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At least 1,099 records · Page 61

Effect of 3D Roughness Patch on Instability Amplification in a Supersonic Boundary Layer

Surface roughness is known to have a substantial impact on the aerothermodynamic loading of high-speed vehicles, particularly via its influence on the laminar-turbulent transition process within the boundary layer. Numerical simulations are performed to investigate the effects of a distributed region of densely packed, sinusoidal shape roughness elements on a Mach 3.5 flat plate boundary layer for flow conditions corresponding to the planned conditions of an upcoming experiment in the Mach 3.5 Supersonic Low Disturbance Tunnel at the NASA Langley Research Center. Analysis of convective instabilities in the wake of the roughness patch was reported in a previous paper and the current work extends that analysis to instability amplification across the length of the roughness patch. Quasi-parallel stability analysis of the modified boundary layer flow over the patch indicates two dominant families of unstable disturbances, namely, a group of high frequency modes that amplify in localized regions along the roughness patch and another group of low frequency modes that have smaller peak amplification rates but amplify steadily both above the roughness patch and in the wake region behind it. The results suggest that the amplification factors associated with the high-frequency modes are sufficiently low, at least for the roughness patches considered in this paper, so that these modes are unlikely to have a major influence on the transition process. The amplification of the low-frequency modes within the region of the roughness patch is further quantified via direct numerical simulations. Results confirm the strongly destabilizing influence of the roughness patch on the first mode instabilities, yielding an N-factor increment of ΔN ≈ 3.6 for a roughness patch length of eight wavelengths.

Laminar turbulent transition↗

Meter-Based Assessment of the Time and Locational Benefits of a Large Utility’s DSM Portfolio

As decarbonization goals drive increasing levels of renewable generation, there is a need to understand the time- and location-based savings benefits of demand-side management (DSM) programs. The challenges of the 'duck curve' are driving the utility industry to consider how programs can be optimized to match demand profiles with low carbon generation resources. From an infrastructure standpoint, time- and location-targeted DSM could serve as a ‘non-wires alternative’ (NWA) to defer equipment upgrades. Additional DSM value streams are motivating innovation in savings evaluation, providing more resolved insights beyond the total annual program impact. Methods grounded in the principles of billing analysis, leveraging hourly metering at the distribution grid, can provide new visibility into the spatial and temporal savings achieved through DSM. A large body of work has investigated related topics including interval meter-based savings analysis, the time- varying nature of efficiency measures, and NWA. A less studied topic concerns the impact of DSM on the grid, based on metered consumption. This paper presents an analysis of interval data across more than 25,000 customers and twelve substations, from the Sacramento Municipal Utility District. The results show for different locations on the grid: achieved savings and the impact on grid consumption; hourly savings shapes for DSM program participants and non-participants, and how those shapes vary with season; and the impact of the programs on peak demand. These findings show the current impact of DSM, with implications for future, more intentional targeting as the utility continues to pursue aggressive electrification, efficiency, load flexibility, and reliable NWA.

Granderson, Jessica↗

End-Use Savings Shapes Measure Documentation: Dispatch Schedule Generation for Demand Flexibility Measures

This supplemental document describes the methodology used for determining the dispatch timing of various EUSS demand flexibility measures. Demand flexibility measures are designed to reduce/dispatch electricity demand in buildings during especially beneficial/critical times. The method used in this work utilizes predictions of building loads to generate a schedule that reflects the periods when the building's daily peak load occurs to support decision making in demand flexibility measures. The dispatch schedule generation method described in this document creates an hourly schedule that includes a load dispatch (peak) window for each day for a whole year based on load prediction, with options using different prediction methods: perfect prediction, bin-sampling method, fixed schedule, and outdoor air temperature (OAT)-based prediction method. The perfect prediction method performs a simulation to obtain the annual load profile as predicted load, representing the scenario of perfect load prediction. The bin-sampling method (1) categorizes days into representative bins by temperature characteristics, (2) performs simulations on sample days from each of those bins to create representative (or predicted) load, and (3) assigns representative loads for all days in a year based on the bin categorization. The fixed schedule method defines uniform start and end time of peak window with assumed fixed daily peak time, for all days in a season or a year. The OAT-based prediction method uses the statistics of OAT (minimum and maximum) as the indicators of peak load, with specified delay response time from building loads to temperature. Given the load prediction, daily peak periods are determined as a time window with specified length in each day that include the predicted daily peak load and with a secondary rule such as maximizing energy saving potential. The dispatch schedule generation method is not a standalone measure and is intended to be combined with other demand flexibility measures that could leverage the peak schedule and apply demand controls on specific systems or devices for demand response, such as measures described in "Measure Documentation - Thermostat Control for Load Shedding" and "Measure Documentation - Thermostat Control for Load Shifting".

