Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Software engineering”

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 1,333 records · Page 74

System Validation Platform Working Directories

A suite of software tools used to interface with power electronic equipment for laboratory testing and device certification. They are typically used as equipment drivers with using the System Validation Platform (SVP) graphical user interface (GUI). 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. SAND2021-1185 O

Johnson, JayT↗

pyKinML

SAND2024-13788O pyKinML software is used to train neural net potential energy surfaces for hydrocarbon molecules. The models study reaction kinetics but can be used for other purposes as well, such as running molecular dynamics simulation. 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.

Najm, Habib↗

Multifidelity_Timeseries

SAND2025-03305O Multifidelity Timeseries is a user-friendly tool designed to create advanced models for analyzing time-series data. It offers three modeling options, allowing users to choose the best fit for their specific needs. The software efficiently processes multiple data sources without the need for complex sampling methods. It helps uncover patterns and insights using data. The result is it is easier to make informed decisions for projects. 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.

Katona, Ryan [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Liver↗

AgnosticStorageDynamics.jl

SAND2026-22949O AgnosticStorageDynamics.jl is a Julia software package for technology-agnostic energy storage dynamics. It provides a differentiable storage model with charge and discharge limits, efficiencies, standing losses, spill, unmet demand, and time-resolved energy state tracking. 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.

Michelen Strofer, Carlos [Sandia National Lab. (SN↗

PowerConverterDynamics.jl

SAND2026-22944O PowerConverterDynamics.jl is a Julia software package for differentiable DC power-conversion dynamics. It models a variable DC source, power converter, common DC bus, and battery module with current, voltage, loss, and state-of-charge dynamics. 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.

Michelen Strofer, Carlos [Sandia National Lab. (SN↗

Information-Theoretically Secure Distributed Machine Learning

A previously obscure area of cryptography known as Secure Multiparty Computation (MPC) is enjoying increased attention in the field of privacy-preserving machine learning (ML), because ML models implemented using MPC can be uniquely resistant to capture or reverse engineering by an adversary. In particular, an adversary who captures a share of a distributed MPC model provably cannot recover the model itself, nor data evaluated by the model, even by observing the model in operation. We report on our small project to survey current MPC software and judge its practicality for fielding mission-relevant distributed machine learning models.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Prioritizing ICS Beachhead Systems for Cyber Vulnerability Testing

Cyber Testing for Resilient Industrial Control Systems™ (CyTRICS™) is the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) program for cybersecurity vulnerability testing, digital subcomponent enumeration, and forensic assessment. CyTRICS leverages best-in-class test facilities and analytic capabilities at six DOE National Laboratories and strategic partnerships with key stakeholders including technology developers, manufacturers, asset owners and operators, and interagency partners. During the program’s development, CyTRICS established a unique methodology for prioritizing digital components within operational technology (OT) and industrial control systems (ICS) in the Energy Sector Industrial Base (ESIB) for cyber vulnerability testing. The CyTRICS Prioritization Process leverages multiple characteristics of systems, components, and their contextual deployment to calculate a quantification of individual digital components for CyTRICS testing. The initial version of the CyTRICS Prioritization Process was premised largely upon the impact which could result to an industrial control system if the digital component under testing was compromised, either through malicious means, faulty engineering, or other modes. The worldwide compromise of the SolarWinds Orion platform, first reported in December 2020, through malicious interference with the digital patching cycle was a watershed event in cyber supply chain security. The SolarWinds compromised demonstrated the strategic importance of certain types of ubiquitous software, and the ability to generate widespread cybersecurity effects. To address this challenge and as a part of the Department of Energy’s response to the SolarWinds compromise, DOE’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) directed the National Laboratories to evolve the CyTRICS Prioritization Process methodology to encompass additional factors related to the strategic importance of digital components. CESER directed CyTRICS researchers to identify, characterize, and append strategic factors to the CyTRICS Prioritization Process to provide additional weight to these characteristics. National Laboratory expert researchers identified functionality, distribution, and platform characteristics for digital components in ICS and OT that they assessed would be likely targeted in strategic initial-access cyber attack. CyTRICS has termed these factors “ICS Beachhead Systems,” leveraging a definition first advanced by Schneider Electric, which is intended as a blanket term to encompass digital components, products, and systems in OT. This paper describes the ICS Beachhead Systems identified and the rationale for inclusion. As a next step in the research and refinement process, the National Laboratories will validate this initial set of characteristics against digital components evaluated by the CyTRICS program and current implementation of the CyTRICS Prioritization Process. After validation, CyTRICS researchers will then develop a scoring methodology to generate a quantitative score to assess the degree to which a digital component is characterized as an ICS Beachhead System. Finally, the National Laboratories will append this scoring to the existing CyTRICS Prioritization Process algorithm.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Surveying the LLNL WSC/CP DevOps Landscape - FY23 DevOps L2: Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) L2 Milestone 8542, "Spack Utilization in IC Code Projects”

