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At least 1,153 records · Page 64

Methodological Aspects of Shielding and Activation Analyses for ITER Diagnostics Systems - Paper 125

It is expected that the diagnostics systems of the ITER tokamak will provide valuable measurement data about the first in its kind D-T fusion plasma with emission of 14 MeV neutrons. These systems must withstand the neutron and secondary photon radiation along the ITER operation. Under the neutron irradiation the ITER materials are getting radioactive and therefore an adequate shielding must be provided along all the time of ITER operation and shut-down for the reliable machine operation and for the safe personnel access to its components, such as the diagnostics ports. These are the prerequisites for the shielding and activation analysis of the ITER diagnostics systems discussed in this paper. This paper provides insight into the current tasks of neutronics support for the development of ITER diagnostics systems. The tasks themselves range from relatively straightforward ones such as Monte Carlo radiation transport calculations for shielding analyses of the diagnostics systems, to more advanced tasks of Shut-Down Dose Rate (SDDR) analyses for which the dedicated Rigorous 2-Step mesh-based (R2Smesh) and Direct 1-Step (D1S) methodologies were applied. The accuracy and precision of the ITER neutronics analysis is dependent on the methodological approaches and the implying modeling assumptions. In addition to the SDDR challenges, another distinguishing feature of fusion neutronics is a wide use of CAD-based neutronics modeling to design components of fusion devices such as ITER and DEMO. Basically, there are two possibilities of CAD geometry settings in Monte Carlo (MC) radiation transport models, either by the geometry format conversion of CAD models into the format of MC models by means of the interface programs such as McCad and MCAM or by the direct use of CAD geometry engine in MC calculations such as it was realized in the DAGMC code approach. Several conversion interfaces and the DAGMC software library have been tested on the 3D ITER model developed for the CAD-MCNP benchmark. It was concluded that the considered approaches have reached the maturity level to allow their application to real ITER design analyses.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

AdvEP

AdvEP is a code repository which contains PyTorch implementations of various adversarial attacks on a deep neural network trained with Equilibrium Propagation (EP), which is a neuromorphic learning framework. AdvEP allows for the training, testing, and conducting white/black-box attacks of EP models on a wide variety of applications and datasets. AdvEP is based on the open-source code https://github.com/Laborieux-Axel/Equilibrium-Propagation which was developed to train energy models. AdvEP was created by modifying the original code to perform and test against adversarial attacks. AdvEP was developed in Python, a high-level programming language that takes advantage of the Python ecosystem of high-quality open-source packages for machine learning. AdvEP interfaces heavily with the open-source PyTorch Python package as well as the open-source Adversarial Robustness Toolbox (ART) package.

Mansingh, Siddarth↗

Novel Harsh Environment Materials and Fabrication Techniques for Wireless Sensor Applications (Final Report)

The overarching goal of this project is to establish a center of excellence program at the University of Maine that is focused on Harsh Environmental Materials and Fabrication Techniques for Wireless Sensor Applications. UMaine is well-positioned to build on previous successes in the areas of materials science research and sensor engineering. Since 1980, the Laboratory for Surface Science & Technology (LASST) has been a very successful interdisciplinary UMaine research center with a well-established infrastructure to investigate surfaces, interfaces, thin films, and micro/nano-fabrication. This infrastructure established through NSF, DOE, DOD, NASA, the State of Maine, and industry includes (i) a 3,500 ft2 clean room with nano/microfabrication and photolithography instrumentation, (ii) thin film synthesis, processing and characterization, (iii) surface and thin film analytical chemistry tools, and (iv) device packaging, electronic testing, wireless devices, system fabrication, and sensor test facilities. This strong foundation is the basis for a planned significant growth in R&D capacity currently underway. To that end, since the start of this project in the Fall of 2019, LASST has undergone a transition to become a new interdisciplinary center at UMaine, named the Frontier Institute for Research in Sensor Technologies (FIRST). This new focus represents a commitment and investment by UMaine that aligns with the proposed DOE-EPSCoR theme, capitalizing on the state-of-the-art instrumentation to form an energized group of faculty and students pursuing advances in sensor materials, devices, and applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Fiber Optic Experience with the Smart Actuation System on the F-18 Systems Research Aircraft

High bandwidth, immunity to electromagnetic interference, and potential weight savings have led to the development of fiber optic technology for future aerospace vehicle systems. This technology has been incorporated in a new smart actuator as the primary communication interface. The use of fiber optics simplified system integration and significantly reduced wire count. Flight test results showed that fiber optics could be used in aircraft systems and identified critical areas of development of fly-by-light technology. This paper documents the fiber optic experience gained as a result of this program, and identifies general design considerations that could be used in a variety of specific applications of fiber optic technology. Environmental sensitivities of fiber optic system components that significantly contribute to optical power variation are discussed. Although a calibration procedure successfully minimized the effect of fiber optic sensitivities, more standardized calibration methods are needed to ensure system operation and reliability in future aerospace vehicle systems.