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Parallel projection—An improved return mapping algorithm for finite element modeling of shape memory alloys

Here, we present a novel finite element analysis of inelastic structures containing Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs). Phenomenological constitutive models for SMAs lead to material nonlinearities, that require substantial computational effort to resolve. Finite element analysis methods, which rely on Gauss quadrature integration schemes, must solve two sets of coupled differential equations: one at the global level and the other at the local, i.e. Gauss point level. In contrast to the conventional return mapping algorithm, which solves these two sets of coupled differential equations separately using a nested Newton procedure, we propose a scheme to solve the local and global differential equations simultaneously. In the process we also derive closed-form expressions used to update the internal/constitutive state variables, and unify the popular closest-point and cutting plane methods with our formulas. Numerical testing indicates that our method allows for larger thermomechanical loading steps and provides increased computational efficiency, over the standard return mapping algorithm.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Hexagonal Distributed Embedded Energy Converters (HexDEECs)

Distributed Embedded Energy Converter Technologies (DEEC-Tec) is a new domain for marine renewable energy research that utilizes a conglomeration of small distributed embedded energy converters (DEECs) that, in aggregate, form larger metamaterial frameworks. These resulting DEEC-Tec metamaterials can then, in turn, be used to construct flexible ocean wave energy converters called flexWECs. DEEC-Tec enables flexWECs: (i) to be inherently broad-banded ocean wave frequency energy converters and (ii) to have an inherent lack of highly loaded rigid bodies. The DEEC-Tec domain also benefits the marine renewable energy domain by inherently availing ways that marine energy can be harvested and converted that heretofore has not yet been considered possible: real-time execution of transforming topologies (e.g., actively changing a flexWEC's shape and form) and morphologies (e.g., actively changing a flexWEC's stiffness and damping throughout its entire structure). Presented, is one specific type of DEEC, a HexDEEC, that shows promise in aiding the adoption and further development of the DEEC-Tec domain - it is a small energy transducer being developed by the United States National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The HexDEEC is a small (characteristic length approximating a centimeter) energy transducer that converts the dynamic deformations of an elastomer into electricity through a charging-discharging cycle of a capacitor whose capacitance is varied by those elastic deformations. The HexDEEC is composed of a hyperelastic hexagonal housing (nominally silicon rubber) with six electrodes on its inner faces. The upper three electrodes share the same charge while the lower three electrodes oppose the upper electrode charges. Externally, the HexDEEC has two arms extending away from the middle vertices of the hexagon. Via principles governing the relationship between electrical capacitance and electrical potential (voltage and charge), electricity is generated when the HexDEEC's arms are dynamically pulled or released under tensile loading as doing so causes the distance between the upper and lower sets of electrodes to change - varying the energy converter's overall capacitance. Analytical and numerical modeling have already been used to estimate the electrical energy produced by a HexDEEC. The cursory models approximate the HexDEEC as a parallel plate variable capacitor - simplifying from six to two opposing plates with a constant dielectric volume between those two plates. To account for the elastic HexDEEC material properties, software such as SolidWorks and STAR-CCM+ have been used to generate hyperelastic models; notably, Mooney-Rivlin based models. Individual HexDEECs have been fabricated by drawing uncured liquid silicon rubber into molds via vacuum pressure. To simplify manufacturing, HexDEEC sub-components - e.g., electrodes, wires - can be placed within those molds such that they are directly embedded into the hexagonal housing during the curing process. Furthermore, DEEC-Tec metamaterials can be created by interweaving or sequentially layering multiple HexDEEC strands together. The HexDEEC based metamaterial could then generate electricity through its gross deformations. Ultimately, HexDEECs represent a specific type of energy transducer that can be leveraged, by the DEEC-Tec domain, to create metamaterials used to construct novel flexWECs.

