Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “software analysis”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,045 records · Page 58

Dakota A Multilevel Parallel Object-Oriented Framework for Design Optimization Parameter Estimation Uncertainty Quantification and Sensitivity Analysis (V.6.14) (User's Manual)

The Dakota toolkit provides a flexible and extensible interface between simulation codes and iterative analysis methods. Dakota contains algorithms for optimization with gradient and nongradient-based methods; uncertainty quantification with sampling, reliability, and stochastic expansion methods; parameter estimation with nonlinear least squares methods; and sensitivity/variance analysis with design of experiments and parameter study methods. These capabilities may be used on their own or as components within advanced strategies such as surrogate-based optimization, mixed integer nonlinear programming, or optimization under uncertainty. By employing object-oriented design to implement abstractions of the key components required for iterative systems analyses, the Dakota toolkit provides a flexible and extensible problem-solving environment for design and performance analysis of computational models on high performance computers. This report serves as a users manual for the Dakota software and provides capability overviews and procedures for software execution, as well as a variety of example studies.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Software Quality Assurance Plan: Argonne Reactor Code Software

The Argonne Reactor Code (ARC) software package consists of 13 primary and many secondary pieces of software that are connected through interface files. The ARC software suite supports users in their fast reactor design goals by providing neutronic, thermal-hydraulic, and structural analysis capabilities.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

GOOML - Finding Optimization Opportunities for Geothermal Operations: Preprint

Geothermal Operational Optimization with Machine Learning (GOOML) is a transferable and extensible component-based geothermal asset modeling framework that considers complex steamfield relationships and identifies optimization prospects using a data-driven approach. We have used this framework to develop digital twins that provide steamfield operators with an operational environment to analyze and understand historical and forecasted power production, explore new steamfield configuration possibilities, and seek optimal asset management for real world applications. The GOOML modeling software is built on a generic component-based systems framework that allows for both historical and forecast analysis. A GOOML model can perform historical data-assimilation using first-principal thermodynamics to create a meaningful data model. Historical production data can then be coupled with a forecast framework to train machine-learning models of steamfield components to predict future outputs. This modeling environment enables digital exploration of steamfield design configurations and operational scenarios. GOOML digital twins have been developed for steamfields in New Zealand and the United States representing differing power generation and field conditions. These digital twins have been validated by comparing hindcast predictions against historical production data. Reinforcement learning experiments were conducted to demonstrate the ability to programmatically explore the operations space using machine learning agents. Our initial results are compelling; two to five percent increases in annual energy production were demonstrated by the GOOML models with no additional infrastructure build required. GOOML offers a new approach to geothermal operations by applying state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms, comprehensive data analytics, and interaction with digital twins. Through application of these tools, operators will realize greater availability and higher net generation which will increase the cost effectiveness of geothermal energy projects.

access↗

Multivariate regression modelling for gender prediction using volatile organic compounds from hand odor profiles via HS-SPME-GC-MS

The efficacy of using human volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as a form of forensic evidence has been well demonstrated with canines for crime scene response, suspect identification, and location checking. Although the use of human scent evidence in the field is well established, the laboratory evaluation of human VOC profiles has been limited. This study used Headspace-Solid Phase Microextraction-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) to analyze human hand odor samples collected from 60 individuals (30 Females and 30 Males). The human volatiles collected from the palm surfaces of each subject were interpreted for classification and prediction of gender. The volatile organic compound (VOC) signatures from subjects’ hand odor profiles were evaluated with supervised dimensional reduction techniques: Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA), Orthogonal-Projections to Latent Structures Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA), and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA). The PLS-DA 2D model demonstrated clustering amongst male and female subjects. The addition of a third component to the PLS-DA model revealed clustering and minimal separation of male and female subjects in the 3D PLS-DA model. The OPLS-DA model displayed discrimination and clustering amongst gender groups with leave one out cross validation (LOOCV) and 95% confidence regions surrounding clustered groups without overlap. The LDA had a 96.67% accuracy rate for female and male subjects. The culminating knowledge establishes a working model for the prediction of donor class characteristics using human scent hand odor profiles.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

