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NASA NTRS1986

Multitasking the code ARC3D

The CRAY multitasking system was developed in order to utilize all four processors and sharply reduce the wall clock run time. This paper describes the techniques used to modify the computational fluid dynamics code ARC3D for this run and analyzes the achieved speedup. The ARC3D code solves either the Euler or thin-layer N-S equations using an implicit approximate factorization scheme. Results indicate that multitask processing can be used to achieve wall clock speedup factors of over three times, depending on the nature of the program code being used. Multitasking appears to be particularly advantageous for large-memory problems running on multiple CPU computers.

Barton, John T.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Navier-Stokes Aerodynamic Simulation of the V-22 Osprey on the Intel Paragon MPP

The paper will describe the Development of a general three-dimensional multiple grid zone Navier-Stokes flowfield simulation program (ENS3D-MPP) designed for efficient execution on the Intel Paragon Massively Parallel Processor (MPP) supercomputer, and the subsequent application of this method to the prediction of the viscous flowfield about the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor vehicle. The flowfield simulation code solves the thin Layer or full Navier-Stoke's equation - for viscous flow modeling, or the Euler equations for inviscid flow modeling on a structured multi-zone mesh. In the present paper only viscous simulations will be shown. The governing difference equations are solved using a time marching implicit approximate factorization method with either TVD upwind or central differencing used for the convective terms and central differencing used for the viscous diffusion terms. Steady state or Lime accurate solutions can be calculated. The present paper will focus on steady state applications, although time accurate solution analysis is the ultimate goal of this effort. Laminar viscosity is calculated using Sutherland's law and the Baldwin-Lomax two layer algebraic turbulence model is used to compute the eddy viscosity. The Simulation method uses an arbitrary block, curvilinear grid topology. An automatic grid adaption scheme is incorporated which concentrates grid points in high density gradient regions. A variety of user-specified boundary conditions are available. This paper will present the application of the scalable and superscalable versions to the steady state viscous flow analysis of the V-22 Osprey using a multiple zone global mesh. The mesh consists of a series of sheared cartesian grid blocks with polar grids embedded within to better simulate the wing tip mounted nacelle. MPP solutions will be shown in comparison to equivalent Cray C-90 results and also in comparison to experimental data. Discussions on meshing considerations, wall clock execution time, load balancing, and scalability will be provided.

Vadyak, Joseph↗

NASA NTRS2003

A Numerical Gamma-Ray Burst Simulation Using Three-Dimensional Relativistic Hydrodynamics: The Transition from Spherical to Jet-like Expansion

Utilizing 3D relativistic hydrodynamical calculations, we have examined the evolution of an expanding relativistic blob of gas intended to be representative of a jet associated with ejecta from an extremely energetic event such as a hypernova, that produces a gamma-ray burst (Aloy et al. 2000; Tan, Matzner, & McKee 2001; MacFadyen, Woosley, & Heger 2001, Zhang, Woosley, & Heger 2003, Zhang, Woosley, & MacFadyen 2003). Since these are the first such calculations applied to the blob during the time in which the afterglow radiation is produced, we have purposely kept them simple in an effort to concentrate on the most fundamental aspects of the physics. We restrict our attention to the transition from spherical to jetlike expansion that occurs during the time that the Lorentz factor becomes less than the reciprocal of the jet spreading angle. We have not yet attached specific numbers to our results. From the SRHD equations, one sees that the relevant quantities are the ratios of pressure to density, and of distance to time. If we specify either one of these two sets of numbers, the other one is also determined.

Cannizzo, John K.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Fatigue and associated performance decrements in air transport operations

A study of safety reports was conducted to examine the hypothesis that fatigue and associated performance decrements occur in air transport operations, and that these are associated with some combination of factors: circadian desynchronosis, duty time; pre-duty activity; sleep; work scheduling; workload; and environmental deprivation. The findings are based on a selected sample of reported incidents in which the reporter associated fatigue with the occurrence. In comparing the fatigue reports with a control set, significant performance decrements were found to exist related to time-of-day, awareness and attention to duty, less significantly, final phases of flights. The majority of the fatigue incidents involved such unsafe events as altitude deviations, takeoffs and landing without clearance, and the like. Considerations of duty and sleep are the major factors in the reported fatigue conditions.