DEEC-Tec↗

The Role of Cloud Contamination, Aerosol Layer Height and Aerosol Model in the Assessment of the OMI Near-UV Retrievals Over the Ocean

Retrievals of aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 388 nm over the ocean from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) two-channel near-UV algorithm (OMAERUV) have been compared with independent AOD measurements. The analysis was carried out over the open ocean (OMI and MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) AOD comparisons) and over coastal and island sites (OMI and AERONET, the AErosol RObotic NETwork). Additionally, a research version of the retrieval algorithm (using MODIS and CALIOP (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization) information as constraints) was utilized to evaluate the sensitivity of the retrieval to different assumed aerosol properties. Overall, the comparison resulted in differences (OMI minus independent measurements) within the expected levels of uncertainty for the OMI AOD retrievals (0.1 for AOD less than 0.3, 30% for AOD greater than 0.3). Using examples from case studies with outliers, the reasons that led to the observed differences were examined with specific purpose to determine whether they are related to instrument limitations (i.e., pixel size, calibration) or algorithm assumptions (such as aerosol shape, aerosol height). The analysis confirms that OMAERUV does an adequate job at rejecting cloudy scenes within the instrument's capabilities. There is a residual cloud contamination in OMI pixels with quality flag 0 (the best conditions for aerosol retrieval according to the algorithm), resulting in a bias towards high AODs in OMAERUV. This bias is more pronounced at low concentrations of absorbing aerosols (AOD 388 nm approximately less than 0.5). For higher aerosol loadings, the bias remains within OMI's AOD uncertainties. In pixels where OMAERUV assigned a dust aerosol model, a fraction of them (less than 20 %) had retrieved AODs significantly lower than AERONET and MODIS AODs. In a case study, a detailed examination of the aerosol height from CALIOP and the AODs from MODIS, along with sensitivity tests, was carried out by varying the different assumed parameters in the retrieval (imaginary index of refraction, size distribution, aerosol height, particle shape). It was found that the spherical shape assumption for dust in the current retrieval is the main cause of the underestimate. In addition, it is demonstrated in an example how an incorrect assumption of the aerosol height can lead to an underestimate. Nevertheless, this is not as significant as the effect of particle shape. These findings will be incorporated in a future version of the retrieval algorithm.

aerosols↗

Tunable Electromechanical Liquid Crystal Elastomer Actuators

Liquid crystal elastomers (LCE) are soft materials which anisotropically shape morph in response to external stimuli. Herein, a method to produce large‐area carbon nanotube–LCE nanocomposite films with exceptional electrostrictive properties is examined. A methodology to produce telechelic precursor oligomeric composites at scale (>100 g) is presented along with the continuous casting and photocuring process. The carbon nanotubes are well‐aligned and well‐dispersed in the films, which exhibit exceptional anisotropic thermomechanical, optical, and thermal shape change characteristics. When an electric field is applied through the film thickness, the material quickly and reversibly contracts along the alignment direction. As an example, a compliant carbon nanotube–LCE film contracts >4% against a 140 kPa load, roughly comparable to the blocking force of many natural muscular tissues. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that this tunable contraction is dependent upon the electric field strength, and that the contraction mimics the form function of the input electric field (e.g., a sine wave). These compliant actuators are excellent candidates for incorporation into soft and/or biological systems.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Multiphysics modeling of a critical dual-purpose canister in a saturated geological repository