Zavala, Eddie↗

Real-Time Payload Control and Monitoring on the World Wide Web

World Wide Web (W3) technologies such as the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and the Java object-oriented programming environment offer a powerful, yet relatively inexpensive, framework for distributed application software development. This paper describes the design of a real-time payload control and monitoring system that was developed with W3 technologies at NASA Ames Research Center. Based on Java Development Toolkit (JDK) 1.1, the system uses an event-driven "publish and subscribe" approach to inter-process communication and graphical user-interface construction. A C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS) compatible inference engine provides the back-end intelligent data processing capability, while Oracle Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) provides the data management function. Preliminary evaluation shows acceptable performance for some classes of payloads, with Java's portability and multimedia support identified as the most significant benefit.

Sun, Charles↗

Flexible Computer Science Infrastructure (FleCSI)

FleCSI is a compile-time configurable framework designed to support multi-physics application development. As such, FleCSI attempts to provide a very general set of infrastructure design patterns that can be specialized and extended to suit the needs of a broad variety of solver and data requirements. Current support includes multi-dimensional mesh topology, mesh geometry, and mesh adjacency information, n-dimensional hashed-tree data structures, graph partitioning interfaces, and dependency closures. FleCSI also introduces a functional programming model with control, execution, and data abstractions that are consistent with both MPI and state-of-the-art task-based runtimes such as Legion and Charm++. The FleCSI abstraction layer provides the developer with insulation from the underlying runtime, while allowing support for multiple runtime systems, including conventional models like asynchronous MPI. The intent is to give developers a concrete set of user-friendly programming tools that can be used now, while allowing flexibility in choosing runtime implementations and optimizations that can be applied to architectures and runtimes that arise in the future. The control and execution models in FleCSI also provide formal nomenclature for describing poorly understood concepts like kernels and tasks.

Moss, Nicholas↗

The development of a program analysis environment for Ada: Reverse engineering tools for Ada

The Graphical Representations of Algorithms, Structures, and Processes for Ada (GRASP/Ada) has successfully created and prototyped a new algorithm level graphical representation for Ada software, the Control Structure Diagram (CSD). The primary impetus for creation of the CSD was to improve the comprehension efficiency of Ada software and thus improve reliability and reduce costs. The emphasis was on the automatic generation of the CSD from Ada source code to support reverse engineering and maintenance. The CSD has the potential to replace traditional prettyprinted Ada source code. In Phase 1 of the GRASP/Ada project, the CSD graphical constructs were created and applied manually to several small Ada programs. A prototype (Version 1) was designed and implemented using FLEX and BISON running under the Virtual Memory System (VMS) on a VAX 11-780. In Phase 2, the prototype was improved and ported to the Sun 4 platform under UNIX. A user interface was designed and partially implemented. The prototype was applied successfully to numerous Ada programs ranging in size from several hundred to several thousand lines of source code. In Phase 3 of the project, the prototype was prepared for limited distribution (GRASP/Ada Version 3.0) to facilitate evaluation. The user interface was extensively reworked. The current prototype provides the capability for the user to generate CSD from Ada source code in a reverse engineering mode with a level of flexibility suitable for practical application.

Cross, James H., II↗

Parabolic Flight Investigation for Advanced Exercise Concept Hardware Hybrid Ultimate Lifting Kit (HULK)

Long-duration space flight poses many hazards to the health of the crew. Among those hazards is the physiological deconditioning of the musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems due to prolonged exposure to microgravity. To combat this erosion of physical condition space flight may take on the crew, the Human Research Program (HRP) is charged with developing Advanced Exercise Concepts to maintain astronaut health and fitness during long-term missions, while keeping device mass, power, and volume to a minimum. The goal of this effort is to preserve the physical capability of the crew to perform mission critical tasks in transit and during planetary surface operations. The HULK is a pneumatic-based exercise system, which provides both resistive and aerobic modes to protect against human deconditioning in microgravity. Its design targeted the International Space Station (ISS) Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) high level performance characteristics and provides up to 600 foot pounds resitive loading with the capability to allow for eccentric to concentric (E:C) ratios of higher than 1:1 through a DC motor assist component. The device's rowing mode allows for high cadence aerobic activity. The HULK parabolic flight campaign, conducted through the NASA Flight Opportunities Program at Ellington Field, resulted in the creation of device specific data sets including low fidelity motion capture, accelerometry and both inline and ground reaction forces. These data provide a critical link in understanding how to vibration isolate the device in both ISS and space transit applications. Secondarily, the study of human exercise and associated body kinematics in microgravity allows for more complete understanding of human to machine interface designs to allow for maximum functionality of the device in microgravity.

