identify and count fish on underwater images could affect the overall results. Using chi square tests in R, I compared my fish identifications and counts to those made by another intern on the same images recorded in August. I found significant differences in the number of species identified and the total individual counts between the two different datasets. I also tested the statistical differences in both Shannon diversity and Pielou evenness indices between the August, September, and November camera deployments using a Hutcheson t-test. Only one significant difference was found in the Shannon index comparisons, and none were found between the Pielou evenness comparisons. These findings show that if multiple identifiers are used to process underwater images, quality control checks must be made to reduce the potential for error. This also points toward the possibility to leverage more advanced image analysis processes, such as automated image analysis software. The findings from this study also show that the dynamics of marine fish communities can vary over a few months; however, further analysis is needed to determine the extent of the seasonal changes in Sequim Bay.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2020

Software-Defined Network for End-to-end Networked Science at the Exascale

Domain science applications and workflow processes are currently forced to view the network as an opaque infrastructure into which they inject data and hope that it emerges at the destination with an acceptable Quality of Experience. There is little ability for applications to interact with the network to exchange information, negotiate performance parameters, discover expected performance metrics, or receive status/troubleshooting information in real time. The work we presen here is motivated by a vision for a new smart network and smart application ecosystem that will provide a more deterministic and interactive environment for domain science workflows. The Software-Defined Network for End-to-end Networked Science at Exascale (SENSE) system includes a model-based architecture, implementation, and deployment which enables automated end-to-end network service instantiation across administrative domains. An intent based interface allows applications to express their high-level service requirements, an intelligent orchestrator and resource control systems allow for custom tailoring of scalability and real-time responsiveness based on individual application and infrastructure operator requirements. This allows the science applications to manage the network as a first-class schedulable resource as is the current practice for instruments, compute, and storage systems. Deployment and experiments on production networks and testbeds have validated SENSE functions and performance. Emulation based testing verified the scalability needed to support research and education infrastructures. Key contributions of this work include an architecture definition, reference implementation, and deployment. This provides the basis for further innovation of smart network services to accelerate scientific discovery in the era of big data, cloud computing, machine learning and artificial intelligence.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2023

Disturbed, diffuse, or just missing? A global study of the H I content of Hickson compact groups

Hickson compact groups (HCGs) are dense configurations of four to ten galaxies, whose H I morphology appears to follow an evolutionary sequence of three phases, with gas initially confined to galaxies, then significant amounts spread throughout the intra-group medium, and finally with almost no gas remaining in the galaxies themselves. It has also been suggested that several groups may harbour a diffuse H I component that is resolved out by interferometric observations. The H I deficiency of HCGs is expected to increase as the H I morphological phase progresses along the evolutionary sequence. If this is the case, H I deficiency would be a rough proxy for the age and evolutionary state of a HCG. We aim to test this hypothesis for the first time using a large sample of HCGs and to investigate the evidence for diffuse H I in HCGs. We performed a uniform reduction of all publicly available VLA H I observations (38 HCGs) with a purpose-built pipeline that also maximises the reproducibility of this study. The resulting H I data cubes were then analysed with the latest software tools to perform a manual separation of emission features into those belonging to galaxies and those extending into the intra-group medium. We thereby classified the H I morphological phase of each group as well as quantified their H I deficiency compared to galaxies in isolation. We find little evidence that H I deficiency can be used as a proxy for the evolutionary phase of a compact group in either of the first two phases, with the distribution of H I deficiency being consistent in both. However, for the final phase, the distribution clearly shifts to high H I deficiencies, with more than 90% of the expected H I content typically missing. Across all HCGs studied, we identify a few cases where there is strong evidence for a diffuse gas component in the intra-group medium, which might be detectable with improved observations. We also classify a new sub-phase where groups contain a lone H I -bearing galaxy, but are otherwise devoid of gas. The new morphological phase we have identified is likely the result of an evolved, gas-poor group acquiring a new, gas-rich member. The large spread of H I deficiencies in the first two morphological phases suggests that there is a broad range of initial H I content in HCGs, which is perhaps influenced by large-scale environment, and that the timescale for morphological changes is, in general, considerably shorter than the timescale for the destruction or consumption of neutral gas in these systems.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Fluid dynamic simulation and analysis of water-cooling systems for the Electron-Ion Collider