Dual purpose dry cask storage canisters for spent nuclear fuel are designed for storage and transportation, but are not licensed for permanent disposal in a geological repository. If dual purpose canisters were to be used to dispose of spent nuclear fuel in a geological repository, they would be expected to eventually breach and be flooded with groundwater, and it is shown that some fraction of these canisters will achieve criticality. In order to evaluate the consequences of canisters going critical in a repository, an initial capability has been developed for estimating the quasi-static power level of a critical canister using loosely coupled multiphysics simulations. The low power level in a critical canister enables coupling through precomputed physics proxies. This calculated power level is then used to compute the change in the critical canister’s isotopic inventory as a function of time. Three as-loaded canisters are evaluated and two were found to have power levels below 4 kW, with a modest effect on the radiological inventory over time. This effort also shows that although some DPCs will have extremely peaked power shapes, the relatively low power and long-time scales result in relatively homogenized thermohydraulic properties in the water within the DPC.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Migration of Al within dealuminated beta extruded catalysts influences olefin distribution during ethanol upgrading

Zeolites serve as essential catalytic platforms for many industrial processes, including emerging ethanol-to-olefins (ETO) upgrading technologies. Although metal-loaded (Cu, Zn, Y) dealuminated beta (deAlBeta) zeolite powders are promising catalysts for direct ETO conversion with high selectivity to butene-rich C3+ olefins necessary for production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), development of these materials as shaped technical bodies through the incorporation of binders is required for scale-up and commercial viability. Here, we report the ethanol upgrading performance of Cu-Zn-Y/deAlBeta extruded catalysts formulated with either alumina or kaolin clay binders. Both extrudates exhibit high ethanol dehydration reactivity which competes with the initial ethanol dehydrogenation step in the direct ETO reaction network. Consequently, elevated selectivity to dehydration side products (ethylene, diethyl ether) at ∼100% ethanol conversion is observed on Cu-Zn-Y/deAlBeta extrudates compared to the powder catalyst, which inhibits production of desired C3+ olefins. Utilizing microscopy and spectroscopic characterizations, we attribute this to Al migration from binder to zeolite particles within the extrudates, thus re-aluminating the zeolite and generating Brønsted acid sites active for dehydration reactions. This work elucidates the effects of binder incorporation on ETO product distributions and emphasizes that binder selection must be carefully considered during design of extruded zeolite catalysts.

Jacobs, Hunter [ORNL] (ORCID:000000016190874X)↗

Heated bimetal strip prevents damage of bearings by vibration

Strip of bimetal is shaped as split ring; when properly fabricated from thin sheet, width of strip increases when it is heated. When width of strip increases, outer races are forced apart, thus pressing balls tightly against inner races. Strip applies axial load to bearing, amount of load being function of temperature to which strip is heated.

Derr, L. J.↗

Exploratory tests of two strut fuel injectors for supersonic combustion

Results of supersonic mixing and combustion tests performed with two simple strut injector configurations, one with parallel injectors and one with perpendicular injectors, are presented and analyzed. Good agreement is obtained between static pressure measured on the duct wall downstream of the strut injectors and distributions obtained from one-dimensional calculations. Measured duct heat load agrees with results of the one-dimensional calculations for moderate amounts of reaction, but is underestimated when large separated regions occur near the injection location. For the parallel injection strut, good agreement is obtained between the shape of the injected fuel distribution inferred from gas sample measurements at the duct exit and the distribution calculated with a multiple-jet mixing theory. The overall fraction of injected fuel reacted in the multiple-jet calculation closely matches the amount of fuel reaction necessary to match static pressure with the one-dimensional calculation. Gas sample measurements with the perpendicular injection strut also give results consistent with the amount of fuel reaction in the one-dimensional calculation.

Anderson, G. Y.↗

Latch for Stored Cargo

Spherical latch elements distribute load over broad area. Concave and convex latching surfaces couple with one another to secure payload. Motor-drive pin locks latch in place; for active latch, second motor turns connecting plate attached to concave latch element. Spherical shape of latching elements distributes cargo weight over broad surface so no "hotspots" when cargo secured.