This L2 milestone is a multifaceted review of DevOps practices across Weapon Simulation and Computing/Computational Physics (WSC/CP) Program, which includes Weapons, ICF, and Engineering simulation codes and supporting libraries. It complements the FY22 Spack/MARBL L2: Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) L2 Milestone 7904, “Workflow Portability Across Cloud Services”. The overall goal is to develop a path forward for improving DevOps practices in WSC/CP which will increase developer productivity, improve software quality, and speed up our ability to deliver capabilities to end users.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Human readiness levels and Human Views as tools for user-centered design

The Human Readiness Level (HRL) scale is a simple nine-level scale that brings structure and consistency to the real-world application of user-centered design. It enables multidisciplinary consideration of human-focused elements during the system development process. Use of the standardized set of questions comprising the HRL scale results in a single human readiness number that communicates system readiness for human use. The Human Views (HVs) are part of an architecture framework that provides a repository for human-focused system information that can be used during system development to support the evaluation of HRL levels. Here, this paper illustrates how HRLs and HVs can be used in combination to support user-centered design processes. A real-world example for a U.S. Army software modernization program is described to demonstrate application of HRLs and HVs in the context of user-centered design.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Supporting mobile WEEE collection on demand: A method for multi-criteria vehicle routing, loading and cost optimisation

Highlights: • Multi-criteria method of WEEE mobile collection on demand. • Vehicle routing and loading problem included in the model and algorithm. • Optimisation of collecting vehicles routes including genetic algorithms and fuzzy logic. • Case study for heterogeneous fleet of collection vehicles for medium size city in Poland. • Possible application in a software supporting waste collection on demand. - Abstract: The task of increasing collection rates of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is an important challenge in the global economy, and especially in the European Union where stiffer collection targets set out in a new WEEE directive are to be effective by 2019. As the circular economy approach replaces the linear model, resource recycling activities become a priority in waste management policy. As new techniques and possibilities of waste collection systems emerge, opportunities are created for improving efficiency for collection companies and affording benefits for the environment. A model proposed for mobile WEEE collection in this study considers a multi-criteria approach in developing a cost efficient method for pick up on demand from residents or electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) stores. The algorithm used in this model optimises vehicle routes and helps in selecting a number of vehicles from a heterogeneous fleet, incorporating the WEEE loading problem. Using genetic algorithm and fuzzy logic, this model optimises costs and resources required to complete the WEEE collection assuring timely pick up of the waste equipment. The numerical model is verified in a case study in Opole, a city in the south of Poland. The results show that the proposed model can handle the multiple parameter optimisation problem including operational costs, efficient use of vehicles from a fleet, efficient waste loading in vehicles and residents' satisfaction with timely pick up of the waste equipment from a household. Such system can be successfully applied even for large cities. The algorithm provides an opportunity for writing software or mobile apps design to be used by WEEE collection companies.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Rapidly Deployable Security System Final Report CRADA No. TC-2030-01

The ultimate objective of the LEADER and LLNL strategic partnership was to develop and commercialize_a security-based system product and platform for the use in protecting the substantial physical and economic assets of the government and commerce of the United States. The primary goal of this project was to integrate video surveillance hardware developed by LLNL with a security software backbone developed by LEADER. Upon completion of the project, a prototype hardware/software security system that is highly scalable was to be demonstrated.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Automated Management in Aerospace Production

Software for analysis of the efficiency of high-tech production is proposed. The software is based on a multidimensional model of product-information transformation during the manufacturing process, with a complex relation between the product parameters. Technological inheritance is taken into account.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Nuclear Quality Assurance Certification of the MCNP-ORIGEN Activation Automation tool

The MCNP-ORIGEN Activation Automation (MOAA) tool couples MCNP and ORIGEN-S, allowing to support ATR and TREAT experiments by predicting their composition and activity before their irradiation takes place. MOAA is developed and maintained by the Irradiation Experiment Neutronics Analysis group (C-150) at INL. This poster presents the motivation behind the development of MOAA, its main workflow, as well as the software quality assurance (SQA) efforts required by LWP-13620, "Managing Information Technology Assets."

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗

SubDyn User's Guide and Theory Manual

SubDyn is a time-domain structural-dynamics module for multimember fixed-bottom substructures created by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) through U.S. Department of Energy Wind and Water Power Program support. The module has been coupled into the FAST aero-hydro-servo-elastic computer-aided engineering (CAE) tool. Substructure types supported by SubDyn include monopiles, tripods, jackets, and other lattice-type substructures common for offshore wind installations in shallow and transitional water depths. SubDyn can also be used to model lattice support structures for land-based wind turbines. This document is organized as follows. Section 1 details how to obtain the SubDyn and FAST software archives and run both the stand-alone SubDyn or SubDyn coupled to FAST. Section 2 describes the SubDyn input files. Section 3 discusses the output files generated by SubDyn; these include echo files, a summary file, and the results file. Section 4 provides modeling guidance when using SubDyn. The SubDyn theory is covered in Section 5. Section 6 outlines future work, and Section 7 contains a list of references. Example input files are shown in Appendixes A and B. A summary of available output channels are found in Appendix C. Instructions for compiling the stand-alone SubDyn program are detailed in Appendix D. Appendix E tracks the major changes we have made to SubDyn for each public release.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Developing a Hybrid Electric Vehicle Eco-Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control System at Signalized Intersections.