The Electron-Ion Collider is the newest large-scale project at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The collider’s purpose is to provide further advancements in the knowledge of the universe’s origin by accelerating particles near the speed of light. Our project for this 3.8 km ring was to create a thermal hydraulic steady-state simulation design of the water-cooling system to be cost-effective and energy efficient, as envisioned by Charlie Foltz, the EIC Infrastructure Division Director. The system would include a supply and return header, which cools several thousand components of the ring. The water would then be returned and cooled down using a system of cooling towers and plate and frame heat exchangers. Due to the size of the system and the complexity of the network analysis, a fluid dynamic simulation software, AFT Fathom, was used. Since previous methods of maintaining systems relied on building upon smaller real-life models and implementing empirical data, this flow model was unique and first of a kind in the domain of accelerator design, construction and operation. Therefore, our hydraulic team piloted a new method to perform network analysis on a large scale cooling system. We successfully created several test scenarios for system behavior in a shorter time compared to the method of performing hand calculations. Cooling specifications for heat rejection, pressure drop, flow rate, and pipe sizing were changed based on the individual systems of the vacuum, radio frequency (RF), magnet and power supply, and cryogenics sections. Finally, we used DOE guidelines to perform life-cycle cost analysis with net present value and carbon saving analysis on the systems where pipe size could be optimized.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2023

DFTT report for Signal Analysis (2023)

The Detection Framework Testbed and Toolkit (DFTT) is a database and associated java programs intended to facilitate the development and testing of algorithms for operating suites of correlation and subspace detectors. This framework is a generalization of the system described in Harris and Dodge (2011) and Dodge and Harris (2016). DFTT allows retrospective processing of sequences of data using various system configurations. Results are saved in a database, so it is easy to compare the results obtained using different configurations of the system. The principal software components of DFTT are the ConfigCreator, the framework_runner and the Builder program. ConfigCreator assembles the files necessary to define a particular configuration used for processing. The framework_runner operates suites of detectors and saves the results in an Oracle™ database. Builder allows visual examination of templates and detected signals and allows editing and creation of detectors. In addition, there are tools for importing continuous data into the database. DFTT is licensed under the MIT license and has LLNL release number LLNL-CODE-801881. In the current fiscal year DFTT has been used in two different projects. The first (NTL-funded) project investigates the feasibility of screening nuisance detections using correlation detectors. The second (GNEM-funded) project seeks to extend the results of Harris and Dodge (2021) to 3- D sources and multiple stations. Each of these efforts required that additional functionality be added to DFTT. In this report I will summarize the enhancements to DFTT in the context of the relevant research effort.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2025

Novel technology of non-contact real-time radiation damage sensors for high power targets.

This report summarizes the contributions of an intern participating in the Community College Internship (CCI) program at Fermilab, focusing on the development of a novel, non-contact, real-time radiation damage sensor technology. The core objective is to create a reliable sensor capable of measuring radiation-induced degradation on high-power targets without physical contact. The experiment involves using a Class 3B supercontinuum laser directed toward a single material sample placed within a vacuum test chamber. The laser beam reflects off the sample's surface, with changes in reflectivity, indicative of radiation damage, measured by a spectrometer positioned at the chamber’s output port. The intern’s primary responsibilities included designing an interlock system to ensure laser operational safety, developing a camera-based monitoring system using Raspberry Pi devices, and creating structural supports using 3D modeling and printing techniques. Components for the interlock and camera systems were successfully designed and ordered, with preliminary 3D models printed and refined through iterative testing. Challenges encountered in the 3D printing process, such as fragile initial prototypes and difficult support removal, were overcome by adjusting printer settings and incorporating design enhancements like chamfered edges. Future activities, pending component delivery, involve installing and configuring the interlock and camera systems, as well as further improving the structural supports. Overall, the internship significantly enhanced the intern’s technical proficiency in hardware design, software integration, and advanced 3D printing, contributing directly to Fermilab’s operational safety standards and experimental effectiveness in high-energy physics research.