Lyman, E. G.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Stress Intensity Factors for Part-Through Surface Cracks in Hollow Cylinders

Flaws resulting from improper welding and forging are usually modeled as cracks in flat plates, hollow cylinders or spheres. The stress intensity factor solutions for these crack cases are of great practical interest. This report describes some recent efforts at improving the stress intensity factor solutions for cracks in such geometries with emphasis on hollow cylinders. Specifically, two crack configurations for cylinders are documented. One is that of a surface crack in an axial plane and the other is a part-through thumb-nail crack in a circumferential plane. The case of a part-through surface crack in flat plates is used as a limiting case for very thin cylinders. A combination of the two cases for cylinders is used to derive a relation for the case of a surface crack in a sphere. Solutions were sought which cover the entire range of the geometrical parameters such as cylinder thickness, crack aspect ratio and crack depth. Both the internal and external position of the cracks are considered for cylinders and spheres. The finite element method was employed to obtain the basic solutions. Power-law form of loading was applied in the case of flat plates and axial cracks in cylinders and uniform tension and bending loads were applied in the case of circumferential (thumb-nail) cracks in cylinders. In the case of axial cracks, the results for tensile and bending loads were used as reference solutions in a weight function scheme so that the stress intensity factors could be computed for arbitrary stress gradients in the thickness direction. For circumferential cracks, since the crack front is not straight, the above technique could not be used. Hence for this case, only the tension and bending solutions are available at this time. The stress intensity factors from the finite element method were tabulated so that results for various geometric parameters such as crack depth-to-thickness ratio (a/t), crack aspect ratio (a/c) and internal radius-to-thickness ratio (R/t) or the crack length-to-width ratio (2c/W) could be obtained by interpolation and extrapolation. Such complete tables were then incorporated into the NASA/FLAGRO computer program which is widely used by the aerospace community for fracture mechanics analysis.

Mettu, Sambi R.↗

DOE OSTI2020

Correction of Q Factor Effects for Simultaneous Collection of Elemental Analysis and Relaxation Times by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

A new method for measurement of elemental analysis by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) of unknown samples is discussed in this report as a quick and robust means to measure elemental ratios without the use of internal or external calibration standards. The determination of elemental ratios was done by normalizing the signal intensities by the frequency dependent quality factor (Q) and the gyromagnetic ratios (γ) for each measured nucleus. The correction for the frequency dependence was found by characterizing the output signal of the probe as a function of the quality factor (Q) and the frequency, and the correction for γ was discussed in a previous study. A Carr–Purcell–Meiboom–Gill (CPMG) pulse sequence was used for evaluation of the relative signal intensities, which allows for derivation of elemental ratios, and was correspondingly used to simultaneously measure the T 2 * of samples for an added parameter for more accurate identification of unknown samples.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

NASA NTRS2008

The Advanced Pair Telescope (APT) Mission Concept

We present a mission concept for the Advanced Pair Telescope (APT), a high-energy gamma-ray instrument with an order of magnitude improvement in sensitivity, 6 sr field of view, and angular resolution a factor of 3-10 times that of GLAST. With its very wide instantaneous field-of-view and large effective area, this instrument would be capable of detecting GRBs at very large redshifts, would enable a very high resolution study of SNRs and PWN, and could provide hour-scale temporal resolution of transients from many AGN and galactic sources. The APT instrument will consist of a Xe time-projection-chamber tracker that bridges the energy regime between Compton scattering and pair production and will provide an unprecedented improvement in angular resolution; a thick scintillating-fiber trackerlcalorimeter that will provide sensitivity and energy resolution to higher energies and will possess a factor of 10 improvement in geometric factor over GLAST; and an anticoincidence detector using scintillator-tiles to reject charged particles. After the anticipated 10-years of GLAST operation , the APT instrument would provide continued coverage of the critial high-energy gamma-ray band (between 30 MeV to 100 GeV), providing an essential component of broad-band multiwavelength studies of the high-energy universe.

