Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “model generation”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 127 records · Page 7

Next generation modeling of microbial souring – Parameterization through genomic information

Biogenesis of hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) (microbial souring) has detrimental impacts on oil production operations and can cause health and safety problems. Understanding the processes that control the rates and patterns of sulfate reduction is crucial in developing a predictive understanding of reservoir souring and associated mitigation processes. This work demonstrates an approach to utilize genomic information to constrain the biological parameters needed for modeling souring, providing a pathway for using microbial data derived from oil reservoir studies. Minimum generation times were calculated based on codon usage bias and optimal growth temperatures based on the frequency of amino acids. We show how these derived parameters can be used in a simplified multiphase reactive transport model by simulating the injection of cold (30 °C) seawater into a 70 °C reservoir, modeling the shift in sulfate reducing microorganisms (SRM) community composition, sulfate and sulfide concentrations through time and space. Finally, we explore the question of necessary model complexity by comparing results using different numbers of SRM. Simulations showed that the kinetics of a SRM community consisting of twenty-five SRM could be adequately represented by a reduced community consisting of nine SRM with parameter values derived from the mean and standard deviations of the original SRM.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

A Review of Behind-the-Meter Solar Generation Modeling and Forecasting

Solar photovoltaic systems largely integrated within the distribution grid are operated 'behind-the-meter' and power generation cannot be directly monitored by most utilities. The increasing penetration of behind-the-meter solar photovoltaic systems can deter efficient network and market operations due to variability and uncertainty in net load, which is exacerbated by limited visibility and the difficulty in analyzing the hosting capacity. Risk introduced by behind-the-meter solar contributions may hinder reliable and secure grid operations due to biased system monitoring and forecasts. Accurate behind-the-meter estimations, together with capacity and specification forecasts, thus play a key role in balancing supply and demand and this article reviews the pertinent literature, identifying key characteristics and predictive methods for efficient behind-the-meter solar photovoltaic generation. Forecasting is central to methods herein. The fundamental characteristics of behind-the-meter solar forecasting, including which methods are applicable for scenario-driven use cases, are driven by the metrics most useful for system-wide performance evaluation. To this aim, the literature is reviewed with a focus on forecasting applications for aggregate, regional behind-the-meter generation useful to bulk system and utility operations. As distinguished from net load forecasting, subtleties in these coincident tasks are explored before concluding with recommendations for current practice and future implementations.

behind-the-meter↗

Conditional deep generative models for simultaneous simulation and reconstruction of entire events

We extend the particle-flow neural assisted simulations (arnassus) framework of fast simulation and reconstruction to entire collider events. In particular, we use two generative artificial intelligence tools, continuous normalizing flows and diffusion models, to create a set of reconstructed particle-flow objects conditioned on truth-level particles from CMS Open Simulations. While previous work focused on jets, our updated methods now can accommodate all particle-flow objects in an event along with particle-level attributes like particle type and production vertex coordinates. This approach is fully automated, entirely written in Python, and GPU-compatible. Using a variety of physics processes at the LHC, we show that the extended arnassus is able to generalize beyond the training dataset and outperforms the standard, public tool elphes.

Dreyer, Etienne [Weizmann Institute of Science, Re↗

A Generative Model for Realistic Galaxy Cluster X-Ray Morphologies

Abstract The X-ray morphologies of clusters of galaxies display significant variations, reflecting their dynamical histories and the nonlinear dependence of X-ray emissivity on the density of the intracluster gas. Qualitative and quantitative assessments of X-ray morphology have long been considered a proxy for determining whether clusters are dynamically active or “relaxed.” Conversely, the use of circularly or elliptically symmetric models for cluster emission can be complicated by the variety of complex features realized in nature, spanning scales from megaparsecs down to the resolution limit of current X-ray observatories. In this work, we use mock X-ray images from simulated clusters from The Three Hundred project to define a basis set of cluster image features. We take advantage of the clusters’ approximate self-similarity to minimize the differences between images before encoding the remaining diversity through a distribution of high-order polynomial coefficients. Principal component analysis then provides an orthogonal basis for this distribution, corresponding to natural perturbations from an average model. This representation allows novel, realistically complex X-ray cluster images to be easily generated, and we provide code to do so. The approach provides a simple way to generate training data for cluster image analysis algorithms and could be straightforwardly adapted to generate clusters displaying specific types of features or selected by physical characteristics available in the original simulations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Vortex Generator Model Developed for Turbomachinery