MetaboDirect: an analytical pipeline for the processing of FT-ICR MS-based metabolomic data

Background: Microbiomes are now recognized as the main drivers of ecosystem function ranging from the oceans and soils to humans and bioreactors. However, a grand challenge in microbiome science is to characterize and quantify the chemical currencies of organic matter (i.e., metabolites) that microbes respond to and alter. Critical to this has been the development of Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS), which has drastically increased molecular characterization of complex organic matter samples, but challenges users with hundreds of millions of data points where readily available, user-friendly, and customizable software tools are lacking. Results: Here, we build on years of analytical experience with diverse sample types to develop MetaboDirect, an open-source, command-line-based pipeline for the analysis (e.g., chemodiversity analysis, multivariate statistics), visualization (e.g., Van Krevelen diagrams, elemental and molecular class composition plots), and presentation of direct injection high-resolution FT-ICR MS data sets after molecular formula assignment has been performed. When compared to other available FT-ICR MS software, MetaboDirect is superior in that it requires a single line of code to launch a fully automated framework for the generation and visualization of a wide range of plots, with minimal coding experience required. Among the tools evaluated, MetaboDirect is also uniquely able to automatically generate biochemical transformation networks (ab initio) based on mass differences (mass difference network-based approach) that provide an experimental assessment of metabolite connections within a given sample or a complex metabolic system, thereby providing important information about the nature of the samples and the set of microbial reactions or pathways that gave rise to them. Finally, for more experienced users, MetaboDirect allows users to customize plots, outputs, and analyses. Conclusion: Application of MetaboDirect to FT-ICR MS-based metabolomic data sets from a marine phage-bacterial infection experiment and a Sphagnum leachate microbiome incubation experiment showcase the exploration capabilities of the pipeline that will enable the research community to evaluate and interpret their data in greater depth and in less time. It will further advance our knowledge of how microbial communities influence and are influenced by the chemical makeup of the surrounding system. The source code and User’s guide of MetaboDirect are freely available through (https://github.com/Coayala/MetaboDirect) and (https://metabodirect.readthedocs.io/en/latest/), respectively.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Requirements Description of VARPOW

This report presents the modeling and simulation capabilities of Argonne National Laboratory’s VARPOW code [1] that is used in present reactor analysis activities. These capabilities will then be used to establish the set of VARPOW verification tasks necessary to verify VARPOW for usage on commercial projects. A similar approach was taken for the PERSENT, REBUS and DIF3D software packages. The VARPOW program is a post-processing utility program for DIF3D, specifically DIF3DVARIANT. As covered in [1], the VARPOW program was built to provide input for follow-on steady state thermal-hydraulic analysis. Its primary purpose is to act as the interface between DASSH and DIF3D-VARIANT. The outputs from VARPOW are contained in three output files: Output.VARPOW, VariantMonoExponents.out, and MaterialPower.out.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Behind the Meter Storage for Electric Vehicle Charging, Electrochemical and Thermal Energy Storage, and Solar Photovoltaic