Hunter, Stanley↗

DOE OSTI2026

Tracking Thermal Transport in Colloidal Quantum Dot Films Using in Situ Time-Resolved X-ray Diffraction

Colloidal quantum dots (QDs) and their thin films are increasingly used in electronic and photonic devices replacing traditional bulk semiconductors. However, thermal properties of QDs remain underexplored relative to device development efforts. This study shows the use of time-resolved X-ray diffraction as a contact-free method to probe the thermal response of QDs in environments representative of the active layer in QD optoelectronic devices, providing in situ insights for future thermal management strategies. Through the extraction of Debye–Waller factors on a subnanosecond time scale, we directly capture the heating and cooling of core/shell CdSe/CdS QDs following pulsed optical excitation. In a QD thin film that actively provides optical gain, the thermal conductivity is found to be as low as 0.13 W m –1 K –1 , because of the poor heat flow between close-packed QD solids. For QDs dispersed in liquids, interfacial thermal conductance dominates thermal relaxation, with a conductance of 15 MW m –2 K –1 .

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

NASA NTRS1977

A solution to the Navier-Stokes equations based upon the Newton Kantorovich method

An implicit finite difference scheme based on the Newton-Kantorovich technique was developed for the numerical solution of the nonsteady, incompressible, two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations in conservation-law form. The algorithm was second-order-time accurate, noniterative with regard to the nonlinear terms in the vorticity transport equation except at the earliest few time steps, and spatially factored. Numerical results were obtained with the technique for a circular cylinder at Reynolds number 15. Results indicate that the technique is in excellent agreement with other numerical techniques for all geometries and Reynolds numbers investigated, and indicates a potential for significant reduction in computation time over current iterative techniques.

Davis, J. E.↗

DOE OSTI2026

Assessing the accuracy of time-fraction and ductility exhaustion approaches for creep-fatigue damage prediction through feature-test validation

Determining creep-fatigue damage formation is critical for elevated temperature components integrity. This study evaluates creep-fatigue assessments with emphasis on differences between creep damage models. Evaluated are the time-fraction model and the classical and stress-modified ductility exhaustion creep damage models. This work extends the domain of stress-modified ductility exhaustion models by introducing and validating such formalism to Ni-based alloys. The fidelity of the assessments was benchmarked against uniaxial creep-fatigue and multiaxial feature tests of Alloy 617. For uniaxial specimens, best estimate predictions rank ductility exhaustion as the most accurate and precise and time-fraction as markedly conservative. For feature tests, ductility exhaustion predictions are within < 4.0 times difference, whereas time-fraction underpredicts life by factors of 7–14. The observations suggest ductility exhaustion models as alternative to time-fraction models in design codes for situations requiring characterization of the design margin. Further work in employing such models to assess other relevant phenomena (e.g., stress relaxation cracking) is discussed.

creep-fatigue↗

NASA NTRS1988

An algorithm for unsteady flows with strong convection

An implicit ADI numerical method for the calculation of 2-D unsteady flows with strong convection effects is described. The method is based on the conventional Crank-Nicholson approach for parabolic equations but an upwind-downwind differencing is used for the first order spatial derivatives associated with convection. The differencing is carried out in the current and previous time plane in such a way that the algorithm is second order accurate in both space and time. The difference equations are factored into sequential operators, one in each independent spatial variable; the solution at each time step may then be computed as a sequence of tridiagonal matrix problems. The method may be used in a noniterative manner although iteration at each time step is recommended in situations where the effects of convection are strong.

