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At least 1,135 records · Page 63

The 60 GHz antenna system analyses for intersatellite links, phase A

A tradeoff study for 60 GHz antenna systems applicable to an advanced Tracking and Data Acquisition System is also discussed. A conceptual design of a preferred antenna system is also discussed. The tradeoff results for four types of antenna systems are presented: (1) Reflector/fixed feed, (2) Mechanical scan, (3) Electronic scan; and (4) Hybrid mechanical/electronic scan. The 12 candidate antennas were assessed on the basis of a preliminary design and a performance analysis then were scored against 15 weighted parameters. This process resulted in the ranking of the 12 candidates for the two applications, namely, for the geostationary TDAS only with a narrow field of view and for low orbit user satellites with a wide field of view.

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Synthesis from Design Requirements of a Hybrid System for Transport Aircraft Longitudinal Control

Volume I of this report presents a new method for synthesizing hybrid systems directly from design requirements, and applies the method to design of a hybrid system for longitudinal control of transport aircraft. The resulting system satisfies general requirement for safety and effectiveness specified a priori, enabling formal validation to be achieved. Volume II contains seven appendices intended to make the report accessible to readers with backgrounds in human factors, fli ght dynamics and control. and formal logic. Major design goals are (1) system desi g n integrity based on proof of correctness at the design level, (2), significant simplification and cost reduction in system development and certification, and (3) improved operational efficiency, with significant alleviation of human-factors problems encountered by pilots in current transport aircraft. This report provides for the first time a firm technical basis for criteria governing design and certification of avionic systems for transport aircraft. It should be of primary interest to designers of next-generation avionic systems.

Hynes, Charles S.↗

Synthesis from Design Requirements of a Hybrid System for Transport Aircraft Longitudinal Control

Volume I of this report presents a new method for synthesizing hybrid systems directly from desi gn requirements, and applies the method to design of a hybrid system for longitudinal control of transport aircraft. The resulting system satisfies general requirement for safety and effectiveness specified a priori, enabling formal validation to be achieved. Volume II contains seven appendices intended to make the report accessible to readers with backgrounds in human factors, flight dynamics and control, and formal logic. Major design goals are (1) system design integrity based on proof of correctness at the design level, (2) significant simplification and cost reduction in system development and certification, and (3) improved operational efficiency, with significant alleviation of human-factors problems encountered by pilots in current transport aircraft. This report provides for the first time a firm technical basis for criteria governing design and certification of avionic systems for transport aircraft. It should be of primary interest to designers of next-generation avionic systems.

Hynes, Charles S.↗

Design and Assessments of Liquid Metal Systems for a Fusion Power Reactor

This three-year research program at UCLA builds on the Fusion Engineering System Study (FESS) and has the major goal of identifying and accessing the most critical MHD/Mass & Heat Transfer phenomena associated with LM MHD flows in fusion breeding/cooling applications. The computed results and their analyses provide a strong basis to overcome present design limitations and will eventually lead to feasible, more effective solutions for LM systems of a fusion power reactor, such as breeding blankets and LM plasma facing components (PFCs). The project focuses on three research thrusts: Identification and characterization of the most important generic issues common to LM breeders (hereinafter called “Blanket”: ~47% of the resources); Design, implementation and assessments of two LM breeding-blanket concepts, DCLL and HCLL, for particular fusion devices, such as the US Fusion Nuclear Science Facility (FNSF) or the Fusion Pilot Plant (FPP) (hereinafter called “System Studies”: ~40% of the resources); Design and analysis of LM (Li) divertor concepts for FNSF or FPP, including scoping and detailed 2D and 3D computations (hereinafter called “LM PFC”: ~13% of the resources).

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

The Fifth NASA Symposium on VLSI Design

The fifth annual NASA Symposium on VLSI Design had 13 sessions including Radiation Effects, Architectures, Mixed Signal, Design Techniques, Fault Testing, Synthesis, Signal Processing, and other Featured Presentations. The symposium provides insights into developments in VLSI and digital systems which can be used to increase data systems performance. The presentations share insights into next generation advances that will serve as a basis for future VLSI design.