Pumarino Meza, Rafael [Unlisted; Fermilab]↗

DOE OSTI2024

Advancements in Multiphysics Microdepletion Analysis of an eVinci TM -like Microreactor Leveraging OpenMC-CRAB Workflow

Nuclear microreactors (MRs) are a class of nuclear reactor technology, characterized by reduced dimensions, modular design, and reduced power output in contrast to conventional Light Water Reactors (LWRs). MRs are proposed for supplying electricity and eventual process heat to remote locations, such as military installations and disaster-affected areas. Current research work sponsored by the US Department of Energy Microreactor Program (MRP) is devoted to the development of novel modeling and simulation tools to better support MR vendors and regulatory bodies. Notably, the NRC is projected to utilize the CRAB multiphysics software driver for executing both design and beyond-design-basis accident analyses. Furthermore, the NRC has been utilizing the MELCOR code to calculate mechanistic source terms during accidents. Since MELCOR relies on isotopic inventory and reactor temperature/power profiles under accident conditions, which theoretically can be derived from CRAB, the goal is to establish a comprehensive CRAB-MELCOR computational framework. Past work was focused on testing and demonstrating CRAB's capability to generate results that can be used to inform mechanistic source term calculations in MELCOR. In particular, a computational workflow leveraging OpenMC-generated microscopic cross sections and CRAB was first applied to perform multiphysics microscopic depletion calculation followed by an accident scenario for a stylized microreactor problem. In fiscal year 2024, the research work has been focused on applying the OpenMC-CRAB workflow, which was first tested in fiscal year 2023, to a realistic 3D heat-pipe cooled MR problem representative of the eVinci TM design. The latter computational problem was developed with inputs from WEC to conserve selected neutronic and thermal characteristics of the eVinci TM design without releasing proprietary data. The results of this simulation, encompassing isotopic inventory, power density distribution, and kinetic parameters, will inform both MELCOR and the WEC-developed FATE code for mechanistic source terms calculations. The results from the two codes will then be compared for code verification purposes. This report contains the design characteristics of the realist heat pipe cooled microreactor developed as a use-case for the verification exercise, and the current results for the multiphysics microscopic depletion performed with the OpenMC-CRAB workflow. The results include eigenvalue as a function of time, power distribution at EOL, in addition to nuclides inventory's time evolution and spatial distribution. Finally, we report improvements to the workflow efficiency achieved through a collaboration with the NEAMS programs. Through this collaborative effort, we were able to strongly decrease the computational time for the multiphysics microdepletion calculation (i.e., from 17.4 hours to 5.7 hours on 280 processors) in addition to simplifying the interface to generate isotopics spatial distribution utilizable by FATE and MELCOR. Future work, including the improvement of the current microscopic cross-sections' library and the simulation of an accident scenario at EOL, is also discussed.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Report on the "Symposium on Advancements in Simulating Neutron Scattering Instruments and Experiments"

An international group of researchers gathered for the “Symposium on Advancements in Simulating Neutron Scattering Instruments and Experiments” at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) on October 29- 30, 2024. The symposium highlighted state-of-the-art advancements in neutron scattering instrument simulations and the development of digital twins for scattering instruments. This document summarizes the recurring themes from the 19 talks and discussions. A key focus was on the role of neutronics simulations in the design, analysis, and performance optimization of neutron instruments. Presentations featured the most widely used software packages, such as McStas, McVine, Vitess, and MCNP. Another major theme addressed the analysis and interpretation of experimental neutron data, where materials models and simulations play a critical role. Talks on relevant software tools, including NCrystal, OCLimax, and Paradyse, were delivered by their respective developers. During the symposium, both talks and breakout sessions explored strategies to enhance the interplay between neutronics simulations and materials models. A key question emerged: How can we develop a RealTime Explainable Digital Twin of a neutron scattering experiment? Discussions include the idea that the Digital Twin concept has implications for instrument control and testing. Through this symposium, we gained valuable insights into the challenges and requirements for developing a Real-Time Explainable Digital Twin of a neutron scattering experiment. The discussions and presentations paved the way for future innovations in this rapidly advancing field.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2022