In response to the potentially large and irregular demand from EVs, along with changing load profiles from buildings with on-site generation, utilities are evaluating multiple options for managing dynamic loads, including time-of-use pricing, demand charges, battery storage, and curtailment of variable generation. Buildings, as well as commercial, public, and workplace EV charging operations, can use a combination of electrochemical battery storage and thermal energy storage coupled with on-site generation to manage energy costs as well as provide resiliency and reliability for EV charging and building energy loads. We are completing a behind the meter storage analysis that focuses on determining the optimal system designs and energy flows for thermal and electrochemical behind the meter storage with on-site solar photovoltaic (PV) generation enabling electric vehicle charging in various climates, building types, and utility rate structures. In completing this analysis, we have developed a tool that combines existing battery models via the System Advisor Model (SAM) and building modeling software via EnergyPlus into a single interface. This tool allows us to simulate a building with a detailed battery model to properly size the battery, thermal energy storage, and solar PV systems to maximize profit for the system owner. This also allows us to assess how the battery degrades under various supervisory control dispatch algorithms to control charging/discharging; we can also see how thermal energy storage is created and used to complement the battery to reduce thermal loads in the building. With this project, we can analyze new batteries that are designed specifically for energy storage, rather than designed to be extremely energy dense for electric vehicle applications, using battery lifetime models from other national labs and the existing SAM battery model, which has detailed lifetime and degradation parameters. We can also assess novel thermal storage technologies by integrating them into the whole building energy simulation program EnergyPlus. Because the model calls both SAM and EnergyPlus, required inputs need to be compatible for both models. These inputs include, on a high-level, the following: weather files, building and electric vehicle load profiles, electricity rate tariff information, and system cost information for the stationary battery, solar PV, and thermal storage system. The various buildings we are studying for this analysis are retail big-box grocery store, commercial office building, fleet vehicle depot and operations facility, multi-family residential, and electric vehicle charging station. For these different applications, the battery and thermal storage will be dispatched differently, and the various technologies are sized differently to optimize cost.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗

Automated Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy Analysis for Multi-Modal Few-Shot Learning

Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) is a powerful tool that allows for the atomic-scale analysis of a materials’ structure, chemistry, and defect domains (Akers et al. 2021). The current generation of microscopes generate vast amounts of data, surpassing the limits of effective manual analysis traditionally performed by domain experts (Spurgeon et al. 2021). While recent strides in machine learning have significantly enhanced the processing of large and intricate datasets acquired through electron microscopy, the prevalent use of proprietary software packages for initial data collection poses a challenge. In many cases, these software packages act as a ‘black box’, constraining user functionality and hindering the output of data in a format that is conducive to seamless integration into machine learning models. This work addresses these challenges by adapting HyperSpy, an open-source Python library, for the analysis and quantification of raw energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) data acquired through STEM. The modified HyperSpy code successfully facilitates user-defined segmentation of the data, enabling the integration of atomic %, weight %, and raw EDS spectra for each segmented region into an existing few-shot machine learning model. While initial results reveal discrepancies in quantified atomic and weight percentages when compared to proprietary software, ongoing efforts aim to rectify this issue by refining the fit of the HyperSpy model to the EDS spectra. Overall, this research underscores the potential of open-source tools like HyperSpy to enhance the accessibility of analytical tools, fostering a transparent and user-friendly environment for seamlessly incorporating electron microscopy data into machine learning models.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Evaluation of Global Climate Models for Use in Energy Analysis

The interplay between energy, climate, and weather is becoming more complex due to increasing contributions of renewable energy generation, energy storage, electrified end uses, and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events. Energy system analyses commonly rely on meteorological inputs to estimate renewable energy generation and energy demand; however, these inputs rarely represent the estimated impacts of future climate change. Climate models and publicly available climate change datasets can be used for this purpose, but the selection of inputs from the myriad of available models and datasets is a nuanced and subjective process. In this work, we assess datasets from various global climate models (GCMs) from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6). We present evaluations of their skills with respect to the historical climate and comparisons of their future projections of climate change for two climate change scenarios. We present the results for different climatic and energy system regions and include interactive figures in the accompanying software repository. Previous work has presented similar GCM evaluations, but none have presented variables and metrics specifically intended for comprehensive energy systems analysis including impacts on energy demand, thermal cooling, hydropower, water availability, solar energy generation, and wind energy generation. We focus on GCM output meteorological variables that directly affect these energy system components including the representation of extreme values that can drive grid resilience events. The objective of this work is not to recommend the best climate model and dataset for a given analysis, but instead to provide a reference to facilitate the selection of climate models and scenarios in subsequent work.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Supply Chain Risk Management: Data Structuring