This study develops an eco-driving strategy for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) in the vicinity of signalized intersections, entitled HEV Eco-Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control at Intersections (Eco-CACC-I). The proposed system computes real-time, energy-optimized vehicle trajectories using HEV vehicle dynamics and energy consumption models. In the proposed system, a simple HEV energy model is used to compute the instantaneous fuel consumption. This HEV energy model is selected since it is general, transferable, and can be easily used to compute instantaneous energy consumption levels for HEVs without the additional input of vehicle engine data or complicated power control strategies. In addition, a vehicle dynamics model is used to capture the relationship between speed, acceleration level, and tractive/resistance forces on vehicles. The energy-optimum problem is formulated as an optimization problem with constraints, which is solved using a moving-horizon dynamic programming approach. The proposed HEV Eco-CACC-I system was tested to evaluate its performance for various speed limits, roadway grades, and signal timings. Lastly, the proposed HEV controller was implemented in a microscopic traffic simulation software to test its network-wide performance. The test results from an arterial corridor with three signalized intersections demonstrate that the proposed system can effectively reduce stop-and-go traffic in the vicinity of signalized intersections producing savings of 7.4% in energy consumption, 5.8% in traffic delay and 23% vehicle stops, respectively.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Even Higher-Level Synthesis: An Exploration of AI Hardware Accelerators using HLS4ML

With the rise of artificial intelligence, the popularization of deep learning, and a constantly evolving industry, the demand for flexible and efficient tools has never been greater. As algorithms grow more complex, their runtime and energy consumption increase exponentially. Customized hardware accelerators, long used for specific mathematical operations, remain essential for managing modern applications' computational and power demands. Hardware accelerators can speed up complex computations by orders of magnitude, but their manual design and verification processes are often challenging and time-consuming. High-Level Synthesis (HLS) provides a solution by transforming high-level algorithm descriptions, typically written in C++ or SystemC, into synthesizable RTL suitable for hardware implementation. This approach reduces development time for RTL engineers while offering flexibility beyond what traditional handwritten RTL can provide. We extended this capability to the machine-learning domain with the open-source framework hls4ml, which allows neural networks trained in Python frameworks like Tensorflow or PyTorch to be synthesized into efficient hardware representations for the traditional FPGA and ASIC flows. This breakthrough addresses the growing need for reduced design turnaround and easy verification of ML hardware accelerators with low latency and power efficiency constraints. During this tutorial, we will demonstrate how Python complements HLS by simplifying the ML design process, bridging the gap between software and hardware development. Attendees will explore how we translate neural networks modeled in Python into fixed-point C++ models suitable for HLS workflows. We will dive into strategies like Value-Range Analysis and Quantization-Aware Training, which optimize these designs for deployment and evaluate their accuracy, power consumption, and energy efficiency. To exemplify these concepts, experts from Fermilab will share their experiences applying this technology to high-energy physics experiments, where real-time, low-latency processing is critical. Over the years, Fermilab engineers have demonstrated how deep neural networks, optimized for hardware using hls4ml, can meet the stringent requirements of trigger systems at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. These systems rely on rapid decision-making to process immense data volumes while retaining only the most relevant events for further analysis. The application of hls4ml has also been extended to innovative technologies like smart pixel arrays. These smart pixels integrate ML inference capabilities directly into sensor devices, enabling localized data processing at the pixel level. This approach drastically reduces the need to transmit raw data to external processing units, significantly decreasing power consumption and latency. By embedding neural networks within the pixel architecture, the smart pixels can identify and prioritize relevant data in real time, providing a highly efficient solution for edge computing in scenarios such as particle detectors and imaging systems. Fermilab's work highlights the potential of hardware-accelerated ML in scenarios where both speed and power efficiency are mission-critical. Through this tutorial, attendees will gain valuable insights into the challenges and solutions of deploying ML in hardware. Understanding how HLS and hls4ml streamline the development of neural network-based hardware accelerators is fundamental for the industry's future. Participants will learn how these technologies are shaping the future of AI and scientific computing.

Di Guglielmo, Giuseppe [Fermilab]↗

Security-informed safety: integrating security within the safety demonstration of a smart device - 157

Safety and security engineering have, over the years, developed their own regulations, standards, cultures, and practices. However, there's a growing realisation that security is closely connected to safety. Safety must be security-informed: if a safety-critical system isn't secure, it isn't safe. A safety demonstration is incomplete and unconvincing unless it considers security. In our work for government and industry, we have used the Claims, Arguments, Evidence (CAE) framework to analyse the impact of security on a safety justification or safety case and identified the significant changes needed to address security explicitly. This will impact the design and implementation process as well as the assurance and V and V approach. In this paper we discuss the impact of integrating security when developing a safety demonstration of a smart device. A smart device is an instrument, device or component that contains a microprocessor (and therefore contains both hardware and software) and is programmed to provide specialised capabilities, often measuring or controlling a process variable. Examples of smart devices include radiation monitors, relays, turbine governors, uninterruptible power supplies and heating ventilation, and air conditioning controllers. (authors)

42 ENGINEERING↗