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At least 1,243 records · Page 69

Integration Roadmap for Multi-Scale, Multi-Physics Mass Accountancy in Molten Salt Reactors

The objective of the integration roadmap is to describe the necessary physics required and a plan for modeling and simulation approach for predicting mass accountancy in molten salt reactors on an engineering scale. The thermophysical properties and the underlying thermodynamics are fundamental inputs. Therefore, the modeling will span length scales from first principles calculations to the engineering scale. The intention is to predict where material accumulates in a reactor core and loop and to understand perturbations on the systems level, for example the downstream effects from a turbine failure

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

The value of in-reservoir energy storage for flexible dispatch of geothermal power

Geothermal systems making use of advanced drilling and well stimulation techniques have the potential to provide tens to hundreds of gigawatts of clean electricity generation in the United States by 2050. With near-zero variable costs, geothermal plants have traditionally been envisioned as providing “baseload” power, generating at their maximum rated output at all times. However, as variable renewable energy sources (VREs) see greater deployment in energy markets, baseload power is becoming increasingly less competitive relative to flexible, dispatchable generation and energy storage. Herein we conduct an analysis of the potential for future geothermal plants to provide both of these services, taking advantage of the natural properties of confined, engineered geothermal reservoirs to store energy in the form of accumulated, pressurized geofluid and provide flexible load-following generation. We develop a linear optimization model based on multi-physics reservoir simulations that captures the transient pressure and flow behaviors within a confined, engineered geothermal reservoir. We then optimize the investment decisions and hourly operations of a power plant exploiting such a reservoir against a set of historical and modeled future electricity price series. Further, we find that operational flexibility and in-reservoir energy storage can significantly enhance the value of geothermal plants in markets with high VRE penetration, with energy value improvements of up to 60% relative to conventional baseload plants operating under identical conditions. Across a range of realistic subsurface and operational conditions, our modeling demonstrates that confined, engineered geothermal reservoirs can provide large and effectively free energy storage capacity, with round-trip storage efficiencies comparable to those of leading grid-scale energy storage technologies. Optimized operational strategies indicate that flexible geothermal plants can provide both short- and long-duration energy storage, prioritizing output during periods of high electricity prices. Sensitivity analysis assesses the variation in outcomes across a range of subsurface conditions and cost scenarios.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

An Experimental Study of Uncertainty Considerations Associated with Predicting Auto-ignition Timing using Livengood-Wu Integral Method

The application of the Livengood-Wu (LW) integral method as a tool to estimate knock onset in spark ignited (SI) engines and combustion phasing in advanced compression ignition (ACI) engines has been demonstrated through simulations several times. In this study, the effect of uncertainties associated with parameters required for the LW integral method, when used as a tool for model based control of ignition timing in an ACI engine, were experimentally studied using five full boiling range gasoline fuels. As a first step, the method was applied to experimental data from a rapid compression machine and it was found that the ability of the LW integral method to predict ignition timing was very sensitive to the performance of the chemical kinetic model of each fuel. The method was subsequently applied to experimental data from a single-cylinder gasoline engine with simple approximations for the LW integral input parameters, and it was found that the predicted time of ignition was significantly different from the actual start of combustion. Systematic evaluation of various parametric uncertainties conducted thereafter showed that the uncertainty in cylinder charge temperature has the greatest influence. Improved methods of estimating cylinder charge temperature are proposed to account for the previously determined corrections, to enable the use of the LW integral method for model based control of ignition timing.