Clark, K. H.↗

In situ measurements of thunderstorm electrical properties

An airplane sensor to measure the charge, size and two dimensional shape of precipitation particles and large cloud particles was developed. The basic design of the instrument includes: the transducers and analog electronics, the analog to digital conversion electronics and a microprocessor based system to run the electronics and load the digital data onto magnetic tape. Prototype instrumentation for the proposed lightning mapper satellite was tested by flying it in a U-2 aircraft over severe storms in Oklahoma. Flight data are compared to data from ground based instruments.

Marshall, T. C.↗

Projectile shape and material effects in hypervelocity impact response of dual-wall structures

All large spacecraft are susceptible to impacts by meteoroids and pieces of orbiting space debris. These impacts occur at extremely high speeds and can damage flight-critical systems, which can in turn lead to catastrophic failure of the spacecraft. A long-duration spacecraft developed for a mission into this environment must include adequate protection against perforation of pressurized components by such impacts. This paper presents the results of an investigation into the effects of projectile shape and material on the perforation of aluminum dual-wall structural systems. Impact damage is characterized according to the extent of perforation, crater, and spall damage in the structural systems as a result of hypervelocity projectile impact loadings. Analysis of the damage data shows that there are distinct differences in impact damage from cylindrical and spherical projectiles. Projectile density is also found to affect the type and extent of damage sustained by dual-wall structural systems.

Schonberg, William P.↗

Propulsion Systems Panel

Topics addressed are: (1) cryogenic tankage; (2) launch vehicle TPS/insulation; (3) durable passive thermal control devices and/or coatings; (4) development and characterization of processing methods to reduce anisotropy of material properties in Al-Li; (5) durable thermal protection system (TPS); (6) unpressurized Al-Li structures (interstages, thrust structures); (7) near net shape sections; (8) pressurized structures; (9) welding and joining; (10) micrometeoroid and debris hypervelocity shields; (11) state-of-the-art shell buckling structure optimizer program to serve as a rapid design tool; (12) test philosophy; (13) reduced load cycle time; (14) structural analysis methods; (15) optimization of structural criteria; and (16) develop an engineering approach to properly trade material and structural concepts selection, fabrication, facilities, and cost.

Bianca, Carmelo J.↗

Simulation of Reverse Osmosis Membrane Compaction Using Material Point Method

Reverse Osmosis (RO) is a promising technology to address the impending water-crisis in the upcoming decades. RO at high salinities and high pressures is challenging due to membrane compaction that changes its porosity and permeability. In this study, we present a simulation methodology for membrane structural mechanics to understand pore size distribution and permeability variations under high pressure. We use the material point method (MPM), that solves the solid mechanics equations in a Lagrangian framework. MPM provides many features that make it well-suited for simulating mesoporous membranes. The Lagrangian framework allows for large deformations, easy integration of constitutive models and direct import of complex geometries as particles. The spatial discretization in our MPM solver is achieved using linear or cubic-spline shape functions while the time integration is carried out using the explicit Euler method. A series of images containing detailed pore structures obtained from X-ray tomography is first converted to a collection of material points. Compressive loads are applied to the top layer of the membrane to simulate the application of pressure. The membrane deformation and pore size distribution before and after load application are reported and compared with the experimental measurements. The presentation discusses the numerical methods used, the performance of the solver on high-performance computing machines, and the results of membrane compact in detail.

compaction↗

Quantifying the Influence of Size, Shape, and Density of Microplastics on Their Transport Modes: A Modeling Approach

Microplastics (MPs) pose significant risks to marine ecosystems and human health, necessitating accurate predictions of their distributions in aquatic environments for effective risk mitigation. However, understanding MP transport dynamics is challenging because of the inadequate representation of MP characteristics such as size, shape, and density in numerical models. Further, the accuracy of the MP vertical profiles in existing models has not been thoroughly validated. Thus, we developed an MP transport model within the Finite Volume Community Ocean Model framework (FVCOM-MP) by integrating MP characteristics. We validated FVCOM-MP against experimental and analytical data, focusing on various MP transport modes and transitions. FVCOM-MP successfully replicates MP profiles in different transport modes, including the bedload, surface-load, suspended-load, and mixed-load modes. Additionally, we introduce phase diagrams for classifying MP transport modes based on particle characteristics, enhancing our understanding of MP dynamics in aquatic systems. The transport modes for a number of real-world MP particles, including fishing line, plastic bag/bottle fragments, synthetic fibers, tire wear particles, polyvinyl chloride and expanded polystyrene pellets, were analyzed with these phase diagrams.