A computational model was developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center to investigate possible uses of vortex generators (VG's) for improving the performance of turbomachinery. A vortex generator is a small, winglike device that generates vortices at its tip. The vortices mix high-speed core flow with low-speed boundary layer flow and, thus, can be used to delay flow separation. VG's also turn the flow near the walls and, thus, can be used to control flow incidence into a turbomachinery blade row or to control secondary flows.

Chima, Rodrick V.↗

Comparing Velocity Profiles Along the Rod Length of a Helical Coil Steam Generator Model

A model of a specific type of tube and shell heat exchanger, the helical coil steam generator (HCSG), was designed and constructed to study multiple fluidic properties that attribute to the efficiency of the heat transfer it provides. Tube and shell heat exchangers are currently used throughout industry in chemical, power and petroleum engineering. Most commonly, a primary flow is circulated through a shell, while the secondary flow is run through several small tubes that are bundled together. Methods to increase the heat transfer between the two flows include adding baffles to force shell side flow over more tubes, fins added in-between layers of tubes and passing tubes multiple times through the shell to increase heat exchanger effectiveness. The HCSG incorporates many of the proposed methods but also relies on a complex geometry to increase the heat transfer between tube and shell side flow. In an area where cost effectiveness is favorable, such as inside a nuclear reactor, helically banked steam generators makes extensive use of the room with no sharp tube bends. This increases the pressure loss on the secondary flow and can solve potential temperature manufacturing issues at the welds of junctions. Additionally, they have exhibited pure cross flow behaviors with high heat transfer coefficients and axial temperature profiles that correspond to pure counter-flow with high mean temperature differences. Early work showed that helical banks can have a significant increase of 16 to 43% higher heat transfer coefficient than straight pipe heat exchangers. While many previous studies have looked at the heat transfer, pressure drop and flow fields of a tube and shell heat exchanger, they all focus on tube bundles that are either in-line or staggered. The early flow visualization studies on these types of bundle arrangements reported that attached eddies were formed alternatively behind each of the rods and were occasionally dragged into the main stream of shell side flow. Later studies suggested that observable periodic vortex shedding was dependent on geometry. Experimental data taken using techniques such as laser Doppler anemometry (LDV) by Simonin and Barcouda (1986) as mentioned in Hassan (2002), hot-wire anemometry with Tsuchida (1982) and particle image velocimetry (PIV) conducted by researchers as late as 2007 have been used to characterize turbulent flow and distinguish flow field structures within in-line and staggered tube bundles. By studying these flow field structures, their contribution to fluidic properties such as heat transfer efficiency and pressure drop can be characterized effectively. Literature review lead to a design that incorporated five layers of coils wrapped around one another. The outermost and middle layers of tubes coiled at a specific pitch in a clockwise direction while the other two layers coiled counterclockwise. The proposed design incorporates a constantly changing lateral pitch ratio, a, between adjacent rods. The constructed test section isolates a single interface between two adjacent coiling rod bundles of twelve rods. Three distinct cross sectional planes along the rod bundles were looked at to study the effect of the local geometry to flow fields, Section A, B and C. Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) frames of 896 x 848 pixels were captured at each section across a specific height. Profiles of mean velocity fields for each section are compared and discussed as possible features of the changing lateral pitch ratio.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Gas Generation Models for Thermal Runaway in Lithium Ion Batteries