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Main Features for the Conceptualization of the Post-Closure Evolution Scenario of the Cigeo LIL-HL Waste Repository - 13105

In France, in order to commission the planned geological repository by 2025, a license application for the industrial project of this geological repository called Cigeo (Centre Industriel de Stockage Geologique) must be submitted and reviewed by the competent authorities by 2015. On the basis of its preliminary design set up in 2009 and on the associated requirements for long-term safety, an overall conceptual model has been developed in order to prepare the performance and safety analysis. The Cigeo repository makes use of the passive safety response characteristics of both the engineered and geological barriers that allow: - resisting water ingress, with repository designs favoring the limitation of the water flows; - limiting the release of radionuclides and chemical toxics; - delaying and mitigating the spread of radionuclides and chemical toxics. In order to evaluate the performance of the various elements, a conceptual model of the thermo-hydro-chemico-mechanical (THMC) evolution of the different components of the repository has been designed. It takes stock of a 20 years research effort which allowed data to be obtained from various surface geological campaigns, in-situ experiments in URLs and wastes characterization, and advances in numerical simulation to be utilised. Based on the best available knowledge to date, this conceptual model constitutes a robust basis for the definition and development of the long-term safety scenarios. It also helps identifying the residual uncertainties, and provides guidelines for additional research and system optimizations. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

MiniAERCam Ranging

Johnson Space Center (JSC) is designing a small, remotely controlled vehicle that will carry two color and one black and white video cameras in space. The device will launch and retrieve from the Space Vehicle and be used for remote viewing. Off the shelf cellular technology is being used as the basis for communication system design. Existing plans include using multiple antennas to make simultaneous estimates of the azimuth of the MiniAERCam from several sites on the Space Station and use triangulation to find the location of the device. Adding range detection capability to each of the nodes on the Space Vehicle would allow an estimate of the location of the MiniAERCam to be made at each Communication And Telemetry Box (CATBox) independent of all the other communication nodes. This project will investigate the techniques used by the Global Positioning System (GPS) to achieve accurate positioning information and adapt those strategies that are appropriate to the design of the CATBox range determination system.

Talley, Tom↗

Deep Borehole Disposal Safety Case

The safety case for deep borehole disposal of nuclear wastes contains a safety strategy, an assessment basis, and a safety assessment. The safety strategy includes strategies for management, siting and design, and assessment. The assessment basis considers site selection, pre-closure, and post-closure, which includes waste and engineered barriers, the geosphere/natural barriers, and the biosphere and surface environment. The safety assessment entails a pre-closure safety analysis, a post-closure performance assessment, and confidence enhancement analyses. This work outlines the assessment basis and safety assessment aspects of a deep borehole disposal safety case. The safety case presented here is specific to deep borehole disposal of Cs and Sr capsules, but is generally applicable to other waste forms, such as spent nuclear fuel. The safety assessments for pre-closure and post-closure are briefly summarized from other sources; key issues for confidence enhancement are described in greater detail. These confidence enhancement analyses require building the technical basis for geologically old, reducing, highly saline brines at the depth of waste emplacement, and using reactive-transport codes to predict their movement in post-closure. The development and emplacement of borehole seals above the waste emplacement zone is also important to confidence enhancement.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

STME - Streamlining the engine of change

The key to the success of the NASA Space Transportation Main Engine (STME) is its enhanced reliability and reduced costs, rather than enhanced performance and reduced weight. Reliability and cost improvements derive from the design of an engine with fewer components, wider operating margins, conventional materials, and innovative manufacturing techniques; this is exemplified by the STME's combustion chamber, in which the structural jacket and all minifolds are cast as a single piece. 'Platelet' technology is under active consideration as a basis for the nozzle design. The use of hydrostatic bearings in both the turbine and pump ends of the STME turbopump will eliminate bearing-life limitations.

Smelser, Jerry W.↗

Development of a coupled experimental–computational approach for engineering optimization of spout-fluidized bed particle coating systems

The design of spout-fluidized bed (SFB) coating systems for nuclear particle fuels typically relies on trial-and-error processes, comprising iterative and time-consuming coating deposition experiments and post-deposition characterization. At an engineering scale, this approach to guided SFB system design is inefficient, highlighting the need for streamlined experimental methodologies which can correlate fluidization conditions to downstream coating outcomes. In this study, we combine time-resolved particle image velocimetry (PIV) with CFD–DEM simulations to benchmark hydrodynamic behavior in a 3D spout-fluidized bed. By exploiting easily accessible optical measurements of particle motion at the bed wall and within the spouting region, we obtain quantitative velocity fields that can be directly compared with model predictions of the occluded bed region, without resorting to complex imaging and characterization techniques such as X-ray or magnetic resonance tomography. Experimental benchmarking reveals strong agreement between CFD–DEM and PIV in the spout and annulus regions, while discrepancies near the wall highlight areas for future model development. Here, the proposed integrated experimental–numerical framework will enable a direct connection between measured variables and numerically predicted fluidization performance of dense, surrogate nuclear particle fuel feedstock such that experimental SFB component design can be rapidly evaluated, informing design decisions for nozzle geometry and operating conditions. Future work will extend this framework by correlating quantified fluidization metrics across nozzle geometries and operating conditions with the resulting coating morphology, microstructure, and uniformity. Establishing these correlations will enable predictive links between hydrodynamic performance and coating quality, providing a rational, scalable basis for optimizing SFB design prior to coating deposition.