Supply chain risk management (SCRM) is an area of research that addresses both logistics concepts to maximize efficiency, reliability, and revenue as well as risk features, such as potential weak points, break points, and vulnerabilities within the supply chain. SCRM is used to find risks introduced at each node in a supply chain and how these risks can impact a company’s products, individuals, customers, and reputation. SCRM is a relatively new field, so standardized processes including data structuring are not fully documented. This paper explains the importance of a standard data structuring methodology and how it can enhance current SCRM efforts. Data ingest, structuring, and analysis are predominantly managed by humans. Automating some of the less complex steps can positively impact SCRM by allowing human analysts to focus on more strategic analyses. Types of data to be collected and structured are collected via publicly available information related to hardware, software, and corporate entities. After the data has been collected, the information is formatted in a specific manner, conforming to a schema, to allow for more effective and efficient ingest for further analysis. This paper outlines data structures used by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for SCRM research and analysis purposes. These structures have been used for hundreds of analyses and have been successful in developing a common baseline. Data structuring is one of the first steps in data standardization, which will further mature and enhance the SCRM research area.

supply chain risk management, data structuring, re↗

Requirements Description of VARPOW

This report presents the modeling and simulation capabilities of Argonne National Laboratory’s VARPOW code that is used in present reactor analysis activities. These capabilities will then be used to establish the set of VARPOW verification tasks necessary to verify VARPOW for usage on commercial projects. A similar approach was taken for the PERSENT, REBUS and DIF3D software packages. The VARPOW program is a post-processing utility program for DIF3D, specifically DIF3D-VARIANT. As covered in [1], the VARPOW program was built to provide input for follow-on steady state thermal-hydraulic analysis. Its primary purpose is to act as the interface between DASSH and DIF3D-VARIANT. The outputs from VARPOW are contained in three output files: Output.VARPOW, VariantMonoExponents.out, and MaterialPower.out.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Performance Debugging and Tuning of Flash-X with Data Analysis Tools

State-of-the-art multiphysics simulations running on large scale leadership computing platforms have many variables contributing to their performance and scaling behavior. We recently encountered an interesting performance anomaly in Flash-X, a multiphysics multicomponent simulation software, when characterizing its performance behavior on several large-scale HPC platforms. The anomaly was tracked down to the interaction between the use of dynamic allocation of scratch data and data locality in the cache hierarchy. In this paper we present the details of unexpected performance variability of Flash-X, its extensive analysis using the performance measurement tool TAU to collect the data and Python data analysis libraries to explore the data, and our insights from this experience. In this process, we discovered and removed or mitigated two additional performance limiting bottlenecks for performance tuning.

Huck, Kevin↗

The ATLAS Workflow Management System Evolution in the LHC Run3 and towards the High-Luminosity LHC era

The ATLAS experiment has 18+ years of experience using workload management systems to deploy and develop workflows to process and to simulate data on the distributed computing infrastructure. Simulation, processing and analysis of LHC experiment data require the coordinated work of heterogeneous computing resources. In particular, the ATLAS experiment utilizes the resources of 250 computing centers worldwide, the power of supercomputing centres, and national, academic and commercial cloud computing resources. In this contribution, we present new techniques for cost-effectively improving efficiency introduced in workflow management system software. The evolution from a mesh framework to new types of computing facilities such as cloud and HPCs is described, as well as new types of production and analysis workflows.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Logic in Memory Emulator