A numerical model is implemented to study cell venting, internal pressure, and gas-phase dynamics behavior of Li-ion cells undergoing thermal runaway. A k-ɛ Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) model is adopted to describe the turbulent flow out of the cells, while the fluid dynamics inside the cells is described by Darcy-Forchheimer’s equation. Thermal abuse reactions and gas generation kinetics are described by a single-step lumped reaction model. A series of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are conducted on a single cell at various states-of-charge (100%, 50%, 25%) to demonstrate detailed flow and thermal behavior as a function of quantity of gas generated during cell venting. Venting events are categorized into two stages: i) breaching of the cell container and ii) thermal runaway reactions. It is shown that the cell response is dominated by the second stage since most of the gases are generated during thermal runaway. Also, the propensity for propagation is highly affected by state-of-charge (SOC). Cells at higher SOCs produce more heat and gas during the venting event, owing to higher mass and concentrations of reacting gases, and consequently reach higher internal cell pressures which increase the risk of side-wall breaching.

Kim, Jinyong↗

A graphical language for reliability model generation

A graphical interface capability of the hybrid automated reliability predictor (HARP) is described. The graphics-oriented (GO) module provides the user with a graphical language for modeling system failure modes through the selection of various fault tree gates, including sequence dependency gates, or by a Markov chain. With this graphical input language, a fault tree becomes a convenient notation for describing a system. In accounting for any sequence dependencies, HARP converts the fault-tree notation to a complex stochastic process that is reduced to a Markov chain which it can then solve for system reliability. The graphics capability is available for use on an IBM-compatible PC, a Sun, and a VAX workstation. The GO module is written in the C programming language and uses the Graphical Kernel System (GKS) standard for graphics implementation. The PC, VAX, and Sun versions of the HARP GO module are currently in beta-testing.

Howell, Sandra V.↗

Hybrid Solar Heat Generation Modelling and Cases: Preprint

Renewable thermal energy systems (RTES) harness renewable energy sources to provide services for space heating and cooling, district heating, domestic hot water, and industrial process heat (IPH). The use of low-pressure steam generated by the combustion of fossil fuels is common today to provide process heat for industrial facilities. Solar IPH (SIPH) technologies could economically replace the steam or heat needs at many industrial sites by providing high-temperature pressurized hot water, a heat transfer fluid (HTF) such as synthetic-oil, or direct steam (Kurup and Turchi, 2015). RTES could be hybridized with technology options or combined with the existing heat supply (e.g. fuels), to give options for targeted IPH application and the reduction of fuel consumption. This work has tested hybrid system modelling approaches. Initial results show when a natural gas (NG) burner that feeds an IPH application of 300°C, has both air and NG streams pre-heated with a solar field/RTES exit temperature of 180°C (via an HTF), a 13% NG offset is possible. NG offsets reach up to 26%, when the RTES exit temperatures are at 300°C for a given annual capacity factor of 24%. This can be even higher with addition of thermal energy storage (TES).

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

A deep generative model for deciphering cellular dynamics and in silico drug discovery in complex diseases

Human diseases are characterized by intricate cellular dynamics. Single-cell transcriptomics provides critical insights, yet a persistent gap remains in computational tools for detailed disease progression analysis and targeted in silico drug interventions. Here we introduce UNAGI, a deep generative neural network tailored to analyse time-series single-cell transcriptomic data. This tool captures the complex cellular dynamics underlying disease progression, enhancing drug perturbation modelling and screening. When applied to a dataset from patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, UNAGI learns disease-informed cell embeddings that sharpen our understanding of disease progression, leading to the identification of potential therapeutic drug candidates. Validation using proteomics reveals the accuracy of UNAGI’s cellular dynamics analysis, and the use of the fibrotic cocktail-treated human precision-cut lung slices confirms UNAGI’s predictions that nifedipine, an antihypertensive drug, may have anti-fibrotic effects on human tissues. UNAGI’s versatility extends to other diseases, including COVID, demonstrating adaptability and confirming its broader applicability in decoding complex cellular dynamics beyond idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, amplifying its use in the quest for therapeutic solutions across diverse pathological landscapes.