Peridier, Vallorie↗

DOE OSTI2020

LA17-V-InverseRadTransportProblem-PD2Kb. Final Project Report

In the inverse radiation transport problem, a radiation signal emanating from an unknown object is used to reconstruct geometric and material parameters of the object , e.g., the mass of special nuclear material (SNM), the isotopic composition of the SNM (e.g., the enrichment of 235U), the thickness of shielding, etc. The inverse radiation transport problem is one of the most fundamental and important in the emergency response mission, and has been addressed in previous NA-22 and NA-42/84 investments by using derivative-free optimization methods. Our project was aimed at (i) consolidating previous work by applying polynomial chaos expansion (PCE) for reducing significantly the number of forward model simulations required by derivative-free optimization methods; (ii) developing a general-purpose framework and stand-alone software for solving the inverse radiation transport problem by applying a new “predictive modeling” methodology (predictive modeling of coupled multi-physics systems, PM_CMPS) which enables the fusing of experimental and computational information; and (iii) developing several benchmarks (for unscattered gamma rays) for demonstrating the quantification of non-Gaussian features (e.g., skewness and kurtosis, which characterize asymmetries and long tails) of response distributions by deterministically and efficiently propagating parameter uncertainties (covariances and higher-order moments, where available) using high-order sensitivities computed by the recently developed comprehensive adjoint sensitivity analysis methodology (C-ASAM). With regard to (i), application of PCE, the most significant accomplishment of this project was an implementation of PCE into INVERSE that significantly reduced computation time for the DiffeRential Evolution Adaptive Metropolis (DREAM) and Differential Evolution (DE) methods. For inverse transport problems with measurements of neutron leakage, neutron multiplication, and neutron-induced gamma-rays, the solution times for the DREAM and DE methods were reduced by factors of 30-300, reducing run times from hours to minutes while maintaining the same accuracy as the standard (non-PCE) DREAM and DE. Speedups were further improved by exploring sparse grid quadrature sets using the Toolkit for Adaptive Stochastic Modeling and Non-Intrusive ApproximatioN (Tasmanian) toolset. An initial exploration of sparse grids indicated that further speedups factors of 5-10 are obtainable. The implementation of PCE in INVERSE is not in a form that users can easily access. With regard to (ii), solving the inverse problem using a predictive modeling paradigm, the most significant accomplishment of this project were the derivation and implementation of adjoint-based second derivatives in neutron and photon transport theory. There are two codes that compute these derivatives. SENSPG computes them for uncollided gamma rays and SENSMG computes them for neutron leakage. SENSMG is open-source code available on github. Other significant accomplishments included a stand-alone code, MULTI-PRED, that implements the predictive modeling paradigm, along with a detailed manual. The code was implemented in the existing INVERSE code for inverse problems, but a head-to-head comparison of inverse methods was not achieved. We also derived and implemented the capability to compute sensitivities for multiplicity measurements into the SENSMG code, and this capability was used in a data assimilation application, but it was not used for solving inverse problems. With regard to (iii), developing benchmarks to demonstrate the importance of high-order sensitivity and uncertainty analysis, the most significant accomplishment of this project were two test problems that showed how important second-order sensitivities are.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗

DOE OSTI2025

Towards an Introspective Dynamic Model of Globally Distributed Computing Infrastructures