Photometric Classification of Early-time Supernova Light Curves with SCONE

Abstract In this work, we present classification results on early supernova light curves from SCONE, a photometric classifier that uses convolutional neural networks to categorize supernovae (SNe) by type using light-curve data. SCONE is able to identify SN types from light curves at any stage, from the night of initial alert to the end of their lifetimes. Simulated LSST SNe light curves were truncated at 0, 5, 15, 25, and 50 days after the trigger date and used to train Gaussian processes in wavelength and time space to produce wavelength–time heatmaps. SCONE uses these heatmaps to perform six-way classification between SN types Ia, II, Ibc, Ia-91bg, Iax, and SLSN-I. SCONE is able to perform classification with or without redshift, but we show that incorporating redshift information improves performance at each epoch. SCONE achieved 75% overall accuracy at the date of trigger (60% without redshift), and 89% accuracy 50 days after trigger (82% without redshift). SCONE was also tested on bright subsets of SNe ( r < 20 mag) and produced 91% accuracy at the date of trigger (83% without redshift) and 95% five days after trigger (94.7% without redshift). SCONE is the first application of convolutional neural networks to the early-time photometric transient classification problem. All of the data processing and model code developed for this paper can be found in the SCONE software package 1 1 github.com/helenqu/scone located at github.com/helenqu/scone (Qu 2021).

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Bulb-style Kaplan Turbine - Run-of-the-river (ror) Hydro Governor And Turbine Model

This software package includes hydro governor and turbine models developed in Simulink (Mathworks Inc.) and RSCAD (RTDS Technologies) for low-head bulb-style Kaplan turbine hydropower plants. The model developed in Simulink has been designed and tuned to match the governor-turbine response for a real-world hydropower unit owned by Idaho Falls Power (IFP). The Simulink and RSCAD models enable real-time testing in a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) implementation using OPAL-RT and RTDS digital real-time simulators, respectively. An automatic initialization for dynamic simulation has also been integrated to each model in both Simulink and RSCAD. The RSCAD initialization involves a novel python-based interfacing for automatic modification of the initial conditions in the model. The parameters of these models can be tuned to match other hydropower plants in this class.

Alam, SMShafiul↗

DOE OSTI2020

How To Manual - 4.56

The "how to" document is designed to help walk the analyst through difficult aspects of software usage. It should supplement both the User's manual and the Theory document, by providing examples and detailed discussion that reduce learning time for complex set ups. These documents are intended to be used together. We will not formally list all parameters for an input here — see the User's manual for this. All the examples in the "How To" document are part of the Sierra/SD test suite, and each will run with no modification. The nature of this document casts together a number of rather unrelated procedures. Grouping them is difficult. Please try to use the table of contents and the index as a guide in finding the analyses of interest.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2020

Sierra/SD-- How To Manual - 4.58

The “how to” document is designed to help walk the analyst through difficult aspects of software usage. It should supplement both the User’s manual and the Theory document, by providing examples and detailed discussion that reduce learning time for complex set ups. These documents are intended to be used together. We will not formally list all parameters for an input here – see the User’s manual for this. All the examples in the “How To” document are part of the Sierra/SD test suite, and each will run with no modification. The nature of this document casts together a number of rather unrelated procedures. Grouping them is difficult. Please try to use the table of contents and the index as a guide in finding the analyses of interest.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2021

Sierra/SD - How To Manual, 5.0

The “how to” document guides the user through complicated aspects of software usage. It should supplement both the User’s manual and the Theory document, by providing examples and detailed discussion that reduce learning time for complex set ups. These documents are intended to be used together. We will not formally list all parameters for an input here – see the User’s manual for this. All the examples in the “How To” document are part of the Sierra/SD test suite, and each will run with no modification. The nature of this document casts together a number of rather unrelated procedures. Grouping them is difficult. Please try to use the table of contents and the index as a guide in finding the analyses of interest.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2022