Neural Network↗

Inverse design of nanoporous crystalline reticular materials with deep generative models

Reticular frameworks are crystalline porous materials that form via the self-assembly of molecular building blocks in different topologies, with many having desirable properties for gas storage, separation, catalysis, biomedical applications and so on. The notable variety of building blocks makes reticular chemistry both promising and challenging for prospective materials design. Here we propose an automated nanoporous materials discovery platform powered by a supramolecular variational autoencoder for the generative design of reticular materials. We demonstrate the automated design process with a class of metal–organic framework (MOF) structures and the goal of separating carbon dioxide from natural gas or flue gas. Our model shows high fidelity in capturing MOF structural features. Here, we show that the autoencoder has a promising optimization capability when jointly trained with multiple top adsorbent candidates identified for superior gas separation. MOFs discovered here are strongly competitive against some of the best-performing MOFs/zeolites ever reported.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Computer-aided design of curved surfaces with automatic model generation

The design and visualization of three-dimensional objects with curved surfaces have always been difficult. The paper given below describes a computer system which facilitates both the design and visualization of such surfaces. The system enhances the design of these surfaces by virtue of various interactive techniques coupled with the application of B-Spline theory. Visualization is facilitated by including a specially built model-making machine which produces three-dimensional foam models. Thus, the system permits the designer to produce an inexpensive model of the object which is suitable for evaluation and presentation.

Staley, S. M.↗

Vectorization of Dynamic Subgraphs via Generative Models (Final Report)

An important class of data analysis tasks stem from comparing subsets of connected records within massive sets of complex relational data. A common approach is to represent each set of connected records with a small graph, or set of data entities (graph vertices) and their relationships (graph edges), and efficient methods to gauge similarity for pairs of graphs are of high interest. This project concentrated on dynamic graphs, where each edge record has an associated timestamp denoting the time of observation. Pre-existing techniques for comparing dynamic graphs concentrate on either computing graph edit distance (number of vertex and edge deletion, addition, and timestamp modifications) or vectorizing the graph with counts of a limited set of dynamic graph motifs (tiny fundamental subgraphs) and computing distances between the vectors. These approaches are less able to see similarities in graphs that are fairly different in size but come from identical graph generation processes. The motif counting approach can be improved for graphs from the same process, but suffers from requiring many types of motifs meaning it is expensive. Moreover, many motifs are not present for small graphs, meaning realizing a a much larger graph came from the same process is difficult.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Coaxial Rotor CFD Validation and ML Surrogate Model Generation

A fixed-pitch speed-controlled coaxial rotor system was tested in the NASA Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel in September 2022. The rotors have a diameter of 1.35 meters and an inter-rotor spacing of 25% of the diameter. Though this test was focused on the NASA New Frontiers Dragonfly mission, the resulting dataset is relevant to a wide array of applications of multirotor vehicles, especially those using fixed-pitch variable-speed rotors. Most notably beyond Dragonfly, perhaps, is the application of coaxial rotor pair configurations for eVTOL and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) aircraft. This work provides a thorough CFD validation study quantifying coaxial rotor performance estimation with accuracy on order 5-10% using an efficient hybrid BEMT-URANS flow solver over a wide range of operating conditions. This accuracy was achieved using novel approaches for the construction of both the C81 airfoil performance lookup tables and the BEMT rotor model. These novel approaches are combined with advanced scripting to further accelerate the commercial off-the-shelf CFD solver on GPU accelerated machines. Finally, the development of machine learning surrogate models is presented to produce highly efficient and accurate rotor performance predictions for fixed-pitch variable-speed multirotor aircraft over the complete flight regime including scout, cruise, climb, descent, as well as limiting cases of vortex-ring and windmill-brake states.

Coaxial↗