Large-scale scientific collaborations like ATLAS, Belle II, CMS, DUNE, and others involve hundreds of research institutes and thousands of researchers spread across the globe. These experiments generate petabytes of data, with volumes soon expected to reach exabytes. Consequently, there is a growing need for computation, including structured data processing from raw data to consumer-ready derived data, extensive Monte Carlo simulation campaigns, and a wide range of end-user analysis. To manage these computational and storage demands, centralized workflow and data management systems are implemented. However, decisions regarding data placement and payload allocation are often made disjointly and via heuristic means. A significant obstacle in adopting more effective heuristic or AI-driven solutions is the absence of a quick and reliable introspective dynamic model to evaluate and refine alternative approaches. In this study, we aim to develop such an interactive system using real-world data. By examining job execution records from the PanDA workflow management system, we have pinpointed key performance indicators such as queuing time, error rate, and the extent of remote data access. The dataset includes five months of activity. Additionally, we are creating a generative AI model to simulate time series of payloads, which incorporate visible features like category, event count, and submitting group, as well as hidden features like the total computational load—derived from existing PanDA records and computing site capabilities. These hidden features, which are not visible to job allocators, whether heuristic or AI-driven, influence factors such as queuing times and data movement.

kilic, Ozgur Ozan [Brookhaven National Laboratory ↗

NASA NTRS1989

Flux-vector splitting for unsteady calculations on dynamic meshes

The method of flux vector splitting used is that of Van Leer. The fluxes split in this manner have the advantage of being continuously differentiable at eigenvalue sign changes and this allows normal shocks to be captured with at most two interior zones, although in practice only one zone is usually observed. The fluxes as originally derived, however did not include the necessary terms appropriate for calculations on a dynamic mesh. The extension of the splitting to include these terms while retaining the advantages of the original splitting is the main purpose of this investigation. In addition, the use of multiple grids to reduce the computer time is investigated. A subiterative procedure to eliminate factorization and linearization error so that larger time steps can be used is also investigated.

Anderson, W. Kyle↗

NASA NTRS1996

Conceptual Design Oriented Wing Structural Analysis and Optimization

Airplane optimization has always been the goal of airplane designers. In the conceptual design phase, a designer's goal could be tradeoffs between maximum structural integrity, minimum aerodynamic drag, or maximum stability and control, many times achieved separately. Bringing all of these factors into an iterative preliminary design procedure was time consuming, tedious, and not always accurate. For example, the final weight estimate would often be based upon statistical data from past airplanes. The new design would be classified based on gross characteristics, such as number of engines, wingspan, etc., to see which airplanes of the past most closely resembled the new design. This procedure works well for conventional airplane designs, but not very well for new innovative designs. With the computing power of today, new methods are emerging for the conceptual design phase of airplanes. Using finite element methods, computational fluid dynamics, and other computer techniques, designers can make very accurate disciplinary-analyses of an airplane design. These tools are computationally intensive, and when used repeatedly, they consume a great deal of computing time. In order to reduce the time required to analyze a design and still bring together all of the disciplines (such as structures, aerodynamics, and controls) into the analysis, simplified design computer analyses are linked together into one computer program. These design codes are very efficient for conceptual design. The work in this thesis is focused on a finite element based conceptual design oriented structural synthesis capability (CDOSS) tailored to be linked into ACSYNT.

Lau, May Yuen↗

NASA NTRS2013

Acoustic Emission Health Monitoring of Fill Purge COPV's Used in Aerospace and Automotive Applications and Designed for Long Cycle Life

Cumulative composite damage in composite pressure vessels (CPVs) currently is not monitored on-orbit. Consequently, hazards due to catastrophic burst before leak (BBL) or compromised CPV reliability cannot be ascertained or mitigated, posing a risk to crew and mission assurance. The energy associated with CPV rupture can be significant, especially with high pressure gases are under containment, and the energy releases can be severe enough to cause injury, death, loss of assets or mission. Dual-Use Rationale: CPVs similar to those used by NASA on ISS, for example, are finding increasing use in automotive and transportation industry applications. These CPVs generally have a nonload sharing liner and are repeatedly filled over their service lifetime, typically with hydrogen or compressed natural gas (CNG). The same structural health monitoring equipment and software developed by NASA WSTF for evaluating, in real-time, the health of NASA CPVs on ISS will be used to evaluate the health of automotive CPVs, the only differences being the type and design of the CPV, and the in-service lifetime pressure histories. HSF Need(s)/Performance Characteristic(s) Supported: 1) Enable on-board vehicle systems management for mission critical functions at destinations with > 3 second time delay 2) Enable autonomous nominal operations and FDIR for crewed and un-crewed systems 3) Reduce on-board crew time to sustain and manage vehicle by factor of 2x at destinations with > 6 second time delay (see Crew Autonomy sheet) 4) Reduce earth-based mission ops "back room engineering" requirements for distant mission support delay (see Mission Autonomy sheet)