Compression Ignition↗

DEEP CELLULAR RECURRENT NEURAL ARCHITECTURE FOR EFFICIENT MULTIDIMENSIONAL TIME-SERIES DATA PROCESSING

Efficient processing of time series data is a fundamental yet challenging problem in pattern recognition. Though recent developments in machine learning and deep learning have enabled remarkable improvements in processing large scale datasets in many application domains, most are designed and regulated to handle inputs that are static in time. Many real-world data, such as in biomedical, surveillance and security, financial, manufacturing and engineering applications, are rarely static in time, and demand models able to recognize patterns in both space and time. Current machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) models adapted for time series processing tend to grow in complexity and size to accommodate the additional dimensionality of time. Specifically, the biologically inspired learning based models known as artificial neural networks that have shown extraordinary success in pattern recognition, tend to grow prohibitively large and cumbersome in the presence of large scale multi-dimensional time series biomedical data such as EEG. Consequently, this work aims to develop representative ML and DL models for robust and efficient large scale time series processing. First, we design a novel ML pipeline with efficient feature engineering to process a large scale multi-channel scalp EEG dataset for automated detection of epileptic seizures. With the use of a sophisticated yet computationally efficient time-frequency analysis technique known as harmonic wavelet packet transform and an efficient self-similarity computation based on fractal dimension, we achieve state-of-the-art performance for automated seizure detection in EEG data. Subsequently, we investigate the development of a novel efficient deep recurrent learning model for large scale time series processing. For this, we first study the functionality and training of a biologically inspired neural network architecture known as cellular simultaneous recurrent neural network (CSRN). We obtain a generalization of this network for multiple topological image processing tasks and investigate the learning efficacy of the complex cellular architecture using several state-of-the?art training methods. Finally, we develop a novel deep cellular recurrent neural network (CDRNN) architecture based on the biologically inspired distributed processing used in CSRN for processing time series data. The proposed DCRNN leverages the cellular recurrent architecture to promote extensive weight sharing and efficient, individualized, synchronous processing of multi-source time series data. Experiments on a large scale multi-channel scalp EEG, and a machine fault detection dataset show that the proposed DCRNN offers state-of-the-art recognition performance while using substantially fewer trainable recurrent units.

Vidyaratne, Lasitha S.↗

The value of human data annotation for machine learning based anomaly detection in environmental systems

Anomaly detection is the process of identifying unexpected data samples in datasets. Automated anomaly detection is either performed using supervised machine learning models, which require a labelled dataset for their calibration, or unsupervised models, which do not require labels. While academic research has produced a vast array of tools and machine learning models for automated anomaly detection, the research community focused on environmental systems still lacks a comparative analysis that is simultaneously comprehensive, objective, and systematic. This knowledge gap is addressed for the first time in this study, where 15 different supervised and unsupervised anomaly detection models are evaluated on 5 different environmental datasets from engineered and natural aquatic systems. To this end, anomaly detection performance, labelling efforts, as well as the impact of model and algorithm tuning are taken into account. As a result, our analysis reveals the relative strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches in an objective manner without bias for any particular paradigm in machine learning. Most importantly, our results show that expert-based data annotation is extremely valuable for anomaly detection based on machine learning.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Hydrogen Extremely Low Probability of Rupture Version 1

SAND2024-08511O The Hydrogen Extremely Low Probability of Rupture (HELPR) software toolkit provides probabilistic fracture assessments of natural gas infrastructure for transporting hydrogen. Using probabilistic sampling and sensitivity analysis—along with engineering fatigue and fracture mechanics— the software develops models that can predict structural integrity measures for natural gas pipelines under stress. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525.