CFD/DEM↗

Orbital Fluid Transfer System

An automated fluid and power interface system needs to be developed for future space missions which require on orbit consumable replenishment. Current method of fluid transfer require manned vehicles and extravehicular activity. Currently the US does not have an automated capability for consumable transfer on-orbit. This technology would benefit both Space Station and long duration satellites. In order to provide this technology the Automated Fluid Interface System (AFIS) was developed. The AFIS project was an advanced development program aimed at developing a prototype satellite servicer for future space operations. This mechanism could transfer propellants, cryogens, fluids, gasses, electrical power, and communications from a tanker unit to the orbiting satellite. The development of this unit was a cooperative effort between Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and Moog, Inc. in East Aurora, New York. An engineering model was built and underwent substantial development testing at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). While the AFIS is not suitable for spaceflight, testing and evaluation of the AFIS provided significant experience which would be beneficial in building a flight unit. The lessons learned from testing the AFIS provided the foundation for the next generation fluid transfer mechanism, the Orbital Fluid Transfer System (OFTS). The OFTS project was a study contract with MSFC and Moog, Inc. The OFTS was designed for the International Space Station (ISS), but its flexible design could used for long duration satellite missions and other applications. The OFTS was designed to be used after docking. The primary function was to transfer bipropellants and high pressure gases. The other items addressed by this task included propellant storage, hardware integration, safety and control system issues. A new concept for high pressure couplings was also developed. The results of the AFIS testing provided an excellent basis for the OFTS design. The OFTS meet the servicing requirements for ISS and could also provide the automated fluid and power interface system needed for on orbit consumable resupply of spacecraft into the new century.

Johnston, A. S., (Nick)↗

Biological Electron Transfer and Catalysis Energy Frontier Research Center

The overarching objective of the BETCy EFRC project is to investigate the mechanisms and structural basis controlling electron bifurcation, electron-ion coupling, and redox catalysis in model enzymes. This detailed understanding of how biological systems control and exploit electron flow will be used to develop modular biochemical conversions for the production of hydrocarbon and hydrogen biofuels. This project will conduct an in-depth study of metalloenzyme structure-function relationships that enable retuning of catalytic sites, electron-transfer thermodynamics, and the evolution of tailor-designed chemical reactions involving two model enzymes: hydrogenase and nitrogenase. The center is organized into three major thrust areas: Thrust 1. Energy conservation and electron flow; Thrust 2. ATP-coupled electron transfer; and Thrust 3. Atomic level determinants of enzymatic redox properties and their relationship to catalytic bias. We will develop a collective knowledge in metalloenzymes by applying physical science and computational tools to characterize biochemical reactions catalyzed specifically by multi-subunit enzymes harboring iron-sulfur clusters and flavin cofactors, as models for redox reactions throughout biology. Understanding these mechanisms is central to overcoming the key thermodynamic barriers currently limiting production of reduced products and biofuels. The research plan of the BETCy EFRC has been designed to provide the basis to exploit unique biochemical mechanisms that have yet to be explored substantively in the context of bioenergy but have the potential for game-changing advancement. The successful outcome of this research will be a collection of fundamental principles that serve as a blueprint to enable the tailored re-design of biological systems and enzymes to control matter and energy at the level of electrons and molecules to provide the foundations to create new energy technologies.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Development of an Improved RELAP5-3D Model for the High Temperature Test Facility

High-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs) are rapidly approaching deployment. Confidence in transient analysis of these systems for design, optimization, and licensing calculations requires modeling and simulation tools that have been validated against data relevant to HTGR conditions. The High Temperature Test Facility (HTTF) is an integral effects thermal hydraulics test facility for prismatic HTGRs. In spring and summer of 2019, HTTF was used for a series of experiments that now serve as the basis for the OECD/NEA Thermal Hydraulic Code Validation Benchmark for High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors using HTTF Data (HTGR T/H Benchmark). This benchmark contains problems for systems code, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and coupled systems code/CFD modeling representing lower plenum mixing and both the depressurized and pressurized conduction cooldown (DCC and PCC respectively) transients. Benchmark problems include exercises for code-to-code and code-to-data comparisons as well as an exercise for error scaling between HTTF and the Modular High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor, which serves as the basis for the HTTF design. Previous analysis as part of the HTGR T/H benchmark used a RELAP5-3D model developed at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and demonstrated an ability to reproduce trends in the measured data but difficulties reproducing experimental values within their uncertainty. These difficulties were largely attributed to assumptions made during the development of the initial RELAP5-3D model, which predated the HTTF experiments. A significant cause of difficulty reproducing the measured temperatures may be the radial nodalization of the previous RELAP5-3D model. The new model provides a finer nodalization to assess the impact of radial nodalization and allows for asymmetric heating within the core, which was a feature of multiple HTTF experiments. In this paper, we present the new RELAP5-3D model of HTTF. In addition to describing the new model, this paper compares the new and old models and provides results for a full-power steady state, a DCC, and a PCC in HTTF. These analyses are based on the code-to-code comparison exercises for the DCC and PCC problems of the HTGR T/H benchmark. We present the results of these exercises from the new model and compare them to the results of the old model.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Building Krylov complexity from circuit complexity