Logic in Memory Emulator (LiME) is a hardware/software tool specially designed for memory system evaluation and experiment. Emerging memories display a wide range of bandwidths, latencies, and capacities, making it challenging for the computer architect to navigate the design space of potential memory configurations, and for the application developer to assess performance implications of using such memories. With the LiME framework, architectural ideas can be prototyped in great detail yet with sufficient performance to support realistic evaluation on long running applications. LiME consists of two fundamental components: 1) the hardware and OS infrastructure for the emulator, and 2) a suite of benchmark applications to assist in characterizing the performance of current and future computer architectures. Some of the applications have been collected from other open source projects. Uses: Logging, replay and analysis of an application's memory behavior Evaluate impact of emerging memory technology on application performance. Emulate complex memory interactions in whole applications orders of magnitude faster than software simulation. Emulate acceleration hardware co-located with the memory subsystem. Features: Capture and log external memory accesses to a separate off-chip memory device without affecting application execution. Memory traces include the address, length, timestamp, and optionally the data for each transaction. Captured trace data can be saved to an SD card for off-line analysis. Configure a wide range of memory latencies in sub-nanosecond increments that encompass highbandwidth and storage class memories. Specify regions of interest (ROI) in applications to reduce the amount of trace data captured for analysis. Currently supports execution on Xilinx Zynq SoC which integrates an ARM processor with FPGA logic on a single device. Applications can be run under Linux or in bare metal mode on the ARM cores.

Jain, AbhishekK↗

Adoption of image-driven machine learning for microstructure characterization and materials design: A Perspective

Microstructure characterization enables the development of structure-processing-property relationships critical to several research areas within the broad field of materials science, from alloy design to the assessment of corrosion resistance, and failure analysis. Conventional approaches to material characterization have relied on either qualitative inference by the human ex-pert or software applications that can extract high-level features from images, such as boundary segmentation, average grain diameter, etc. Such approaches rely heavily on subject matter expert user intervention and knowledge of what phases or more generally, what microstructural features, are of interest. The recent surge in the adoption of machine learning techniques to address problems in materials engineering has brought with it an increased interest and application of Image Driven Machine Learning (IDML) approaches. In this work, we review the applications of IDML to the field of materials characterization. A canonical hierarchy of stages is defined, which when put sequentially together completes an IDML study: problem definition, dataset building, model selection and training, model evaluation, and integration with existing instrumentation or simulation workflow. The studies reviewed in this work are analyzed from the perspective of each of these stages. Such a review permits agranular assessment of the field, for example the impact of IDML on materials characterization at the nanoscale, the size of a typical dataset required to train a semantic segmentation model on electron microscopy images, ubiquitousness of transfer learning in the domain, etc. Finally, we discuss the importance of interpretability and explainability in the field of IDML for materials characterization, and provide an overview of two emerging techniques in the field: semantic segmentation and generative adversarial networks.

Baskaran, Arun↗

Portable chemical detection platform for on-site monitoring of odorant levels in natural gas

The adequate odorization of natural gas is critical to identify gas leaks and to reduce accidents. To ensure odorization, natural gas utility companies collect samples to be processed at core facilities or a trained human technician smells a diluted natural gas sample. In this work, we report a detection platform that addresses the lack of mobile solutions capable of providing quantitative analysis of mercaptans, a class of compounds used to odorize natural gas. Detailed description of the platform hardware and software components is provided. Designed to be portable, the platform hardware facilitates extraction of mercaptans from natural gas, separation of individual mercaptan species, and quantification of odorant concentration, with results reported at point-of-sampling. The software was developed to accommodate skilled users as well as minimally trained operators. Detection and quantification of six commonly used mercaptan compounds (ethyl mercaptan, dimethyl sulfide, n-propylmercaptan, isopropyl mercaptan, tert–butyl mercaptan, and tetrahydrothiophene) at typical odorizing concentrations of 0.1–5 ppm was performed using the device. We demonstrate the potential of this technology to ensure natural gas odorizing concentrations throughout distribution systems.

03 NATURAL GAS↗

CORAL Prototype Implementation (CORAL) v0.1

This is prototype code that implements many of the concepts in our invention, "The CORAL Framework for FAIR Data Management and Analysis" (ROI 2019-123, attached). The code includes a back end module that interfaces with third party open source software (ArangoDB), and a front end user interface (UI) that allows user interaction with the software through a web interface.

Chandonia, John-Marc↗