Schroeder, Benjamin↗

Modular Growth and Nucleation Formulations in Modular Plasticity Models

Recent investigations like the second and third Sandia Fracture Challenges have characterized and demonstrated the performance of a variety of failure techniques and models. These surveys have considered a wide breadth of models encapsulating both general failure criteria as well as those focusing on pore nucleation and growth. Extensive reviews exist on both topics. The former category generally consists of classic models like the Johnson-Cook or Wilkins criteria. These models were recently added to modular plasticity models in the Library of Advanced Materials for Engineering (LAME) as criteria for use with element death capabilities. The latter category was not treated in that effort. There exists a large class of failure models based on predicting the evolution of pores and failure associated with such microstructures. While the exact mechanisms and corresponding impact on the macroscale behavior remain an active area of research, a large suite of formulations have been proposed combining different features of both pore nucleation and subsequent growth. The most famous of these are based on the popular Gurson model of pore growth derived via micromechanical analysis assuming a plastically incompressible matrix. Numerous other models exist for both growth and nucleation and the Cocks-Ashby growth and Horstemeyer-Gokhale nucleation models have been used successfully in recent Sandia Fracture Challenges. This specific combination is colloquially referred to as the "BCJ-failure model as it has been frequently used with the Bammann-Chisea-Johnson plasticity model.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

PlasmoData.jl — A Julia framework for modeling and analyzing complex data as graphs

Datasets encountered in scientific and engineering applications appear in complex formats (e.g., images, multivariate time series, molecules, video, text strings, networks). Graph theory provides a unifying framework to model such datasets and enables the use of powerful tools that can help analyze, visualize, and extract value from data. In this work, we present PlasmoData.jl, an open-source, Julia framework that uses concepts of graph theory to facilitate the modeling and analysis of complex datasets. The core of our framework is a general data modeling abstraction, which we call a DataGraph. We show how the abstraction and software implementation can be used to represent diverse data objects as graphs and to enable the use of tools from topology, graph theory, and machine learning (e.g., graph neural networks) to conduct a variety of tasks. We illustrate the versatility of the framework by using real datasets: (i) an image classification problem using topological data analysis to extract features from the graph model to train machine learning models; (ii) a disease outbreak problem where we model multivariate time series as graphs to detect abnormal events; and (iii) a technology pathway analysis problem where we highlight how we can use graphs to navigate connectivity. Further, our discussion also highlights how PlasmoData.jl leverages native Julia capabilities to enable compact syntax, scalable computations, and interfaces with diverse packages. Overall, we show that the DataGraph abstraction and PlasmoData.jl Julia package are able to model data within graphs and enable useful analysis.

96 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRESERVATION↗

What’s the Difference? The Potential for Convolutional Neural Networks for Transient Detection without Template Subtraction

Abstract We present a study of the potential for convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to enable separation of astrophysical transients from image artifacts, a task known as “real–bogus” classification, without requiring a template-subtracted (or difference) image, which requires a computationally expensive process to generate, involving image matching on small spatial scales in large volumes of data. Using data from the Dark Energy Survey, we explore the use of CNNs to (1) automate the real–bogus classification and (2) reduce the computational costs of transient discovery. We compare the efficiency of two CNNs with similar architectures, one that uses “image triplets” (templates, search, and difference image) and one that takes as input the template and search only. We measure the decrease in efficiency associated with the loss of information in input, finding that the testing accuracy is reduced from ∼96% to ∼91.1%. We further investigate how the latter model learns the required information from the template and search by exploring the saliency maps. Our work (1) confirms that CNNs are excellent models for real–bogus classification that rely exclusively on the imaging data and require no feature engineering task and (2) demonstrates that high-accuracy (>90%) models can be built without the need to construct difference images, but some accuracy is lost. Because, once trained, neural networks can generate predictions at minimal computational costs, we argue that future implementations of this methodology could dramatically reduce the computational costs in the detection of transients in synoptic surveys like Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time by bypassing the difference image analysis entirely.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Kokkos v.4.0

SAND2023-07883O Kokkos software implements C++ performance portability programming models, tools and math libraries, which enables science and engineering software developers to use single-source codes for a wide range of computer architectures. Kokkos also provides implementations of existing and proposed C++ standard features that support programming model and math libraries that are used for implementing performance-portable scientific and engineering applications. The Kokkos libraries provide algorithms, data structures, and tools to enable high-performance computing developers to write performance-portable code. Capabilities fall into three broad categories: Kokkos Core, Kokkos Kernels, and Kokkos Tools. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525.