Krylov complexity has emerged as a probe of operator growth in a wide range of nonequilibrium quantum dynamics. However, a fundamental issue remains in such studies: the definition of the distance between basis states in Krylov space is ambiguous. Here we show that Krylov complexity can be rigorously established from circuit complexity when dynamical symmetries exist. Whereas circuit complexity characterizes the geodesic distance in a multidimensional operator space, Krylov complexity measures the height of the final operator in a particular direction. The geometric representation of circuit complexity thus unambiguously designates the distance between basis states in Krylov space. This geometric approach also applies to time-dependent Liouvillian superoperators, where a single Krylov complexity is no longer sufficient. Multiple Krylov complexity may be exploited jointly to fully describe operator dynamics. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Lv, Chenwei (ORCID:0000000250952582)↗

Preliminary Tritium Management Design Activities at ORNL

Interest in salt-cooled and salt-fueled reactors has increased over the last decade (Forsberg et al. 2016). Several private companies and universities in the United States, as well as governments in other countries, are developing salt reactor designs and/or technology. Two primary issues for the development and deployment of many salt reactor concepts are (1) the prevention of tritium generation and (2) the management of tritium to prevent release to the environment. In 2016, the US Department of Energy (DOE) initiated a research project under the Advanced Reactor Technology Program to (1) experimentally assess the feasibility of proposed methods for tritium mitigation and (2) to perform an engineering demonstration of the most promising methods. This document describes results from the first year’s efforts to define, design, and build an experimental apparatus to test potential methods for tritium management. These efforts are focused on producing a final design document as the basis for the apparatus and its scheduled completion consistent with available budget and approvals for facility use.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Filterbank Multicarrier Communications for High Mobility Underwater Acoustic Links

This paper presents a new method of designing prototype filters that are robust against time and frequency dispersive (i.e., doubly dispersive) underwater acoustic (UWA) channels. The proposed design uses a modified form of Slepian sequences as a basis set to arrive at a design that is maximally compact along both time and frequency/Doppler dimensions. This keeps the inter-symbol interference confined to a small number of adjacent data symbols, both across time and frequency dimensions. It also minimizes the ramp-up (at the beginning) and ramp-down (at the end) of each synthesized data packet. Here, we test our design by making use of the BELLHOP/VirTex channel simulator and compare its performance with that of the widely used orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) method. Our emphasis is on scenarios where the channel impulse response extends to a few hundreds of milli-seconds and the relative speed of communicating vehicles can be as large as 10 m/s. We find that while OFDM fails in majority of these scenarios, the proposed design continues to work well in all the scenarios that we simulate.

97 - MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

MSFC Skylab structures and mechanical systems mission evaluation

A performance analysis for structural and mechanical major hardware systems and components is presented. Development background testing, modifications, and requirement adjustments are included. Functional narratives are provided for comparison purposes as are predicted design performance criterion. Each item is evaluated on an individual basis: that is, (1) history (requirements, design, manufacture, and test); (2) in-orbit performance (description and analysis); and (3) conclusions and recommendations regarding future space hardware application. Overall, the structural and mechanical performance of the Skylab hardware was outstanding.

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Application of FDI metrics to detection and isolation of sensor failures in turbine engines

This paper develops a framework for the design of failure detection and isolation (FDI) algorithms. Rather than trying to apply 'optimal' techniques in a top-down manner, the system redundancies are evaluated with respect to their ability to provide reliable FDI information. Previous work of Pattipati et al. (1984) and Weiss et al. (1984) defined a useful context and several useful analytical results, which provide a basis for the FDI design methodology developed here. A general decision structure which can take advantage of redundancy evaluation is presented, and examples of typical design considerations are discussed. The operation of the decision structure is then demonstrated for a sensor FDI application involving the F-100 jet engine.

Weiss, J. L.↗