Uncertainty Quantification of Monolithic Tungsten Target Block Fatigue

The current STS spallation target design consists of 21 water cooled, tantalum clad, monolithic tungsten blocks. The target wheel assembly rotates such that each target block receives a direct proton pulse every 1.4 seconds (21 blocks / 15 Hz pulses). The quasi-steady heating induced by the repetitive beam pulses creates a significant mean stress distribution in the target. On top of this, the rapid energy deposition from a proton pulse induces dynamic stress waves that are of the same order of magnitude as the mean stresses. Over the design goal of 5,000 operational hours per year for a decade, each target must withstand over 130 million repetitions of these dynamic stress events. The fatigue life prediction of the target blocks is a complex sequence of simulations that depend upon a set of input parameters. For the tungsten block, the end goal is the fatigue factor-of-safety (FOS). This study documents a new structural analysis routine using software available to U.S. national laboratories (e.g. CUBIT, Sierra Multiphysics, Dakota) that enables more rapid target fatigue analysis. The increased throughput is amenable to parameter sensitivity and uncertainty quantification (UQ) studies. A set of input parameters (ultimate strength, fatigue strength, density, elastic modulus, Poisson’s ratio, thermal conductivity, coefficient of thermal expansion, specific heat, flow rate) with expected ranges are documented based on literature data, recent experimental testing, and engineering judgement. UQ bounds the resulting fatigue FOS at [0.5, 3.4] using epistemic interval analysis. These bounds are expected to be wider due to model effects (discretization) and beam effects (focus, offset) that were not included. Parameter sensitivity underscores the importance of ultimate strength and fatigue strength of irradiated tungsten on the fatigue calculations.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Computational Analysis of Hydraulic Efficiency of Michigan DOT Cover C

Drainage structures are used to capture stormwater runoff in streets and highways in urban environments. These drainage structures, which typically consist of catch basins with grates, inlets, or combination grates/inlets, collect stormwater runoff and discharge through buried conveyance systems. They are strategically placed for public safety in curb and gutter systems to provide efficient drainage of water from roadways and thus reduce the risk of hydroplaning. The performance of drainage structures is measured in terms of hydraulic efficiency, which is defined as the percentage of flow captured by the basin as compared to the total flow drainage to the structure. Understanding of the performance of these drainage structures helps designers properly space inlets to promote an economic design that ensures the safety of the traveling public. The current design methodology used to determine drainage structure follows guidelines established in the current Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Drainage Manual (2006). The guidelines in the MDOT Drainage Manual were modeled after the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Hydraulic Engineering Circular 22 “Urban Drainage Design” (HEC-22). HEC-22 includes empirically derived equations to calculate the interception capacity of drainage structures for several commonly used grate configurations, such as the parallel bar, curved vane and tilt bar grates, which are based on a research study performed by Burgi et al. in the 1970s. MDOT uses several drainage structures to capture runoff that are detailed as Standard Plans. Many of these drainage structures utilize sinusoidal type grates that are not described in HEC-22. Physical modeling of these structures has been limited, posing the need to have them analyzed to verify their capture efficiency. Current MDOT practice is to assume a similar sized reticuline grate, as described in HEC-22, for capture efficiencies. Until recently, evaluating the hydraulic performance of drainage structures was limited to physical modeling in a hydraulics laboratory. With advances in engineering software and computing power, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling has become a more cost-effective alternative. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides states the option to evaluate their drainage structures using CFD through the Transportation Pooled Fund Program. This study, “Computational Analysis of Hydraulic Efficiency of Michigan DOT Cover C,” was carried out using the pooled fund. MDOT’s Cover C was chosen as the first test candidate, given its similar sinusoidal pattern to other MDOT grates, but it is typically used for high-volume, higher speed applications. A similar version, Cover CX, is used on interstate highways but does not have traverse bars for bicycle safety. Additional grates may be considered for evaluation in the future.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2023

An Open-Source Python Library for Modeling LETID and LID in Silicon Solar Cells and Wafers

This poster demonstrates an (in development) open-source software library, written in python, to aid in modeling and understanding light- and elevated temperature-induced degradation (LETID) and boron-oxygen light-induced degradation (B-O LID) in silicon solar cells and wafers. We discuss the underlying equations and necessary input parameters for constructing realistic models. We demonstrate several use cases for the library, including modeling LETID progression in scenarios like indoor, accelerated tests and outdoor field deployment. We also demonstrate using the library to model B-O LID, and we demonstrate using the library to model degradation in passivated wafers, rather than solar cells.

LETID↗