countermeasures↗

Flexible Computer Science Infrastructure (FleCSI)

FleCSI is a compile-time configurable framework designed to support multi-physics application development. As such, FleCSI attempts to provide a very general set of infrastructure design patterns that can be specialized and extended to suit the needs of a broad variety of solver and data requirements. Current support includes multi-dimensional mesh topology, mesh geometry, and mesh adjacency information, n-dimensional hashed-tree data structures, graph partitioning interfaces, and dependency closures. FleCSI also introduces a functional programming model with control, execution, and data abstractions that are consistent with both MPI and state-of-the-art task-based runtimes such as Legion and Charm++. The FleCSI abstraction layer provides the developer with insulation from the underlying runtime, while allowing support for multiple runtime systems, including conventional models like asynchronous MPI. The intent is to give developers a concrete set of user-friendly programming tools that can be used now, while allowing flexibility in choosing runtime implementations and optimizations that can be applied to architectures and runtimes that arise in the future. The control and execution models in FleCSI also provide formal nomenclature for describing poorly understood concepts like kernels and tasks.

Bergen, Ben↗

Programmable Phase Selection between Altermagnetic and Noncentrosymmetric Polymorphs of MnTe on InP via Molecular Beam Epitaxy

Phase selecting nearly degenerate crystalline polymorphs during epitaxial growth can be challenging yet critical to targeting physical properties for specific applications. Here, we establish how phase selectivity of altermagnetic and noncentrosymmetric polymorphs of MnTe can be programmed by subtle changes to the surface of lattice-matched InP substrates in molecular beam epitaxy growth. Bulk altermagnetic MnTe is thermodynamically stable in the hexagonal NiAs-structure and is synthesized here on the polar (111)A surface (In-terminated) of InP, while the noncentrosymmetric, cubic ZnS-structure with wide band gap (>3 eV), which epitaxially matches III–V materials, is stabilized on the (111)B surface (P-terminated). Electron microscopy, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, and reflection high-energy electron diffraction indicate that phase selection is triggered at the interface and proceeds along the growing surface. First-principles calculations suggest that interfacial termination and strain have a significant effect on the interfacial energy; stabilizing the NiAs polymorph on the In-terminated surface and the ZnS structure on the P-terminated surface. Here, selectively grown, high-quality, phase pure films of both MnTe polymorphs will enable our understanding of the novel properties of these materials, thereby facilitating their use in new applications ranging from spintronics to microelectronic devices.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

NSR&D Program Fiscal Year 2015 Funded Research Stochastic Modeling of Radioactive Material Releases Final Report

Nonreactor nuclear facilities operating under the approval authority of the U.S. Department of Energy use unmitigated hazard evaluations to determine if potential radiological doses associated with design basis events challenge or exceed dose evaluation guidelines. Unmitigated design basis events that sufficiently challenge dose evaluation guidelines or exceed the guidelines for members of the public or workers, merit selection of safety structures, systems, or components or other controls to prevent or mitigate the hazard. Idaho State University, in collaboration with Idaho National Laboratory, has developed a portable and simple to use software application called SODA (Stochastic Objective Decision-Aide) that stochastically calculates the radiation dose distribution associated with hypothetical radiological material release scenarios. Rather than producing a point estimate of the dose, SODA produces a dose distribution result to allow a deeper understanding of the dose potential. SODA allows users to select the distribution type and parameter values for all of the input variables used to perform the dose calculation. Users can also specify custom distributions through a user defined distribution option. SODA then randomly samples each distribution input variable and calculates the overall resulting dose distribution. In cases where an input variable distribution is unknown, a traditional single point value can be used. SODA, developed using the MATLAB coding framework, has a graphical user interface and can be installed on both Windows and Mac computers. SODA is a standalone software application and does not require MATLAB to function. SODA provides improved risk understanding leading to better informed decision making associated with establishing nuclear facility material-at-risk limits and safety structure, system, or component selection. It is important to note that SODA does not replace or compete with codes such as MACCS or RSAC; rather it is viewed as an easy to use supplemental tool to help improve risk understanding and support better informed decisions. The SODA development project was funded through a grant from the DOE Nuclear Safety Research and Development Program.

42 ENGINEERING↗

MPI Stages : A Serializable MPI Library

MPI library that supports serializing (and check-pointing) its MPI Stages is a communication library that allows nodes and programs in a computer cluster to communicate via the Message-Passing Interface (MPI). The internal data objects of the library are serializable, i.e., the user can convert the MPI state or objects, such as groups or communicators, into byte streams and save them into a checkpoint file. Later users can load the checkpoint file and de-serialize previous objects into the library. Serialization/de-serialization is useful in MPI applications to recover from node failures.