Waller, Jess↗

DOE OSTI2022

Physical Controls on Irrigation Return Flow Contributions to Stream Flow in Irrigated Alluvial Valleys

Irrigation can be a significant source of groundwater recharge in many agricultural regions, particularly in arid and semi-arid climates. Once infiltrated, irrigation recharge can travel via subsurface flowpaths that return to the river system in a lagged manner, supplementing natural streamflow weeks, months, or even years from when the irrigation was applied. In regions that experience low flows during summer and early fall, return flows can be a significant source of supplementary streamflow. Many water planning and operations models either ignore return flows or roughly approximate them with analytical solutions. Thus, return flows represent an important but often overlooked component of the hydrological exchange and overall water balance in agricultural regions. This study uses groundwater models to explore a wide range of factors that control irrigation return flow timing in irrigated alluvial valleys. A sensitivity analysis approach is used to assess how factors such as the extent of irrigated land adjacent to a stream, irrigation recharge rate, aquifer hydraulic conductivity, aquifer thickness, water table configuration, and seasonal fluctuations in stream stage control the timing of subsurface return flows. Modeling is conducted using MODFLOW models representing an irrigated alluvial valley adjacent to a stream. While a simplification of the full complexity in real systems, the models are a significant advancement from the analytical solution and provide new insight into the timescales of return flows over a broad range of possible conditions. To contextualize our modeling results, they are compared to an analytical solution commonly used for approximating return flows to evaluate its performance. Our findings show what factors and conditions influence return flow timing and control whether they contribute to streamflow over short term (months) or longer term (seasonal) time scales.

Ferencz, Stephen B.↗

DOE OSTI2024

AC Magnetometry Using Nano-ferrofluid Cladded Multimode Interferometric Fiber Optic Sensors for Power Grid Monitoring Applications

The AC magnetic field response of the superparamagnetic nano-ferrofluid is an interplay between the Neel and Brownian relaxation processes and is generally quantified via the susceptibility measurements at high frequencies. The high frequency limit is dictated by these relaxation times which need to be shorter than the time scale of the time varying magnetic field for the nano-ferrofluid to be considered in an equilibrium state at each time instant. Even though the high frequency response of ferrofluid has been extensively investigated for frequencies up to GHz range by non-optical methods, harnessing dynamic response by optical means for AC magnetic field sensing in fiber-optic-based sensors-field remains unexplored. Instead, the incorporation of nano-ferrofluid as sensing materials has been only limited to DC magnetic field sensing, often citing their long response time as a limiting factor to AC field sensing. This work reports the finding of high frequency (up to 15 kHz) AC magnetic field sensing capability of nanomagnetic fluid as the cladding material of a fiber-optic multimode interferometry (MMI) structure optimized for the fourth self-imaging spectral response. The key parameter enabling high frequency response is the short response time (<1 ms) achieved by optimizing both the sensing structure and nano-ferrofluid solution. Focus has been imparted on 60 Hz line-frequency profiles of various current/magnetic fields to test the efficacy of these sensors in metering and monitoring current and current-induced magnetic fields in the electrical power grid systems. The magnetic field sensitivity of 240 mV/Gauss per dBm of transmitted power was achieved for 60 Hz field applied via Helmholtz coil, whereas the 60 Hz AC current sensitivity of 2.83 mV/A was measured due to magnetic field induced by current in a straight conducting wire.

42 ENGINEERING↗