SciDAC↗

Explaining Nonmerger Gamma-Ray Bursts and Broad-lined Supernovae with Close Binary Progenitors with Black Hole Central Engines

For over 25 yr, the origin of long-duration gamma-ray bursts (lGRBs) has been linked to the collapse of rotating massive stars. However, we have yet to pinpoint the stellar progenitor powering these transients. Moreover, the dominant engine powering the explosions remains open to debate. Observations of both lGRBs, supernovae associated with these GRBs, such as broad-line (BL) stripped-envelope (type Ic) supernovae (hereafter, Ic-BL), supernovae (SNe), and perhaps superluminous SNe, fast blue optical transients, and fast x-ray transients, may provide clues to both engines and progenitors. In this paper, we conduct a detailed study of the tight-binary formation scenario for lGRBs, comparing this scenario to other leading progenitor models. Combining this progenitor scenario with different lGRB engines, we can compare to existing data and make predictions for future observational tests. We find that the combination of the tight-binary progenitor scenario with the black hole accretion disk engine can explain lGRBs, low-luminosity GRBs, ultra-long GRBs, and Ic-BL. We discuss the various progenitor properties required for these different subclasses and note such systems would be future gravitational-wave merger sources. We show that the current literature on other progenitor-engine scenarios cannot explain all of these transient classes with a single origin, motivating additional work. We find that the tight-binary progenitor with a magnetar engine is excluded by existing observations. The observations can be used to constrain the properties of stellar evolution, the nature of the GRB, and the associated SN engines in lGRBs and Ic-BL. We discuss the future observations needed to constrain our understanding of these rare, but powerful, explosions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

FY24 Laboratory Directed Research and Development Annual Report

The Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program yields foundational scientific research and development (R&D) essential to growing SRNL’s core competencies, in alignment with SRNL’s Strategic Plan to provide long-term benefits to the Department of Energy (DOE), the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), and other customers and stakeholders. Five strategic goals are outlined in SRNL’s strategic plan: 1) Provide applied science and engineering for EM’s active clean-up sites and LM’s post closure management sites 2) Provide science-based solutions for gaps identified in nonproliferation strategic vision and support the government in activities impacting national security 3) Lead Science, Technology & Engineering as the central technical authority for processing tritium loaded reservoirs and support production of plutonium pits 4) Align science and energy security programs by focusing modern modeling, simulation, and data analytics tools on materials engineering and performance applications 5) Build a workforce for the future

Clark, Sue [Savannah River National Laboratory (SR↗

Engineering Dynamically Decoupled Quantum Simulations with Trapped Ions

An external drive can improve the coherence of a quantum many-body system by averaging out noise sources. It can also be used to realize models that are inaccessible in the static limit, through Floquet Hamiltonian engineering. The full possibilities for combining these tools remain unexplored. We develop the requirements needed for a pulse sequence to decouple a quantum many-body system from an external field without altering the intended dynamics. Demonstrating this technique experimentally in an ion-trap platform, we show that it can provide a large improvement to coherence in real-world applications. Finally, we engineer an approximate quantum simulation of the Haldane-Shastry model, an exactly solvable paradigm for long-range interacting spins. Our results expand and unify the quantum simulation toolbox.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Sorghum bicolor Core Metabolism Model