Ruefenacht, Martin↗

Ground Operations Aerospace Language (GOAL). Volume 3: Data bank

The GOAL (Ground Operations Aerospace Language) test programming language was developed for use in ground checkout operations in a space vehicle launch environment. To insure compatibility with a maximum number of applications, a systematic and error-free method of referencing command/response (analog and digital) hardware measurements is a principle feature of the language. Central to the concept of requiring the test language to be independent of launch complex equipment and terminology is that of addressing measurements via symbolic names that have meaning directly in the hardware units being tested. To form the link from test program through test system interfaces to the units being tested the concept of a data bank has been introduced. The data bank is actually a large cross-reference table that provides pertinent hardware data such as interface unit addresses, data bus routings, or any other system values required to locate and access measurements.

Source record↗

A simple element for multilayer beams in NASTRAN thermal stress analysis

In the application of NASTRAN, structural members are usually represented by bar elements with multipoint constraint cards to enforce the interface conditions. While this is a very powerful method in principle, it was found that in practice the process for specification of constraints became tedious and error prone, unless the geometry was simple and the number of grid points low. An alternative approach was found within the framework of the NASTRAN program. This approach made use of the idea that a thermal distortion in a multilayer beam may be similar to a homogeneous beam with a thermal gradient across the cross section. The exact mathematical derivation for the equivalent beam, and all the necessary formulae for the equivalent parameters in NASTRAN analysis are presented. Some numerical examples illustrate the simplicity and ease of this approach for finite element analysis.

Chen, W. T.↗

Computer analysis of heterojunction and graded bandgap solar cells

The development and application of a graded bandgap solar cell computer analysis program is discussed. The basic device equations as used in the computer analysis are discussed and the techniques used to model material parameter variations are described. Finally, the results of the computer analysis of several Al(x)Ga(1-x)As and GaAs(1-x)P(x) solar cell structures are presented along with a discussion of the effects of interface states and various composition profiles on maximum solar cell efficiency.

Sutherland, J. E.↗

Electric propulsion - Characteristics, applications, and status

As chemical propulsion systems were achieving their ultimate capability for planetary exploration, space scientists were developing solar electric propulsion as the propulsion system need for future missions. This paper provides a comparative review of the principles of ion thruster and chemical rocket operations and discusses the current status of the 30-cm mercury ion thruster development and the specifications imposed on the 30-cm thruster by the Solar Electric Propulsion System program. The 30-cm thruster operating range, efficiency, wear out lifetime, and interface requirements are described. Finally, the areas of 30-cm thruster technology that remain to be refined are discussed.

Maloy, J. E.↗

An ER-2 aircraft airborne lidar as part of the development program of a spaceborne system: A potential NASA/CNES cooperative project

A lidar system for atmospheric investigations to fly aboard a high altitude aircraft is introduced. Scientific objectives of the program are reviewed in terms of the expected accuracy and temporal and/or spatial resolution of measurements such as ozone vertical profiles in the troposphere and stratosphere, cirrus clouds studies, tropospheric and stratospheric aerosol monitoring and water vapor measurements in the boundary layer and at the troposphere stratosphere interface. The instrument is conceived as an autonomous, space qualified system as a first step towards a fully automated system for spaceborne applications.

Megie, G.↗

Development of large, horizontal-axis wind turbines

A program to develop large, horizontal-axis wind turbines is discussed. The program is directed toward developing the technology for safe, reliable, environmentally acceptable large wind turbines that can generate a significant amount of electricity at costs competitive with those of conventional electricity-generating systems. In addition, these large wind turbines must be fully compatible with electric utility operations and interface requirements. Several ongoing projects in large-wind-turbine development are directed toward meeting the technology requirements for utility applications. The machines based on first-generation technology (Mod-OA and Mod-1) successfully completed their planned periods of experimental operation in June, 1982. The second-generation machines (Mod-2) are in operation at selected utility sites. A third-generation machine (Mod-5) is under contract. Erection and initial operation of the Mod-5 in Hawaii should take place in 1986. Each successive generation of technology increased reliability and energy capture while reducing the cost of electricity. These advances are being made by gaining a better understanding of the system-design drivers, improving the analytical design tools, verifying design methods with operating field data, and incorporating new technology and innovative designs. Information is given on the results from the first- and second-generation machines (Mod-OA, - 1, and -2), the status of the Department of Interior, and the status of the third-generation wind turbine (Mod-5).

Baldwin, D. H.↗