Microplastic transport, Settling velocity, Rising ↗

Knowledge Oriented Graph Unified Transformer (KOGUT) v0.1

KOGUT — Knowledge Oriented Graph Unified Transformer KOGUT implements the Relational Graph Transformer (RelGT) architecture for knowledge graph link prediction in biological domains, with a primary focus on microbial growth media prediction. While the original RelGT (arXiv:2505.10960) targets relational tables, time series, and multi-table databases, KOGUT adapts this architecture for heterogeneous biological knowledge graphs, providing first-in-class AI predictive models for microbial cultivation. Key Adaptations Beyond Original RelGT: - Knowledge Graph Focus: Applied to biological KGs with semantic node types (taxa, chemicals, media, phenotypes, environments) versus generic relational database tables, trained on the KG-Microbe knowledge graph (1.3M entities, 2.9M edges, 24 relation types). - Multimodal Node Encoding: Integrates node labels, categories, descriptions, and synonyms from KG metadata through learned embedding layers—adapting relational column features to graph node attributes with textual semantics. - Extended K-Hop Subgraph Strategy: Optimized neighborhood sampling (3-hop default, configurable up to 200 nodes) tuned for sparse biological networks, building on the original local-global attention framework with biological relation preservation. - Biolink Predicate Preservation: Type-specific transformations for 24 biological edge semantics (occurs_in, consumes, produces, has_phenotype, subclass_of) beyond standard relational foreign keys, enabling multi-relation link prediction. - Inductive Learning Support: Enables zero-shot predictions for novel taxa through feature-based embeddings (temperature, oxygen requirements, gram stain, cell shape), extending the original transductive relational benchmark scope to uncultured microorganisms. CheapSOTA Performance Optimizations (This Distribution): - VQ-EMA Centroid Attention: Vector quantization with exponential moving average for improved global context modeling (+5-10% MRR improvement). - HDF5 Precomputed Data Loading: One-time preprocessing of k-hop subgraphs to eliminate redundant graph traversals (2-5× training speedup). - Distributed Data Parallel Training: Multi-GPU support for scaling to larger knowledge graphs (tested on 4× NVIDIA A100 GPUs at NERSC Perlmutter). - Mixed Precision Training: Automatic mixed precision (AMP) for memory efficiency and faster training. Advantages Over Standard Knowledge Graph Embedding Models: Combines RelGT's proven multi-element tokenization (features, type, hop, structure) with graph-native biological representations, enabling interpretable link prediction across heterogeneous entities that standard embedding models (TransE, RotatE, ComplEx) and table-based transformers cannot directly model. Achieves near-perfect performance on microbial growth media prediction (MRR: 0.9966, Precision@1: 0.9932, Hit@10: 1.0000) while maintaining explainability through attention-based reasoning over biological pathways. Training Data: - KG-Microbe merged knowledge graph: 1,379,337 nodes, 2,960,472 edges - 24 biological relation types including taxonomic hierarchies, metabolic interactions, phenotype associations, and environmental relationships - Primary prediction task: Growth media suitability for microbial taxa (biolink:occurs_in, 50K edges) - Multi-relation capability: Predicts links for any of the 24 relation types, including chemical consumption/production, phenotype associations, and taxonomic classification Citation: Original RelGT Architecture: Dwivedi et al., "Relational Graph Transformer", arXiv:2505.10960, 2025 KOGUT Implementation: Knowledge Oriented Graph Unified Transformer for Microbial Growth Media Prediction Developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) Trained on NERSC Perlmutter supercomputer

Joachimiak, Marcin [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab↗