Upregulation of triacylglycerols (TAGs) in vegetative plant tissues such as leaves has the potential to drastically increase the energy density and biomass yield of bioenergy crops. In this context, constraint-based analysis has the promise to improve metabolic engineering strategies. Here we present a core metabolism model for the C4 biomass crop Sorghum bicolor (iTJC1414) along with a minimal model for photosynthetic CO2 assimilation, sucrose and TAG biosynthesis in C3 plants. Extending iTJC1414 to a four-cell diel model we simulate C4 photosynthesis in mature leaves with the principal photo-assimilatory product being replaced by TAG produced at different levels. Independent of specific pathways and per unit carbon assimilated, energy content and biosynthetic demands in reducing equivalents are about 1.3 to 1.4 times higher for TAG than for sucrose. For plant generic pathways, ATP- and NADPH-demands per CO2 assimilated are higher by 1.3- and 1.5-fold, respectively. If the photosynthetic supply in ATP and NADPH in iTJC1414 is adjusted to be balanced for sucrose as the sole photo-assimilatory product, overproduction of TAG is predicted to cause a substantial surplus in photosynthetic ATP. This means that if TAG synthesis was the sole photo-assimilatory process, there could be an energy imbalance that might impede the process. Adjusting iTJC1414 to a photo-assimilatory rate that approximates field conditions, we predict possible daily rates of TAG accumulation, dependent on varying ratios of carbon partitioning between exported assimilates and accumulated oil droplets (TAG, oleosin) and in dependence of activation of futile cycles of TAG synthesis and degradation. We find that, based on the capacity of leaves for photosynthetic synthesis of exported assimilates, mature leaves should be able to reach a 20% level of TAG per dry weight within one month if only 5% of the photosynthetic net assimilation can be allocated into oil droplets. From this we conclude that high TAG levels should be achievable if TAG synthesis is induced only during a final phase of the plant life cycle.

Feedstock Production↗

Physics-Informed Machine Learning Model for Ceramic Matrix Composite Creep

A physics-informed recurrent neural network (RNN) based surrogate model is developed to emulate the nonlinear, time-dependent constitutive behavior of ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) driven by matrix damage and constituent creep at the microscale. Physics-informed constraints are introduced into the surrogate model through regularization to ground the prediction in physics and improve its predictive capabilities. Training data is generated using the high-fidelity generalized method of cells (HFGMC) approach which calls appropriate creep and damage models for each of the constituents. This coupling permits simulating the nonlinear behavior of CMCs based on constituent response at the microscale along with microstructural features such as fiber and porosity volume fraction and fiber radius. The microscale repeating unit cell is loaded under creep fatigue conditions to replicate the material loading experienced in a turbine engine. Therefore, the RNN-based surrogate model is tasked with predicting, as a function of variable input stress sequence, temperature, and microstructural features, the resulting strain history response while satisfying physical constraints related to creep rate, isochoric inelastic deformation, and strain energy density. The trained surrogate model is shown to effectively match the strain history over quantified distributions of microstructural features and relevant loading regimes and temperatures. Neural network based surrogate models can offer efficient alternatives to running computationally intensive multiscale material models to simulate the nonlinear response of large structural models. Therefore, the presented work provides evidence towards the feasibility of developing, training, and running such models for CMCs with complex microstructures, nonlinear time-dependent material response, and under non-monotonic loading conditions.

ceramic matrix composites↗

Critical Shape for the Growth of Grain Boundary Twin Embryos in Mg and Mg Alloys: Crystal Plasticity Modeling

Application of polycrystalline hexagonal close packed (HCP) metals in engineering designs has been constrained by their anisotropic responses due to twinning and limited plasticity. In deformation, twins most often initiate at grain boundaries (GBs), and thicken and propagate across the grain. In this work, the GB twin embryos in Mg and Mg alloys, and the conditions that influence their propagation are investigated. Using a micromechanical crystal plasticity model, the role of embryo shape on the driving forces prevailing at the embryo boundaries that could support its expansion is studied. The modeled embryos are either planar, extending more in the shear direction than normal to the twin plane, or equiaxed. Results show that the thinner the embryo, the greater the driving forces for both thickening and forward propagation. Alloys with low prismatic-to-basal critical resolved shear stress (CRSS) ratios promote embryo thickening and large CRSS values for the slip mode that primarily accommodates the twin shear encourage propagation. The neighboring grains with orientations that enable local accommodation of the embryo twin shear by pyramidal slip promote forward propagation but have little effect on thickening. When two like embryos lie along the same GB, their paired interaction promotes forward propagation but hinders thickening.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